Temptations

Charlotte Collins Reed

Christ Church Episcopal

March 1, 2020

1 Lent A

          This week, the world has seemed a bit like a Lenten wilderness.  On top of whatever personal wilderness we might find ourselves in, fears and mixed messages about the coronavirus are spreading like wildfire as we all begin to be more diligent about protecting ourselves and our loved ones in case, or when, the virus spreads in this country or in our own community.  The stock market has taken a beating as the effects of the coronavirus are felt on the economy.  There are talks of school closings, event cancellations, quarantines, and other measures that may have to be taken to curtail the spread of the disease.   This is a new kind of wilderness, which seems to create a new kind of fear.

          This morning, we hear about Jesus’ time in the wilderness.  When the Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness, Jesus is still wet from his baptism.  He can still hear the voice from heaven that says: “This is my Son, the beloved.”  In the wilderness, after being alone and fasting for 40 days, Jesus hears the voice of the devil taunt him with the words “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread,” and “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from this mountain,” and “All of the kingdoms of the world, I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 

          Jesus has gone into the wilderness to figure out what it means to be the Son of God.  We learn from the story of his time in the wilderness that whatever it means to be the Son of God, it does not mean special power, like turning stones into bread to satisfy his own hunger, or special protection to keep him from injury if he throws himself off a mountain, or special privilege like owning all the kingdoms of the world.  When the devil departs, presumably in frustration, the angels, messengers of God, come and wait on Jesus. 

          Each time Jesus is tempted, each time the devil taunts him with “If you are the Son of God,” Jesus replies with a passage of scripture that shows Jesus’ deep trust in God.  “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God,” and “Do not put the Lord your God to the test,” and “Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.”  Jesus is grounded in his relationship with God, which includes his knowledge of scripture, and that relationship sustains him for both his 40 days in the wilderness and during his trials with the devil.

          In the current wilderness, we, too will be tempted.  We will be tempted to place our trust in material goods, to which Jesus says “One does not live by bread or the stock market, or stockpiles of hand sanitizer alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”  We will be tempted to make decisions based only on our own well being and not the well being of everyone, seeking special privilege for ourselves, to which Jesus says “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”  We will be tempted to worship at the altar of safety and security, to which Jesus says “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”  The wilderness, especially one not of our own choosing and out of our control, is a time to wrestle what it means to be a child of God, to allow ourselves to be grounded and sustained by that relationship, and to trust that the God who sent angels to minister to Jesus is present with us as well. 

                                                                            Amen.