The season of Lent has arrived. This season, the time of preparation before the great joy of Easter, is marked by prayer and fasting, study and service. It is a time for looking again at the state of our relationships and our priorities, and returning to the God who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. But, turning again to God is often easier said than done.
Like Jesus in the wilderness, we face testing and temptation. That temptation may lead us to ignore our relationships and our well-being in favor of unhealthy behaviors. It may seek to convince us that the consequences of our actions don’t matter. It may try to persuade us to believe those things the devil, the slanderer, the accuser, whispers in our ears – You’re not good enough. All the choices you’ve made are wrong and there’s no way to fix them. No one cares about you.
But those are lies. The God who created us does not abandon us, even in the face of temptation. Whatever the devil says, God’s voice is louder – you are my beloved. It is this voice in particular we attend to in the season of Lent. As we seek to resist temptation and rest in our belovedness, Jesus’ three responses to the devil in today’s Gospel reading provide a solid starting place.
Immediately following his baptism in the Jordan River, Jesus is led into the wilderness by that same Spirit who descended on him from parted clouds. After forty days Jesus is weak and hungry and the devil knows just when to show up. “Since you’re the Son of God, command this stone to turn into a loaf of bread.” Jesus could do it – and the devil knows this. But Jesus has a very specific mission, and self-serving actions aren’t part of that mission. Jesus replies to the devil’s temptation with a verse from Deuteronomy 8: “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
When we experience temptation, we too can be strengthened by the words that come from the mouth of the Lord. We hear the word of God in Scripture, we meet the Word of God in the person of Jesus, and we experience the word of God lived out in our community of faith. Scripture communicates to us that, whatever we may be facing, God cares and God is with us. What are some favorite Scripture passages or hymns you turn to when you are faced with temptation or struggles?
Next, the devil leads Jesus up to a high place, pointing out all the powerful kingdoms of the world. Jesus could have them, could have the glory and the authority, if he just does one little thing – bow down and worship the devil, the enemy of God. But the prestige and honor and authority of earthly power and earthly kingdoms are not part of Jesus’ mission. Jesus replies to the devil with another verse from Deuteronomy, a sentiment found many places in Scripture – “Worship the Lord your God; the Lord alone shall you serve.”
When we experience temptation, we can be strengthened by the reminder that God alone is worthy of our worship. We do not worship ourselves, or other people in our lives, or our job, or money, or fame. God, the one who created us, and calls us, and forgives us, is who we worship. We gather here each week to worship God together. We are strengthened by God’s word and God’s presence with us in bread and wine. We are also strengthened by the presence and encouragement of our siblings in Christ. We go from here reminded of who and whose we are, equipped and empowered to resist temptation.
Finally, the devil takes Jesus to Jerusalem, to the pinnacle of the temple, looking out over the Kidron Valley. “Since you’re the Son of God,” the devil says, “throw yourself down from here. Doesn’t the Bible say that God will command the angels concerning you, to protect you? And, on their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. Surely if that applies to anyone, it applies to you, Jesus…” But Jesus responds again with a verse from Deuteronomy: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
When we experience temptation, we can be strengthened by the reminder that God is worthy of our trust. Time and again, God has been trustworthy. Time and again, God has been faithful, even when we ourselves have not be trustworthy and faithful. When we try to set conditions – when we say, “If God really loved me, this wouldn’t happen” or “If God really loved me, that would happen.” – what we’re really saying is that we don’t trust God to work through all things. We don’t trust God’s promises to never leave us or forsake us. We don’t trust God’s assurances that we are loved and cherished.
But, God is trustworthy and faithful, and God will help us when we face testing and temptation. Strengthened by God’s presence and God’s promises, we can resist the temptations and false promises of the devil.
Just like the devil came to Jesus at his weakest – spending forty days in the wilderness, exhausted and famished – so too does the devil often find us at our weakest. But the good news is that in our weakness, God is strong. When we don’t know what to do, God is there. And whether we resist temptation or crumble under the pressure, we are reminded that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. We are called God’s beloved children, and nothing changes that.
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| Photo by Cagatay Orhan on Unsplash |
But those are lies. The God who created us does not abandon us, even in the face of temptation. Whatever the devil says, God’s voice is louder – you are my beloved. It is this voice in particular we attend to in the season of Lent. As we seek to resist temptation and rest in our belovedness, Jesus’ three responses to the devil in today’s Gospel reading provide a solid starting place.
Immediately following his baptism in the Jordan River, Jesus is led into the wilderness by that same Spirit who descended on him from parted clouds. After forty days Jesus is weak and hungry and the devil knows just when to show up. “Since you’re the Son of God, command this stone to turn into a loaf of bread.” Jesus could do it – and the devil knows this. But Jesus has a very specific mission, and self-serving actions aren’t part of that mission. Jesus replies to the devil’s temptation with a verse from Deuteronomy 8: “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
When we experience temptation, we too can be strengthened by the words that come from the mouth of the Lord. We hear the word of God in Scripture, we meet the Word of God in the person of Jesus, and we experience the word of God lived out in our community of faith. Scripture communicates to us that, whatever we may be facing, God cares and God is with us. What are some favorite Scripture passages or hymns you turn to when you are faced with temptation or struggles?
Next, the devil leads Jesus up to a high place, pointing out all the powerful kingdoms of the world. Jesus could have them, could have the glory and the authority, if he just does one little thing – bow down and worship the devil, the enemy of God. But the prestige and honor and authority of earthly power and earthly kingdoms are not part of Jesus’ mission. Jesus replies to the devil with another verse from Deuteronomy, a sentiment found many places in Scripture – “Worship the Lord your God; the Lord alone shall you serve.”
When we experience temptation, we can be strengthened by the reminder that God alone is worthy of our worship. We do not worship ourselves, or other people in our lives, or our job, or money, or fame. God, the one who created us, and calls us, and forgives us, is who we worship. We gather here each week to worship God together. We are strengthened by God’s word and God’s presence with us in bread and wine. We are also strengthened by the presence and encouragement of our siblings in Christ. We go from here reminded of who and whose we are, equipped and empowered to resist temptation.
Finally, the devil takes Jesus to Jerusalem, to the pinnacle of the temple, looking out over the Kidron Valley. “Since you’re the Son of God,” the devil says, “throw yourself down from here. Doesn’t the Bible say that God will command the angels concerning you, to protect you? And, on their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. Surely if that applies to anyone, it applies to you, Jesus…” But Jesus responds again with a verse from Deuteronomy: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
When we experience temptation, we can be strengthened by the reminder that God is worthy of our trust. Time and again, God has been trustworthy. Time and again, God has been faithful, even when we ourselves have not be trustworthy and faithful. When we try to set conditions – when we say, “If God really loved me, this wouldn’t happen” or “If God really loved me, that would happen.” – what we’re really saying is that we don’t trust God to work through all things. We don’t trust God’s promises to never leave us or forsake us. We don’t trust God’s assurances that we are loved and cherished.
But, God is trustworthy and faithful, and God will help us when we face testing and temptation. Strengthened by God’s presence and God’s promises, we can resist the temptations and false promises of the devil.
Just like the devil came to Jesus at his weakest – spending forty days in the wilderness, exhausted and famished – so too does the devil often find us at our weakest. But the good news is that in our weakness, God is strong. When we don’t know what to do, God is there. And whether we resist temptation or crumble under the pressure, we are reminded that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. We are called God’s beloved children, and nothing changes that.
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