3 March 2007

Luke 4:1-13

“Meeting ourselves”

Randy Aly wrote:

A priest and a rabbi from local parishes were standing by the side of the road holding up signs. The rabbi’s sign read, “The End is Near!” The priest, on the other side of the road, held up a sign which read, “Turn before it is too late!” they planned to hold up their signs to each passing car. “Get a job.” The first driver yelled. The second, immediately behind the first yelled, “Leave us alone, you religious freaks”! Shortly, from around the curve, they heard screeching tires and a splash followed by more screeching tires and another splash. The rabbi looked over at his companion and said. . .

So, would you like to hear the rest of the story? You want to hear the punch-line? You know, for me beginning the Lent season without Ash Wednesday is like hearing a joke without the punch-line. It makes little sense. You are going to have to wait before hearing the end of this story. 

Well, let me begin by saying a few words about Ash Wednesday.  Most of us know that the Lent season was created in the 4th century by the Church Fathers. This period was first created to help baptismal candidates get ready for baptism. But, later it became a Church wide preparation before Easter- Resurrection Sunday. The main purpose of Lent is to help the Church be ready to celebrate and understand the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The hope is that the Church understands why Jesus was sent to the cross and why He was resurrected. Why did the Son of God have to come to us and show us a different way? The hope is that we understand that we were disconnected from God,that we were not in communion with God, that we were in fact enemies of God until Jesus came to us. And thanks to Jesus’ death and resurrection we have the hope of becoming friends with God again.  

Many of us is the Western world take for granted this connection or relationship with God. Many of us fail to appreciate the reconciliation that took place on cross of Calvary and the empty tomb. So, the Lent season helps us to take a time-out from our busy lives, try to understand our faith a little better, and put our lives in perspective. This is what Ash Wednesday tries to do. 

The ashes of Ash Wednesday helps us to remember that no matter how much money we have, how much education we have, how much power we think we have, how important we think we are, the reality is that we are dust. From dust, clay, God created us and to dust we will return. Few things in life are more powerful than opening a coffin after years of being buried and finding not a human body in it, but only dust. It is a humbling experience to realize we will all one day return to dust. It helps us put our lives in perspective. It helps us realize who we really are. It helps us to “be real” with our selves and with God. 

Furthermore, putting ashes on our foreheads and walking in public helps us to say to others and to ourselves that “we are Christians.” It identifies us with Christianity in our religious pluralistic society. It helps us say to others and to ourselves that we are ready or we are getting ready for Lent. It reminds us and others that without God we are only dust. It begins to help us humble ourselves and perhaps allow ourselves to get closer to God. 

After we have done so, after we have felt the ashes on our foreheads, then we are ready to hear about Jesus in the wilderness. You see, it is from this particular passage that the idea of 40 days before Easter originated. 40 days of preparation seemed a perfect number to reflect on our lives and get ready for Resurrection Sunday. 

Much has been said about Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness. In the Gospel according to Luke in particular, we clearly see how the tempter the devil offered Jesus power and prestige in exchange for his loyalty. “Worship me,” said the devil and “you will have all the kingdoms of the world” (v. 6). However, on a closer look we realized that what the devil was offering Jesus belong to Jesus in the first place. As the Son of God, Jesus was and is the King of kings and Lord of lords. The devil said to Jesus “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become a loaf of bread” (v.3). Jesus had the power to turn stones into bread. This is what he did when he fed the multitudes with only a few loaves of bread and two fish. He was capable of turning water into wine

 stones into bread. 

The devil said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here [the pinnacle of the temple] for it is written ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you’

” (v. 9-10). Jesus had the power to call angels from heaven to rescue him from falling into certain death. If you recall, Jesus after preaching at his hometown synagogue, the people there wanted to kill him by throwing him down a cliff. The Scriptures tell us “they drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way” (Luke 4:29, 30). Jesus miraculously walked through the angry people and survived their intentions to kill him. 

No, the devil, the tempter, was not offering something new to Jesus. In fact, he was offering Jesus the opportunity to do what was in his power to do. He was tempting Jesus to take charge and show his power and authority to the world. He was tempting Jesus to take over the earth by exhorting his God-given authority as the Son of God. Yet to our surprise and to the surprise of the tempter, Jesus chose to do nothing. He realized and we realized that Jesus had come to us not to rule over us, but to serve us. He came not to punish His enemies, but to love them. He came not to take our lives, but to die for us. The point of the passage is not that Jesus overcame the temptations of the devil alone, but that he was able to overcome the temptations within him.  

It is within our power to buy the more expensive vehicle, the more expensive house. It is within our power to continue to climb the corporate ladder and get promotions and salary increases. It is within our power to look after ourselves and ignore the ills of this world. It is within our power to fully embrace the ideals and values of our society. We have the right, under our constitution and as citizens of this nation, to be free and to pursue our happiness. 

To overcome temptation is to not exhort the power we have for our own benefit, but for the benefits of others. Overcome temptation is to resist worldly power and authority. It is to yield the power we do have to the will of God. Overcome temptation is not to have more and more, just because we can. Rather it is to share more of what we have with those who do not have much. It is not to rule over others, but to serve them. It is not to punish those who do us wrong, but to forgive them. To overcome temptation is to not yield to the authority and power we do have. But to do, what Jesus has done, which is to yield our power to the will of God. 

This first Sunday of Lent a few days after Ash Wednesday, we are reminded that we are imperfect people. This is why Jesus came to us to show us a new way. This is why Jesus Christ was taken to the cross. This is why Jesus Christ had to overcome Sin and Death at his Resurrection. You see, few of us today would say “we have given in to the temptation.” We do not steel. We do not murder. We do not commit adultery. We do not lie not intentionally. We try to do good. Compared with others, we do OK. However, if we compare ourselves to Jesus well, then we know we “have fallen short of the glory of God.” Then we know we have given-in to temptation. Then we know, we are still in need of a Savior. 

The Roman passage for us today reminds us of many things, one being we can still come to God. We can call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. When temptation comes, when we find our selves using our power rather than God’s, let us call upon His name, “for if we call upon His name, we will not be put to shame.” 

Let us therefore, look around us, test our faith. Let’s look around us and see the signs that tell us we have given-in to temptation and repent and call upon the name of the Lord. 

This first Sunday of Lent, let us think again who we are and who we pretend to be.  Ash Wednesday reminds us that without God we are only dust. 

This first Sunday of Lent, let us think again at our own imperfections and our own need for God. 

Let us therefore, continue to seek God, continue to ask for forgiveness, continue to grow in our faith and continue to resist temptation. 

Oh, yeah

A priest and a rabbi from local parishes were standing by the side of the road holding up signs. The rabbi’s sign read, “The End is Near!” The priest, on the other side of the road, held up a sign which read, “Turn before it is too late!” they planned to hold up theirs signs to each passing car. “Get a job.” The first driver yelled. The second, immediately behind the first yelled, “Leave us alone you religious freaks”! Shortly, from around the curve, they heard screeching tires and a splash followed by more screeching tires and another splash. The rabbi looked over at his companion and said, “Do you think we should try a different sign”? The other man responded, “Perhaps, ‘The Bridge is Out’ might be better”?

Let us see the warnings sings lest we come to a broken bridge and fall into the water.