You Could Have It All

March 6, 2022 – Lent 1
St. John’s United Church of Christ, Union, Illinois

Luke 4:1-13[1]

It’s testing time in schools. Well, it’s always testing time in schools, but when the standardized tests come around, things get more test-focused. Schools began to prepare their students for the state-developed tests that determine whether a student will transition to the next grade level and whether the school itself will be rated as successful. Tests, however imperfect, give us data, hard numbers we can use to make decisions. They can also reveal where help is needed. A good test helps us understand how to improve the teaching to better meet the needs of the student.

The kind of test that Jesus faces in the wilderness is a bit different. This is more of a battle of wits, or perhaps of willpower. We learn from this test that the devil is smart. He knows the Bible verses he needs to put Jesus to the test. We also learn that the devil is not sure of who Jesus is. Jesus knows how he is, and passes the test – not by giving the right answers, showing his power – but by holding firm to his purpose which is not to serve himself, but to serve God.

“If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.”[2]. This is not a challenge to do something bad. This isn’t a temptation to steal bread, to take from others. It’s just a stone; turn it into bread. You’re hungry, and it will help you feel better. Of course, if you can do that to help yourself, you could feed all the hungry people in Israel. If you are the Son of God, that is. Jesus responds by quoting Moses, “one does not live by bread alone.”[3] Feeding the hungry is good, but I am here to do more than that.

“Worship me, it will all be yours.”[4] You could have it all: glory, power, all the kingdoms of the world. We both know Roman rule is terrible, you could do so much better. Just think how great everything could be! The world at your command. Just make sure you tell them who gave you your start. Jesus replies that he is not here take over the power of the kingdoms, but to place the rule of God’s kingdom in the hearts of people. “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”[5] You do not have the authority you claim, for all authority belongs to God.

Throw yourself down from the pinnacle of the temple.[6] You won’t get hurt; God will send angels to protect his Son. Do it here, the temple, and all the priests will see. No one will doubt you. Jesus didn’t come to give proofs and rule the temples of the world, but the temple that is in every human heart. “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”[7]

The devil didn’t get the answers he sought, but Jesus passed the test. He would not become a human hero, but something much more. Jesus finished the test, staying true to his mission to serve God. And though he refused to turn the stone into bread, he will feed the hungry. Though he refused power, he would proclaim the kingdom of God. Though he refused to test God’s love for him, he would demonstrate his love for God and for all of us on the cross.

The tests that we face are not the same as these. Our tests are much more mundane, but we will find ourselves in a wilderness, hungry, tired, and lonely. It may look like a waiting room in the hospital with a loved one on the brink. It may look like sheets on a cheap motel bed, or walls made of cardboard, after you lose your house. It may be a lonely walk through a full parking lot after you lose your job. It may be a wilderness of silence as you cry for help in the depths of your heart.

Sooner or later, each of us will find ourselves in a wilderness, a place or time when we have to rely not on ourselves, our own power, or the safety net that we’re used to. It is there, in the emptiness, that we may discover who we really are and what our lives are really about.

For Jesus, that six-week stretch of hunger and solitude set him free from all that would distract him from his true purpose. With no food, no earthly power, no special protection, Jesus not only learned to manage his appetites; he also learned to trust the Spirit that had led him there and would lead him out again.

We don’t always choose when to go into the wilderness. The Spirit led Jesus there, and can lead us too. And when we find ourselves there, we can try to let go of all that does not lead us toward God and toward life. We can practice hanging on to what sustains, turning toward what gives life, and resisting the temptations that lead us away from who we are. If we are patient, if we allow enough time for the wilderness to change us, we will find ourselves led through to the other side, having finished the test, and ready to trust God to guide us in all the tests to come.  Amen.

---

[1] The scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

[2] Luke 4:3.

[3] Deuteronomy 8:3.

[4] Luke 4:7.

[5] Luke 4:8

[6] Luke 4:9.

[7] Deuteronomy 6:16.