As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, he saw heaven opening and the Spirit coming down on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you." At once the Spirit made him go into the desert, where he stayed forty days, being tempted by Satan. Wild animals were there also, but angels came and helped him.
Have you ever watched trees at the height of a severe storm? There are trees that sway back and forth, bending under the force of wind. The wind howls through their branches shaking them so violently that you are sure that they will be ripped off at any moment.
Sometimes you fully expect that the whole tree might be ripped right out of the ground and tossed on its side. But somehow, the tree manages to withstand the pulling and jerking of the wind, and apart from the loss of a few leaves, it stands straight and tall when it’s all over.
On the other hand, there are other trees of similar size whose thickest branches come crashing down under the strain of the wind. This happened to us four years ago, a storm came through our area in Brossard, we had a beautiful maple tree in front of the house which did not bend to the wind at all. It simply snapped off and came crushing down taking along the power lines. It was quite a scary situation to be in, we were without power for 11 hours.
I realize there is a botanical explanation for why trees respond differently to the wind. But they provide an excellent illustration of life itself and the nature of the Christian faith. Both trees experienced the same adversity of forced wind. Both are tempted to allow their limbs to snap off. Some give in and lose a lot of their branches or are completely destroyed. Others remain flexible and withstand the temptation. Their limbs remain connected to the trunk of the tree.
In today's gospel, Jesus is baptized and as soon as he comes out of the water, the heavens open and the Spirit descend as on him like a dove. The voice of God declares, "You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you." Immediately the same Spirit who descended on him in baptism made him go into the desert.
What really Mark is saying that Jesus was driven out into the desert or even thrown out just as Jesus threw the money changers out of the temple. Jesus is cast out into the wilderness, the place of the unclean and anti-God forces, the place that is outside.
Note what is happening here. One moment Jesus is proclaimed the beloved Son of God and the next he is driven out, or thrown out into the harshness of the wilderness. This reminds me of the sudden shifts that occur in our life.
One moment we are perfectly composed, basking in acceptance, healthy, in love, and the next moment we find ourselves in miserable loneliness, fighting demons in a confusing wilderness where everything that seemed so certain has now come apart.
It is out there in the wilderness that Satan tempts Jesus. The temptation Jesus faced was to break away from his Father in heaven, from his mission. The temptation was to see these forty days of testing as a sign that his Father in heaven no longer loved him, or if he did, then was playing games with him. The temptation was to give up the whole Son of God idea and go back to being a carpenter in Nazareth. ( in the movie “ the Last temptation of Jesus Christ” …. The tempter who is Satan offered Jesus a family life instead of the cross).
But Jesus did not break away.
Despite the ruggedness and harshness of the wilderness,
despite the tantalizing rational arguments Satan offered him,
despite the fact that Jesus faced all of this for forty days and nights, Jesus did not snap. He remained obedient to his Father in heaven and his purpose.
Jesus' temptation in the wilderness sets the stage for everything that follows.
Throughout his ministry and even in his suffering and death, he remains connected with his Father in heaven. Jesus was not like the trees surrendering to the storm, snapping off, and crashing to the ground. Instead, he was like those trees which were bent low by the force of the wind but resolutely remained firm until the storm was over.
Often when we think of being tempted we think of the occasions when we have been coaxed or lured into doing something we know is wrong. When King David saw from his rooftop the beautiful Bathsheba taking a bath he was tempted to have this woman as his wife. David was tempted and he fell for it hook, line and sinker. Ultimately the temptation caused him to turn his back on God.
As we know Adam and Eve were the first people to face the temptations of Satan. The temptation to eat the forbidden fruit of the tree in the middle of Garden of Eden and to be like God was all too much. They turned their back on God and his instructions about the tree. They ate and the human race hasn’t been the same since.
A father wrote this and helps us understand more about temptation. "When my oldest son was about three years old, I was outside doing some work in the garden one afternoon. I took Kevin outside to play while I trimmed the hedges. Holding his hand, I knelt down beside him so that we could look at each other face to face. Slowly and carefully
I said, "Now, Kevin, you can play here in our front yard. You can go next door and play in your friend’s front yard. You can ride your bike up and down the driveway. You can go in the backyard and play with the dog or play on your swing. You can go back inside and watch television. You can stay here and watch me trim the hedges. You can do all those things but you are not go out into the street. It is very dangerous there. You cannot play in the street. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
And Kevin solemnly nodded his head. "Yes, Daddy," he said. I let go of his hand and he ran straight to the curb, put one foot on the street, and then turned his head toward me and smiled, as if to say, "Silly dad!"
That must have been something of the way God must have felt in the Garden of Eden. What is there in our makeup that seems to be drawn to the forbidden, that’s preoccupied with whatever is denied to us? What is it in us that ignores the tremendous amount of freedom we enjoy and instead focuses on what we shouldn’t do and sees that as so much better than anything we have? What is it that inevitably, almost instinctively, leads us to disobedience and succumbing to the temptation, even though we are fully aware that what are doing is breaking the heart of God? God has given us the freedom to choose but why is it that we choose what is wrong and evil?
You know what it’s like. When Satan uses the storms that come our way in life to tear us away from God. Satan uses difficult situations to pry a wedge between God and us – maybe an ongoing illness, a sudden death, unemployment, disagreement with someone in the congregation or work place, family breakup.
When we find ourselves in some unknown and confusing wilderness, it is all too tempting to break away from God completely. But the question is this: When the storm finally lifts, will you be lying on the ground like dead wood, or will you be straight and tall and growing again?
Jesus was tempted. You and I are tempted. There is no sin in being tempted. What matters is how we handle the temptation. And the truth is that we can handle temptation better if we remain closer to God who has already declared us to be his beloved sons or daughters in baptism. With God’s strength as our strength we can more easily resist Satan’s coaxing.
Yes, Satan will tempt us to doubt God’s love.
And we will fall for his tricks, remember Satan is the master of lies who will entice and coax us and we will follow. As we tell our horrific stories of temptation we are reminded that our God is a gracious God.
God has broken the power of Satan to drag us down to hell. When Jesus cried on the cross it is finished, it is finished, God broke power of Satan. Jesus died for us to give us forgiveness, and it is that forgiveness from God himself that breaks Satan’s hold over us.
As we enter this Lenten season, let’s reflect on what control Satan has on our lives, change those things that need changing, and thank God that Satan doesn’t have the last say. Jesus has won the victory, it is finished, it is finished. Thank God that even though we are sinners, our God is a gracious and caring God, his love never ends.
Amen!
Rev. Samuel King-Kabu
March 5, 2006