It is the first Sunday in Lent. We are still reading from the gospel according to Matthew—but now we flashback. To before the calling of the disciples, before the sermon on the mount, before the transfiguration. Let me set the scene. Jesus has come to the Jordan river, to be baptized by John. Jesus has had to strong-arm John because John feels Jesus should be baptizing him! And so Jesus has just been baptized—just heard the words “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.” There is no time to celebrate, no time to meet with the press and lift up your little statue, no time to relax after the big day--but IMMEDIATELY off to the wilderness to be tested by the devil.
Now we need to remember that the devil for Jesus is not the red clothed, horned, pitch-fork carrying creation that we envision. The Devil, or Satan, in Jewish lore was one of the angels (neither God nor human)—and this particular angel had a purpose, a personality. He was called “the disturber” or the “adversary”—as Rabbi Morris suggests in Seasons of the Spirit, “consider him the sarcastic teen-ager.”
Satan is pushing Jesus’ buttons, new buttons to be exact. Each temptation starts with “If you are the Son of God …” directly challenging Jesus’ identity that we have just heard about in his baptism (My Son). If you are … Prove It!
And Jesus does contend with Satan. He doesn’t physically wrestle with this angel, the way that Jacob does, but the temptation story is certainly a war of words, even a war of ideas. And these ideas, these temptations, are not exclusive to Jesus—they apply to all of us. For the temptations get to the bottom of things—to the bedrock of our lives—to our identity, and how we are going to live in the world. They outline choices—choices we all have to make, difficult choices.
For me, this week, the choices boiled down to one question—“What are we hungry for?” What is the driving force in our lives? What is the most important thing of all?
Instead of “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” Today, I say, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, what is most important of all?”
“Each temptation or test Jesus faces increases in com- plexity, from the physical needs of hunger in the wilderness, to the possibilities of political and religious power in Jerusalem, to the mountaintop where one might meet with God. Should he use his power to feed himself, to draw people to his cause by miracle working, or perhaps use undue influence to bring change? Jesus relies on the grace of God to rebuff Satan and to choose wisely.” (from Seasons of the Spirit)
Notice that Satan seems to offer easy answers—as if the world were easy to understand, and easy to change.
In Satan’s world—you can erase hunger,
you are so important that God’s angels rush to your defense,
and you can control EVERYTHING
Jesus’ rebuffs are more complex, and seem less satisfying—
In Jesus’ world——we struggle with God’s word,
we remember not to put God to the test,
and we keep our eyes on the prize—God, and worshipping God only.
If you were keeping a pro/con chart, I bet the devil would win. Unless…
You know what is most important of all.
Unless the hunger you recognize and feed,
is not what Satan is talking about.
There is an old Scandinavian legend about mighty Thor, and how one day he visited the land of the giants. (from Fairchild, “Sin and despair, Salvation and Hope”)
When Thor arrived there he found that the giants were
engaged in various contests of strength, and he wanted to join in. So it was that they proposed three tests of strength for him.
First Thor was asked to drink all the liquid in a large two
handed drinking bowl. But as much as he could drink of it,
only a tiny portion of the liquid in it disappeared.
Finally he had to put down the bowl and admit defeat. The giants proposed something a bit easier for his second test.
A black cat was walking by and Thor was instructed to lift
it up. He grabbed hold of the animal, thinking it should be
easy to hoist it up, but strain and tug as hard as he could,
he couldn't even begin to budge the cat.
By this time the giants were beginning to be openly amused
at Thor's predicament. "You are supposed to be strong",
they said, "but it seems you are not. Well - we will give
you something even easier for your third test."
So for the third test the giants challenged Thor to wrestle
with an old woman and throw her to the ground.
With every bit of strength that Thor could muster he grabbed hold of the toothless old woman, but all his pushing and pulling and
twisting was in vain. He simply could not meet the challenge.
As Thor, humbled and dejected, left the giants to head back
home, one of them went with him for a part of the way and
shared the “magic” of their contests. "The cup,"
he said, "contained the sea and who can drink that? The cat
was the evil in the world, and who is able to lift that up
and take it away? And the old woman was time, and who is
able to contend with her?"
I wonder if the temptations are like these “tests” of Thor—something that can never be accomplished. Can all the poor and hungry be lifted up and fed? Will religion/the temple protect our lives from bad things happening to us? Does all the money/power/fame in the world provide the ability to wipe away evil? No.
Thor was trying to show off his own power—and ran up against a wall. If Jesus had listened to the disturber, he would have been showing off his own power as well. That was not what it meant to be “Son of God.” That is not the most important thing of all. What was?
Community—holding onto the “word of God” passed down through the generations.
Community—sharing a life in common— ministering to one another in our times of trial.
Community—holding onto “the faith of the fathers and mothers”
Community--isn’t that what all Jesus’ answers were about?
Even in the wilderness, even where he is supposed to be so alone—Jesus stands firm on the community of those who believe in God. Holding up the words he has close to his heart. Remembering the ways he has been taught to live. Lifting his voice in praise, with the angels and archangels and all the surrounding host, whether he could see them, feel them, or not.
That is the choice the disturber, the agitator, the world holds up for us? It is all about me? Or is it all about we?
What are we hungry for?
May hunger for important things.
For community with God,
for community with our brothers and sisters,
for our God-given identity
as worthy, powerful, beloved children.
And from that place,
That place shared with others
That place that spans time and space
From that place of fullness,
From that place of power,
From that place of richness,
we can dare to hope,
we can dare to dream,
we can dare to work for impossible things—
LIKE
Feeding the hungry AND
Standing alongside and making a difference
to those who experience loss, or
Illness, or a brush with evil AND
Creating a better world,
A world where everyone matters
A world where
Everyone knows they are loved.
I hear Satan laughing in disbelief.
I see Jesus smiling and beaconing to us.
We make the choice, each and every day.
What do we hunger for? Mirror, Mirror on the wall, what is most important of all?
May God grant us wisdom to know the answer
Amen, and Amen.
