The Testing of Jesus
LUKE 4:1-13 (NRSVUE)
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tested by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’ ”
Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.’ ”
Then the devil led him to Jerusalem and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,
‘He will command his 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.’ ”
Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
In our storybook today, we heard about a child and lots of bugs and insects that dreamed of being different from what they are. They knew that life would be better if they were like somebody else. The child wanted to be like the butterfly. The butterfly wanted to be like the stick bug. And the stick bug wanted to be the whirligig beetle. No one seemed to be happy being who they were, did they?
Well, that doesn’t just happen with kids and bugs and insects; that happens with grownups too. We just know that if we were thinner, or taller, or had more money, or a better job, or closer friends, or a bigger family, or–you name it!–life would be better. And we spend most of our lives trying to become someone or something different than we are right now because we always think that perfection is just around the corner, that life is better for other people, and that, if only we could do that next thing or get that next item or earn that amount of money, then we would be happy.
Well, the word for that, the desire to have or to do or to be different from what we are is called temptation. In the bible, we hear lots of stories of temptation. Maybe you remember the story of Adam and Eve. Remember when Eve was tempted to eat an apple from the tree that God told her not to eat from? Or Bathsheba and King David, when King David fell in love and was tempted by a woman that was not his wife?
We also hear the stories of prophets who were tempted to run away from God’s call, like Jonah, who first ran in the opposite direction from where God was calling him; that’s why he found himself in the belly of the whale. And there were other leaders who were tempted by promises of wealth and fame, like Solomon.
Well, in today’s scripture reading from the gospel of Luke, which is also found in the gospels of Matthew and Mark, we hear of Jesus just as he is starting his ministry, spending forty days and forty nights being tempted by the devil in the wilderness or the desert. Remember? The devil figured that Jesus must be hungry, so he said: Come on Jesus, turn this stone into bread, you can do it! To which, Jesus replied, “Man cannot live by bread alone.” Then he showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. And he said, “Jesus, these can all be yours if you worship me.” To which Jesus replied, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” Finally, the devil took Jesus up to the highest point of the temple and said, “Jesus, come on. Jump down; it’ll be fun. Don’t worry; God’s angels will catch you,” to which, Jesus said: “You should never put God to the test.” Finally, seeing that he couldn’t win, the devil left Jesus alone.
Friends, the truth is we face temptation in our lives all the time just like Jesus did in the desert and the bugs did in our “If Only” story. We face the temptation of putting our wants above another’s needs. We face the temptation of ignoring problems such as hunger, poverty, war, violence, injustice, and disease because we figure someone else will take care of them. We face the temptations of wealth and consumerism, always wanting more. We are tempted by food, alcohol and gambling, fame and fortune, love, and the false promises of happiness. We face many temptations that cause us to stray from the path of our faith. And we face the temptation of filling our schedules, thinking that if we only work hard enough, we can get what we want.
I wonder, how many of you know what you’re doing after church today? And how many of you are sitting in your pew this morning thinking about that? Are you making your grocery list or figuring out what you need to do in the coming week? Unfortunately, we all do it all the time. We are so driven and so worried about not being enough, or having enough time, or finishing the unfinishable list of “to-dos” that we give ourselves that we are constantly tempted to race to the next thing, and we lose sight of the here and now.
If you were here on Ash Wednesday, or if you have been reading our “The Beauty in Imperfection” daily emails, then you may have started to grasp our Lenten theme. Because this year, rather than being tempted to work harder and push ourselves even further, to be the best that we can be, we are going to see what it is like if we truly begin to realize that we’re good enough already, just the way we are, and we don’t need to run ourselves ragged or climb further up the ladder of success.
For years here in Oldtown, I would watch what other churches in our area were doing. How many people did they have in worship? How big were their endowments and their budgets? How many programs were they offering? And what were people in town saying about them? I always felt the temptation to work harder, to do more, and to offer as much as I possibly could, many times running myself and our volunteers here in Oldtown ragged!
But I am standing here in the pulpit today to tell you that the grass is not always greener on the other side! We don’t need to be like other churches. We don’t need to be what we are not in order for others to like us. Our pews don’t need to be full. We don’t have to have a professional choir, lots of paid staff, and an expensive Sunday school curriculum. And we don’t need a million-dollar endowment to be successful.
One of the biggest challenges that I faced thirteen years ago when I first came to serve as your pastor here in Oldtown was fighting the “but we’re just a small church” mentality. That phrase hung over this church like a dark cloud. And I’ve worked hard to make sure that we see ourselves as more, much more, than “just a small church.” Friends, we’re the Oldtown Church, and amazing things happen here. And I think one of the biggest gifts that we have is that we are not like other churches. We are a community of faith that meets people where they are, and for good or for bad, we are a true church family that welcomes not only the affluent, successful, well-dressed grandparents with their well-behaved grandchildren but we also welcome the Crazy Uncle Als, Sophie the shy second cousins once removed, the overbearing Aunt Karens, the uncontrollable twins from dad’s second marriage, and the classic evil stepmothers who want the world to run their way.
Folks, this church is not perfect. Your pastor is far from perfect. The people in our pews–I don’t know if this will surprise you–they’re imperfect too. But so was that rag-tag group of disciples that Jesus called to follow him! Friends, what we need to do at this point is not try to be perfect, and not try to be like everyone else. But we do need to listen to our faith and learn from Jesus. Jesus loved his disciples, though he did not always approve of their behavior. And as I tell you every week, God loves you just the way you are, and so do I. But if I’m going to be really honest, God and I also love you too much to let you stay that way.
Folks, we come to church to be healed and made whole. We come to church because we are tired and worn out, and we are looking for rest. We don’t come to church to be made perfect or successful. As I have shared with you before, there is an old saying that says: the church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints. That’s because the church is supposed to be a place where broken people can find rest and acceptance. But it is also supposed to be a place where we learn, as followers of Jesus, how to live our lives better, not striving for fame or fortune or success, not by bullying others or trying to control every situation, and not by being tempted to be what the world wants us to be, but by having the courage to truly be and to love who, deep-down-inside, God created us to be. Friends, in order to do that, we don’t need to be more successful or run ourselves ragged. But sometimes we just need to start removing the layers of brokenness, struggle and hurt that we have been carrying around for years to uncover the beauty that is already within us.
Friends, we can be tempted by perfection to strive for things beyond our reach to be like those successful, well-dressed grandparents with their well-behaved grandchildren. But we can also be tempted by comfort, allowing ourselves to stay broken and hurt like Crazy Uncle Al, Sophie, the shy second cousin once removed, or overbearing Aunt Karen, the uncontrollable twins from dad’s second marriage, or the classic evil stepmothers who want the world to run their way.
In our storybook today, we heard about a child and lots of bugs and insects that said, “if only,” as they dreamed of being different from what they are. And our world is filled with lots of influencers, athletes, and famous people, who make us say, “if only,” as we long for perfection in our lives. But I think the world would be a much better place if each and every one of us simply worked to uncover who God created us to be. And rather than striving for success and perfection or allowing ourselves to wallow in the midst of our brokenness, pain, and struggle, we all simply worked to be a little more humble and loving, like Jesus.
So, brothers and sisters in Christ, as you go out into your busy week ahead, stop thinking, “if only.” Stop trying to please the world. Stop climbing and running and working your fingers to the bone. And stop allowing yourself it sit in your brokenness and pain. Take a deep breath. Be in this holy moment. And gently search within yourself. There is no rush and no hurry, but keep looking and keep loving yourself. Remember, you don’t have to put others down to lift yourself up. You don’t need to stress yourself out and fill every second of your calendar. And you don’t need extra money or special training. Because all the gifts that you’ll ever really need are already within you.
My friends, may it be so. Thanks be to God, Amen!
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