Back in late November, one of the candidates newly elected to public office wrote a reflection that circulated around social media. I want to share with you a portion of this politician’s thoughts. Here’s an excerpt:
“I had concentrated fully on my campaign. Ever since my party told me, surprisingly, that they wanted me as their candidate for Congress, I was overwhelmed both by the honor of running for Congress and of serving my people, my country, and the world. All my noble ideas had been smiling at me, beckoning me, telling me that I was now going to be able to achieve them. My one thought through the course of my campaign was: get elected, and at last you’ll be able to change the world; to make things better, to turn things around!
“The whole campaign seems like a whirlwind now: tours, speeches, shaking hands, debating, planning, and finally the election. I still can’t believe it! Victory by nearly ten points! I was wanted. I was chosen. It was my day and it was sweet! But as the high of Election Day fades into the past and my inauguration grows closer, I find myself with different thoughts.
“The lure of power is strong. My ideals are still strong—I still dream of service and of changing the world. But there are these other forces at play now—calling me, beckoning me, ‘Now’s your chance!’ they say, ‘You can make some real money, lots of businesses will want you on their board, to lobby legislators for them. You can name your price! And this is just the beginning! If you play your cards right, if you get to know the right people, you could be a cabinet member, even the President, with fame and popularity, press conferences and TV appearances! You’ve got power and you’ll have more. The world is your chessboard, go ahead and play the game your way.’
“It is no wonder politicians have such a bad wrap,” the reflection ended, “we have such high ideals, but we give in to those other forces far too easily. I hope my career is different. But as I face the burden of this office, I need you to keep me accountable to upholding the ideals that got me here.”
Today marks the first Sunday in the season of Lent, the period of forty days leading up to Easter, during which time Christians around the world focus on fasting, penance, and preparation for celebrating Easter. In essence, it is a time we have set apart to very specifically focus our energies on living the Christian life. So it is only appropriate that we begin this season with a look at the problem of temptation, and Jesus’ own temptation in the wilderness. Because temptation is the first hurdle to overcome in our lives as Christians.
Indeed, there is a lot we can learn from the forty days that Jesus spent in this desolate desert land without food or companionship. As we consider Jesus’ temptation and the problem of temptation in our own lives, it is important to understand the word as it is used in the Bible. In English, the word “tempt” has a consistently bad connotation. It always means to entice a person to do wrong, to seek to seduce one into sin, to try and persuade one to take the wrong path. But the Greek word used in the Bible, peirazin, has a slightly different meaning. It translates more accurately as, “to test” rather than “to tempt” as we know it. Think about it this way, before metal can be put to use, it has to be tested to standards far beyond any stress or strain it will be required to bear; so does humanity have to be tested before God can use us for his purposes. God does not want to entice us into sin, rather God wants to refine us for his work in the world. So what we call temptation is not meant to make us sin; it is meant to enable us to conquer sin. It is not meant to make us bad, it is meant to make us good. It is not meant to weaken us, it is meant to make us emerge stronger and finer and purer from the ordeal.
Now, I imagine that raises a question in your minds about why Jesus, who was one with God, had to be tested. But we have to remember that Jesus, as much as he was God, was also a human just like us. And it is a truth of this life that none of us lives apart from trials, and temptations, and testing, and Jesus didn’t either. How else would he know all our grief? How else could his death on the cross have meaning for us? So it is that we must also see the significance of his temptation in the desert, and how it can help us deal with our own temptations. From the beginning to the end of the day, Jesus had to fight these battles in the wilderness so that he can help us fight ours.
Just before Jesus was led out into the wilderness for forty days, he had been baptized by John. And, as you remember, when Jesus came up out of the waters of his baptism, the heavens opened, a dove descended, and God spoke, “You are my son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” It was Christ’s anointing, his summons to a ministry that would change the world. And the time of trial in the wilderness would show Jesus to be the true Messiah, the true king, who embodied true righteousness. And it was exactly that anointing which the tempter sought to attack.
Christ had just been identified by God as his very own Son, the Savior of the world. So the tempter enters the scene with all the enticements: “If you’re the savior of the world and you’re hungry, then make some bread. If you’re the savior of the world, then save yourself. I can make you savior of the world NOW if you will only worship me.” And that’s the way temptation always works. We must remember that again and again, we are tempted through our gifts. There is always this temptation to use selfishly whatever powers God has given to us. In our own baptisms, our own anointing, God has given each of us a gift, which means we all have to make a choice. Will we use the gift for ourselves, or will we serve others with this gift? Because the temptation is to use the gift selfishly. A person with money will want to amass more wealth and nice things. A person with strong leadership skills will be tempted to lift himself up as the master of many rather than humbling himself as the servant. If we have a nice voice or good speaking abilities, we may refuse to share our gift unless we are paid. Like the struggle of the newly elected legislator, the gift of power often tempts us to desire more power for ourselves. And certainly, power allows God’s people to serve God’s purposes, but look at Christ in the midst of his temptation; he does not allow power to become an end in itself.
And that’s the thing about temptation. Temptation happens when we lose sight of the God of blessings and instead view everything wondering, “What’s in it for me?” When we are confronted by God’s kingdom, the temptation is always to see it through the narrow lens of our own interests and aims. Like Christ’s own temptation, each of our trials revolves around whether the kingdom of heaven is welcomed for God’s sake or the sake of something else. Do we love the kingdom of heaven itself or the prosperity, protection, and power it provides us? These questions are important. Temptation is most powerful when we have lost sight of our purpose. God has called us to a life of giving, not a life of giving!
Look at Christ’s ministry after his forty days in the desert. He went all over the land preaching and teaching about the God who was doing a new thing for his people. And then Jesus showed them this new work in signs and wonders. Through Jesus’ miracles the hungry were fed, the sick were healed, the dead were raised, and demons were cast out. He shared fellowship with tax collectors and sinners, showing love to those who are not loved. And God expects the same of us. God expects us to use our gifts for good. God expects us to take risks to be true to him, even when that means putting aside what we think are our own best interests. God expects us to follow our true vocation, the one declared at our baptisms, not the one that is dictated to us by the world. It is the vocation to be a truly human being, just the way God made us; to be God’s person, to be a servant to the world and to other people in the same way Jesus was. If we can follow this calling, then we hold the key to overcoming temptation.
There can be no doubt that the trials we face today are far different from those Jesus faced in the desert, but they have exactly the same point. The temptations we face are not simple enticements to commit this sin or that sin. Instead, the temptations of this world seek to distract us, to turn us aside from the path of servanthood to which our baptism has commissioned us. God has gifted each of us because he has in mind for us a wonderfully glorious vocation. But if we have heard God’s voice welcoming us as his children, like Christ, we will also hear the whispered suggestions of the tempter, the forces of evil. The temptations of this world will do everything possible to distract us and thwart God’s purposes.
But, as God’s children, we are entitled to use the same defense as the Son of God himself. And we need to, if we are to deal with temptation effectively. So always say a firm “no” when temptation rears its ugly head. Store scripture in your heart and know how to use it. Keep your eyes on God and trust him for everything. And ultimately, remember your calling to bring God’s light into the world as you love and serve others.
If we stay busy at that task, then we won’t have time to be dist
