DON'T MESS AROUND WITH THE DEVIL

Don’t Mess Around with The Devil

Lenten Reflection #2

Matthew 4:1-11

As indicated in reflection #1, I am sharing a series of Lenten reflections that I am writing for our congregation. Since all Christians are on this same journey, I pray that you may be challenged by some of these thoughts as well.

When the time was right, Jesus was baptized, and when he came up from the Jordan, his Father proclaimed: you are my Son, whom I love, with you I am well pleased.(Mark 1:11) Wow! What a moment. It was, at least for the apostle Mark, the beginning of Jesus’ journey. It was a great moment… but even before his hair had dried, Jesus was “pushed” into the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil. The Tempter, it seems, was alive and well and at work in the wilderness, just as he was in God’s Garden of Eden. That the Tempter would even consider tempting Jesus is daunting when we think about it… but it’s even scarier to know that our journey is fraught with temptations too. Temptation is always near. We’re always under attack, but we’re less vulnerable if we understand the temptations that our Lord conquered and the way in which he conquered them.

Jesus was hungry and exhausted when the Tempter said, “IF you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Take matters into your own hands, Jesus! Feed yourself. Your Father knows that you need strength because your cross will be very heavy. Feed yourself, the Tempter said, but Jesus replied, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.” Jesus needed bread, of course. We all do, but NOT in place of His Father’s word. God knows that we need the things that nourish us, but not nearly as much as we need Him. Along the way, we’ll be tempted to meet our own needs first. We may even be tempted to believe that God wants us to “feed ourselves,” but nothing satisfies like the word of God. In an age where people obsess with their financial and physical fitness, we need to be… at least as passionate about our spiritual health.

If you are not tempted to feed yourself first, praise God… but surely it would be helpful to make a name for yourself.  Look, the Tempter seemed to say to Jesus, you can spend years walking around Galilee, teaching and healing a person now and then… OR you can make headlines… by hurling yourself off of the highest point of the temple. Why, the entire city of Jerusalem will turn out to watch, as you defy the laws of nature.  You will be an overnight sensation, and people will believe that you really are the Son of God. Besides, IF you are the Son of God, your Father will save you anyway because His plan of salvation depends on it. It’s a no-brainer… unless, of course, you don’t trust your Father… or aren’t even His Son. Push God outside of His comfort zone… for your sake! But Jesus replied, “It is also written: do not put the Lord your God to the test.” Friends, be aware. If you are tempted to put yourself at the center of your Christian journey, seek the word of God immediately!

Tempting Jesus to put himself first, didn’t work. Tempting Jesus to force God’s hand, didn’t work. So, the Devil took Jesus up to the top of a high mountain, and said, Look, Jesus. Just look at it. It can all be yours… “if you will bow down and worship me.” Why die for a world that you can own it? Why hang on a cross when you can sit on a throne? Abandon God altogether and serve me. It’s your choice, Jesus… serve God and go to the cross. Serve me and rule the world. Why invite people to follow you… when you can order them to obey? What do you say? And Jesus, who would later pay for our sins on a blood-stained cross, said, “Get away, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.” Then, the Bible says, Satan left him, and the angels came and attended to him. After all, he still needed a little food and a lot of TLC!

People say that EGO “edges God out,” and I have certainly found that to be the case in my life. Whenever I focus on myself, I am filled with fear and projections. I feel entitled to things that I don’t have, and ungrateful for what I do have. Spiritually, I starve myself, relationally, I isolate myself; and physically, I wear myself down. When I am the center of my own world, I become hungry, lonely, and tired, even angry, which makes me very vulnerable to temptation. In the 12 Step world they talk about HALT. Don’t allow yourself to be hungry, angry, lonely, and tired because that is a recipe for disaster. In Biblical terms, you will be easy prey for the Tempter if you fall into a state of HALT. “When the devil had finished all this temptation, he left him (Jesus) until an opportune time.” (Luke 4:13) This may be the most frightening verse in Scripture… because the Tempter is cunning… and very, very patient! Amen.