First Sunday of Lent [Yr C - RCL] 2007

Jesus does not give in to the temptator’s taunts to turn stones into bread.

Yet there is lots of food for thought in today’s gospel....

Many novels, plays and movies contain scenes inspired by scripture’s account of the temptation of Jesus.

Film Friends is going to be watching Jesus of Montreal this in March. Basically, it is the story of an actor hired to update one parish’s passion play. Life and art seem to twine as the gospel comes alive on and off stage. For example, a lawyer approaches the actor who plays Jesus tempting him to sign a contract. Yes, it’s a test, a trial, a temptation.

Sometimes we even bring the movie scenes to mind when we hear the gospel read. Some of you may have seen the 1997 movie, The Devil’s Advocate with Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves. The set-up is that a hot shot lawyer who has never lost a case but is about to lose his soul. Milton, the devil in disguise, takes the youthful Kevin to the top of a building and they step out to survey all of Manhattan as Milton offers Kevin "the world."

We are in the know. The fine print of Kevin’s contract is clear to us. Fortunately, our hero steps off the rooftop and makes the right decision. He holds fast to his values and roots. Yet, at the end of the film, he faces another "temptation" which he does not recognize. It’s not a big, flashy offer.... but rather an ordinary, everyday decision....

Hmmm.....

Makes you think.

And ask...

When was there a time in your life when you were tested?

How did you handle it?

The temptations for Jesus were:

• to ease the hunger of his 40 day fast by turning stones into bread,
•  to rely on the promise of a miraculous rescue if he would throw himself from the pinnacle of the temple and
• to pursue glory and authority through political power with all the backing he needed.

These temptations are still with us.

People still want free food both when they’re hungry and when they’re stuffed. Bread is slang for money. Dough.

People still turn to God and ask for some divine magic trick for rescue from foolish decisions and acts.

People still seek the glory and recognition and authority of position and power rather than seeking a servant leadership.

Note that Jesus answered these temptations by quoting scripture. We, too, need resources to fight the times of testing and temptations in our lives. Being familiar with the Bible is a help. Phrases, quotations, stories, from Scripture can come unbidden to nourish us.

In the same way knowing who Jesus is helps keep us strong and focused on the common good.. How Jesus lived, what he did, how he died and sharing in the experience of his resurrection....Christ lives.

I’m not talking about checking a bracelet on our wrists to see WWJD....What Would Jesus Do? It is not that simple.

Jesus took risks, broke rules and got in trouble with the authorities. He was arrested, tried and convicted! And even before that, he hung out with a rough crowd and went to a lot of parties. He seems to have stopped working as a carpenter and relied on his friends to provide for him. His mother and brothers and sisters worried that he had lost his mind.

What would Jesus do?

He’d gather a community for mutual support and strength.

He’d point to the nature of God who is loving and giving.

He’d seek to live in peace.

He’d serve others by caring for the poor, the hungry, the sick, the lonely and the lowly.

Jesus faced a time of testing and we, too, will face times of testing. Evil things happen to good people. The power of evil tests us and seeks to draw us away from God. We are assaulted physically, emotionally and spiritually. Evil wants to destroy our faith in God and our faith in one another.

So do I believe there is a devil?

A devil named Satan?

First, let me say, I’m not called to believe in the devil, in Satan. My call is from God to follow Jesus.

Having said that...is there a devil?

Certainly, some people have experiences of an evil power.

But I am skeptical that here is a person, a being, out to get us. I understand Scripture to talk about Satan and "principalities and powers" as a symbolic way to describe the fact that evil is "bigger" than any of one of us. This world seems gripped by something more than a collective "my bad". It seems more than the sum of our individual bad choices and bad actions. That means for me, except in jest, I’m not one to say, "the devil made me do it."

There are times when it seems hard to hold unto the good...

Good values, good marriages, good families, good communities....

St. Paul talks about the weakness of "the flesh" which make us vulnerable to the whispering temptations of evil....greed, money, success, sex, pride, gluttony, self-righteousness, complacency. It’s a long list, folks.

And it’s not once and done....what did we hear? "When the devil had finished every test, he departed from Jesus until an opportune time."

So what’s an opportune time?

Sometimes it’s when you’re exhausted, worn out and defenseless.

But it could also be when you’re feeling confident and grow careless, dependent on your own strength.

The saying is that the devil loves idle hands...the temptation to relieve boredom may set events in motion that we might later regret. But you know, tight schedules can leave us frazzled and without the time to think and reflect.

We are vulnerable to temptation and the power of evil at many points.

Here’s the good news.

The power of God is much stronger than the power of evil in our lives.

Sometimes we forget that.

Jesus did not.

Often when we pray, we are all about telling God how big our problems are. Why don’t we ever tell our problems how big our God is?

Look again at today’s gospel.

Repeatedly, Jesus’ answers to the devil showed that he thought of the power of God. He could rely on it and did not have to test it.

He was confident and sure. And able to endure.

God’s power is the power of love and peace and truth and joy.

So plug into God’s grid. The power is renewable and will renew you.

Plug into God’s grid. Get charged up. Let Christ be your light.

AMEN.