A sermon preached
at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 14 February 2016, the first Sunday in Lent, by the Rev. Judy Chan. The scripture readings that day were Luke 4:1-13
Good morning.
The traditional
reading for the 1st Sunday of Lent is the Temptations of Jesus. It’s
found in 3 of the 4 Gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke. This year it comes from
the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus has just been
baptized, declared to be God’s beloved Son and filled with the Holy Spirit. You
could ask then, why does Jesus have to be tempted, or tested, before he even
begins his ministry? Is this the equivalent of ‘boot camp’ or military training
before he starts his work in earnest?
In a way it is.
After all, don’t we want those we trust to protect our lives to be properly
tested and qualified? Of course! I think it’s important for Luke too that we have no doubt from the very beginning
about Jesus’ qualifications. That he’s worthy to be the Son of God, worthy to
be the Savior of humankind, worthy of honor and our allegiance. And not just
after the crucifixion and resurrection. But from the very start, for in his
temptations, we see a foreshadowing or preview of all the things that will
tempt him in his ministry. And the fact that Jesus was able to resist these temptations
gives us hope that we too can resist the devil, not of our own strength but
through the Lord’s strength in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s think a
moment about what temptation is…one definition is “the desire to do something,
especially something wrong or unwise.” That’s the way we normally talk about it
– the urge to do something we know we shouldn’t because it’s not good for us.
Like spending too much money, or eating too much rich food, or cheating a
little here and there, or telling a small lie to save face, ours. Somehow though, these don’t
seem to be things that would tempt Jesus, do they? Yes, he was always doing
something that got him into trouble with religious leaders or political
authorities. But we would never call his actions wrong or unwise. Quite the
contrary.
So, we have to
understand that these three temptations in the wilderness are in a way unique to Jesus. Because only
he was tested as the Son of God. Only he needed to prove that he would not fall
as Adam fell, that he would not fail as the Israelites failed. He would be
faithful from beginning to end, as it says in Hebrews 4:15, our high priest who
has been tested in every respect, yet without sin.
Let’s look now at
these three temptations and see what each one teaches us as we begin our Lenten
journey.
The setting of the
temptations is the Judean wilderness. The time span is 40 days. The bible says
Jesus ate nothing during those days, so he was very hungry and exhausted. And
it’s just at that moment that the devil begins his attack. “If you are the Son
of God,” he says, “command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Well, even
the devil acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God. So what the devil’s doing?
He’s trying to get Jesus to use his divine power to satisfy himself. On the
face of it, there’s nothing wrong with that, is it? If you are starving, what’s
wrong with getting something to eat?
But see how Jesus
responds…with Scripture. He quotes Deuteronomy 8:3, recalling the testing of
the Israelites in the wilderness where they grumbled about not having enough to
eat. And they blame God. Jesus would not make the same mistake. “One does not
live by bread alone,” he says. God knows that we need food to survive, but even
more we need God to survive. Yes, Jesus could have performed a miracle for his
own benefit, but only at the cost of denying that he trusted his Heavenly
Father to provide his daily bread. Jesus
1, Devil 0
Then the devil
cranks it up another level. If Jesus won’t be tempted for his own benefit, what
about for the world’s benefit? He is taken up to where he can see all the
kingdoms of the world. And the devil tells him, “MINE is the kingdom, and the
power, and the glory. I can give it all to anyone I please, and I can give it you right now.” Well, that might be
more of a temptation, even for Jesus. For the Son of God did come to earth to
bring good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of
the sight to the blind, to let
the oppressed go free. If Jesus could do all that without further delay, why
not? Why not? Well, because there one little catch…he’d have to acknowledge
that Satan is the boss, his boss. And for Jesus there could only be one boss –
his Father in heaven. So again, he quotes Scripture from Deuteronomy, this time
Chapter 6:13, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” In other words, there are no shortcuts to
salvation when we pray Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done. Jesus 2, Devil 0
So, the devil tries one more time. If Jesus can’t be tempted for his own
benefit or for the world’s benefit, what about for the benefit of his own
people? So the devil takes him to Jerusalem. And he puts Jesus on the highest
point of the Temple and dares him to jump. After all, doesn’t the Scripture say
in Psalm 91 that God will protect His own, that He will send His angels to keep
your foot from even getting a bump?
Now the devil is doing more than quoting Scripture before Jesus beats
him to it. The pinnacle of the Temple is where the Jewish High Priest stood to
announce the beginning of morning prayers and daily sacrifice. Some say it was
also the place where the Messiah was to appear before all the faithful. Imagine
then if Jesus were to be in that very spot. He throws himself off the edge, and
lo and behold, he lands without even a scratch. Wouldn’t that be something? If
I were Jesus, I might just do it to prove to the devil like the children’s song
says: “My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot
do (clap, clap).”
But Jesus is not me. And however much he longed for his own people to
follow him, he would never do it in a way that forced God’s hand. “Do not put
the Lord your God to the test,” he tells Satan, quoting Deuteronomy 6:16. And
he might have added, “While you’re at it, don’t misuse Scripture for unholy
purposes!” Jesus 3, Devil 0
The testing is over and the drama comes to an end. And when all is said
and done, we are confident that Jesus will withstand every temptation that
comes his way throughout his journey to the Cross. The temptation to do
miracles for the wrong reason. The temptation to save the world in the wrong
way. The temptation to save his people with the wrong understanding. Time after
time, Jesus will be tested yet still his prayer is this: “Nevertheless, not my
will but yours be done.”
That is what our Lenten journey is all about. To make that prayer our
own. To seek God’s will for our life and find the strength to follow through,
even if it leads to sacrifice and suffering. The Church throughout the ages has
wisely understood that this is not easy, that Christians need help in this
task. So we too observe 40 days of Lent in remembrance of Jesus’ 40 days in the
wilderness. We too are expected to spend more time in prayer; we are asked to
fast whether that be giving up certain foods or giving up a habit; and we
traditionally remember those in need with a special offering or service.
I am happy that Christians in Hong Kong have made these Lenten
disciplines easier this year. You know we have the Pray for Hong Kong Lenten
initiative. It lists one international church and one local Chinese church each
day to pray for, and I know some congregations are also contributing to
projects of the HK Church Network for the Poor. At the Hong Kong Christian
Council, where I work, we are also running a Lenten campaign called “Skip 5
Meals, Give Some Help”. The idea is to skip 5 meals on 5 Tuesdays during Lent,
and donate the money you saved to our Council’s international program for the
needy, Five Loaves and Two Fish.
My co-worker Jeff came around and personally gave each staff member one
of the brochures and asked for our support.
So between KUC and HKCC, I should have no problem praying, fasting and
serving others during these 40 days...but you know what? I usually do have problems. OK, let’s get
real, I almost always have problems. I start out with the best intentions, but
don’t always finish with the best results.
So, I ask myself, is there anything I could do differently this year?
When I look at the Gospel story for today, I find some helpful points.
One is that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness.
Out of his ordinary place, away from his daily routine and comfort zone. Can I
find a place to pray during Lent that is not my usual place? Perhaps a church
that opens early every day or a bench in the park during lunch. It would take
some effort to break my normal routine of doing things, and I guess that’s the
point. To go somewhere I ordinarily would not be in order to experience God’s
presence in a new way.
Another lesson for Lent is that Jesus relied on Scripture. He
knew it by heart. So when temptations arose that might lead him astray, the
Word of God was right on his lips to fend off any attack. Whatever my daily
Lenten practice might be then, it should always include reading the Bible, and
even memorizing a verse for the day. I did that in Sunday School when I was a
child, and Jesus must have too. So if Jesus needed to rely on Scripture to get
through those 40 days, so do I.
And a third lesson. Even after Jesus finished every test, the devil
waited for another opportunity. He just doesn’t give up. So no matter
how well I do with my Lenten exercises, I still will fall short in some way. I
will fail. I will sin. But I take comfort in the words of Spencer Holman who
reminds us,
Waiting
at the end of Lent is Holy Week, and at the end of Holy week waits the cross.
And it is there that all of our failings rest; it is there that all of our
sin reside; it is there with the blood of Christ
that we find our true comfort. There on the cross, we receive the greatest gift
ever - freedom for the
burden that rests on our shoulders, freedom from the sin that taints our souls,
and freedom from the penalty of death as a result of all of our failings.
Christ takes them all, and as the Son of God takes the hard road
and dies for you and me.
Christ took the hard road, and because he did, we
know we are not alone whatever trials and temptations we face in life. Christ
has already gone before us, and he is right beside us now if we only call upon
his name. As it says in our epistle reading from Romans 10: No one who believes
in him shall be put to shame.
I’d like to close
with something from the Orthodox Christian Church. Because as you know, Lent
often overlaps with the Lunar New Year so we have two contrasting seasons to
observe. However, I learned that in the Orthodox theological tradition,
Christians are invited into the season of Lent as a time to prepare for joy.
Yes, joy!
Listen to what
they say in worship:
Let us begin the
Fast with joy.
Let us give
ourselves to spiritual efforts.
Let us cleanse our
souls.
Let us cleanse our
flesh.
Let us fast from
passions as we fast from foods,
taking pleasure in
the good works of the Spirit
and accomplishing
them in love
that we all may be
made worthy to see the passion of Christ our God and His Holy Pascha,
rejoicing with
spiritual joy.
For the Orthodox
Church and really for all churches,
“The Lenten season
is meant to kindle a ‘bright sadness’ within our hearts. Its aim is precisely
the remembrance of Christ, a longing for a relationship with God that has been
lost. Lent offers the time and place for recovery of this relationship. The
darkness of Lent allows the flame of the Holy Spirit to burn within our hearts
until we are led to the brilliance of the Resurrection.”
Let us pray:
O Lord, as we begin again the Lenten journey we have traveled so many
times, walk with us. Be with us as we think and pray and struggle with issues
of life and death and love and rebirth. Lead us, O God, to the light of
resurrection, but first lead us into the wilderness–and there, startle us with
your truth and your love and your promise to be with us always: in Jesus
Christ, our Lord. Amen. (credit: John Buchanan)
# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, February 14, 2016
