When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
This is a reading many point to when thinking about giving up something for Lent. It’s the passage where, after 40 days of fasting, the devil appears to Jesus and tempts him, in return for all sorts of goodies – power, glory, and perhaps most tempting for someone who’s been fasting, bread. And the devil cites scripture as his defense.
Again and again, Jesus does not succumb to the offers by the devil. I heard a great sermon on this topic by the Dean of our Cathedral, Nathan LeRud. He basically was saying that this passage isn’t simply about avoiding the good things in life for 40 days in Lent. It’s not about avoiding chocolate, or giving up wine. It’s not even about spending 40 days fasting.
Rather, he suggested, this is about recognizing that our skills, gifts and talents are not sufficient. We should not be tempted into anything because we think it’s all about us and our greatness. Jesus could have done all of the things the devil asked. But doing these things simply because dared to diminishes their value and purpose. Jesus doesn’t heal or feed just for the wow-factor. When he heals or feeds or raises from the dead, there are two critical parts, missing from this dare from the devil.
First, Jesus’ power and strength and gifts come from God. God is the source and the life force of Jesus. The devil was appealing to Jesus’ human need for recognition and power, if only Jesus would show off, just a little. But it’s not about show.
Second, what Jesus did throughout his life was all for the glory of God, and to share that glory with others. Love God. Love your neighbors. Help your neighbors love God. None of that would have been accomplished with responding to the devil’s dares.
This morning, I’m thinking about my gifts, strengths and talents. Whether it’s at work or at home, I try to help, to fix, to love, to solve. And while I can contribute to solutions in my world, I want to remember that it’s not me or my strength or compassion. It’s God working through me. I wouldn’t or couldn’t do any good thing, were it not for who, what, and where God made me.
Remembering this, it’s so much easier to also remember that what I do should be for God’s glory. For others to be loved by God through me, so they might see God’s glory, and God’s love and mercy.
Jesus resisted the devil because the devil was trying to have it be about Jesus, and Jesus’ power and glory. Jesus knew where his essence came from, and to whom belonged the glory. Today, I want to know that too.
Part II
I’ve had a lot of stuff in the past few weeks, which for privacy, I’m not going to go into details. I’ve written daily, in part to stay focused on something bigger than my personal drama. And I’ve steered clear of trying to mix the two, although obviously my personal world colors my perspective of everything else.
However, this morning I’m exhausted and feeling a little tempted by the devil myself. Tempted to try to solve things because I think I can. For this reason, I’m glad I continue to read, pray and write. It’s fascinating how we see our lives reflected in scripture; regardless of where we are, we hear what we need to hear. That’s the Holy Spirit for you.
But this morning, I’m also a little unnerved by the reading, again because of what I hear based on my current world. I have a sick family member who’s back in the hospital, after 2 weeks of decline. Most recently, they started referring to themselves in the third person. This seemed like a quirky symptom, until I thought about this scripture reading. My loved one has voices. When they refer to themselves in the third person, it’s not quirky, it’s another voice referring to my loved one, coming out of their mouth. So when I hear, 'you should listen to them', it’s not that my loved one suddenly has a detachment from self, but rather it’s a voice in their head talking to me about my loved one.
This makes me wonder about Jesus and the devil. Was the devil a little red horned guy? Someone who looked and acted like Jesus? Was it a voice in his head? I’m not suggesting it was made up or imaginary, any more than the voices that have talked to me this week are imaginary. It’s absolutely real, frighteningly real. And if it’s frighteningly real to me, imagine how horrible and real it is in Jesus’ or my loved one’s head.
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