3. The allure of temptation

Restoring justice to a damaged world

21 February 2010

Luke 4:1-13

‘Restoring Justice’ can feel out of place as we begin Lent. However, only if you don’t think too deeply about it! If we look closely, we see Jesus led into the wilderness … and it is not difficult to make the connection.

The temptations of Jesus in Luke present an interesting blend of major themes: Who Jesus is, the conflict between good and evil, and the principles of obedience to God’s word. The Old Testament passages which Jesus uses to turn back the temptations in the wilderness are from Deuteronomy. We are shown how to survive ‘wilderness times’ if we are to enter the Promised Land.

In the temptations, we are shown the techniques for survival in a difficult world. Being part of an on-going mission to restore justice to a damaged world requires obedience in order to see a real difference made.

Throughout Luke there is a theme which runs along these lines: ‘Hear the word and do it!’ It follows on from what we have observed in Micah and Amos, in their strong prophetic message. Action, in the Christian sense, must be closely allied to our thinking. We are a community committed to ‘doing’ within the context of our thinking.

Someone reminded me recently about all the areas of social justice which have been or should be tackled … and told me of the issues we ought to be addressing in Australian life today.

Like Jack’s beanstalk, they grow night by night … and where do you begin? Alongside growing needs are increasing responsibilities and we end up exhausted about a whole range of needs, unable to make a difference.

Jesus took a new approach. He shows us a way of engaging love … transforming enemies, offering care to the outcast and adding value to life. It is a good starting point for us too!

It is as we engage in the struggle that things begin to change. Rosa Parks sat resolutely in her seat and the civil rights movement gained impetus. If she had merely complained and moved from her seat, it is doubtful that anything would have changed!

The temptations of Jesus have much to teach us. Luke uses the pattern of Mark and Matthew, except that he reverses the order of the second and third temptations.

Jesus’ return is from the Jordan … a clear connection with John the Baptist (v.1). We are given a natural transition from his baptism to the temptations.

John the Baptist is the first New Testament voice on social justice. John called for repentance, expressed in public confession. His moral and ethical stance brought him into conflict with the religious and political leaders of the day and it would ultimately cost him his life.

Today, as we begin our journey to the cross, we recognise that even from the earliest days of Jesus’ ministry, the shadow of the cross falls across the pathway. The theme of temptation brings us back to the essentials of faith that are our bedrock and heartbeat.

The willingness of John the Baptist to make way for Jesus tells us about his humility and the importance of Jesus’ ministry. In these days of self-promotion and star performers, the picture of John as self-deprecating does not fit easily. However, he is the first in history to illustrate what it means to lose oneself for Christ.

The temptations point to the internal struggle of Jesus to provide an alternative to using power to fulfil physical wants and, ultimately, preserving his own life.

It is in the context of hunger after fasting that temptation comes. Fasting has a very strong social justice message (Isaiah 58). Living near to God and temptation are closely related. Eduard Schweizer wrote: ‘… it is precisely those who are called by God that are tempted because they are torn between their God, who will not set them free, and the world, whose suffering they share.’

There is, of course, a freedom which Christians must embrace (John 8:32 and 36) … but it is not a freedom to live how we please. Thomas Huxley said, “A man’s worst difficulties begin when he is able to do as he likes.”

“Everything is permissible – but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible – but not everything is constructive.” (1 Corinthians 10:23)

The Jewish world was colonised by the Romans and Jesus’ preaching travels and his message were in the context of an occupied territory. There were rumblings of insurrection and, thirty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, it would actually happen, at least temporarily, through the zealots in Jerusalem and the occupation at Masada.

When people first read these words, they would see the end result of this approach. Jesus had given us a new way ... a way of non-violent love, demonstrated throughout his ministry.

Let us look at the temptations of Jesus as they would be first heard – and as we hear them today. The allure of temptation will test how serious we are about living the Christian life.

Jesus is given three options which he refuses. He is:-

Tempted to secure a legitimate end through illegitimate means – v.v. 3-4

Jesus’ first temptation is related to hunger. In recent days, we have been confronted with the need to face up to hunger. Ronald Sider from the Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in New York wrote Christians in an age of hunger and, in Cry Justice, he writes: ‘The sheer volume of biblical material that pertains to questions of hunger, justice and the poor is astonishing.’

Only recently, scientists have stirred our thinking about how to handle research that tells us the population of the world will reach a plateau of just over 9 billion people by 2050. This demands we ask questions about how to share and how we understand fairness in the world.

Nothing is misguided about wanting a solution to world hunger and, throughout his ministry, Jesus did not ignore people’s physical needs … but knew there was a bigger picture.

God has not chosen to address the issues of poverty and hunger through the means of a circus magician! This is not the way God operates. Jesus did feed the crowd, then the disciples after his resurrection … but his disciples carried a purse for the poor as they travelled.

So we remind ourselves that:-

He refuses outward displays to fulfil deeper purposes

A major gospel theme is the refusal to engage with the dramatic and spectacular. The miracle-working Saviour reminded his disciples not to go around talking about it!

Jesus refused to turn a stone into bread. Interestingly, there is a comparison with the way God provided for the people of Israel during the Exodus. Perhaps there were those who expected Jesus to do something similar if he was the Messiah (John 6:30).

Jesus’ mission was far more important than merely improving people’s circumstances. He came to illustrate God’s love in a unique and sacrificial way.

He asks us to not be tempted to see life from a narrow perspective

Jesus’ reply is from Deuteronomy 8:3 (expanded in Matthew 4:4). God had led the people to see there was a purpose to their desert wanderings … which was to humble a people in a time of testing.

Strength out of control will try to prove itself. Fear follows those who feel they have to prove themselves. The bully is the perfect example … for she or he is possessed of fears, revealed in vulnerability, which translate aggressively.

The early community of faith would need to work out how to live out their lives as new disciples of Jesus. Such a life in the Spirit would be in the context of the pressure and cauldron of persecution. This would certainly sharpen their values … and similarly for us today, we must ensure that we are not so easily satisfied that we lower the bar of our acceptance of the world around us.

Tempted to accept wrong authorities – v.v.5-8

There is a similarity between the first two temptations. Here Jesus is tempted to subordinate his messianic rule to a way that involves no conflict or rejection. The biblical picture is of Jesus being shown all that the kingdoms represent and being offered it as a gift. All Jesus has to do is worship and acknowledge another authority.

Accepting a simplistic way is not of God’s kingdom

There is an aspect of simplicity to be desired. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Luke 18:17)

This is not about age per se, but as Walter Liefeld suggested, “… with qualities such as trust, openness and the absence of holier-than-thou attitudes”. These qualities are far from simplistic … they are profound and demanding.

We can be tempted to choose a way that is less demanding, but it will never satisfy the priorities of Jesus to which all of us are called. Many have found themselves pulled in the direction of a way that produces greater rewards in the short-term, but not in the long-term.

Jesus would not live with only the good when the best was possible. Jesus would not be satisfied with the high when the highest was on offer.

We are called to a clearer view of kingdom today

We are thinking of Justice and we know there are no simplistic ways to grasp this. In Australia we wrestle with issues regarding our complex history. Word and action must always be bound together, demanding a greater response than mere confession alone. Word and deed come together in the ministry of Jesus – like the two blades of a pair of scissors – and the cutting edge is at the heart of life.

Every day we are tempted into believing that the way to satisfaction is simple. But we are more than consumers, living for what I heard described as ‘the Big Seven’: money, fame, success, power, health, security and pleasure!

There is a temptation to see social needs and the struggle for justice in terms of mere platitudes.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer gave a reasoned use of ‘simple’: “To be simple is to fix one’s eyes solely on the simple truth of God at a time when all concepts are being confused, distilled and turned upside down.’

Tempted to gain recognition by bizarre activity rather than by the cross – v.v.9-12

This is interpreted by reference to Psalm 91:11 which talks about the care of the angels. In the third temptation, Jesus is tempted to gain public recognition by a bizarre act!

We see a shift of scene to Jerusalem (v.9) … where Jesus will confront all those issues which are embodied within temptation. In the first two temptations, the defeat is by scripture. Now the tempter uses scripture in his temptation. Scripture, too, can be dangerous if it is not interpreted in clear commitment to God.

Publicity and popularity are not a main priority for Jesus

Being recognised by others and the promotion of himself would certainly have been achieved had he succumbed to the third temptation … but at what cost? His whole message would have been at odds with his first practical sermon in the temptations.

Jesus did choose a pinnacle … and that was the cross where the world would view him. From such a vantage point he will draw all people to himself (John 12:32).

Throughout his ministry, Jesus exercised humility of approach … but this has certainly not always been displayed in his followers.

Jesus’ instruction to people when they were healed was more often than not to refrain from talking about it and to present themselves to the appropriate religious authorities in the case of lepers.

If Jesus did have a publicist, what a story would be told:-

He is turned out of his own town on his first speaking engagement there.
He called people to leave behind their possessions and their status to pursue a better way through a pattern of scandalous freedom.
He is rejected by the leaders of his day, denied and betrayed by those close to him.
The events surrounding his suffering and death.

The priorities of Jesus were far higher than the publicity-minded. Luke alone records Mary’s Magnificat. Its beauty must not cause us to miss the strength of its words:

He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty. (Luke 1:52-53)

Publicity and popularity are not the predominant activity of God’s people

An organisation like Wesley Mission has to be engaged in the sphere of public relations, and we could choose to be in the news every week about all the wrong issues:-

We could choose the negative path of condemning others, which always makes a good story.
We could speak about ourselves in such a way that exaggerates our importance and diminishes our real mission.
We could choose to engage in activities that are contrary to our ultimate values.

One of the key themes of the temptations and how Jesus responded is ‘Strength under control’. Throughout our Lord’s time of testing, he exhibited this wonderfully.

Temptation’s timing could have proved a match-winner. After all Jesus has not yet preached a sermon, nor has he healed a sick person. From his isolation and hunger in the desert, he is poised to begin his public ministry.

In this context, its nature and shape are taking form. Fred Craddock suggests that this is important: “We may surmise that Jesus is struggling with what it really means to be about God’s business.”

When you look at the temptations of Jesus in the context of social justice – not forgetting the deep spiritual lessons – there are some guidelines that might be deduced:-

Jesus refused to use his strength in a way that would contradict his ultimate purpose.
We must not be satisfied with merely meeting physical needs.
We must never make a grab for worldly power and glory, however inviting they may seem.
The temptations remind us of the source of real power and strength … and we must find our strength in the same way.

The struggle does not end here, but it is clear that Jesus confronts temptation … and does not run from it. Lane Olinghouse wrote, “Those who flee temptation generally leave a forwarding address.”

Jesus rejects the flaunting possibilities offered to him. He leaves for the Galilee and begins his public ministry, but the account concludes, “When the devil had finished all his tempting, he left him until an opportune time.” (4:13)

Christian Life