Resisting the Irresistible ~ Luke 4:1-13 ~ First Sunday of Lent

Like many mothers, mine kept a memory book of “baby’s firsts” for my sister and me.  She’d recorded all the dates of my first steps, my first words, my first haircut, and so on.  She also recorded the date of my “first swear.”  I had to ask what that was all about.

Apparently, when I was a baby, I loved to babble.  Some things never change...

One day, she was at the grocery store—and I was seated in the child seat of the cart, and I’m babbling as usual.  She reaches down to retrieve an item off of a lower shelf, and at the top of my voice, I shout out what sounded like a four-letter word (not appropriate for church).

Mom stands up, and all she can see is a crowd of stunned shoppers, staring her down for what her baby had just said.  Thankfully, my parents never tolerated bad words—lest I’d spent the bulk of my preschool years in the naughty chair...  A child doesn’t know the difference between naughty and nice—and that is why discipline is so important...

Maturity is all about knowing the difference between right and wrong—and acting accordingly.  But resisting temptation is not as easy as choosing good over bad—just ask Jesus.

In our Gospel for today, Jesus has been led by the Spirit out into the wilderness for forty days—with nothing to eat or drink during that time.  Unsurprisingly, at the end of those forty days, he is famished—and this is when the devil strikes—when he’s tired, hungry, and vulnerable. 

Notice how the devil does not tempt Jesus to do bad things, like hurting someone for no reason.  The devil tempts Jesus with good things, starting with that which he needs most of all: food.  Satan goes on to tempt Jesus two more times—offering all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for worshipping him, and then (for Jesus) to throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple, forcing God to rescue him from certain death. 

All of these temptations would have been beneficial to Jesus—and even to others.  Jesus could’ve had the food his body desperately needed.  Jesus could’ve ruled over the world in peace and justice.  Jesus could’ve had his faith in God strengthened when God kept him from falling.  All three times, the devil tempted Jesus to take matters into his own hands and put himself in the place of God. 

That is what temptation always is: the opportunity to put ourselves and our needs and wants at the center of the universe.

How often do you hear phrases like:

·         “If it feels good, do it...”

·         “You only live once...”

·         “It can’t be wrong if it feels so right...”

·         “I look out for number one...”

Almost all temptations are disguised as that which is desperately needed, right and fair, appealing, easily attainable, and downright irresistible. 

Meanwhile, we’re tempted to see the path of obedience as boring, stupid, and with no guarantees that things will turn our as we hope.

Sin’s allure is always in making ourselves our own needs and wants the authority in our lives—instead of God.  And that is what the devil wants most of all: to unseat God as your ruler and your Lord.

You can have it all, the devil says.  But that’s a lie.  Satan doesn’t have the power to keep promises.  And we all know the havoc we wreak upon ourselves and others when we do give in to temptation.  We may get or do something good for a time—but there are always negative consequences.  The devil promises the world—but all we’ll ultimately get is heartache and misery.

Only God keeps promises.  Only God and God alone can give us the life our hearts desire most.  And the way of obedience is not an easy path to walk—just ask Jesus.  But we are not left to fight against the devil and his lies all helpless and defenseless.

Jesus joins us in the fight against temptation.  Today we see Jesus in a gauntlet of temptation—so Jesus knows exactly what we’re going through.  He knows what it feels like to be assaulted with opportunities to quickly satisfy our heart’s desires at the expense of our souls.  So he gives us strength and courage to stand our ground and do what’s right.  The battle belongs to the Lord—and Jesus will have the victory.

Like Jesus, we have the word of God, the ultimate truth—at our disposal.  God gives us the Scriptures so that our hearts may be formed in faith, to love God above all else, love our neighbors as ourselves, and understand God’s will for our lives and the world.  How terribly often we dismiss God’s Word is just a bunch of well-meaning ideas that don’t work out in real life.  God’s Word IS life—it is the way that leads to a life made abundant by all the gifts of God’s grace.  Our challenge, therefore, is to trust this Word; trust God’s promises—believing that God has our best interests at heart.

Finally, to win the fight against the devil, we must band together as One Body—because we’re all in this fight together.  Our church is not an elite social club for the holiest and righteous; we’re a hospital for sinners, a place where real people can gather in the reality of God’s forgiveness to be renewed in the daily battle against sin.  We’re here to teach our children—and teach one another—how we can faithfully live in the love of God in everyday life.  We’re here to pray for each other and forgive each other and hold each other accountable.  We’re here to be drawn into Christ’s victory against evil—and take that victory out of this building into a hurting world.

The fight against temptation is not easily fought, nor easily won.  We are all beggars of God’s grace to resisting temptation, just as much as we are beggars of God’s forgiveness in our sin.  But if it’s righteousness your heart desires; if you believe Jesus to be your Savior and the giver of truly abundant life, the victory will be yours.  It will not come without trust, without obedience, without a solid knowledge of the Word—and without the help of others.  But this is a battle worth fighting—because the victory is sure.  Don’t try to gain the world at the expense of your soul.  Let Jesus be the one who satisfies the desires of your heart.  Let Jesus give you as a gift the Kingdom of God and all its righteousness.