"Learning to Depend on God"
Luke 4:1-13
A colleague of mine tells about one Sunday when her gregarious middle son--who was just shy of 4 years old--was taught this Scripture passage from Luke during Sunday school.
On the ride home from church she was surprised when her son started asking her some questions.
"Hey mom," he started, "what do you know about the devil?"
A bit startled, she asked: "What do you know about the devil?"
"Well," he began, "the devil talked to Jesus and the devil was mean."
Then, leaning closer to her and dropping his voice to a loud whisper, he said, "if we were in a store, and you and Dad were in one aisle, and I was in another aisle, and,"--his hushed tones became downright conspiratorial at this point-- "there was candy..."--he paused for effect.
"The devil would say, 'You take some!'"
My colleague was impressed at how much her son seemed to understand about the story so she asked him, "Honey, if we were in another aisle, and there was candy, and the devil said, 'You should take some!'
What would you say back to the devil?"
Then she says that a genuinely sweet grin lit up his entire face and without hesitation he replied, "Oh! I would say thank you!"
My colleague wasn't surprised that a 3-year-old had missed the point, but lots of us miss the point all the time, do we not?
It is far easier for us to say, "Thank you," when temptation comes.
In our Scripture Lesson for this morning we see that the devil works on the basis of distortions and lies.
The devil presents to us wants as needs, lies as truths and distrust as faith.
Some people might ask: "Where else do we hear lies that sound like the truth?"
In advertising.
From politicians, perhaps?
In the media?
In the common sense advice that popular culture sells or even in our own conversations with ourselves, God and the devil.
Comedian Stephen Colbert came up with the word "truthiness" just moments before taping the premiere episode of The Colbert Report--his former political satire show-- on October 17, 2005, after deciding that the originally scripted word – "truth" – was not absolutely ridiculous enough.
"We're not talking about truth, we're talking about something that seems like truth – the truth we want to exist", he explained.
He introduced his definition in the first segment of the episode, saying: "Now I'm sure some of the 'word police', the 'word-nazis' over at Webster's are gonna say, 'Hey, that's not a word'.
Well, anybody who knows me knows I'm no fan of dictionaries or reference books.
They're elitist.
Constantly telling us what is or isn't true. Or what did or didn't happen."
Remember the conversation the devil had with Adam and Eve in the Garden?
It was very persuasive, was it not?
"Did God really say that you shouldn't eat from any tree in the garden?," he teased.
Eventually, he was able to convince them of the "truthiness" of God's command.
And when they "saw that the tree was beautiful with delicious food and that the tree would provide wisdom" they, in essence said, "thank you" to the devil for his temptation, then took the fruit and ate it.
Yes, the devil works on the basis of distortions and lies.
And you and I and everyone else down the line have fallen--literally Fallen because we listen to and believe them.
When looking at Bible passages it is important to look at what comes before the passage we are reading.
In this case, right before Jesus was "led by the Spirit into the wilderness" we are given Jesus' genealogy in Luke 3:23-38.
And we are told that Jesus' genealogy is traced all the way back to Adam.
If there was ever any doubt about Jesus being truly human--this proves He shared in our flesh and blood--in the temptations we face.
Jesus is the descendant of Adam; He must now face, not only what Adam faced, but the powers that have been unleashed through Adam's rebellion and sin.
Add to that what the long years of habitual rebellion against God has done to humans and to the world; the flesh and the devil have become used to twisting human beings into whatever shape they want--and Jesus has a HUGE task on His hands.
Not only that, but Luke 3:23 describes Adam in this way: "Adam son of God."
And in our passage for today, the devil's come on line to Jesus begins with "Since you are God's Son..."
"Since you are God's Son, command this stone to become a loaf of bread..."
"Since you are God's Son, throw yourself down from here..."
Again, back in Luke 3--at Jesus' baptism, God the Holy Spirit and God the Father answered the question of whether Jesus is God's Son or not.
Now, the devil is trying to distort and question what kind of Son Jesus will be.
Will He live for self or give Himself for others?
Will He seek worldly power or humble Himself as a Servant?
Will He take advantage of His status and misuse it?
Will He be unlike Adam and unlike us; will the powers of evil have sway over Him or not?
In choosing to be obedient to God, rather than to the temptations of the devil--Jesus is fulfilling His role as the Second Adam--as the Savior--the Reverser of the Adamic Curse.
In Romans 5:12 Paul declares: "sin entered the world through one man and death through sin..."
And in 1 Corinthians 15:22 he continues: "since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive."
And what is the key to it all?
Jesus makes the choice to be obedient to God!!!
In verse 8 of our Gospel Lesson from Luke Jesus answers the devil: "It is written, 'You will worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"
Today's Gospel Lesson is about Jesus' choice--and ours--to be obedient to God.
And this is something we must be intentional about.
The easy way out--but in all reality, the way that makes life most difficult and miserable--is to ignore God and do our own thing...
...to live by our own convenient version of "truthiness."
But by and through God's loving grace Jesus has made it possible for us to live by the Truth.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit--and the Holy Spirit it must be--we are to follow the example of Jesus where "for forty days he was tempted by the devil."
But notice that the Spirit doesn't just drop Jesus off in the wilderness by Himself, to fend for Himself.
The Spirit continues to abide with Him enabling Him to grow stronger and stronger through the experience.
And isn't this how it works for us as well?
We must be tested, often by being led to places of despair.
For it is in the places of despair that we learn that dependence on God is the only Way!!!
And when we do depend fully on God, we find that God graciously provides what we need.
I've shared this before, but I've hit rock bottom.
I had been sinking and sinking fast.
But I had the most amazing experience in the bottom of the pit.
Jesus was right there with me.
And at that moment I was lifted by the Spirit out of my depression as I declared in victory, triumph, joy, celebration and thanksgiving--"You know, rock bottom isn't so bad after all--because Jesus is here and that is all that matters."
Prosperity and a secular worldview can cause us to interpret life apart from a covenant relationship with God.
We have a tendency to forget about God when our bellies are full and there is a chicken in every pot.
Jesus was full of the Spirit, and "was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.
There he was tempted for forty days by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days and afterward Jesus was starving.
The devil said to him, 'Since you are God's Son, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.'"
Would Jesus exploit His status and power to satisfy His own needs and desires?
Would Jesus compromise what it means to be God's Son?
Would Jesus accept the bait of Satan, who interpreted the Scriptures outside of the knowledge of the ways of God--in a "truthiness" sort of way?
Jesus' intentional obedience to God's grace shows you and me the way we are to turn to God, rather than away from God, during our trials and temptations.
If we choose to follow Jesus we will encounter a faithful and loving God Who leads us not only into the wilderness but also through the wilderness.
And in experiencing this, we will be able to understand that the difficult idea of the way of God is--in reality--the Only Way to FREEDOM, VICTORY, SALVATION, inner PEACE, and HAPPINESS!!!
May this be the Way we choose to go.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
