Temptation

With gratitude for the teaching and preaching of Pastor Dawn Anderson of Forest Hills United Methodist Church.  My inspiration today comes straight from Pastor Dawn’s  sermon this morning.

I have written often that what it all comes down to in the end is one simple question.  Who do you belong to?  But I never really thought about it in the context of the temptation of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew until today.

The stage is set in Matthew chapter 3.  Jesus and John meet at the Jordan River.  John does not feel worthy to baptize Jesus, but Jesus instructs him to do so.  Now picture this scene in your mind from verses 16 – 17 “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.   And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

There is no question who Jesus belongs to as we read the last two verses of chapter 3, but the very first verse in chapter 4 lets us know that the enemy wants Him to falter and tempts Him in his weakest human moment. Matthew 4:1-3 “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.   And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.’”  Two more times the enemy tempted Jesus to turn away from the difficult mission of redemption the Father had set before Him, and take an easier path.  All three times Jesus met the temptation with God the Father’s word.

This is the example that Jesus set, to stand fast in the knowledge of who you are, and what God has called you to do.  Do not forget who you belong to, and do not falter and give yourself to another.  The human condition is rich with examples, from infidelity in a marriage to a sports figure throwing a match for a handsome payoff.  When we give in to this temptation we lose our identity and our direction in life.

In the Gospel of Matthew 4:11, it ends there with angels coming to minister to a tired and hungry Jesus, but in the Gospel of Luke 4:13 it is not so final. “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.”  You see it wasn’t over for Jesus, and likewise we will ever be tempted in this earthly life.

The way my Pastor said it this morning was as plain and simple as it gets.  “Whatever it is that will make you sell out, will one day be put in your path.”  Be prepared when that day comes, and be well grounded in who you are child of God.  Keep your spirit well fed on God’s word, and continue always to seek more wisdom and understanding, so that when faced with the trials and temptation that will come, you will stand firm on the word of God.

Blessings & Adventure

Lynn “lynnibug” Rios



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