Loving God, even in the wilderness, you provide all that is needed.  Teach us to trust you at all times and in all places, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            In some ways, the season of Lent is kind of like hitting the reset button.  We seek to clear away anything that might get in the way of renewing our relationship with God.  We are also taken back to the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry, where he spends time fasting and praying in the wilderness.  This takes place immediately following his baptism, where God has proclaimed that Jesus is the Beloved Son of God (Mt. 3:17).  For us, too, we are invited to remember our own baptism into Christ and to renew our commitment to living in God’s way.

         During Jesus’ time in the wilderness, the devil seeks to derail his ministry before it even gets started.  Matthew records three different attempts to get Jesus to depart from God’s way – each of which leads us to ask some questions as well.  

         The first temptation, of course, is to use God’s power to turn some stones into loaves of bread.  The underlying question here is how Jesus is going to use the gifts that he has been given.  He is both Son of God and fully human.  Is he going to use the power of God to fulfill his own needs, or in order to teach others about God’s way?  You might recall that Jesus does multiply the loaves and the fishes later on.  However, that is to feed the hungry multitude and to teach about sharing – and not simply to serve himself.

         While none of us have the power to turn stones into bread, we are asked to consider what we will do with the gifts that we have been given.  Will we make our decisions based on what will benefit us the most, or on what is the most faithful way to use what God has given us?  Do we shop only based on what is the best deal, or do we consider how others are affected by our purchases?  Do we make what we can, can what we make, and sit on the lid, or use what we have for the benefit of as many as possible?  We, too, face the temptation to use our gifts solely for our own benefit.

         The second temptation Jesus faces is essentially to perform a spectacular, staged miracle (workingpreacher.org).  Were he to do so, he would definitely get everybody’s attention.  However, he would also, in a sense, force God’s hand – practically daring God and the angels to rescue him.  All of this would fly in the face of the kind of mission for which Jesus was sent – the kind that would proclaim good news to the poor and healing to the blind and the lame and the lepers.  He would have had a hard time getting anywhere near the outcasts and the sinners once those in authority had seen a stunt like this!

         Of course, for those of us who might not expect to be rescued if we were to jump off a tall building, the question is more about living in such a way that God, or the angels, or even other people, are forced to look after us.  This could be through engaging in dangerous, high-risk activities.  Or, it could be through negligence on our part – failing to look after ourselves so that others end up having to take care of us.  Instead, God’s way is to care for ourselves in such a way that we are able to serve God and others.

         The final temptation involves choosing the ways of the world rather than God’s way.  Will Jesus go after worldly power and influence, or will he choose to serve others, in obedience to God’s will for him?  Once again, the way in which this temptation comes to us doesn’t have quite the same scope as what Jesus is offered.  Nobody is offering us all the kingdoms of the world, but we are asked if we will pursue the ways of this world, or God’s way of love, peace, justice, and abundance for all.

         The ways of this world include things like seeking power over others, making as much money as possible, and keeping our distance from those who are different from us.  We are tempted to accumulate more and more, to judge those who are struggling, and to idolize the rich and famous.  However, God’s way involves loving and serving God above all else, through loving and serving others.  God’s way involves justice and abundance for all.

         As we ponder these things today, we are not alone as we seek to reject temptation and live in God’s way.  In fact, we are likely to fail miserably if we are even attempting to do this alone.  You may have noticed that today’s gospel begins with Jesus being led by the Spirit into the wilderness, and ends with angels coming and ministering to him.  Those same resources are available to all those who have been baptized by water and the Spirit.  For, God has said to each one of us, “you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, and marked with the cross of Christ forever.”  And so, Satan, take a hike! – in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Lent 1(A)                                           Matthew 4:1-11

February 26, 2023

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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