Very Tempting

Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ²He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. ³The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ ⁴But 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, ⁶saying 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.” ’ ⁷Jesus 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 splendour; ⁹and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ ¹⁰Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written,
“Worship the Lord your God,
   and serve only him.” ’ ¹¹Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him

Today I have included this whole interaction between Jesus and the devil because this temptation story is very powerful.  We read that Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit, so that he would be tempted.  This first verse is surprising!  He starts out his ministry by intentionally being put into a situation that tempts him?  Well, you never get stronger in dealing with something if you never have to face it, do you?  So his preparation was to be in the wilderness. He fasted 40 days and 40 nights. He was famished and vulnerable. 

It was at that point the tempter came. These three temptations don’t sound so awful when we read them, but listen carefully--  “if you are the Son of God…”  the devil says.  This isn’t just about Jesus feeding himself, or giving into temptation to prove himself (although that is a part of it)… this is about trusting God above all else.  The tempter offers Jesus some pretty amazing things:  he ability to make stones into bread—there are enough stones in the desert that he could end hunger and feed everyone; or having the assurance that the angels will catch him if he jumps off the temple—that he’s invincible;  or that he could rule all the nations—finally get things straightened out and have everyone worship God.  All of these temptations SOUND good, and could be tempting to use for the right reasons, but for Jesus the cost was too high.

Jesus eventually would feed thousands, and he was ministered to by angels on more than one occasion, and finally, as crucified and risen Lord Jesus became King of Kings and Lord of Lords…but all of this was by a much different and much more difficult path than the tempter offered.

So what does this have to do with chronic illness?  Like most of these texts that I’ve worked with for 18+ years, I see them with new eyes now that I’m fighting long term illness.  The things that would tempt me in the past no longer have much power over me (except chocolate, of course J ).  As I read Jesus’ encounter with temptation, I ponder  what would really tempt me now?  What might the tempter come to test me with…and I realize that I’ve already faced some of these.

…the temptation to just be “well” no matter the cost…I could do so much more ‘good’ if I were well.

…the temptation to believe the lie that God has deserted me.

…the temptation to believe that if God were just in control, I wouldn’t be sick. 

The tempter offers Jesus, and us, the easy way out, the easy explanation, and the quick fix.  Don’t get me wrong… I believe there are miracles that God works of healing in people’s lives.  What I’m pointing to are the times we…I am tempted to give up trusting God and take matters into my own hands. 

Jesus’  encounter with temptation reminds and encourages us to hold fast to the promises and Word of God, to not trust the quick fix or the easy word.  He also shows us that the way to be stronger is right thorough the middle of the difficult stuff of life. 

The cross and the empty tomb remind us that God’s own son took the difficult path, not the path of easy answers, and it has made all the difference in the world.  And Jesus knows that path first-hand.  He will not shy away from walking with us on the difficult path, but will guide us so we may grow stronger, and deeper in faith as we trust that God cares for us tenderly no matter the path that lie ahead.

Dear Lord, by taking the challenging and testing road, you show us a way of faith that is deep, mature and rich,  but certainly not easy.  As we walk the path of faith that is laid before us, walk by our side, help us face temptation faithfully, and nurture in us a strong, deep faith that will help lead others.  Amen.