Lent 1, 2011
Genesis 3:1-7
Matthew 4:1-11
“Temptation”
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
During the Middle Ages, when an apostate church was persecuting the people of God, the Spanish inquisitors used an instrument of torture called “The Virgin.” It had the form of a beautiful woman dressed in gorgeous robes with an inviting smile on her face and arms outstretched. Into those arms the poor victim was pushed in order to kiss “The Virgin.” By means of a secret mechanism, her arms enclosed him in a deadly embrace, and he was pierced through with a hundred hidden knives.
Certainly sin is always like that “Virgin.” It puts on a beautiful exterior and smilingly invites us to take its arm and walk along the paths of worldly delight. Sin always offers its victims the fairest propositions and most alluring prospects, but once those proposals and pleasures are accepted, it leaves its victims deceived and condemned to eternal death.
Adam and Eve, the very first people, were tempted with the allurement of sin that they would be like God. God had told them that they could eat from any tree of the garden except for one and that if they ate from that tree they would die. “You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5)
Satan began by casting doubt in Eve’s mind about what God said. Satan then promised that they would not die but in fact be like God himself. Though surrounded by good food by the plenty Eve and Adam succumbed to temptation. They immediately knew that they had sinned and decided to hide from God. Adam and Eve did not become like God! Instead they fell into sin, were removed from the garden, had to work, had pain and suffering, disease and heartache, and eventually died.
In this sad history of the world’s beginning was also something profound and wonderful. God spoke those first words of promise, grace, and forgiveness: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)
Did you catch that wonderful message of hope? Let me rephrase this verse. Jesus will crush Satan’s head and Satan will strike Jesus’ heel. God is promising that through the crucifixion of Jesus Satan strikes Jesus’ heel and Jesus crushes Satan through His victory over sin and death. God promises our first parents salvation even though they rejected Him and wanted to be “god” out of His love for them and for each of us.
Jesus had just been anointed with the Holy Spirit at His baptism and immediately Jesus was tested. “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” (Matthew 4:1) Satan himself would test Jesus by tempting Him with all the allurement this world had to offer. Satan would wait for Jesus to be at His weakest. Jesus was led to the desert and fasted for forty days and nights. Even if Jesus had wanted to eat there would be nothing available in this wasteland. Jesus would be alone with the great Tempter.
“After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:2-3, 5-6, 8-9).
Three times Scripture records Satan tempting Jesus. It doesn’t seem so hard does it? Yet look at what takes place. Satan tempts Jesus to get food in the desert where there is none after fasting for 40 days and nights. Adam and Eve gave in to eating of the forbidden fruit when they had more than plenty of food to eat. We live in a world of plenty and yet we too want more and more. It’s not good enough to have a house we want the best house, it’s not good enough to have a good paying job we want the best paying job, we want the best cars, the best of all this world has to offer…we want more and more when we truly have plenty.
Satan tempts Jesus to jump off a cliff and have the angels catch Him for God had promised the angels would protect Him. Satan tempted Adam and Eve with knowing right from wrong. Yet in the end they would only pick the wrong things to do. The world would be corrupt because of them. It wasn’t enough having life as long as they wanted as God had promised. They abused God’s promises and so do we. We have the promise of forgiveness so we keep on sinning. We have the promise of life everlasting and yet we want to live this life in this world to the fullest. We have the promise of a Savior and then we ignore our need for a Savior.
Satan took Jesus to a high place and offered all that this world had to Him. Everything could be Jesus’ if He would bow down and worship Satan. Satan promised Adam and Eve that they would be like God. Satan promises all kinds of things that aren’t His to give. This world would not even exist if God hadn’t created it. Yet we take the things of this world forgranted. We wish to take these possessions with us to heaven… we treasure stuff that will rust or rot or decay. We take lives into our own hands. We play God in deciding when life begins and ends…we speak of the murder of babies as choice and the murder of the handicapped and aged as “quality of life.” As if we could truly decide what quality of life is. We replace God with self.
Jesus did something that none of us has or will be able to do: Jesus overcame all temptation and lived a life free of sin. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15) “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18)
Jesus knows what you are going through because He has gone through it. Jesus knows your pain for He has suffered. Jesus knows how hard it is to overcome sin because He overcame it. Jesus will surely help you in every time of need. Jesus will help you because He loves you. Jesus overcame sin in order to save you. It wasn’t nails that kept Jesus on the cross it was His love for you. Through Jesus you are free from sin, death, and Satan. Through Jesus you are forgiven. Through Jesus you are sinless and heirs of eternal life. Amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.
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