21 Feb - Tempted to Fear

Romans 10:8b-13, Luke 4:1-13

At Vestry Bible Study this week, one of the vestry people said that this passage, for them, really pulls out the human side of Jesus. I totally agree!

So there’s Jesus, newly filled with the Holy Spirit after being baptized, and he goes out into the wilderness for forty days to be tempted. And after forty days of fasting – no food, it said – the devil comes to him and says: “Why not make yourself some bread?” But Jesus says: “it is written: we don’t live by bread alone.” All the temptations touched some core human fear and in this case the fear is not having enough, not being able to sustain. And Jesus, when he replies “we don’t live by bread alone” is saying that we need more than just food to sustain us. We need God. We need the Holy Scripture.

Then the second temptation – the devil shows all the kingdoms of the world and says to Jesus: “I will give you authority over all of this, if you will just worship me.” This touches on our fear of being inconsequential, powerless. But Jesus says: “nope. We’re only supposed to serve God – God only” because if he were to give in, he wouldn’t really be in control. It’s an illusion. The devil would be in control.

And the third temptation – he takes Jesus up to the pinnacle of the temple, the highest point in Jerusalem and says: “Jump!” Because after all, “isn’t it written,” the devil says, “God will send his angels and servants and make sure your foot doesn’t hit the ground.” This, pretty obviously, touches on our fear of death and fear and doubt that God doesn’t exist. And Jesus says: “Don’t put God to the test.”

Temptation is all around us.

What is God asking us and teaching us in this? To discern. Jesus, in each case, addresses a human fear by quoting Scripture, assuring us that God is there and saying, “read the fine print”. How many people or stories have we heard about getting duped out of their life savings in a pyramid scheme or some other con, all because they’re worried about something; they’re fearful that they’re not going to have enough. So – to discern. If you get the feeling that it might be too good to be true, it’s probably too good to be true. Read the fine print. Ask yourself, where’s God in this? What am I being fearful about? So whether it’s fear of not being able to sustain, fear of feeling inconsequential, fear of death, fear and doubt, we have a God who fills us with the Holy Spirit at our baptism, just like Jesus; who forgives us when we fall down and who hopes that we will turn to him because, just as the devil moved away from Jesus for a more opportune time, the devil moves away from us for a more opportune time.

Peace,

Deacon Sue