Learning to Follow: Who Will You Be?

Then the Spirit led Jesus up into the wilderness so that the devil might tempt him. After Jesus had fasted for forty days and forty nights, he was starving. The tempter came to him and said, “Since you are God’s Son, command these stones to become bread.”

Jesus replied, “It’s written, People won’t live only by bread, but by every word spoken by God.”

After that the devil brought him into the holy city and stood him at the highest point of the temple. He said to him, “Since you are God’s Son, throw yourself down; for it is written, I will command my angels concerning you, and they will take you up in their hands so that you won’t hit your foot on a stone.”

Jesus replied, “Again it’s written, Don’t test the Lord your God.”

Then the devil brought him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. He said, “I’ll give you all these if you bow down and worship me.”

Jesus responded, “Go away, Satan, because it’s written,You will worship the Lord your God and serve only him.” The devil left him, and angels came and took care of him.

Now when Jesus heard that John was arrested, he went to Galilee. He left Nazareth and settled in Capernaum, which lies alongside the sea in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali. This fulfilled what Isaiah the prophet said:

Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

        alongside the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles,

    the people who lived in the dark have seen a great light,

        and a light has come upon those who lived in the region and in shadow of death.

From that time Jesus began to announce, “Change your hearts and lives! Here comes the kingdom of heaven!” --Matthew 3:1-17, 4:1-17 (CEB)

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Creator and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Have you ever heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls? If so, what do you know about them? (Sidenote: Did you know that one of the fragments left behind includes language that suggests that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married?) 

It is believed that these scrolls belonged to the Essenes. The Essenes were a Jewish sect that arose around during the time we call the Second Temple period in Judaism - that time between the Hebrew scriptures and the New Testament. During this time, there was a growing belief that a Messiah would come to overthrow Israel’s foreign occupation and install a period of peace. The Essenes held this belief. They lived an ascetic lifestyle in a remote wilderness area. They believed the apocalypse was imminent and that, when it came, it would begin a new time. A new Messianic age. This age was to be characterized by repentance for Israel. A call to turn back. To turn back to God so that this new time might be ushered in. 

John the Baptizer, it is believed, was an Essene. As he preached this repentance - this call for Israel to turn back to God - as he preached this on the margins of the centers of power - on the outskirts of Jerusalem, he picked up a large following, many of them coming from Jerusalem and surrounding regions. That the Pharisees and Sadducees show up in the story, in this liminal space near the Jordan where John is preaching, says something. And, from their perspective, it is not something good. But from the perspective of John the Baptizer - his place at the margins sets the stage for Jesus to enter into this same liminal space. 

You may wonder why we today have juxtaposed this story of Jesus’ baptism with that of his wilderness temptation. Too often in our reading of scripture and, especially in our lectionary texts, we treat each story as unique and set apart. But, the truth is that they are all connected. As John is baptizing Jesus the heavens open. This same word is used in Isaiah and Ezekiel to suggest that the heavens open to reveal God’s purpose. That purpose is to be found in Jesus. God’s Son. The Beloved One. The visible manifestation of God in the world. In human flesh and blood. 

But, then. And “then” is exactly the word that is used to begin our second story from Matthew. But, then, that same Spirit that descended and gently rested on Jesus - that same Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness. Jesus, like John, moves into that liminal space. For 40 days. Like Israel wandering for 40 years. For a purpose. To inaugurate - or birth - a new age of God. 

It is there, in the wilderness, where Jesus meets Satan. 

In the Hebrew Bible, Satan is not really an evil figure, more like a prosecutor on the heavenly council. But, once again in the Second Temple period, the concept of Satan - like that of Messiah - develops further. Satan became a more powerful figure. An adversarial one. The personification of evil. The leader of demons acting in direct opposition to the kingdom of God. Yet, even in this dichotomy of good and evil, God was still seen as being fully in charge of history. 

We see this in the story of Jesus’ temptation. Satan is a wily character, using scripture in a way to deceive. Offering Jesus authority over all the kingdoms of the world - as if Satan actually has ownership and control over all the kingdoms of the world. 

But, the Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness for one reason. One primary reason. It is to show that One and One only has dominion over all the kingdoms of the world. That One is God, visibly manifested in Jesus. This is who Jesus is - the kind of ruler Jesus is. 

 

But, Matthew also wants us to know what kind of ruler Jesus isn’t. When given the “opportunity” to prove his special status, Jesus demonstrates restraint. He doesn’t use his power to satisfy his own appetite or to prove his invincibility. Neither does he seize on the opportunity to acquire all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor by worshiping Satan. Why? Because Jesus is faithful to God. And because this ruler - this Messianic One who will fulfill Israel’s hopes, perhaps not in the way they anticipate - does not rule with unbridled appetites, arrogance, or tyranny.

You and I. We, like Jesus, are also called to be the visible manifestation of God in this place and time, called and baptized as Jesus was. God looks at us through him and says, “You. You are my beloved.” And when we turn away, when we stray, when we get lost, God calls us into repentance, that turning back to God. Where once again, we are reminded of whose we are and how we are to live.

And then. Because even as God’s called people, we are not immune from times in the wilderness. Then, when we find ourselves in the midst of the wilderness, tempted by pride. Desiring power over others. Wishing for more and more - for all the possessions of the world. It is there, in those wilderness times, that we are faced with our own questions of identity. Who are we? What does it mean to be a baptized child of God? And how will we live into this identity? When life is hard, it is when our baptismal identity is the most challenged. How will we respond when we are stressed, overtired, anxious, angry, despondent, hurt? Or when our communities face threats - whether internal, or external? Who will we be? Really?

We look to Jesus for that example of how we are to be the visible manifestations of God in the world. Jesus shows us that it is when our lives are most difficult that we choose who we will be. Like Jesus, we will be hungry. We will have times when we are tempted to doubt God’s faithfulness. We will be tempted to reach for power, rather than to live the life of a servant. It is in the wilderness where we will be tested. And transformed.

To live into our baptismal identity - to live as a child of God in the world - we must serve God, even when things are hard. This is when we choose just what it means to be a child of God.

“If you are the Son of God,” Satan challenges Jesus. And us. 

If you are a child of God, who will you be?  

Preached Sunday, January 15, 2023, at Grace & Glory Lutheran, Prospect, with Third Lutheran, Louisville.

Second Sunday after Epiphany

Readings: Matthew 3:1-17, Matthew 4:1-17

 

God's Promise of Jesus: Being Tempted

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written,

‘One does not live by bread alone,
    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
    and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,

‘Worship the Lord your God,
    and serve only him.’”

Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
    on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people who sat in darkness
    have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
    light has dawned.”

From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Matthew 4:1-17 (NRSV)

Grace and peace to you from the Triune God: Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.

Since our lectionary year began, we’ve been talking a lot about promises. Especially about how God keeps God’s promises. At the beginning, we heard the story of Noah. And of God’s promise to never again send a flood to destroy the world. A promise that was marked by a sign. Do you remember what that sign was? Yes, a rainbow.

Then, we heard about Abraham’s call. And another of God’s promises. Who remembers that promise? Yes. That God would make from Abraham a great nation - a nation with their own land and a nation through whom God would bless all people.  

We heard the story of Israel at the Red Sea, the culmination of God’s promise to deliver them from slavery. And we also heard the difficult stories of Israel and their failure to live up to their part of the promise - to remain faithful to God. And, yet, God, who is always making things new, made another promise to them. That God would provide a new king - a Messiah. One who would restore Israel and who would usher in a new kingdom - God’s kingdom - of mercy, justice, and peace.

Beginning on Christmas Eve until this very day, as we began reading in the Gospel of Matthew, we have heard the fulfillment of that promise.  Of God’s greatest promise - God’s Promise of Jesus. Over and over again, we have heard the characters in our stories proclaim that this Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promised Messiah. We heard it from the angels on Christmas Eve. It was recognized by the Magi (and also Herod). Last week, we heard it proclaimed by John the Baptist and by the voice from heaven, declaring the arrival of this promised one. The arrival of God’s promise of Jesus. And now, today, even the tempter proclaims that Jesus is God’s Son - the Promised One, the Messiah. 

This is the last week we will spend hearing about this fulfillment of God’s promise of Jesus. Because this week is the final test. The final question of whether or not this is the true Messiah. Or just some pretender to the throne.

Do you notice that our story begins in the wilderness? The Spirit, whom we were introduced to last week at Jesus’ baptism, leads Jesus into the wilderness for the test. For forty days. A test to determine the true identity of Jesus. Will he be faithful to God? Will he be faithful to the kingdom of heaven? Will he be the one to fulfill all righteousness? Is he truly the Son of God?

It’s no accident that our story begins with a period of 40 days in the wilderness. It’s the author’s intent because any person of Jewish descent would be immediately reminded of another wilderness. And another period of time using the number forty. It’s Matthew intent to immediately draw the comparison here between Israel and Jesus. And between Jesus’ forty days of testing in the wilderness and Israel’s forty years of wandering in the wilderness.

Even the nature of the temptations are the same. The first one - for food and sustenance. The second one - for well-being and protection. And the third one - for power. Israel had experienced each one of these in the wilderness, just as Jesus experiences them. But there is a difference. Because with each temptation, Jesus responds to the tempter with quotes from Deuteronomy. From the Torah. From those books of Instruction given to Israel by God to teach them how they were to live as God’s people. The Instruction that Israel so miserably failed to live out. 

The temptation of both Israel and of Jesus are all about identity. About who God’s people and who God’s Son are to be. About what their identity is to be. What does it mean to be God’s people? What does it mean to be God’s Son?

As Jesus is tempted, he must decide what this identity means. What his character will be. And, make no mistake. This is not the only time that Jesus will be tempted. As we will move throughout the Gospel, we will see him tested over and over again. By his disciples. By the crowds. And, finally, by the religious and political leaders in Jerusalem.

We should also not make the mistake of assuming that Jesus overcomes his temptation through his divine nature. In this story, the author of Matthew is emphasizing the comparison between Israel and Jesus to show that Jesus is the true and loyal expression of Israel, the people God originally intended to use to bring blessing to the whole world. Jesus, in his human nature, is representative of Israel - a new Israel - who, through his faithfulness to God, is able to overcome temptation and remain faithful.

Because this is who Jesus is.

Who are you? What is your identity? These are the same questions we ask when faced with difficult choices. As Christians, these questions are even more important. Our identity is more than just a collection of individual characteristics and personality traits. Our identity is wrapped up in who we are as people of God. What does it mean that we are Christians?

It is that identity - as children of God - that is most challenged when life is hard. Verse 2 of our text says that Jesus was “famished.” We may find our own selves - our own identities - tested when we are stressed. Or overtired. Or anxious. Or sick. Or as a church when we face financial problems, internal conflict, or threats from outside. It is during these times when things seem hardest that it is also the hardest for us to follow God and to be the people that God has called us to be.

It is when we, like Jesus, orient ourselves around God that the kingdom of God is fully realized. Notice that the orientation is “around God” and not around the things God provides. There is a subtle difference between celebrating the good gifts of God and turning them into idols. God is the source of our sustenance, yet Jesus resists the temptation to allow his own physical well-being to become the priority. So he replies, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” God intends our well-being, yet Jesus refuses to make his well-being the measure of God’s glory. “Do not put the Lord your God to the test,” he responds to the tempter. Power allows God’s people to serve God’s purposes, but Jesus does not allow power to become the end in itself. And so he dismisses Satan’s offer with the words, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve God only.” 

We are often tempted to put God at our disposal. To love God’s gifts more than the giver. To measure God’s value by how well our own wants are realized, rather than conforming ourselves, our desires and our values to God’s will. Instead of our own.  

Through his temptations, Jesus shows us that it is when our lives are difficult that we choose who we will be. Like Jesus, we will be hungry. We will have times when we are tempted to doubt God’s faithfulness. We will be tempted to reach for power, rather than to live a life of service. 

Yet, to be a child of God we must serve God even when our circumstances are hard. To live as God’s people we must turn our focus to God and to God alone. With no expectation other than to trust that God keeps God’s promises. Just as God did with God’s promise of Jesus. That very same Jesus, who, in just another two chapters, will say in the Sermon on the Mount: “Therefore, do not worry...your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” 

And that very same Jesus who, even later in Matthew, will give his very life so that, even when we fail to make the right choices as we so feebly attempt to live as God’s people, we know that God has forgiven us through the actions of that very Jesus. The Messiah. The One God promised to us so very long ago. Amen.

Preached via video on January 20, 2019, at Grace & Glory Lutheran Church, Goshen, KY.
Epiphany 2
Readings: Matthew 4:1-17; Psalm 91:9-12

I Pledge Allegiance

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Sound familiar? For some of us it brings back distant memories from childhood, standing at the start of each school day, hand to heart, pledging allegiance to the flag of our country and all that that means.

For some of us, it may reflect what we do every day, in school as a student or teacher, as a scout leader or any other vocation where we regularly pledge allegiance to our country.

Pledging allegiance. This is the topic of our text today. Pledging allegiance.

Now I know that, so often, as we’ve heard this story of Jesus being tempted (or tested, which is another translation of the word), so much of our focus has been on sin and on the devil. On resisting temptation and the forces of evil.  

Traditionally, this text has always come during Lent, those 40 days when we are so focused on giving up our vices. Whether it’s chocolate, Facebook, failing to work out. Whatever it is. Lent is the time it seems to try to give something up, to deprive ourselves.  And a time, if you’re like me, when we fail. Inevitably.

I think we’ve really misunderstood and, perhaps, even misused this text as an example from Jesus of how to resist temptation. How to resist sin. (As though this is something we can even do.)

No, instead, I think this text speaks to us about allegiance. About pledging allegiance. About to whom or to what we pledge our allegiance.

So, let’s look at it. 

During the past season of Epiphany we’ve jumped around a bit in our Matthew gospel. We moved from Jesus’ baptism and fast forwarded to his ministry of healing and teaching and proclaiming the coming of God’s kingdom. We ended last Sunday on the mountaintop and witnessed God affirming both Jesus as God’s Son and the path chosen for him.

Today’s text pushes us backwards in time, to the period just after Jesus’ baptism. The Holy Spirit has led Jesus into the wilderness to be tested. To see if he is ready for the task that God has sent him for. Jesus has fasted - a widespread and valued act of devotion in his time. He has done this over 40 days (Hmmm. Does that number sound familiar?) And now Jesus is ready to face the Devil. 

It is no accident that Jesus is here. He is not lost. He is not being punished for something wrong he has done.

No, Jesus, has been led by the Holy Spirit to this very place for a purpose. To be tested. The debate he is about to enter into with the Devil, or Diabolos in the Greek, is really an assessment tool. A threefold test, or more rather, proof, of his readiness as God’s beloved Son for the mission that God has entrusted to him.

This past Wednesday, we talked briefly about the history of the 40 days of Lent. Traditionally, it was a time of learning for those newer to the faith. A time to devote themselves to the traditional disciplines of Lent-- caring for the poor, fasting, and immersion in Scripture and prayer. It was 40 days of devotion and fasting - very much like Jesus’ period of 40 days in the wilderness. And, also, like that of Jesus, it was a time of preparation for their own test, the assessment of their own readiness to embark upon the mission that God had called them to and entrusted them with. 

That test, for these early believers, would come on the eve of Easter, at the Easter Vigil, when they would be baptized. Early in the baptismal rite, they would be asked three questions. Tests, really. Just as the Devil tested Jesus with three questions, so, too, these new believers would be tested, or questioned, as part of their baptism. 

We take the same test. The same assessment. The same pledge of allegiance. If you open your hymnals to page 229 you will see these three questions. We call them the three renunciations:

Do you renounce the devil and all the forces that defy God?

Do you renounce the powers of this world that rebel against God?

Do you renounce the ways of sin that draw you from God?

These three questions are the same ones that have been asked for thousands of years in the church. These are the same questions asked of Jesus in the wilderness. To whom will you pledge allegiance? Who will you follow? In whom will you put your trust?

Will you pledge allegiance to the forces of darkness that defy God? Will you follow the powers of this world or of our culture that rebel from and seek to deny God? Will you trust yourself instead of putting your trust in God?

Like Jesus in the wilderness, we take the test. And in our baptisms we pledge our allegiance to God. To follow God. To trust God.

Yet, unlike Jesus, we have miserably failed in our own pledge of allegiance to God. Our pledge to follow God. To trust God. 

And, yet, this is the promise of the Gospel: God with us. Jesus has gone before us, even to the most forsaken places of the wilderness. He meets us in the most difficult tests of our lives. There is no place so desolate, so distant, so challenging, the Jesus has not already been there. There is no test so great that Jesus has not overcome it. 

All of this, Jesus has done for us. So that, even in our failure, we pass the test.

Over these next 40 days, we will be looking at our baptismal promises. We will be studying them, what they mean for us as individuals and what they mean for us as a community. We tell this amazing story of how God is with us in Jesus--the one who passed the test for us. As we look more deeply at our baptismal promises, I pray that we will become more of that story that we tell. That we will become the story we tell so we may more fully share that story in word and deed.

And, so, during these 40 days of Lent, I have a reminder of this for you. It is a wilderness stone, of sorts. A stone for you to carry with you each day. 

When those moments come when you are tested, you might hold it in your hand and remember that Jesus has passed the test for you and for me. That Jesus knows all of the difficulties and the heartaches and the challenges we face. And that, in Jesus, God has promised to be with us as we go about our work of sharing this Good News in the work we do and in the words we say…

”I pledge allegiance to my God.”

May God help us to all live more fully into this pledge. Amen.