Claiming Our Identity
This is the message I shared with the people of God at Bethel Lutheran Church, Portville, NY. The scripture it is based on is Matthew 4:1-11
Today’s gospel passage comes
right on the heels of the account of Jesus’ baptism, with the Father’s
declaration that Jesus is his beloved son. And that was way back in January.
God loves his Son so much that...the Holy Spirit leads Jesus “into the
wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (v. 1). Doesn’t that seem a bit
contradictory? Why would God do that? It’s a set-up!
The
first words out of the devil’s mouth are, “If you are the Son of God..” (v.
2). Prove it! You’re hungry. Do
something about it. Turn these stones into bread. After all, what’s wrong with
that? Jesus had fasted for 40 days. Of course, he was hungry.
Jesus’ response was to quote
scripture to the devil. Jesus does not appeal to his divine rights, but
identifies with humanity. Being God’s Son meant accepting his humanity and
depending on his Father for daily bread. The real issue for Jesus is not bread
and hunger, but who he is and what his Father’s will is.
In the second temptation,
the devil ups the ante. He challenges Jesus to prove who he is by throwing
himself down and letting God’s angels rescue him. But the problem is the devil
takes scripture out of context and twists its intended meaning. It is as if the
devil is saying, “If you’re so dependent on God, let’s take it a step further.
You trust God to feed you. Do you believe God will keep you from harm?”
In the third temptation, the
devil promises power and dominion. He would give over all the kingdoms of the
world to Jesus with just one little condition—that Jesus would worship him. If
Jesus takes the bait, he acknowledges the rule of someone other than his
Father. But knowing who he is and that he has been sent to manifest God’s
reign over all, not the devil’s, Jesus does not sell out or stray from his
mission. In fact, Jesus orders Satan to leave and he does!
Jesus refuses to define
himself or seek power apart from his relationship with the Father—giving
worship and allegiance to him alone. By defining “Son of God” not by privilege
or power, but by obedience to God, Jesus has already begun his journey to the
cross. The devil may have left, but there will be other temptations like the
betrayal of his disciples and ultimately the crucifixion.
The problem with each of the
temptations in today’s gospel is they come from a source that leads us away
from the word of God and our relationship with the Father. Like Jesus, we too
experience a daily assault upon our identity in Christ. It likely comes from
other people, perhaps even loved ones. Our culture tries to seduce us by
creating in us a sense of lack, insecurity and inadequacy. This is the worst
kind of identity theft because it subtly creeps up on us.
The devil doesn’t normally
approach God’s children with bold-faced lies, but by stretching the truth. Our
temptations are not to do horrendous deeds, but to do good things for the wrong
reasons or at the wrong time. So, how are we to deal with obvious and subtle
temptations? Know the word of God. Know your identity as a child of God and
tell the devil to leave you alone.
God’s word flies in the face
of the lies of the devil. God loves us, provides for us and cares enough that
he sent his son for the entire world. Jesus died to show us how much God
already loves us, just as we are, and has declared that we are not just
acceptable, but treasured and priceless beyond measure.
As we leave this church
today and we are faced with the subtleties of temptation, think about what God
says about you—you are God’s beloved child and in Christ you are more than
adequate and worthy of all God’s love and blessings. Remember the words at your
baptism: “Child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with
the cross of Christ forever?” (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 231).
Use the strength of God’s word to point you in the direction of the Father. Use
the strength of God’s word to make an informed choice on what to do in dealing
with the temptation. Revel in the strength of your relationship with the
Father. Make the right choice and tell
the devil to get lost. Amen.
Resources used:
Brian Stoffregen
Charles B. Cousar, Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary
Commentary Based on the NRSV-Year A.
Fred B. Craddock, Preaching Through the Christian Year
A.
Judith Jones, workingpreacher.org.
David Lose, workingpreacher.org.
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