Matthew 4:1-11
Today is the first Sunday in Lent, the time in which we get ready to celebrate Easter. You probably know already that I’m not a great fan of Lent, not because I’m opposed to getting ready for a celebration, but because over time Lent has come to focus on the terrible thing that happened to Jesus and how he went through trauma for our benefit. It’s like the long, dark musical buildup in a horror show to when the villain jumps out with a butcher knife or a chain saw. You know the ending is going to be bad, but you keep watching anyway. Lent also focuses on how underserving we are of Jesus’ sacrifice. It feels to me like saying “You deserve coal in your Christmas stocking but I’m going to give you presents anyway.” That may be true, but it also might not be.
The scriptures we’re given for Lent focus on how Jesus becomes clear about his ministry and mission and how he comes to understand what it means. They help us answer the question, “What is Jesus about?” If you start with an answer like “Jesus is dying for our sins,” then you get an emphasis on how terrible it’s going to be and how grateful we ought to be for this great sacrifice. It’s the horror story buildup. And it’s truly a part of what’s happening – even I acknowledge that. But it’s not the totality of what’s happening, and maybe if we don’t start with an answer, we find new ways to think about this story. I’d like to suggest that this year we start with the question: what is Jesus about? What is the point of Jesus’ ministry?
Usually on the first Sunday of Lent we read the story of Jesus’ temptation. After Jesus is baptized, Matthew tells us he goes away from people (to the wilderness) to pray about what comes next. Matthew assigns 40 days to this time period because he wants us to connect it with other holy stories – 40 days of rain for Noah, 40 years in the wilderness for those who escaped Egypt. It’s a short-hand way to say “a long time of spiritual significance.” Going away to pray is something that was surely already a part of Jesus’ practice, and it matches other times in his story in which he spent time praying. Jesus is looking for focus and clarity about what comes next.
After 40 days of fasting, Jesus was hungry. That seems obvious. Spending that much time in serious meditation and prayer leads to other realities as well. He was surely clearer about what was to come. He had undoubtedly sharpened his message. He had perhaps formulated an itinerary – which towns to visit first. He would have thought about who he wanted to help him – his disciples – and how many it would take, at least to start with. Undoubtedly alone in the dark he thought about the danger of what he was going to do and the possible unhappy consequences. The time apart is a time of preparation. From then on, Jesus isn’t just wandering around his neighborhood talking about whatever comes to mind. He has a plan.
The rest of this particular story tells us what’s not part of that plan. It’s framed as a conversation with the devil – that inner voice that tempts us to deviate from our plan and our values. Jesus is having one of those moments we all have when we know what we ought to do and are struggling not to be distracted – or when we know what we shouldn’t do and really want to do it anyway.
Matthew suggests this centers on three options Jesus rejects: feed himself, put himself in danger, worship the devil.
First of all Jesus doesn’t use his power to meet his personal needs. Matthew claims elsewhere that Jesus is able to create bread out of thin air. Or to turn stones into bread to eat after a long time fasting. Jesus knows he has a powerful message and the skill to connect with and influence people. He also knows his primary mission is to help others live better lives, not to make himself rich or famous. His ministry is to be outward focused, not for his own personal benefit.
Next the temptation is to do something dramatic to prove that God will take care of him. If his message is really from God, couldn’t he just march into the seats of power and claim the right of prophecy? Should he start in Jerusalem calling the religious and political powers to task for the ways they are abusing their own power? Instead he travels among the poorest people. He takes his message to the countryside and speaks in fields and on hillsides. His message is a direct confrontation to the powers that be, but he takes it to the common people. He’s building a new community “from the bottom up and the middle out.” His work is with the masses of common folk and not the heady stuff of power lunches and known leaders.
Finally, and related to both, he rejects the idea of assuming power himself by ingratiating himself to those already in power. He doesn’t become a Pharisee or a Sadducee. His is a message of faith, but he doesn’t start with the religious powers that be. He doesn’t become an insider in order to serve the status quo. His message is about change. He wants to reform the way Judaism functions. He wants to change its emphasis. He wants to focus on the people who have been left out and forgotten. He rejects personal power in order to connect with the powerless.
One of the messages of Christianity that most grates on my nerves is the idea that Jesus “saves” us because we can’t do it for ourselves. I agree that we can’t individually reach perfection. But Jesus himself rejects the idea that he can use his power to “fix” what’s wrong. Instead he goes to the community, the peasants he grew up with. He connects with people who see God in a new and more expansive way, like he does, and encourages them to change. Jesus believes in what’s possible when people work together to live in a new way. He takes that message to them. He organizes the community and challenges them to make the changes for themselves rather than waiting for change to come from power. Even Godly power.
I believe that’s also an important message of Lent: change is possible and you can be part of it. We believe that’s true because Jesus believed it’s true. Then he showed us how. How to care about one another. How to start over when we’ve messed up. How to do better. How to believe in ourselves. Jesus was creating a movement and a new way of understanding God and living together. He’s inviting us to continue that work. Together over the next few weeks we’re going to look at how to do just that.