Full Faith & Trust

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3And the tempter came and said to him..." (Matthew 4:1-3)

Pastor Stephen covered this passage in last Sunday's sermon, and during the course of his sermon, it occurred to me that there is a direct link between this passage in Matthew and the 1st Commandment (which was the general point of the sermon). 

Jesus teaches us a great deal about temptation in this lesson. We will be tempted in life (James 1:13-14), and Christ is vulnerable, having been led by the Spirit (intentionally) to face Satan. He's been fasting (a humorous note in Stephen's sermon as he notes what qualifies most of us as "hungry" to a congregation fresh off the Sunday school coffee and donut station and think about going 40 days of fasting). The real question is, When are we most vulnerable to temptation?

The metaphor between Israel in the desert for 40 years, hungry at times and tempted and Christ going 40 days, hungry, and tempted is not lost on the people the book of Matthew or us. Satan tempts him three times, each going for what he sees as a vulnerability. Note Satan is referred to in three ways in this passage: tempter, devil which means "slanderer," and Satan which means "adversary." Pastor Stephen noted in the Greek one of his names means "diabolos" to which I thought a Spanish reference to Satan is "el diablo." 

In the first, the "tempter" moves to the hunger. "IF he is the Son of God, command these stones to become bread." Jesus, right off his baptism, was declared by the Father to be "my Son, in whom I am pleased." Christ responds using Deuteronomy 8:3, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." Satan is probing to see if he is the Son of God and to see if he will yield to temptation for sustenance.

The devil takes him to the temple in "the holy city" and repeats, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up;...." (misquoting Psalms). Christ answers using Exodus 17 saying, "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test."

The devil takes him up to a high mountain and says, "All of this is yours if you worship me." Christ responds saying, "Be gone Satan!" He then reminds him of the First Commandment to worship God and God alone. 

Satan is probing, baiting and tempting Christ by questioning his identity (prove you are who you say you are), tempting a base desire of hunger, and offering him glory of worldly possessions. Satan does the same with us. So, again, how do we handle temptation?

Christ teaches us to turn Satan aside by using God's Word. We call on God's name when tempted through prayer and meditation. We call on God's name when we are hungry, thirsty, or in need, and we help those in need as well as followers of Christ. We also worship God alone and use his name to caste Satan aside in Christ's name when tempted. Luther, in his morning and evening prayer, asked for God's protection from the "Evil Foe."

This helps us in terms of putting our full faith and trust in God alone. Christ, as a man and as God, quotes God's Word and finally turns Satan away using God's Word. In short, we remember the 1st Commandment at all times. In short, we turn to Christ for forgiveness when we fail, and we turn to God's Spirit for strength when we are weak.

Pray with me: Gracious Father, you give us the tools to handle temptation every day. You sustain us through your Word, give us your Spirit to strengthen us through your Word and Holy Communion, and gave us your Son to claim us as yours through faith in him given freely. Be with us this day and protect us from all harm and temptations that will come our way. Protect us from the Evil One, that he may have no power over me. In Christ's name. Amen