February 10, 2008
Temptation
The Rev. A. Thomas Carlson
Scriptures: Genesis
Psalm 32
Matthew 4:1-11
The scene is the wilderness. Jesus has been led there by the Spirit (not the Devil). It was a necessary experience for Jesus to fulfill God's plan. He must face the Tempter, for temptation is very much a part of human experience. Each of us, like our Lord, has or will have experienced a personal wilderness; a personal struggle with temptation.
When asked by Admiral Richard E. Byrd what he missed by spending six months at the South Pole, one member of Byrd's expedition, an Irishman named Jack, said without any hesitation, "temptation."
Temptation is a very real part of life—temptation to stray from the values we hold dear; temptation to take short cuts, to avoid struggle, to find the easy way through. We all have to deal with it! Perhaps temptation is essential to our development as human beings and as Christians. We struggle with our passions, our human drives, and out of that struggle comes choices that build character or makes us a character.
In the stories of the Desert Fathers there is one concerning Abbot John, the dwarf. Abbot John prayed to the Lord that all passion be taken from him. His prayer was granted. He became impossible. In this condition he went to one of the elders and said: "You see before you a man who is completely at rest and has no more temptations."
The elder surprised him. Instead of praising him, the elder said: "Go and pray to the Lord to command some struggle be stirred up in you, for the soul is matured only in battles."
Abbot John did this, and when the temptations started up again, he did not pray that the struggle be taken away from him. Instead he prayed: "Lord, give me strength to get through the fight."
It is not necessary for me to go over the temptations of Jesus—you just heard them read a few moments ago. Perhaps it would be more helpful to approach them with a proactive strategy—a way of dealing with them—conquering them. The easiest approach is simply to accept the Devil's bargain and that happens a lot in our world. More often than not it means a chance to bypass struggles, even suffering. It could mean personal gain at the price of inappropriate compromise (or the Devil's bargain). In an election year, it might mean making promises that are never going to be kept in order to get campaign contributions, etc.!
If we are growing in God's way, there are strategies for leaders, regular folks, even entire faith communities, to face and conquer temptations that surely happen.
A camp counselor was questioning a little girl about her faith. Trying to prepare her for the temptations she would surely face back in the real world, the counselor inquired, "What if the Devil comes to your door and tries to lead you astray?" The little girl replied, "I'll ask Jesus to answer the door for me."
In a childlike way the girl understood the concept that ours is a God who promises, no matter what, He will be there for us. It's true, we have a God who loves us unconditionally, who never gives up on us. If we ask God for strength, God will give it to us.
The ashes on our foreheads this past week reminded us of the smudges on our hearts. Yes, we have given in to temptation, knowing but not asking God's help, especially in our weaker moments. Sometimes we've given in to it, only later recognizing our folly. Mistakes are not meant to be repeated over and over again, even if God forgives and forgets!
The late Dag Hammarskjold wrote these words: "You cannot play—with falsehood without forfeiting your right to truth—he who wants to keep his garden tidy doesn't reserve a plot for weeds."
Perhaps we
in the church could learn from the Twelve-Step Programs like AA in resisting
repetition of hurtful patterns in our lives.
One of the keys in making the Twelve-Step Program successful is for one
to have a sponsor who is available 24/7 when temptation threatens to
overwhelm. What would the churches of
today look like if we were communities of mutual support in the face of
temptations? Who in our congregation
would we phone when we found ourselves tempted again to "shop 'till we
drop?" "Who could we call on
to help us avoid to walk away from a neighbor in
pain? Why is this practice the norm in a
Twelve-Step Program but so unusual in the
Notice how the temptation story ends, "Then the Devil left Him, and behold the angels came and ministered to Him." Whether we reach out to God in prayer in the face of temptation or to our brothers and sisters in Christ; we find reward and renewal. Have you ever had a friend phone you in the midst of tough times or another send a card or bring over a casserole or offer to simply sit with you during a personal trial? You may not have said it, but you thought it: She or he is God sent, an angel—simply because they were there for you in your time of testing, your time of trial.
These, my friends, are approaches we have available to us instead of "just giving in." Those smudges on our hearts do not need to keep reappearing. Our personal/moral failures do not need to be repeated like a broken record. There is hope for those addicted to harmful practices. We can grow out of those devilish ways and grow in God's way.
Invite the Lord into your struggle, be accountable to a trusted friend or small group, take advantage of the means of grace to fortify you in your struggles. Recognize and thank God for those angels that minister to you as you pass through the experience of temptation. Always remember that Jesus had His wilderness time, too. Amen.