Pastor Dan Mangler's Sunday Sermon

Temptations: Yes and No

Matthew 5: 1-12

February 13, 2005

Temptations: Yes and No

Every year Lent begins with “no’s” from Jesus and ends with a dramatic “yes” by Jesus. Every year Lent begins with Jesus' temptation in the wilderness and ends with Jesus crucified on a cross and buried in a tomb. Every year Lent begins with Jesus saying “no” to the devil but “yes” to God. It is the invitation to every believer, to say “no” to the devil and to say “yes” to God.

The story of Jesus' struggle with the devil's temptations in the wilderness is very much our own struggle with temptation. The devil tempts us in like manner that he tempted Jesus, and Jesus' refusal to yield to those temptations is an example we are invited to follow.

The first thing that is apparent about the devil's temptations of Jesus is their utter reasonableness. Matthew writes, "(Jesus) fasted (didn't eat) forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished." And the devil came saying, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."

What is wrong with Jesus using his divine power to provide himself food? Later in his ministry he will use that same divine power to feed 5,000 people with a couple fish and a few loaves of bread. Wouldn't God want him care for his own physical needs?

Sitting on the pinnacle of the temple with Jesus, the devil says, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you and on their hands they will bear you up...’" What is wrong with Jesus believing scripture so strongly that he trusts the angels to protect him? Later, Jesus will walk on water, perhaps slightly less difficult than floating on air, and yet the same principle.

And what is wrong with the King of kings and Lord of lords assuming control over the kingdoms of the world, which the devil offers? Isn't that what we are expecting when Jesus finally establishes his kingly rule?

What is demonic about these good requests? What is wrong with Jesus providing for his physical health, or displaying his divine power, or assuming his kingly destiny? A general answer is given by Jesus' first quotation of scriptures, Dtt. 8:3, "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." The problem with all three temptations is that they come from a word other than God's. If Jesus does what the devil asks - even if they are very good things - he is then living by a word that is not coming from the mouth of God. He would be listening to one to whom he should not listen.

How are these temptations framed or experienced today? After all, I claimed that Jesus’ experience is also our experience. There is the temptation to put earthly needs above spiritual needs. It is perfectly reasonable for me to sleep in or enjoy recreation on Sunday morning rather than worship because God certainly wants me to take care of myself. Is that a word that comes from God or from my own self-centered desires?

There is the temptation, through the use of scripture, to coerce God, to use scriptures like the devil to seek to manipulate God. "Lord, if you will but heal me like you healed others in the Bible I will truly believe." Is that use of Scripture of God, or of the Devil?

And there is the temptation to crave power. Certainly power in the right hands can do good; it can change the world for the better. Our newspapers are full of accounts of good politicians who, through their laws and legislation and programs, are attempting to do good. Think of all the good that I can do if I have power. Too often, however, power comes at too high a price. For Jesus it would have meant turning his back on God and worshiping the devil. For us it might mean sacrificing family responsibilities or forsaking important morals or ethics. Power that comes at that price is not of God.

The first thing, then, we learn about temptations from Jesus' temptation is that, on the surface, they look perfectly reasonable. The second thing we learn is that, in general, sin is not a problem of knowledge, but a problem of the will. Jesus answered every temptation to do wrong with God’s word to do right. Although temptations appear to be reasonable, we almost always know them to be wrong. When you have to argue with yourself to justify a decision or action, 99 times out of a hundred, that decision or action will be wrong. If it were right, you wouldn't have to fight with yourself about it.

The third thing we learn from Jesus about temptations is how to resist them. The best way to say “no” to temptation is to find something better to say “yes” to. Said a little differently, temptation is as much about what you are saying ‘yes’ to as it is what you are saying “no” to.

Temptations that threaten are like the sirens in a long Greek poem, Homer's Odyssey, which describes the adventures of Ulysses. The sirens were alluring young sea nymphs who lived on an island. They sang so beautifully that sailors were unable to resist the temptation to turn their boats toward the shore. The ships were then dashed to pieces on the rocks and the sailors were killed.

Ulysses and Orpheus used different strategies to deal with the sirens' temptations. Ulysses put wax into his sailors’ ears so they couldn't hear the music. Then he had those sailors tie him to the mast of his ship so he could listen to the sirens' singing but would not be able to reach the rudder and steer the boat toward the music and the rocks.

Orpheus, on the other hand, took the initiative rather than listen to that destructive music. As Orpheus' ship neared the island of the sirens, he took up a small harp-like musical instrument, a lyre, and sang so well that he nor his sailors were attracted by the sirens' songs.

To fight temptation like Ulysses is to somehow restrain ourselves from doing what is so seductively strong. It consists of restraining the will, of relying on will power, learning to say no. To fight temptation like Orpheus is to find something far more beautiful and valuable to embrace so the sin is no longer tempting. We can say “no” to temptations by finding something better to say “yes” to.

Leonard Sweet summarizes the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ of Jesus' temptations in the wilderness and then gives practical examples for today.

"How can we say 'no' to the powers and principalities of this world? By saying 'yes' to the ultimate power and authority, God. In fact, the necessary ‘no’ cannot be invoked without the affirming ‘yes’. Jesus said ‘no’ to the Devil because he had already said ‘yes’ to the Father. Jesus said ‘no’ to the seductive words of the tempter because he said ‘yes’ to the authority of Scripture.

You say to your child, "No, you cannot play in the street." That necessary “no” is only possible because you, as a loving parent, have already said “yes” to your commitment to safeguard the health of your child. Here are more examples:

You can say “no” to drugs because you have said “yes” to clean and healthy living.

You can say “no” to casual and promiscuous sex because you have said “yes” to a lifetime of faithful commitment to one partner.

We said in the beginning that the common fault in all three of Jesus' temptations was that they come from a word other than God's. And Jesus answered, "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." If you will say “no” to Satan's words, it is because you already have said “yes” to God's word. Amen.

May the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.