News & Announcements

Rev. Dr. Marie P. Braxton, Asst Pastor
Metropolitan AME Church
Sunday, February 21, 2010
www.metropolitanamec.org

Scripture Lesson: Luke 4:1-13The Temptation of Jesus  1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.  3The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”  4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.’”  5The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7So if you worship me, it will all be yours.”  8Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”  9The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10For it is written:  ” ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” 12Jesus answered, “It says: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”  13When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

The scripture Luke 4:1-13 is a traditional reading for the first Sunday in Lent. The passage, addressing the temptation of Jesus, is a widely used and familiar text. The setting is the wilderness of the Judean desert, near Jerusalem. Jesus was led to the desert by the Holy Spirit where he was tested for 40 days. In the Bible, 40 days represents a very long time. He had been on a food fast, and he was very hungry. In the scripture, which is titled “The Temptation of Jesus”, Jesus underwent at least three tests from the devil during that 40 day period.

1. The Test of Self-Sufficiency. Test #1, is found in verse 3 where the devil says: “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” The devil is so cunning; he acts as if he cares about Jesus’ hunger. But Jesus replied: “Man does not live by bread alone.” The temptation of test #1 is: SELF SUFFICIENCY – meaning that you think you can depend on yourself and your own resources. We tend to think of self-sufficiency as a virtue; we teach our children to be self-sufficient. But beware: self-sufficiency is a sneaky temptation. If you make it your altar, if you make it your exclusive aim, you have no need for your family, no need for your church, no need for your community, no need for GOD. You are worshipping SELF. You must surrender yourself to God; you must trust Him, rely on Him. You must beware of the temptation of self-sufficiency.

2. The Test of Power. Test #2 is found in verses 5-7: “The devil led Jesus to a high place; he showed him all the kingdoms of the world and said: ‘If you worship me, I will give you power over all these kingdoms.’” The temptation of test #2 is the temptation of POWER. In our daily lives, we usually want power on a smaller scale than what is represented in the scripture. I wish I had power over where my husband leaves his shoes, all lined up in our bedroom instead of in our closet. I wish I had power over the rush hour traffic, with a lane all to myself. In the scripture, Jesus answers the devil with a quote from Deuteronomy 6:13: “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord and serve Him only.’” Only God is almighty, all-knowing, ever-present, perfect, righteous, just, true, and everlasting. As the hymn goes: “God is the joy and the strength of my life…He is my all and all.”

3. The Test of Invulnerability. Test #3 is found in verses 9-12. The devil leads Jesus to Jerusalem, quoting Psalm 91: 11-12, he says: “If you are the son of God, throw yourself down from here; if you are truly the son of God, the angels will protect you.” The temptation of test #3 is the temptation of INVULNERABILITY. Some of us think our health, our wealth, our assets, etc. have made us invulnerable. But now we are facing unemployment, foreclosure, loss of healthcare, etc. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be invulnerable? To not be exposed to life’s hurts and disappointments? In fact, it doesn’t matter who we are or what we have: we will all experience trials and tribulations, good and bad days, rough mountains, storms. But through it all, I have learned to trust in Jesus. Jesus responded to this 3rd temptation quoting Deuteronomy 6:16: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” After that, the devil finally backed off, and went away.

This famed passage warns us to be wary of the temptations of self-sufficiency, power, and invulnerability. But take a look at verse 13: “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left Jesus alone until an opportune time.”

Don’t get too comfortable thinking you have defeated the devil, because HE WILL BE BACK. He will be back with more lies to tell, to rob and steal. You can go through your fasting, praying, singing, and shaking him off, but he will be back to attack you at your weakest point. He will come back and attack you through your husband, through your wife, through your children, through your grandchildren, through your friend, through your neighbor, through your boss.

And when he comes back, when temptation comes, be sure you are anchored – in the Lord, in worship, in prayer, in the Bible.