a pearl downunder: temptation

If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.
if you worship me, I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them
If you are the Son of God, jump off![the highest point of the Temple]

If – how often do we hear that word?

I will be your friend if you do something for me

I will lend you the money if …

You will have more friends if you use this brand of deodorant …..

Notice the temptations focus on who Jesus is, two of them start with if you are the Son of God …..

Has anyone ever said to you – if you were really a Christian, you would … give me money, be my friend, lend me your car …

The temptation is to have to prove yourself. Are you really what and who you say you are?

Except this question isn’t coming from someone who actually cares about you.

The question is an attempt to manipulate.

You think you are Gods son! Prove it!

From the newspaper this week:

In the lead up to Valentine's Day, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has revealed 2620 Australians reported losing $22.7 million to romance scams to the watchdog in 2015.

"Scammers are experts at preying on people's weaknesses and will spend months and even years grooming victims and lowering their defences,"

"Inevitably, the fraudster will spin a tall tale about why they suddenly need your financial help, ranging from medical emergencies to failed business ventures to needing to rebook flights to visit you."

I am guessing most of you are sitting there thinking, how could anyone would ever fall for that?

But people do. Do you ever wonder why that happens?

Just as with the temptations Jesus faced, we are asked to prove ourselves:

If you love me, you will help me

If you send money we can meet

If I don’t get help I will die

…..

Sometimes we hear those words from family members, and those of you who know people with drug addiction may well have heard those words.

Sometimes we hear those words over Facebook or by email from people we have never met.

One of the things we talked about at Lent Event study group on Thursday was how important it is to know yourself, to know who you are and what your values are, in avoiding temptation.

While it happens to all sorts of people, we see in the media what happens when politicians take ‘gifts’ , such as holidays, expensive dinners, or premium seats at the ballet or football. And often these ‘gifts’ turn out to be more like a bribe than a gift.

Looking at the Temptations Jesus faced, “In each case, the devil seeks to undermine Jesus’ confidence in both God and himself. He seeks, ~~that is~~, to erode Jesus’ confidence that he is enough, that he is secure, that he is worthy of God’s love” [David Lose In the Meantime]

I know I am not Jesus, and neither are you, but Jesus was tempted, as we are; not the other way around. Part of the humanity of Jesus is knowing what it is like to be human, to struggle with issues we face, to ponder how to live.

The temptations we face are not about jumping from a high tower, well not that anyone has told me that is their temptation. The temptations we face might be about confidence, status, fame, security, beauty or youth. Often temptation, in whatever form, is about ‘fitting in’, about being acceptable.

Unfortunately we live in a culture that questions our sense of identity, questions in ways that make us wonder,

Am I really lovable?

Does anyone care about me?

As Kasey Chambers sings:

“Am I not pretty enough
Is my heart too broken
Do I cry too much
Am I too outspoken.”

Some people feel that way.

I know at times I have felt like people were doing me a favour by being a friend, I mean they couldn’t actually like me!

I know what it is to feel like a fraud, wondering how long before people are going to work out I am not as clever as they think I am.

I know what it is like wondering if I am a worthwhile person.

Temptations “seek to shift our allegiance, trust, and confidence away from God and toward some substitute that promises a more secure identity.” [David Lose In the Meantime]

In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is baptised, then is led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. While in the wilderness, he works through who he is, where his strength and identity comes from, and what form his ministry will take.

· Jesus isn’t into being a miracle worker, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t perform miracles.

· Jesus isn’t going to use political power to overthrow the Romans, but that doesn’t mean Jesus isn’t a powerful person.

· Jesus didn’t put Gods love to the test, but that doesn’t mean he doubted God’s care for him.

“This is who he is, Son of God, Saviour, but the devil over and over tempts him to display his identity in self-serving ways that would undermine his identity as the Son who relies on the good gifts of the Father.” [Ruth Anne Reese Workingpreacher.com]

Someone asked me about the devil – one commentator writes:

““The devil" that Jesus encounters in the wilderness.” Is often described … “as the personification of evil, although, as Richard Swanson writes, "Luke did not imagine pitchforks, horns, pointy tails, or the red long-johns that you see in cartoon devils" (Provoking the Gospel of Luke). No, it might be closer to imagine instead a seductive voice offering very "good" things to Jesus, an attractive strategic plan for his ministry.” [Rev. Kathryn M. Matthews UCC SAMUEL]

One thing that makes temptation so tempting, is that it doesn’t look like evil.

A couple of quick comments:

We live in a world of competing stories. [Ruth Anne Reese Workingpreacher.com]

One story says you are not good enough, you are not worthwhile, so

you need to have more

you need to do more

you need to be self-reliant

The other story says you are enough, you are worthwhile, so

you do not need to hold onto what you have

you do not need to worry about tomorrow

you do not need to live for yourself

“Jesus’ responses are rooted in an underlying narrative that he is dependent on God rather than self for life, glory, and identity.” [Ruth Anne Reese Workingpreacher.com]

Do we live with the story that we are not enough,

that we are not worthwhile,

that we have to prove ourselves to God and the world.

Or do we live with the story of God’s love and presence – even in the midst of difficulties.

God doesn’t say if,

God says

I love you;

You are important to me.

"This Lent, even better than, say, giving up chocolate, we might develop a daily spiritual practice of reflection on God's provision, God's abundance, and God's power in our lives. We might learn to reframe our lives." [Rev. Kathryn M. Matthews UCC SAMUEL]

This Lent, what needs reframing in your life, so that you can see yourself as the beautiful, amazing, beloved child of God that you are?

a pearl downunder

Saturday, 13 February 2016

If.....