Three Temptations and Since you are the Son of God

            Did you ever want something? I am not talking about just wanting something; I mean, you wanted whatever it was so bad that it’s all you thought about. It was in your mind when you went to bed, when you got up…I mean you thought about this so much that you would wonder how you could think about anything else in your brain because all the space was being used. I am sure we have all had one of those experiences whether we are younger or older. 

            Today’s Gospel reading brings us to witness the temptation of Jesus. The devil comes to Jesus and tempts him with three things; Food, Power, and what theologian Scott Schauff calls “The cross-avoiding spectacle.” These three temptations occur in our reading not long after Jesus was baptized; Jesus is praying and the Holy Spirit descends and God’s words can still be heard, “You are my son, the beloved, with you I am well pleased.” These words were just spoken not that long ago and now the Devil steps in and starts offering Jesus things.

            His first offering is for Jesus to turn a stone into a loaf of bread. The Devil is commanding Jesus to take care of himself. The Devil is saying to Jesus, “you haven’t eaten for days. I know you are hungry, so, if you just turn the stone into bread you can eat all you want.” By turning the stone into a loaf of bread, Jesus is able to take care of his immediate needs and do whatever he wants, because the secret of this text is not that the Devil does not know who Jesus is. The Devil does know who Jesus is. If we go back into the Greek language, the language of the New Testament, and read exactly what the Devil says this little word “if” is more important than we could imagine. We tend to think of the word “if” being a negative; meaning, if I were to jump out of an airplane. It doesn’t mean I am going to do it and probably won’t. But in this scripture is in what is termed “a first class condition;” therefore this little word “if” means “and let’s assume that you are…” So here we have the Devil saying, “if (and let’s assume you are) the Son of God…”

            That is a big piece of information. It shapes how we look at this temptation and the others. The Devil is commanding Jesus to feed himself…save himself since he is the Son of God. Sounds familiar doesn’t it.

            Now we turn to the second temptation. Since you are the Son of God, the Devil says, I have all this authority and power over the world and I will give it to you. IF, you just worship me. All Jesus has to do is bow down to the Devil and he will get power and authority over the world. The Devil is appealing to Jesus’ human side. It is that side where a person might want to feel that they have control over what they want and what they want to happen. This power can be pretty enticing; people having to do what you tell them. Anything you want can be at your fingertips. You even get to control who is in and who is out. Again, it is all about YOU, YOU, YOU. Wouldn’t that be great?

            And then there is the third temptation. The Cross-avoiding Spectacle. The Devil takes Jesus to the Pinnacle of the temple, “Since you are the Son of God, throw yourself off,” says the Devil. Don’t worry, because of who you are, God will send angels down to scoop you up before you hit the ground. No Problem. Why the Temple, why would Jesus be taken up there. A few reasons; this is where the people worshipped. This was the centerpiece of life for the people of Jesus time. Everything revolved around the temple. There was probably always a large crowd and so there would be many witnesses to this. If Jesus did this and the angels came and did scoop him up, then Jesus would achieve “Rock Star” status. Witnesses would know who Jesus is and the world would change in an instant. If this happened, there probably would not be a cross because they would get who Jesus was.

            Jesus doesn’t respond to any of these temptations the way that the Devil would like him to. Jesus doesn’t turn the rock into bread, doesn’t bow down to the Devil, and does not throw himself off the temple, because Jesus knows that these commands from the Devil would only take him away from who God called him to be. As in our early chapters of Luke’s Gospel, Mary’s told us of God’s purpose in bringing Jesus into the world. It was to bring the Good news of God’s love, salvation, mercy, and grace to God’s children. Giving into the Devil’s demands, takes Jesus away from the relationship with God and with the people that Jesus came to serve.

            By not throwing himself off the temple, Jesus is able to fulfill God’s promise of mercy and forgiveness. Jesus is called to be more than just an observer in this world for God. Jesus is the Son of God who is to restore our relationship with God. Jesus is the one who will teach us and show us how to lift up one another through prayer, through action, and through showing us the ultimate act of God’s love by sacrificing himself on the CROSS for the forgiveness of our sins.

So let’s take a different approach to this whole “IF” word. How would that look to us using the phrase “Since you are the Son of God.” We can use this phrase to turn our worlds inside out. It is a phrase that can give us confidence in those times when we may feel a sense of weakness. It can lift ourselves and one another up in those times of crisis. So, let’s try it: “Since you are the Son of God, and showed us how to pray, we will pray for our brothers and sisters in need. Since you are the Son of God, I will give myself to you. Since you are the Son of God who went to the cross for the forgiveness of my sins, I will forgive those who trespass against me. Since you are the Son of God, you profess God’s love and mercy to me, when I may seem unloveable.

This the season of Lent. It is the time that we are called to look into our own hearts, reflect on our faith journey as well as our lives. It can be easy to look at our failings and faults and really beat ourselves up over some of the things we shoulda, woulda, or coulda done. It is the time when we come to the cross with our broken selves; broken from the world, from one another, and from those things that distract us from our relationship with God. We come to this cross and can say, Since you are the Son of God, you have gone to the cross for me and saved me…I am yours God: AMEN!