Matthew 4:1-11
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." 4 But he answered, "It is written, "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 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.' " 7 Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' " 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9 and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." 10 Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! for it is written, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him,” and suddenly angels came and waited on him”
Sermon
Bob was having a bad day...
He wouldn’t want me to burden you with the details... but it was a bad day.
A bad day that followed a bad month... bad years...
Bob once felt that he had it all... the spouse... the kids... the job... the house... the clothes... the car... the fitness pass... the coffee grinder that made espressos... … … the friends...
As years passed it all seemed to dry up, to go sour... in a sense his life left him...
Now at the age 40 he took long walks and tried to figure out why he made some of the choices he did... He often wondered how he had ended up so alone considering he had every advantage in life handed to him. Good parents, Good Schools, University paid for, a job waiting for him...
One Wednesday a cold wind blew in as Bob was in the middle of a long walk. It was evening and nothing in the neighborhood was open... he was under-dressed. Ahead there was a light through a door... people were going in so... feeling the cold grip of the wind... Bob went in.
He sat down in the back pew of what turned out to be a church... he shivered and prayed that nobody would talk to him.
He just needed to warm up so he could get home.
He stood and sat with the people to try to get his blood flowing. Someone prattled on from the pulpit for awhile... and then the strangest thing happened.
One by one the people went forward and kneeled at the front... and then returned to their seats with ugly black smears on their foreheads.
More shocking than the black smears were the words that were spoken to each person:
“You are dust... From dust you came... to dust you shall return.”
---
Prof. David Lohse writes that a catchy title for today’s Gospel might be:
Temptation
Seduction
Betrayal
Jesus in the wilderness... Diablo comes... tempting Jesus... casting doubt... asking Jesus to betray God.
Diablo... Literally translated: The Accuser.
Metephorically: The one who stands against God and invites us to not trust God.
The accuser who exposes shortfall - who points out the weakess our story.
And today Jesus faces two temptations and an outright bribe.
It’s the garden of Eden all over again - this time with a twist.
In Eden, there was this snake who asked questions that played into the lack of trust that Adam and Eve had brewing inside them. In the midst of the garden that God had made... Adam and Eve couldn’t help but wonder if there was more... if there was something that God wasn’t telling them about life and existence.
Professor Haley from Princeton writes:
Genesis 3 is less about "explaining" the origin of sin and more about describing the reality of what it is to be human and our mysterious human tendencies continually to rebel against God, to resist the gracious boundaries and limitations that God places around us for our own good, and to desire to be like God rather than thankful creatures of God. (((www.workingpreacher.org)))
The snake plants doubt - sows seeds of distrust... asks questions that compel Adam and Eve to take the fruit rather than trust that God - they want to be like God.
Fast forward to Jesus in the wilderness.
In Baptism... Jesus is told that he “IS” the son of God.
In Temptation... The tempter asks “IF” you are the son of God
Then confirm it and prove your power - make stones into bread.
“IF” you are the son of God
Then test God - see if God saves you as you fall.
Jesus is tempted to be one of us... rather than be God.
Jesus is tempted to grab power like one of us... rather than live into the character and nature of God.
It’s not about flying or bread... it’s about trusting in something else that ultimately is made of dust... trusting in what is temporary and what will let you down.
And then... the bribe... the desperate last attempt “I’ll give you everything... just be something else... believe something else other than what God has said.
---
Sitting in his pew... Bob was shocked... what sort of strange cult was this? From dust you came? To Dust you will return? Black crosses made of ash marked on foreheads.
But after the shock... Bob started to think... memories flooded back... his happy and simple youth... his young marriage... his children...
And then he thought of his child getting sick... he remembered the funeral and all the fights with his wife... his divorce... his depression...
It was all true... Dust to dust... ashes to ashes...
Bob lurched forward and kneeled down - the cross was drawn on his head “From dust you came... to dust you will return...”
And Bob wept...
and the church... Christ's body gathered around and laid hands on him and they prayed...
And then they had communion... bread and wine shared with the promise that even as everything turned to dust... even as hopes and dreams and relationship fell to pieces and wholeness become brokenness... even as death reared it’s ugly head...
In the midst of a life turning to dust was Christ who knew the dust all too well.
---
Jesus says "Away with you, Satan! for it is written, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him,” and suddenly angels came and waited on him”
God’s character is shown as Jesus resists these temptations. Jesus Ministry is living as God among us.
Our reality does not allow us to say that we’re all just OK. Our reality is one tainted by sin and death... by hopes dashed and expectations unmet. Realities of ups and downs.
We can look on the bright side... but this is lent... this is the season where we get to stare straight into dark side.
Where we perhaps give up something, or take on a practice that helps us look at where we have put our trust... We see where we are trying to be gods of our own lives rather than hearing and listening to God revealed in Christ.
In this season we remember what it means to be baptized... and the identity that is given to us... the promise that we are marked with the cross of Christ forever.
In this baptismal, adopted reality, we see God in life, death and all points in between.
---
Martin Luther wrote the classic hymn “A mighty fortress”
We’re going to sing it in a moment. But I want us to sing it Lenten style... as if we have the ashes on our heads.
Martin Luther wrote this hymn shortly after losing a child... a dark period for any parent... There is an irony that we usually sing this hymn as a triumphant march of God when... it’s tainted with pain and loss - “Were they to take our house... goods, honour child or spouse...
But the trust sung in the midst of tragic realities in this song is amazing.
So... verse 1-2 are triumph - sing loud. Verse 3 the struggle - strain. Verse 4 is faith in trial - trust in the middle of lament. And then... we’ll sing half of verse 1 again to end on God’s promise.
Let us sing out who God is... let us sing the faith given to us!
Amen
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." 4 But he answered, "It is written, "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 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.' " 7 Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' " 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9 and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." 10 Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! for it is written, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him,” and suddenly angels came and waited on him”
Sermon
Bob was having a bad day...
He wouldn’t want me to burden you with the details... but it was a bad day.
A bad day that followed a bad month... bad years...
Bob once felt that he had it all... the spouse... the kids... the job... the house... the clothes... the car... the fitness pass... the coffee grinder that made espressos... … … the friends...
As years passed it all seemed to dry up, to go sour... in a sense his life left him...
Now at the age 40 he took long walks and tried to figure out why he made some of the choices he did... He often wondered how he had ended up so alone considering he had every advantage in life handed to him. Good parents, Good Schools, University paid for, a job waiting for him...
One Wednesday a cold wind blew in as Bob was in the middle of a long walk. It was evening and nothing in the neighborhood was open... he was under-dressed. Ahead there was a light through a door... people were going in so... feeling the cold grip of the wind... Bob went in.
He sat down in the back pew of what turned out to be a church... he shivered and prayed that nobody would talk to him.
He just needed to warm up so he could get home.
He stood and sat with the people to try to get his blood flowing. Someone prattled on from the pulpit for awhile... and then the strangest thing happened.
One by one the people went forward and kneeled at the front... and then returned to their seats with ugly black smears on their foreheads.
More shocking than the black smears were the words that were spoken to each person:
“You are dust... From dust you came... to dust you shall return.”
---
Prof. David Lohse writes that a catchy title for today’s Gospel might be:
Temptation
Seduction
Betrayal
Jesus in the wilderness... Diablo comes... tempting Jesus... casting doubt... asking Jesus to betray God.
Diablo... Literally translated: The Accuser.
Metephorically: The one who stands against God and invites us to not trust God.
The accuser who exposes shortfall - who points out the weakess our story.
And today Jesus faces two temptations and an outright bribe.
It’s the garden of Eden all over again - this time with a twist.
In Eden, there was this snake who asked questions that played into the lack of trust that Adam and Eve had brewing inside them. In the midst of the garden that God had made... Adam and Eve couldn’t help but wonder if there was more... if there was something that God wasn’t telling them about life and existence.
Professor Haley from Princeton writes:
Genesis 3 is less about "explaining" the origin of sin and more about describing the reality of what it is to be human and our mysterious human tendencies continually to rebel against God, to resist the gracious boundaries and limitations that God places around us for our own good, and to desire to be like God rather than thankful creatures of God. (((www.workingpreacher.org)))
The snake plants doubt - sows seeds of distrust... asks questions that compel Adam and Eve to take the fruit rather than trust that God - they want to be like God.
Fast forward to Jesus in the wilderness.
In Baptism... Jesus is told that he “IS” the son of God.
In Temptation... The tempter asks “IF” you are the son of God
Then confirm it and prove your power - make stones into bread.
“IF” you are the son of God
Then test God - see if God saves you as you fall.
Jesus is tempted to be one of us... rather than be God.
Jesus is tempted to grab power like one of us... rather than live into the character and nature of God.
It’s not about flying or bread... it’s about trusting in something else that ultimately is made of dust... trusting in what is temporary and what will let you down.
And then... the bribe... the desperate last attempt “I’ll give you everything... just be something else... believe something else other than what God has said.
---
Sitting in his pew... Bob was shocked... what sort of strange cult was this? From dust you came? To Dust you will return? Black crosses made of ash marked on foreheads.
But after the shock... Bob started to think... memories flooded back... his happy and simple youth... his young marriage... his children...
And then he thought of his child getting sick... he remembered the funeral and all the fights with his wife... his divorce... his depression...
It was all true... Dust to dust... ashes to ashes...
Bob lurched forward and kneeled down - the cross was drawn on his head “From dust you came... to dust you will return...”
And Bob wept...
and the church... Christ's body gathered around and laid hands on him and they prayed...
And then they had communion... bread and wine shared with the promise that even as everything turned to dust... even as hopes and dreams and relationship fell to pieces and wholeness become brokenness... even as death reared it’s ugly head...
In the midst of a life turning to dust was Christ who knew the dust all too well.
---
Jesus says "Away with you, Satan! for it is written, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him,” and suddenly angels came and waited on him”
God’s character is shown as Jesus resists these temptations. Jesus Ministry is living as God among us.
Our reality does not allow us to say that we’re all just OK. Our reality is one tainted by sin and death... by hopes dashed and expectations unmet. Realities of ups and downs.
We can look on the bright side... but this is lent... this is the season where we get to stare straight into dark side.
Where we perhaps give up something, or take on a practice that helps us look at where we have put our trust... We see where we are trying to be gods of our own lives rather than hearing and listening to God revealed in Christ.
In this season we remember what it means to be baptized... and the identity that is given to us... the promise that we are marked with the cross of Christ forever.
In this baptismal, adopted reality, we see God in life, death and all points in between.
---
Martin Luther wrote the classic hymn “A mighty fortress”
We’re going to sing it in a moment. But I want us to sing it Lenten style... as if we have the ashes on our heads.
Martin Luther wrote this hymn shortly after losing a child... a dark period for any parent... There is an irony that we usually sing this hymn as a triumphant march of God when... it’s tainted with pain and loss - “Were they to take our house... goods, honour child or spouse...
But the trust sung in the midst of tragic realities in this song is amazing.
So... verse 1-2 are triumph - sing loud. Verse 3 the struggle - strain. Verse 4 is faith in trial - trust in the middle of lament. And then... we’ll sing half of verse 1 again to end on God’s promise.
Let us sing out who God is... let us sing the faith given to us!
Amen
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