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Jesus’ temptations and Ours The only way for anyone to have known what happened to Jesus out in the wilderness is for him to have told people about it. That posed a great risk, as he exposed his own desires, which is why they were so tempting. I sense the real human Jesus in the struggle. Would he be a popular miracle-working rabbi, seducing people for power and control? Would he expect an insurance policy? His baptism had been a powerful experience, feeling God’s presence, called to a vocation filled with excitement and pain, as happens when you share new ideas. He was attracted to all three options, hungered for them. They were his wilderness where he had to come to terms – with no certainty how it would turn out. He had a winsome personality which could be used to focus on himself or on the vision. His choice was to serve the people rather than control them. That episode is another memory from Q – that source shared by Luke and Matthew, but each with a different spin. Matthew wrote: “Then the devil left him, and angels appeared and looked after him.” Luke’s ending was more real, setting the stage for what – in fact – Luke knew had happened: “Having exhausted all these ways of tempting him, the devil departed from him until a more opportune time.” The temptations involved three settings: his personal situation, being hungry from fasting; a vision of world control; and finally Jerusalem – the heart of his faith, where he would die – continuing temptations throughout his life, organized by Luke’s hindsight. Jesus responded to the temptations by citing Deuteronomy. Hearing those words in context is revealing. Notice the parallels with Moses’ 40 years in the wilderness. One! Turn stones into bread – wow the people with magic tricks! Jesus quoted Moses’ words to slaves escaped from Egypt. Listen for the parts Jesus uses. Remember how the Lord your God led you forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, to test you and know your inmost heart – whether you would keep his commandments or not. He humbled you, made you feel hunger, fed you with manna which neither you nor your fathers had known, to make you understand that man does not live on bread alone but that man lives on everything that comes form the mouth of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 8:2-3) Two! Exercise power over the kingdoms of the world, enjoy the glory! Again, Jesus quoted Moses speaking of the source of their gift: Take care you do not forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You must worship the Lord your God, and serve him, by his name you must swear. (Deuteronomy 6:12-13) Three! Count on God to take care for you no matter what stupid thing you might do! Do not follow other gods, gods of the people around you, for the Lord your God who dwells among you is a jealous God; his anger could blaze out against you and wipe you from the face of the earth. Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you tested him at Massah. Keep the commandments of the Lord your God and his decrees and laws that he has laid down for you, and do what is right and good in the eyes of the Lord. . . (Deuteronomy 6:14-18) Jesus used scripture to fend off his own temptations. That’s quite different from the way some people are using – I would say abusing - scripture in our day, using scripture in an attempt to control other people. But that’s not what Jesus’ did. We Anglicans in the U.S., Canada, and England have been dealing with such abuse recently from certain African bishops, as you mayhave read. The Anglican way is to accept each others’ cultural differences. Unlike other nations, decisions of The Episcopal Church are made by a combination of lay people and clergy with bishops, whereas in Africa bishops can decree what they will without input from clergy or lay people. So Ted Mollegen, lay deputy from Connecticut asked the question: “Are we going to have to choose between historic Anglicanism and contemporary Central Africanism?” I can assure you that it’s more a control issue than theological or biblical, and Jesus was not about control. Neither is the gospel. Sometimes people forget: the devil used scripture, too! I think it would behoove all people to learn this take-off on the Serenity Prayer: God, grant me serenity – It’s on that personal level that each of us needs to focus our attention and address temptation. To that end I’d like to let you in on a Lenten secret. One of the difficulties people face is feeling guilty that they’re tempted at all, thinking that if I was a good person I wouldn’t even think of those things! In fact, temptations are a great way to get to know the real you deep down inside. You cannot wrestle with your temptations or make choices about them until you acknowledge what they are! Use your time in Lent not as a guilt trip but as a chance to wander around in your own personal wilderness and take an inventory. So lighten up! Meet those wonderful creatures deep inside, and wrestle with them. The exercise will make you stronger. Then from that strength make some choices that will allow you to live out your values. Not that those temptations will ever go away completely. Remember, Jesus lived with his temptations until his dying breath. You and I will, too. They’re part of us, who we are. Here’s where the Anglican three-legged stool can give you healthy perspective for your struggle. Keep an eye on scripture, remember tradition, and use your scientific brain for reason – a powerful, spiritual combination: scripture, tradition, and reason, all together. Within that insightful and balanced perspective have an exciting, fulfilling Lent!
2.25.07
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