You know the classical story of Faust...the man who sold his soul to the devil. Sign here...initial here, at the end you can keep the pen. All done. The devil will provide for the short term, but long-term you're his.
What rings true about all this are the traps that bind us, deals that draw us in, that tie up our options. In English it's known as a conditional sentence. And it all begins with one little word: "if." That's the conditional: if.
And that's the deal in this temptation story too. The baptism of Jesus comes right before this journey into the wilderness. There, in that story, the statement was declarative, just as it was last week with the story of the Transfiguration too. The voice speaks clearly...no "ifs, ands, or buts about it." The voice simply declares: "You are my Son, the Beloved. With you I am well pleased." The voice affirms, "That's who you are."
But the tempter turns this declarative about identity into conditional: "If you are the Son of God, then...." And there is the beginning of the trap itself. That seed of doubt, that challenge to prove it, that deal that forces you. There's a world of difference between "You are..." and "If you are..." And Jesus' challenge is our challenge too: to remember who we are, and not let our doubts dissuade us...or the devil's traps ensnare us. (See Anna Carter Florence, Lectionary Homiletics, Feb.-Mar. 2008, p. 19)
Now I know that in the United Church of Christ we don't talk much about the devil. But I don't care what you call it, there are forces pulling at us the way those forces were pulling at Jesus in this story.
The preacher was asked why he talks about the devil so much in his preaching. The honest answer given was, "Because we're so well acquainted."
It's very interesting that C.S. Lewis wrote two books on this topic, That Hideous Strength and Screwtape Letters. In both of them he says, the devil comes to us disguised. The devil comes to us disguised as something good. The devil never comes to us and says, what I'm about to suggest to you is going to ruin your life. Oh, no the devil is too smart for that. The devil never says you're going to get into an addiction, you're going to get to a place where your options narrow, you're going to have these challenges or difficulties because of your choices. The devil is too smart. The devil starts with wedges. The wedges are those little tiny things that the devil can sneak into your life. They sneak up on you and you don't even know they're there.
Maybe it begins with something like discouragement, and what sometimes accompanies it: despair, resentment, jealousy, bitterness, worry and fear - these are all little wedges. The devil puts them in your life and once the devil gets you focused on how resentful and bitter you are or how worried, anxious or afraid you are, then the devil can drive in the really big things.
The devil did not come to Jesus with a temptation that Jesus would have said, oh don't bother me, don't waste my time with that. The devil tempted Jesus with things that seemed to be good. But Jesus knew it - knew it was no deal... and Jesus faced it. Now listen carefully. (There was a song last night - beautiful song - about how children listen, so I assume you're listening now...) He faced within himself his capacity to choose - faced the fact that he could have had within himself the capacity for evil.
One of the questions we might ask about Jesus is, "Was Jesus not able to sin or was he able not to sin?" It's an important question. I believe that Jesus was able not to sin. For if he was not able to sin he would have been a robot. But if he was not able to sin it means that he faced the capacity of evil within himself. He was able to look at it in the eye and He was able to conquer it and defeat it. So when you face temptation and when I face it, we can know that Jesus Christ has been there too. (Dr. Thomas K. Tewell, http://www.fapc.org/sermons/resource/faceofevil.pdf)
What I mean to say is that Jesus can help us in our temptations. When the school-yard dare is put to us: "if you're really courageous, then do this...if you're really powerful, then do this...if you're really trusting then do this...." When those conditional if's are put to us - the wedges - we can remember Jesus who said, "No deal." My identity comes from my relationship with God, not in something I have to prove. It's declarative...not conditional.
The ability to stand up to temptation comes from deep within, from the knowledge of who we are, and that God's love is given, not earned; it's free, not something we manipulate.
Have you ever thought in your life, "If I do this, they'll love me?" Doesn't work. "If I give enough of myself I'll secure the relationship." But that kind of relationship never gets secure - it always remains on edge. If I work a little harder I'll earn respect...but the "little harder" never seems to be hard enough....if...if...if... Those "ifs" never end.
A mother was in the habit of telling her children, when they left for the day, "Remember who you are." Not a bad reminder. Yesterday at the memorial service we recalled that Al would often remind his grandkids - "we're Bretl's." Just a little dose of identity...the declarative...to ward off the conditional.
Let us pray,
Keep us grounded, O God. Keep us centered, focused, give us clarity about our own value and worth so that we are not confused by temptations to prove what can never be proved. Helps us remember who we are. Amen.
Children: Can you have enough drink when thirsty, food when hungry, too much fun, too much snow?? Can we learn too much about Jesus? No! Lent is a time to draw nearer...
(See Craddock Stories, p. 156 for additional story)