Rev. George Miller
Jan 15, 2023
Matthew 4:1-17
Today is a fantastical reading that deals with the concept of identity-
who is Jesus, and who does Jesus answer too?
Is Jesus someone who will crack under the threat of scarcity?
Is Jesus someone who will twist Scripture for his own benefit?
Is Jesus simply in it for the power or will he use his power for the
betterment of God’s Kingdom?
In essence, Jesus’ temptation is the story of anyone who finds themself living
a life of faith, anyone who discovers they are a Child of God, and anyone who
has the awesome honor to play a role in God’s ministry.
Following Matthew’s narrative, Jesus has just been baptized by John. A voice from the heavens declares that “This
is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
But before Jesus starts his religious reformation, before he puts
together his team, before he teaches his 1st lesson or performs his
1st miracle, he is led into the wilderness, where is he alone,
without, and he is most vulnerable.
Often, it is when we are secluded, when we are separated, when we are hungry,
thirsty, dwelling in the scariness of scarcity that we are the most vulnerable,
most likely to make poor decisions, most likely to believe what others say.
So evil uses what evil can to tempt Jesus.
Since there is no cell phone, email, no Facebook, Twitter, or FOX News, Evil
does what it can- it whispers into Jesus’ ear.
So- you’re the Son?
So- you’re the Beloved?
So- God has smiled upon you?
Show us what it means to be the Son.
Show us what you do with your title as the Beloved. Show us how you cash in the chips of being your
Father’s Son.
As Jesus is alone, in a very lonely place, evil tempts him with the same
things his Israelite ancestors were tempted with after they crossed their own set
of water.
In Exodus 16, the Israelites complain to God because they are hungry,
wishing they could go back to being slaves.
God sends them bread from heaven and quail in abundance, but still they
did not trust the Lord.
Evil uses this experience to see if Jesus too would fail to trust the
Lord, but Jesus stays strong, not giving into the trickster’s way.
In Exodus 17, with all the bread and meat they can want, the Israelites now
quarrel with Moses, complain, question God like a test. “Why have we been set free if we are thirsty? Does God actually care? Is God even with us?”
God works through Moses and the elders to provide them with drink, but their
quarreling, questioning leaves a bitter memory behind.
Evil uses this experience to test Jesus a second time. “Jump, and let’s see if God will catch you.”
Jesus says “I refuse to bend and twist scripture to meet your needs. I am accountable to God, not your warped
sense of theology.”
Exodus 32, when Moses is meeting with God on the mountain, receiving the
commandments, the Israelites become confused, creating a golden idol to
worship.
Evil uses this story to see if Jesus is really about the glory of God or seeking
the glory for himself.
“All that you see will be yours if you just bow down and worship me.” But Jesus does not bend, he does not break. He knows who he is- the Beloved Child of God.
Jesus uses Scripture for good- “Worship God and be accountable only to
the Creator.”
3 times Jesus is tested with the same tests that were experienced by the
Israelites in the dessert. All 3 times
Jesus succeeds, stays true to who he is, remains PURE in his faith, PURE in his
knowledge of who God is, and stays PURE in his understanding of who he is.
Jesus is unmoved, unshakeable, and not corruptible.
It is then, with his identity firmly established, that his time in the
wilderness comes to an end, and his public ministry begins.
This fantastical, surreal, almost ALICE IN WONDERLAND experience affirms
his identity- Jesus is the called to go where the people of God dwell.
His identity is the feeding, healing, teaching role of the Heavenly
Servant who’s come for all.
Though we may question if this story really happened, or question the concept
of evil, and Satan, this story makes it very clear-
As God’s Beloved Son, the one who makes God Smile, Jesus is a force to be
reckoned with. He will not be separated from
God due to distractions, slander of scripture, or the promises of popularity.
Jesus will be the Beloved One who trusts God, even when it leads to a cross,
even when others abuse their faith, even when he can take the easy, trouble-free
route.
Who is Jesus?
Jesus is the one who knows what it is like to be alone, what it is like
to be without, what it is like to be hungry, thirsty, vulnerable.
Jesus is the one who knows what it is like to have evil whisper in your
ear, to have seeds of doubt scattered around you, to be bedazzled by much
reward with little sacrifice.
In other words, Jesus knows now what it is like to be us, to be human, to
feel weak, to be tempted into taking the easy way out.
This makes Jesus an even greater Savior, an even more powerful Messiah, because
it means that whatever we go through, whatever we face, whatever has been whispered
in our ear, Jesus has had that happen too.
And he shows us how to be exactly who we are-
Beloved, Children of God, and the Ones Who Make our Creator Smile.
For that, we can say “Amen.”
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