It Wasn’t Easy
Luke 4:1-13
We are into the season of Lent. It is not a coincidence, that today’s text is about the Temptation of Jesus. In the lectionary calendar, the first Sunday of Lent is always kicked of with the reading of the temptation of Jesus. It is also not a coincidence that Lent is 40 days long, and Jesus’ time in the desert was 40 days. Jesus’ temptation also refers to the 40 days that Moses spent on the mountain; Elijah’s 40 days in flight to God’s mountain, and the 40 years that the Israelites spent in the wilderness. A time when the testing in the desert for the Israelites resulted in only two of whole of those that left Egypt actually entering the Promised land. To really prepare for Easter, to really prepare for that “Hallelujah” on Easter morning, we must know what Christ did for us. We must walk these 40 days as Christ walked those 40 days, we must identify with Christ in his walk, so that when we look to the Cross during holy week we do not just see Christ upon the cross, but we see ourselves… and understand the price Jesus really paid for us.
It Wasn’t That Easy
When we watch the Olympics we see some pretty amazing things. Isn’t it amazing how we can watch some one do some amazing feat and think, “He made that look easy, I bet I can do that.” Only to find out what was easy was for one was about impossible to others to do at that level. John likes to say, “If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.”
One of the things that I think that people feel that this was something easy for Jesus to do, after all he was God and he can do anything. And as we read it sounds as if he made it look easy, but Jesus was in a real battle here.
We forget the duel nature of Christ. He was truly god and truly man. This has been an argument that has been around since the church began. It is called Chirstology and it asks the question ‘how much of Jesus was God and how much was man?’ Some have what is called a high Christology which means that he was more God than man making him less understanding of what we are going through. Sort of breezing through life like superman. Hebrew 4: 15
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Some have a low Christology that say he was more man than God. A lot of liberal theologians have this view, explaining away the miracles and touting Jesus as just a great teacher. The orthodox view is that he was exactly in the middle, a perfect balance of God and man. True God and true man.
The wilderness experience was something that was as hard for Jesus to do as it would be for you or me. Cee Cee Winan came out with a song some time ago called, “It Wasn’t Easy.” Here are some of the lyrics.
Don't think for a moment
I never felt the pain
You can't imagine
The hurt and the shame
They put the nails through my hands
Pierced my side, please understand
It wasn't easy, but it was worth it
It wasn’t easy but Jesus became came to earth and became a baby. Putting his entire well being in Mary and Joseph’s hands. When Jesus was came down here he agreed to follow our rules. He could not use anything that we could not use, that we did not have at our disposal. He could not use any of his Godly powers to shield himself from the attacks and pain of the Devil. Just as his body was susceptible to the pain of the cross, he was also susceptible to the exhaustion and hunger of 40 days in the wilderness.
Satan knew that this was his chance to get to Jesus, to God. Jesus was playing on his field now and he knew all the tricks. Satan was well acquainted with this flesh and the desires it has. He was good at knowing just what to tempt Jesus with. And Jesus was truly tempted.
We should also be aware that temptation is not itself a sin. Giving in is. So we shouldn’t be discouraged when we face temptation but be determined to continue resisting it. The reformer Martin Luther once said, ’ I can’t stop the birds flying over my head, but I can stop them from nesting in my hair.’
Christ knows what it is like for you and for me, he knows the power of sin and the hold it has. He knows what it is like to have temptation drown your every thought and turn your every desire. He knows that it is a power we can not withstand, not control, and not resist. And we need to realize the same thing.
Bigger Boat
The pull of temptation is a mighty and powerful thing that we often underestimate. Underestimating how powerful temptation is, reminds me of the Great Tuna run of 1998. You see, the tuna were running for the first time in 47 years, only 30 miles off Cape Cod. And they were biting! All you needed to catch one was a sharp hook and some bait. And the rewards for doing so were substantial. Rumor had it that Japanese buyers would pay $50,000 for a nice blue fin!
That’s why many would-be fishermen ignored Coast Guard warnings and headed out to sea in small boats. But what these new fishermen didn’t realize - was the problem is not catching a tuna—the problem comes after they’re caught.
On September 23, the Christi Anne, a 19-foot boat, capsized while doing battle with a tuna. That same day the 27-foot boat Basic Instinct suffered the same fate, while Official Business, a 28-footer, was swamped after it hooked onto a 600-pound tuna. The tuna pulled it under water.
These fishermen underestimated the power of the fish they were trying to catch. That is what temptation does to us. It takes us by surprise. It looks manageable on the surface. Only after we hook into it do we discover its strength, and by then it is too late. We find ourselves being pulled underwater.
We need to realize our temptations, we need to admit them, and finally face them. However we can not face them alone. Using the illustration of the giant tunas pulling us under… I pull a quote from the classic movie Jaws…. “We need a bigger boat!”
Battling Temptation
Jesus was ready for the devil. Jesus did not have to go scrambling to know what to do. He had armed himself before he ever entered the battle. When the spiritual fighting started he pulled out his sword. Not a physical sword but the sword of the Spirit, the word of God. You remember Ephesians 6:10-18
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Jesus had his armor on and he was using his sword. The way that Jesus met temptation with Scripture shows how we should fight temptation.
The way that God met Jesus’ needs shows that we can trust God. 1 Cor. 10:13 : ’No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. ’
” It wasn’t easy but it was worth it.”
Let us, therefore, thank God for Jesus and his obedience that led to our salvation. Let us thank God that Jesus can sympathize with our temptations, and that God will help us when we are tempted so that we need not be defeated by it. Indeed, it could lead to us growing in our trust in him who alone is to be trusted and served. Lent is a time to sort out and refuse the other offers and to embrace the only reliable gift of well-being. The song reminds us, “It isn’t easy for us either, but it is worth it.”
Benediction
And may God instruct angels to guard you wherever you go;
May Christ Jesus be your refuge and stronghold;
And may the Holy Spirit lead you
........and put God’s Word on your lips and in your hearts.
Do you have a DVD player? A VCR? Does anyone even have a VCR anymore? At our house we love to watch movies. We watch three or four movies every week. You know, it is amazing how much movies affect our daily lives. The clothes we wear, the music we listen to, even the way we talk is often influenced by movies. A movie website, myfilms.com, asked 2000 people, "What famous phrase from the movies do you use most often in everyday conversation?" Here are some of the phrases that were used most often:
"Life is like a box of chocolates" from the movie Forrest Gump
"Beam me up, Scotty" from Star Trek (Even though it wasn't actually in the movie.)
"May the force be with you" from Star Wars
Do you know what the number one movie phrase was that people said they used most often in every day conversation? It was, "I'll be back" from the movie "Terminator." I hope you haven't seen that movie, but you may have heard someone use the quote from Terminator, "I'll be back."
In our Bible lesson today, Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and he was very hungry.
The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread."
Jesus answered, "No! The Scripture says, 'People do not live by bread alone.'"
Next, the devil took Jesus up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world. "I will give you all of these kingdoms and the authority over them if you will worship me."
Jesus replied, "The Scripture says, "You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him."
Then the devil took Jesus to Jerusalem. He took him up to the highest point of the Temple and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! The Scripture says that 'God will order his angels to guard and protect you. They will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone.'"
Jesus answered him, "The Scriptures also say, 'You must not test the Lord your God.'"
Do you know what the devil did? He gave up, but he would come back and try again. It is as if the devil was saying, "I'll be back."
We are tempted just as Jesus was tempted. What did Jesus do when he was tempted? He turned to Scripture to answer the devil's temptation. That is a great plan, isn't it? When we do what the Bible tells us to do, we are able to resist the devil's temptation. But be careful! Just because you resist the devil one time doesn't mean you can let your guard down. Remember, the tempter is saying, "I'll be back."
Heavenly Father, over and over again the devil tempts us to do things we should not do. Help us to study your Word so that we will know how to resist the devil when he tries to lead us astray. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen
