Readings
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
Psalm 32
Romans 5:12-19
Matthew 17:1-11
Today’s Gospel reading tells us the story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. We are told that after his baptism Jesus is driven by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. He fasts for 40 days and nights and then the devil begins his work.
To begin with Jesus is tempted from his place of hunger. He is commended to make stones into bread into order to satisfy his hunger. Next he is tempted to risk harming himself in order to prove he is the Son of God. And finally he is tempted with worldly power if he is but willing to worship the tempter himself.
In all of three cases Jesus resists and quotes scripture as a way of naming out the error of each temptation. In the end the devil leaves him and Jesus is attended to by angels.
It would be easy for us to assume that, because Jesus is the son of God, he did not struggle with these temptations. It would be easy to gloss over each of the temptations as simply being about his nature as both human and divine. But if we do that we risk missing what is a deeply human story.
Let us be clear that there is nothing easy about what Jesus faced, and this is more about the human condition than it is about Jesus’ divinity.
Jesus is tempted in three areas: the flesh, the ego, and power.
In terms of the flesh, the desire to eat when famished is a normal and healthy response. Food in and of itself is a good thing. It is a necessary part of the human experience. But the temptation which Jesus faces is not simply to make a miracle and turn stones to bread. No this is an allegorical motif being presented about wanting what is not present. Or perhaps, wanting more than we need.
We need to understand that a fast, such as the one presented in this scripture would not have meant no food or water at all. The point of fasting would have been to limit the bodies needs while focusing on God. Small amounts of food and water would likely have been a part of Jesus’ time in the wilderness. And while it is remotely possible that Jesus could have survived with no food, unless he had a pretty good fat reserve he likely would have been more than famished.
No, Jesus is very hungry for sure, but the issue isn’t the absence of nourishment but the desire for more than he has.
Next, in terms of ego, the need for a healthy self-identity and the ability to act on that sense of self is not bad either. It is in fact absolutely necessary for our psychological and spiritual wellness. But the temptation which Jesus faces in this part of the story lays bare a basic human struggle between having a healthy sense of self or being narcissistic or egotistical.
The story of Jesus being tempted to throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple comes in the wake of being told that he is God’s son and beloved at his baptism. Jesus in this time away would have, most likely, spent quite a bit of time trying to discern more fully who he was being called to be and what his mission and ministry were.
It is not hard to imagine that he struggled with doubts about his identity and a deep desire for a sense of certainty about who and what he was. Most people whose ego is weakened in this way often fall into the trap of engaging in egotistical or narcissistic behavior. It is such extreme behavior that we hear come from the tempter. Again, this is not so much about the truth of his identity but about the desire for absolute certainty.
Finally, in terms of power, we all have power. Without some sense of empowerment and ability to exercise that power we are left with no ability to engage the world or to make positive impact in our own lives and the lives of others. Power in and of itself is not a bad thing. The temptation Jesus faces in this particular situation is the desire to move beyond the power he already has to a place of command and control.
We do not have to think very hard to imagine how Jesus was becoming aware of the growing power within himself. The monumental event which has just occurred in the wake of his baptism would have left him, most likely, with a profound sense of power and privilege. Is it that big a leap to imagine him seeing the political and temporal potential of such power? Would it be that hard a thing for him to think of himself as the source of the power rather than God?
No, this temptation isn’t so much about worshipping Satan as it is an unwillingness to be satisfied with the power he has and a desire for more. It is the temptation to unbridled power both in himself and among others.
As I said earlier, today we have a very human Jesus struggling with things we all struggle with. Who among us has not struggled with issues of the flesh, the ego, or power? Perhaps ours have not been so grand as Jesus’, but we nonetheless have surely been tempted as he was.
And to be clear, the question of temptation and the tempter, is not the caricature this story presents. No, the devil is far more subtle and insidious than we might think. The devil is not some pointed tailed demon who speaks to us in such clear ways. Rather temptation comes to us in the small voice in the back of our heads or in the deep desires of our mind and body. It comes in our own voice as a whisper rather than in another’s voice or as a conversation.
We too struggle with wanting more than we have, whether that is food, material goods, wealth, certainty about ourselves and our worth, or power. And it’s not hard to see how that happens.
We all know that having food, a safe place to live, clothing for our bodies and some comforts are a good thing. But the temptation is to then think that if that is good then more is better. And when we succumb to such temptation then the outcome is bloatedness, excess, and either literal or metaphorical obesity.
We all know that having a solid sense of self and our own worth is a good thing. But the temptation then comes when we are struggling with uncertainty or doubt. Then we want often more than just a solid sense of self. We want instead certainty and a sense of being more than others. And when we succumb to this temptation then the outcome is narcissism, egotism, or alienation from self and others.
And finally, we all know that some power is a good thing. The power to be a positive force in the world is an essential part of human existence. History is replete with examples of how individual and collective expressions of power have accomplished much good. But like with the others, there is a temptation to think that more, certainty, and control must therefore be better. But the outcome here is a broken one as well. It is a path that leads to isolation, abuse, or tyranny.
Jesus reminds us in today’s scripture that reliance on God is the antidote to such thinking. That enough is enough when dealing with matters of the flesh, ego, and power; that our reliance does not need to be on ourselves alone or what we can amass to ourselves.
Rather we are being called to be mindful of the temptations which abound in our lives. We are being called to resist the temptation to more. We are being called to trust in God.
Lent is a season of reflection; of penitence; of fasting. It is a time for us to be conscious of how that small voice in us calls us to desire more and how that desire leads to brokenness and error in our lives.
So let us use the next forty days as our own time in the wilderness. Let us fast and pray as Jesus did. Let us be mindful of the blessings in our lives and seek after a more conscious and intentional relationship with God. And let us be aware of the temptations and the tempter in our midst. Let us put our reliance not on ourselves alone, but on the source of our being. If we do, perhaps we too shall find ourselves attended to by angels.