March 1 Sermon… by Jim Rach
In C.S. Lewis’s novel, “The Great Divorce,” there was a scene in which a man had a pet creature on his shoulder, who was standing between the man and the destiny that he so desired. And the Angel, I believe it was if I remember correctly, asked him if he wanted him to kill it, for that was the only way that his desired destiny could be accomplished. No, said the man, can’t we just let it live, and in a sense, not have quite so much control. Just a little of it to hold on to.
When Jesus went into the desert, remember he was human as well as God, it took him 40 days and 40 nights to accomplish what he needed to do. To finally and completely kill it off completely. Jesus was not out in the desert to starve himself physically, although that happened. He was there to starve and kill the one major hurdle that envelopes all of us. He was there to kill .the ego. That part of us that longs to be right, to be great, to be in control, the part of us that longs to be God. Jesus knew the temptations would only intensify beyond the wilderness. Each healing, each adoring crowd, would make it easier to buy in to the hype, easier to trade God’s mission for something more glamorous.
The devil came to Christ as a tempter, just to give Jesus some alternate possibilities. If this is what this devil looks like, this devil tempting Christ, well, we have all run into this devil. Nothing at all like we see in the pictures, pitchfork, red tail, nasty jokes. This devil just wants to make Jesus great. He just wants to make Jesus think that maybe God, and God’s plan are holding him back. This devil is not mean, he just wants Jesus to be successful. Rich, famous, powerful, what’s so bad about that. It starts innocently enough, how about some bread for a hungry guy, a guy who just survived a fast that should have killed him twice over. Surely Jesus was hungry, and there’s nothing wrong with food. And if he has the gift, why not put it to good use. Undoubtably somewhere along that fast, Jesus saw those rocks turn into bread, we know how hunger works, how our minds work when desperate. You know, making one loaf of bread in the middle of nowhere is nothing special, if a stone turns to bread and no one sees it, did it really happen. Jesus is hungry, but its more than that. If the temptation was merely physical, than any lunch would have worked.
But that’s not the temptation. This temptation is not to Jesus hunger, but to Jesus ego. Turning one rock into one loaf of bread in the middle of the wilderness is nothing. But, what if Jesus could turn stones into bread, and not just here in the wilderness, but in the towns and villages and cities. What if this was a business plan, now we are talking. Money and power and fame would certainly follow, in a world of first century middle east, a land of scarce food supply, a land of stones aplenty, this would make Jesus great, the greatest. He would be like a god. So, what’s so bad about that. That devil just handed Jesus the perfect idea, the ultimate get rich quick scheme. Or if Jesus is not into money, he could give the bread away. He would be adored. He would be the most popular guy in the empire. And the most popular guy in the empire does not die on a cross.
But Jesus doesn’t agree to this. So the devil ditches the bread plan and pitches Jesus something else. There is, after all, more than one way to become great. Maybe a trick, but not just any trick. A death- defying feat, that would amaze and impress the crowds. Maybe money not the thing, maybe Jesus needs a title. And what better title for a young Jewish man than Messiah, this would be it, Jesus the Jewish messiah. And the Jewish messiah would have his coming out party at the temple. The temple was the heart of the Jewish religion, it was the house of God. Imagine how the crowds would react if God’s angels caught Jesus right before he hit the ground below, Then they would get it, they would all know who Jesus really was, they would have to believe in him. They would fall at his feet. The angels would remove all doubt, he would be loved, adored, accepted, he would be great. He would be like a god. What’s so bad about that.
Jesus is already the messiah, the Son of God, but the messianic plan has some holes. There is a lot of suffering, and not a lot of glory, in God’s plan. The devil’s plan is more attractive. In the devil’s plan, Jesus strong healthy body is held by angels before an adoring crowd. In the other plan, Jesus dead body is held by his mother as passersby insult his corpse.
And yet Jesus continues to hold his ground. So, the devil takes one more shot. This is the final offer, and it’s a good one. It’s an offer, and the devils been around awhile, an offer no one can refuse. It’s a feast for the ego, all the power, all the money, all the fame, the world, the entire world will fall at your feet. There is only one condition, and it’s pretty simple. All Jesus had to do was fall down and worship the devil. And that sounds like a terrible thing to our ears, because most of us know the Satanism scares, The Exorcist movie and such, but the devil is not asking Jesus to join a new religion, or become a member of a cult. For the amazing price of all the nations of the world in all their splendor, Jesus just needs to alter his alligences. People have traded in God for much, much less. And the devil knows Jesus will never truly be great following God’s plan for his life. And everybody wants to be great.
It should have worked, the devils plan, it usually does. It has since the very beginning. From the very first recorded temptation, coming to us from the Garden of Eden is the old standard, every temptation throughout history is a variation on the same theme, “You will be like God.” The tempter always aims for the ego-money, power, fame…you can have it all. Adam and Eve took the bait, they ate the fruit, because they were told that fruit would make them great, great like God. And so it went on, generation after generation, after generation. Until Jesus walked into that wilderness, knowing his ego could blow the whole plan for us and our salvation. He also knew that you have to starve it if you want to kill it.
We always begin this Lenten season in the barren wilderness with Jesus. We start there because or relationship with God depends on it. It is there that we learn that God does not care if we are successful, just faithful. Which really just proves that God doesn’t get it. The devil gets it, this is how the world works, the ones with money, power, and fame are the ones who matter. And you don’t get those things by taking up your cross and following Jesus. God knows the temptations are strong, of course we want to be great, have people think we are smart, successful, and in control. We need to be affirmed. Our egos so desperately long for human acceptance that we will do just about anything to get it. Our ego is so desperate for acceptance that we forget we are eternally loved by the God of the universe, even if everyone you know thinks you’re a failure. We are all saddled with these hungry egos. And the world offers many choices, choices so much more appealing than the cross that Jesus offers. Which is why we drag our egos into this season of lent. Because this season drives us into the wilderness, which we learn to live for something or someone bigger than ourselves. Where we are called to a season of prayer, self-denial, and repentance. And fasting, because you’ve got to starve it if you want to kill it.