 Word Luke 4:1-13
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread." Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.'"
Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered him, "It is written,
'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'"
Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,
'He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,'
and
'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'"
Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
Meditation “The Devil Came Back”
The devil came back. After tempting Jesus, the devil left until an opportune time. After leaving Jesus standing high on a tower of the Temple, the devil came back as Jesus was raised high on a cross. During that last week in Jerusalem, the devil entered into Judas and set in motion the betrayal and arrest, the trial and the denial, the abandonment and the crucifixion. As Jesus hung on the cross, the devil spoke again, this time through a variety of voices. Religious leaders, “Let him save himself if he is the Messiah.” Soldiers, “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.” A criminal, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.” Again, the doubt. “If you are… Are you not?” Again the temptation for proof, a sign, some kind of action. “Jump. Save yourself.” The devil came back, as he always does, with lies and illusions, with doubts and confusion.
You know the story. You had an itch that needed scratching, a want disguised as a need, an easy way out, short term gain denying long term pain. Turn the stones to bread and enjoy. Sometimes you made the right choice, did the right thing, got your priorities straight, you felt good. But then, the devil came back, with lies and illusions, with doubts and confusion.
You know the story. You were pulled this way and that, with obligations and commitments, with promises and possibilities. Bow down to your agenda, worship ambition and you will be on top of the world. Sometimes you made the right choice, did the right thing, got your priorities straight, you felt good. But then, the devil came back, with lies and illusions, with doubts and confusion.
You know the story. You want a reward for your faithfulness, a blessing for your trouble, a sign for your doubts, a fix for the mess you made. After all, doesn’t the Bible say that God answers your prayers, ask and it will be given? OK God, show me. Sometimes you made the right choice, did the right thing, got your priorities straight, you felt good. But then, the devil came back, with lies and illusions, with doubts and confusion.
The devil always comes back. No matter how hard we try, we will never pass the devil’s testing. Nor do we look at Jesus to see how to do it. Like the criminal on the cross, our hands are tied to temptation and our feet nailed to failure. We are in captivity to sin and cannot free ourselves. The devil knows that, and the devil uses that to deceive and confuse us. All we have is a prayer, prayed in the darkness of the cross, in a place so devoid of life that it was called the Skull, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus Christ was crucified because the devil came back, for him and for you. But God raised him from the dead so that he might remember you and welcome you into his paradise of mercy. Today, in the wilderness of your temptations and failures, Jesus Christ comes through water, bread and wine, to remember you, to claim you and to free you from sin, death and power of devil. Thanks be to God!
Prayer
O Lord God, you led your people through the wilderness and brought them to the promised land. Guide us now, so that following your Son, we may walk safely through the wilderness of this world toward the life you alone can give through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
NEXT WEEK IN WORSHIP
February 28, 2010: The Second Sunday in Lent
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 Psalm 27 Philippians 3:17-4:1 Luke 13:31-35
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