Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the
Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.
It is hard to
believe, but just as soon as Jesus has his wonderful baptism moment he’s led to
face harsh tests. He is baptized into the messiness of ministry in the world,
and the dove of peace alights on his head, and now he’s being tempted by the
devil.
It’s like God
never cuts us a break, right? We do something really grand like publicly vowing
our love for God and our desire to do God’s work in a new way in the world, and
then BAM immediately we are in the desert suffering.
Like most people
whose stories end up being worth sharing, whose movement ends up being worth
following, Jesus has to be tested, to face trials, to see where this power he has
been bestowed by God will take him.
And, though the
force of evil, the Devil, (or whatever language you want to use to describe the
tempter in this story), is strong and very tempting, Jesus is able to
persevere. He is not a show-off and he isn’t interested in any shortcuts. He doesn’t need to prove anything to anybody.
He is able to remain steadfast to God.
Through a time
of intentional fast in the desert, through the many temptations that pile up,
Jesus keeps his eye on God, on his role, on his ultimate power through sharing
love to the world.
McLaren writes,
“So he will not use his power for personal comfort and pleasure. He will refuse
unscrupulous means to achieve just and peaceful ends. He will not reach for
spectacle over substance.” When do we
use our privilege and power to remain comfortable? Fill in the blank with any
personal, corporate or political failings here. When do we think showy or
gaining praise for our ‘event’ or what we do at church is better than touching
the heart of God?
Jesus reminds us
in this passage that following God, says McLaren, is “not driven by a human
lust for pleasure, power, or prestige, but empowered by the Spirit. And of
course if we want to join Jesus in his great work, we must face our own inner
demons and discover the same Spirit-empowerment.”
The next part of
the passage discusses how Jesus goes to his hometown saying the scripture is
being fulfilled here and now… and the people cannot deal with that and nearly
run him off a cliff. They actually are seething with rage that Jesus would suggest
that the time is NOW for the scripture’s prophesies to be fulfilled. So, he goes from fasting to temptation to
near death… and he hasn’t even started his public ministry yet… he’s still a
ministry candidate, so to speak…
Two things here
stand out. One is the idea that we can
be so captivated by the lure of recognition and influence and power that we
walk away from God, even in the realm of church work. We want the praise for singing in the choir,
or having a good sermon or delivering food to the OUR Center, and so we get
intoxicated by the way praise feels, rather than working solely for God’s
message to reach our community.
At the same
time, we get so paralyzed by the thought of being rejected by those who
criticize the church and what it stands for, and so we allow our harshest
critics to ‘run us off a cliff’ rather than standing strong and working solely
for God’s message to reach our community.
How DO we
prepare to face God’s work in our lives? How might intentional fasting, or
centering prayer, or meditation, or some other spiritual discipline help you to
focus yoru mind more fully on God?
How do we rid
ourselves of the temptation to seek praise and honor for what we do? How do we stand firm and follow through with
sharing God’s love with the world beyond our doors? How do we BECOME disciples
and CREATE disciples?
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