1 Lent C March 10, 2019
Deut.26:1-11 Ps. 91
Rom.10:5-13 Luke 4:1-13
Lectionary Link
As I read the account of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, it occurred to me that in
effect, the internal struggle of Jesus was whether to be the Christ or the Anti-Christ. The
temptation was the attempt by the great liar and accuser, Satan, the Devil, the Serpent to
get Jesus to depart from the intended way of God the Father for the chosen messiah.
The New Testament writers referred to the Anti-Christ. The Anti-Christ would be a very popular public figure who would have the ability to even use the Bible and religion to fool people. The New Testament writers were very concerned about false messiahs. And some would like to think that there is only one Anti-Christ. But the accounts of history show us that the father of lies has been able to so possess political figures and the results have been the committing of some of the worst atrocities in human history.
In the elements of the temptation of Jesus, he is faced with being tricked by the another manifestation of the original trickster serpent of the garden of Eden. Eat this fruit the serpent told Adam and Eve and you will be wise like God.
“You’re hungry Jesus. Just command these stones and they will become bread.” So Jesus was being tempted to obey the commands of Satan. An Anti-Christ is one who follows the lying commands of the prince of lies.
How did Jesus answer? You are not my Father; I obey my Father and his words and I will be patient for the word of my Father to tell me when it is time to me to eat.
The Anti-Christ is a megalomaniac. He the Faustian man who makes a bargain with the devil; sells his soul to the devil to be the ruler of the world and to attain greatness.
Again, Jesus rebuked refused to make a bargain with devil. “Why should I worship you, Satan, Lucifer, Devil, for you have been created by God my Father who is higher than you. Why should I worship someone less than God the creator? You are but an idol maker.”
The devil and the anti-Christ are those who are so full of pride that they believe that they are worthy of ungodly adoration and popularity, when true fame and glory belongs to God, alone.
When the temptation regarding bodily needs or the temptation to extravagant fame fails what other trick did the devil have? The devil said, “kill yourself, throw yourself off the high place, and don’t worry because the Bible says that the angel defy gravity, they will catch and you will be rescued. Kill yourself because the afterlife is better than this life.
And what did Jesus say, “Be gone Satan.” Jesus would not be the “Anti-Messiah,” he was the true Messiah because he was going to do all things in God’s way and in God’s timing.
Another thing that I found interesting about my reading of the temptations of Jesus again, is to realize how they correspond to the public criticisms of Jesus.
What did people say about Jesus? He crazy, he’s mad. He’s suicidal because he said he was going away; is he going to kill himself. They said he was a glutton and wine bibber, and one who hung out with sinners. They said he had a pact with Beelzebub to cast out demons. They said he had blasphemed because he made himself equal to God and took upon himself the right to forgive people’s sins.
So the very things that Jesus was tempted about were things that people accused him of being.
Where do you and stand with the temptations of Jesus and with our own temptations today as we enter symbolic season of Lent, 40 days, dedicated to deal with the temptations in our lives?
The essence of temptation is really about mistiming, doing good and bad things at the wrong time. It’s okay to eat, but we have to do it in the best way for our bodily health and for the health of the 5000 plus who need to be fed in our world. We must learn to distinguish genuine self esteem which comes from knowing that our heavenly parent loves us, from the narcissistic unquenchable need for public fame based upon the pride which got Lucifer cast from heaven. We cannot exchange the esteem based upon the love of God for the vainglory which is the major drug of sick personalities.
And finally, just because the Scriptures includes poetry which has angels catching falling people, it does not mean we should mistake science for poetry or poetry for science. We can be both scientists and poets at the same time using the proper discursive practice for the proper rhetorical occasion. When people mistake science for poetry and vice versa, people who do not want to believe in God say that religious people are crazy.
You and I need to learn to resist being “anti-messiah.” We need to develop the relationship with God to know the inner affirmation which creates an esteem that does not need to be replaced with vainglory. We need to know the timing of God’s wisdom in our lives so that we live with the mystical sense and the faith to know how we should act at all times, learning what is most appropriate and graceful for each situation.
Let us learn how to resist the internal liar and accuser who would try to get us out of step and timing with the mission of the messiah that awaits us each day. Amen.
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