Remembering Who and Whose We Are
Bible Text: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 and Matthew 4:1-11 | Preacher: Speaker: Donna McIlveen
Remembering Who and Whose We Are
Here we are…gathered together for worship on this first Sunday in Lent. The Lenten journey has begun. That journey that we take toward the cross of Jesus…and the celebration of the hope of resurrection on Easter. During Lent, we take time to reflect on God’s love for us…and to remember that love. As we reflect we take time to examine the ways we have fallen short and grown apart from God…and we remember the gift of salvation given to us. We remember that we are a child of God…loved by God. We remember who and whose we are.
Today’s scripture readings from Genesis and Matthew invite us to remember that we belong to God. They remind us that we don’t need to wonder if we belong…but remember, for all of us from time to time are tempted to wonder. We hesitate in our belief…in our response…in our trust that God loves us.
In the reading from Genesis we have the first story of temptation…the first story about losing trust, or failing to remember. God has placed Adam in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. God has told him that he is free to eat from any tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…for if he eats of it, he will certainly die. God then creates a helper for Adam and together they live in the garden. They have their responsibilities – caring for the garden – and they know that God their creator…the Creator…has provided plenty of food to eat. There is trust in God’s provision. All is good. But then one day…something goes terribly wrong. Doubt enters paradise. The serpent…more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made…sabotages the relationship of trust between God the Creator and his creation. The serpent first asks a question which places doubt in the woman’s mind: “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” We know that God did not say that. God told Adam – the woman was not yet formed when God gave the command – the command that said that Adam was free to eat from any tree in the garden, but not the tree of the knowledge of good and evil for when you eat from it you will certainly die. We assume that Adam told the woman – who was not yet named – for she was able to correct the serpent. But the crafty serpent was not finished. He continued his conversation. He offered up a suggestion…or using a more current phrase…he offered up an alternative fact. He states: “You will not certainly die…but you will be like God and know good and evil.” She succumbs…as does Adam. She takes that bite…as does Adam. And then when God calls them on it, what do they do? He blames her, and she blames the serpent. With one bite, everything changes.
I’m reminded of the old joke about the oldest computer. Did you know that the oldest computer can be traced back to Adam and Eve? Surprise! Surprise! It was an Apple. But with extremely limited memory. Just 1 byte. Then everything crashed.
That old joke aside…everything did change with that one bite. With that one bite the first humans…created by God…forgot who and whose they were. They forgot that they were children of God…loved by God…cared for by God. With one bite, they stopped trusting God… God’s love and provision. And with that loss of trust came the appearance of fear. And it wasn’t long before suspicion appeared. Then jealousy. Then hatred and violence. With one bite, everything changed. Everything crashed.
In today’s gospel lesson – the temptation of Jesus – the traditional story for the first Sunday of Lent – we have another story of temptation…and with this story everything changed…for the better.
We find Jesus alone in the desert surrounded by rocks and sand and blistering heat. No food, no
water, no comforts of home. 40 days is a long time to do without. The temptations take place just after Jesus has been baptized. At Jesus’ baptism… according to Matthew 3:17: “…a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” All is good… and then.
Then. “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Did you catch the word ‘then’ at the beginning of the gospel reading from Matthew? The word ‘then’ connects what happened at Jesus’ baptism… God identifying Jesus as His son… to the temptation of Jesus when the devil attempts to tempt Jesus into giving up his identity as God’s beloved Son. He wants Jesus to forget who he is and whose he is.
The story takes place in the wilderness. Jesus is alone in the wilderness…for 40 days and 40 nights he is alone. 6 long weeks. He is alone, fasting. He is alone waiting. He is alone learning to trust God’s mercy. He is alone in the wilderness seeking to understand who he was and what God wants him to do.
40 days is a long time. Others before Jesus endured 40 day periods. Noah and his family were on board the ark 40 days and nights. Moses fasted on Mount Sinai for 40 days and nights while the words of the 10 commandments were being inscribed. The prophet Elijah went 40 days and nights without food or water while on Mount Horeb. The prophet Jonah prophesied to the Ninevites to repent and gave them 40 days to do so, which they eventually did. Jesus fasted 40 days and nights in the wilderness…at the beginning of his ministry, and then after he was raised from the dead he appeared for 40 days to the disciples and other witnesses. And for us today in the church we set aside 40 days to reflect on Jesus’ life and sacrifice…to repent of our failure, our sin…and to remember that we have been redeemed. We remember who we are and whose we are.
There are three temptations that Jesus faces. The devil says turn stone to bread…fall from a tall
building and let the angels catch you…and seize power by worshipping me. Three temptations that try to get Jesus to question who he was and whose he was. Three times the devil says…if. If you are the Son of God, do this. If you are the Son of God, worship me. If you are the Son of God …prove it…prove it to me…prove it to yourself…show it. Just a little miracle will do it. And so the tempting begins.
The first temptation was one that went right to the gut. The devil tempts Jesus to turn stones to bread… a miraculous display of power that would satisfy his immediate desire. “If you are the Son of God command these stones to become loaves of bread.” The devil doesn’t doubt for a second that Jesus is the Son of God… but he thinks he can place doubt in Jesus’ mind and have Jesus doubt who he is and whose he is.
Now as I said earlier 40 days is a long time. 6 weeks. I don’t know about you, but if I miss a meal – and I don’t miss too many – my stomach begins to grumble and my temperament begins to grumble. I can’t even begin to imagine not eating for 40 days. And yet…the text says: He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards – afterwards – he was famished. Talk about an understatement. But…would Jesus not have been hungry during the 40 days? I expect he was. Remember, Jesus is fully God and fully human, so he had to be weakened by the lack of food… both body and mind. But we also need to remember that Jesus was in deep communion with God during his 40 day fast. He was truly centered on God. When the devil entered the scene, he tried to un-center Jesus and take him down with the common staple of bread. The devil knew where to begin…or so he thought. But Jesus knew that the test had nothing to do with filling his stomach or anyone else’s. The devil tempted Jesus to doubt that God cared. Surely God will not see you starve? Is he that unkind? I think he even wanted Jesus to think back to his baptism and the words that God spoke: This is my Son, whom I love. Did God really say that you were his Son? If he did why are you here starving in the wilderness? Command these stones to turn to bread. If you are the Son of God, you will be able to do it. Look after yourself. Don’t depend on God.
But Jesus answers the devil by turning to God, the source of life. He quotes from the book of
Deuteronomy chapter 8, verse 3: “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that
comes from the mouth of God.”
Well… if food wasn’t going to do the trick… than how about a great spectacle. And so for the second temptation, the devil tempts Jesus to command the angels to perform a dramatic midair rescue, which would make for great spectacle. “If you’re really God’s Son… push the limits of God’s love…and throw yourself down from the temple. No one will get hurt… for as the devil himself points out when he quotes scripture…using words we find in Psalm 91…that God will send angels to protect you… that the angels will hold you up… that not even your foot will be hurt? So come on. Jump off this high temple. I dare you. You’re the Son of God. Just do it. Just prove it.”
But again, Jesus doesn’t succumb. He doesn’t put God to the test and reminds the devil… by quoting Moses once more, again from Deuteronomy (6:16): “Do not put the Lord Your God to the test.” Jesus knows that God is not a puppet who performs on request. Indeed, our God is not ‘ours’ at all… in the sense that we can possess God… or manage God… or dictate our desires and demands to God. As tempting as it might be… Jesus doesn’t go there.
Well, if he won’t succumb to the temptation of a loaf of bread… and he won’t put God to the test… then it’s time to turn to power. If you’re really God’s Son, seize your royal power… and worship me.” The devil tempts Jesus with authority over the whole world. He lays before Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in all their greatness… and offers them to Jesus. The devil assumes that all the power in the world is his to offer… to whomever he chooses… and so he offers… but tied to a rather significant condition. The devil says: “All these I will give you…all this power is yours if… if you will fall down and worship me.” But Jesus doesn’t let power go to his head… or heart… and for the third-time Jesus responds with words from Moses found in the book of Deuteronomy (6:13) and this time Jesus says: “Away with you, Satan! Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.” With these words, Jesus answered the final temptation, and the devil left him.
At this point the angels came and tended to Jesus. Jesus was hungry… Jesus was tired… but
Jesus was now stronger than he had been before. With each temptation, Jesus became stronger. In the wilderness, Jesus discovered that even as hungry and tired as he was…even as bleak and as lonely and as hopeless we think he might have been in the wilderness…Jesus knew that the wilderness was not God forsaken. Even in the wilderness God was there…and Jesus knew that God was with him…and he remembered who he was and whose he was.
And from there Jesus ministered to the people. He taught them. He healed them. He shared God’s love with the people. So much so that he was willing to complete the journey to the cross. Jesus demonstrates for us just how deeply God loves us by going to the cross. He showed us how treasured we are. We are worthy of love – all of us – and God has promised to be both with us and for us throughout all of our lives. For remember…we are God’s children…and we belong to God…whose love for us knows no end. And that is good news for all us…this day and every day…as we journey through Lent and beyond. Thanks be to God. Amen.