There is this mountain spiritual that I loved to listen during my high school days. It says, “Jesus walked this lonesome valley, Had to walk it by himself. Oh, nobody else could walk it for him; He had to walk it by himself.”
Those lines could almost describe what we heard in the Gospel reading for today – the story of Jesus alone in the wilderness. There in the wilderness he stayed and fasted for 40 days and forty nights, tempted by the devil. Each temptation a metaphor for the temptations that we face in our lives. Temptation number one: “[Jesus]…If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Nothing outrageous there. As the text says, he has had nothing to eat. Thus, the devil said to Jesus, “you are incredibly powerful; use that power to meet your own needs. If you do not take care of yourself, you will not be able to take care of anyone else.” There is some truth in this. Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” Jesus is saying that there is more to life than satisfying your own wants. There is this mistaken notion that happiness can be ours if only we have more things, or more wealth, or the finer things of life.
The second temptation of Christ was equally enticing: The devil led [Jesus] to stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” What a spectacular stunt to leap from the Pinnacle of the Temple, drop the 450 feet straight down into the Kidron Valley, and land unharmed. People will surely listen to his message. But Jesus answered, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” He did not want people to follow him because of the miracles they see. If faith is dependent on signs and wonders, it is not faith.
The third temptation: “The devil led him up to a high place and showed all the kingdoms of the world. How incredibly simple, “Jesus: you can ORDER folks to listen. You can ORDER justice and an end to all oppression. But with one condition–worship the devil.” What a wonderful opportunity to right the wrong! Again Jesus resisted by saying, “Begone, Satan! For it is written, ‘you shall worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” If Jesus would have given in to this temptation, he could have the whole world without having to suffer and die for it. What a temptation!
After all these, Matthew tells us, “And behold angels came and waited on him.”
Reflecting on the significance of this story it shows me some truths about life and discipleship.
First, it tells me that even for us who follow Christ, temptations and tribulations are very much a part of us. It follows us to the offices and classrooms; it faces us in the cafeteria; it forces us to say no to some of our most basic desires. There are temptations to stray from the values we hold dear, to take short cuts, to avoid struggle, to find the easy way through. We may not walk in the desert, but we can be in a situation where we wrestle whether we are to compromise what we believe is right. It’s not the big things that get us in trouble right away. It’s all the little things, the little steps that lead us away from living in the center of our core values as followers of Christ. Sometimes, the tempter hits us where we are most vulnerable. Sometimes we are not aware of what is going on.
The story is told of a certain African tribe that learned an easy way to capture ducks in a river. The tribesmen learned to place a pumpkin in the river, and let it slowly float down into the flock of ducks. At first, the cautious fowl would quack and fly away. After all, it wasn’t ordinary for pumpkins to float down the river! But the persistent tribesmen would subsequently float another pumpkin into the re-gathered ducks. Again they would scatter but come back. This is repeated until the time when the ducks would remain and would become more comfortable and they finally accept the pumpkins as a normal part of life.
When the natives saw that the pumpkins no longer bothered the ducks, they hollowed out pumpkins, put them over their heads, and walked into the river. Meandering into the midst of the tolerant fowl, they pulled them down one at a time. Roast duck for dinner. (From a sermon by Wayne Cordeiro)
That is how the tempter works. He normally doesn’t attack us head on. It begins with small compromises. A few pesos received for a bribe. Not enough to notice, at first. A few answers that we copy from a friend. And before long we are roast duck.
But then, the Good News for us who are going through difficulties or going through the wilderness in life that tempt us to withdraw from God is that God did not leave Jesus to deal with the temptations by himself. God did not leave him there to wrestle alone the difficulties. Notice how the story ends, «Then the devil left him, and behold angels came and waited on him.» (NRSV) In some translations, it says, “and they ministered to him.”
As Jesus was wrestling with the temptations, he remembered the stories which had been told to him at home and in the synagogue–stories reminding that God will never leave him. And he used the scriptures to counter temptations.
In times when we face a lot of challenges in life, when we go through suffering that would draw us away from God, God will also send angels to minister to us. God’s Spirit will be there to strengthen and to empower. God’s grace is greater than our need. And we can use the scriptures to remind us of God’s promises to us. According to the Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, “God the Creator sustains us on our journey through the wilderness.”
Sometimes, it is in the wilderness, that we experience God’s ministering angels. God’s angel may be a friend who is willing to listen as we pour out our grief; or a stranger who comes assuring us that he cares; or someone who is an inspiration comes because that person has also gone through the wilderness and have survived. It could be members of our family who surround us with their love and care.
For more than 40 years working in the church, sometimes discouraged when nothing seems to go right; sometimes frustrated after doing the best that I could but still failed, sometimes disappointed for failed tasks, I have had angels ministering to me. One lady who continued to inspire me in my ministry was in a wheel chair who was always in pain. Another was a 90-year old woman who was legally blind and was deaf. She told me, “I could not hear your sermon very well, but I come to church to be part of a loving community.” I am sure that most of you have those ministering angels. Usually, they are friends, fellow church members, people we already value. Sometimes God comes to us directly whispering some words of encouragement and comfort through the hymns or scriptures.
This morning, what temptations are you wrestling with that are making your life and your faith in turmoil right now? Whatever it is lay them at the feet of the One who carries us through, who empowers us, who sends angels to minister to us. If we are in the wilderness tempted by offers of wrong answers, the wrong choices, the wrong use of power to gain popularity, the wrong kind of partnership–remember that our God is able to help us who are in the wilderness of life. Let us approach the throne of grace with boldness and feed upon the strength of God’s grace and the power of God’s forgiveness. (Let us now pause for for a moment of silent reflection.)
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Author’s email: sillimanuniversitychurch@gmail.com
