Behind Door Number Three
a sermon by Rev. Rebecca Segers
Genesis 2:15-17
Matthew 4:1-11 

The Lenten season has begun.  We spend these forty days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday traveling with Jesus along the road of his life.  Tradition has it that in these forty days, we give something up for Jesus as he gave up everything for us.  As we ponder the story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, may we be aware of the places and the ways in which we are tempted in a world so much more complex and confusing than the one in which Jesus lived.  And let us remember that while Jesus was tempted by the devil, the Scripture passage opens with the words, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness” – yes, Jesus was led by the Spirit of God with the intention, the Bible tells us “to be tempted by the devil.”

When we look at our hearts and our lives and the temptations that are in them, we think, “surely God wouldn’t have put this before me if He didn’t want me to have it.”  The fact of the matter is that simply isn’t true.  If God could lead Jesus to a place with the specific intent of being tempted by the devil, it is certainly possible that God may place you in situations where you are meant to be tempted, too.

Look at what happens with Jesus:  He fasted for forty days and forty nights.  Fasting was known then and in some circles now as a means to transcend the physical world and become closer to God.  The idea is that when your physical body puts a demand for food on you, you are instead to turn your thoughts to God and prayer.  So Jesus knows he is going to be tempted.  He knows this is the reason that the Spirit is taking him out into the desert and so he very intentionally puts himself into a frame of mind that is conducive to resisting temptation.  He takes these forty days and forty nights and prepares himself through prayer and meditation to undergo whatever test is to be placed before him.

What kind of spiritual discipline do you have in place to hold you steady in times of temptation?  In times of trouble?  Do you read the Bible on a regular basis?  Do you pray daily?  Are you involved in a prayer circle?  Do you meditate?  Do you have a physical ritual like yoga or dance or t’ai chi that brings you in sync with the holy?  Have you ever fasted?  Would you be interested in learning how to fast in a physically and spiritually healthy manner?  Do you attend a Bible study?  Will you consider joining me at Carol Keil’s home for the next six weeks as we read and study the gospel of Mark?

If you’ve listened to my questions and think to yourself, “Gee, I really don’t do enough to keep in tune with God with my life,” are you willing to take steps to broaden your spiritual discipline?  To learn how to better prepare your body and your mind for whatever life might bring?  If so, let me know after worship today and we will set up a time to get together and talk about what might the best ways for you to focus your time and energy at this time in your life.

Meanwhile, let’s look at Jesus and his trials with temptation.  Here he has spent forty days and forty nights in preparation through fasting and, of course, at the end of it, he’s famished.  So, irony of all ironies, the devil uses exactly what he’s been doing to withstand him to tempt him.

“If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread!” the devil cries out.

So don’t be surprised if when temptation comes to you, it comes in the form of something that you think of as a strength.  To mix metaphors, here it is in living color for Jesus right out of the box.

“If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread!”

When I was a child, after my father got out of the military, my family moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas, so that he could attend law school.  It was the only school in the South that would allow him to begin in January, during the Spring semester – and don’t tell my mother I told you this, but she refused to live above the Mason Dixon line.  Now Fayetteville at the time was a very small town of around 30,000 people, and that was during the school year when the college students were in classes at the University.  My mother could not find an ophthalmologist that she trusted, so we would drive the dangerous, winding route over the mountains to Fort Smith and go to an eye doctor there.  I vividly remember the waiting room and the stacks of Highlights magazines for kids to read while we were there.  But what I remember most is that our reward at the end of the trip was stopping at a local bakery where they baked fresh bread.  We would buy one loaf and have it sliced for sandwiches during the week and a second for the drive home.  That loaf wouldn’t be sliced and we would tear off chunks of it piping hot and demolish the whole loaf on the way home, my mother, my sister and I.  It is one of my favorite childhood memories, the sense of camaraderie combined with the feel of the crispy crust and the warmth of the bread on our fingers and soft doughy interior melting in our mouths.

After more than a month without any substantive food, I imagine that Jesus would like nothing more at this point in time than to have a nice warm steaming loaf of bread fresh out of the oven – and we know that he is capable of performing the miracle to get it.  After all, he provides food for the multitudes out of next to nothing twice.  And he turns the water into wine at the wedding in Cana.  When you think about it, food becomes Jesus’ trademark.  It is how he is known.  He is recognized on the road to Emmaus after the breaking of bread with the travelers, and he is recognized time and time again over the centuries up until today in the bread and fruit of the vine of Communion.  So the devil asks him to turn the stones into bread and his human self must be crying out to do so.  But he doesn’t.

“One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God,” Jesus answers, quoting Deuteronomy 8:3.

“Curses!” the devil must be thinking.  “I thought this was going to be easy.”  He next takes him to what Matthew describes as “the holy city” to the “pinnacle of the temple.”  We don’t know what either of these references are.  If the holy city were Jerusalem, the temple there had no pinnacle.  But, no matter what else we might guess, the idea of a holy city and the pinnacle of the temple both inspire thoughts that Jesus is to make some sensational demonstration before witnesses that he is the Son of God.  So whatever this high and holy place is, Satan is using it to try and make Jesus show who he is not only to him but also to the world.  He’s not testing Jesus physically this time, but emotionally.  This temptation isn’t about Jesus’ physical need for food, but his emotional need to be recognized, to be seen as who and what he truly is – a need that speaks to each and every one of us.

Once again, Jesus answers Satan using the book of law, Deuteronomy to counter him.  “Do not put the Lord your God to the test,” he says.

“Dash it all!” thinks the devil and takes him even higher.  He started out in the desert wilderness, then Satan took him to the top of the temple in the holy city and now he takes him to a very high mountain from which he can see all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.  So as you imagine the arc of the story, we’re going up and up and up.  Satan is making the requests, the temptations, and even the view more splendiferous as the story goes on.

“All these I will give you,” he says, “if you will fall down and worship me.”

Now notice here that the devil is showing Jesus earthly kingdoms.  He is not able to show him the kingdom of God, the kingdom that Jesus knows he is here to announce.  But everything he’s tried so far hasn’t worked.  He’s tried to make Jesus prove himself, show who he is through earthly miracles and through heavenly intervention.  But Jesus isn’t buying.  So now, he pulls out all the stops.  He’s really saying, “I know that you are the Son of God and I know that it would be much better for me if you served me rather than God.  So here’s what I will do for you if you back out of the deal you’ve got going.”

It’s like the old “Let’s Make A Deal” program with Monty Hall where the contestant selected Door Number One and got, say, a new washer and drier.  She would then have the option of keeping what she had won or picking another door, and possibly getting a trip to France or a new car or maybe an old billy goat.

We don’t know what Jesus’ understanding of his ministry is this early on in the game.  Does he know that he will travel the area, heal many, teach others, be betrayed and die a tortuous death?  Is his future laid out before him like a map or does he only have glimmerings that become clearer as the days and months wear on?  What is he thinking as Satan lays out all the power of the world before him?

What would any of us think?  What if the offer were laid before you?  You, Alice, you, Tim, you, Joe, you, Carol, you, you, you, can live the life that you have right now and do the absolute best job that you can to follow God in Jesus Christ, or you can rule the world.  You can make decisions about the government in Iraq and the coup in Nepal.  You can keep Social Security as it is in America or make the decision to change it.  You can provide food to those who are starving and relief to those suffering from AIDS in Africa.  You can decide whether or not Turkey gets into the European Union and what happens in Darfur.  You have absolute power over everything political in the world.  All you have to do is fall down on your knees and worship Satan.

Wouldn’t you be just a little bit tempted?  Would you think, “I can do a better job than those in power.  I really care about people everywhere and could make informed and fair decisions.  Okay, so I’d have to worship the devil, but I could just pretend to on the outside, so some of these problems would be taken care of and really keep God in my heart.  I mean, think of how much better things would be if we did them my way…”

Jesus doesn’t even think about it.  “Away with you, Satan!” he cries the first words that come out of his mouth in this story that are his own and don’t come from the book of Deuteronomy.  But he follows up with them, “It is written, worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”

It’s a nice sentiment.  One I’m sure we’d all ascribe to and really like to follow.  But we are tempted each and every day.  In little ways.  In ways that we might want to pass off as unimportant or even meaningless.  Just like Jesus was, we are tempted physically, emotionally and spiritually.

We are tempted to buy the cake that we don’t need.  Our bodies are plenty full and there are so many on the planet who go without.  It would better serve us and them to take the cake or the money that we would spend on it and put cans in the basket in the foyer for the Community Food Bank or donate to a Presbyterian Hunger Fund or Oxfam or a similar organization.  I was very proud of us last week as we donated to the “Souper Bowl of Caring” because while our dollars went down from last year – last year we collected $107 and this year we collected $80 which is an approximate 25% decrease – our cans went up from 47 to 64, which is an approximate 25% increase.  You might think this is a wash.  But I don’t.  Why not?  Well, first of all, soup costs more than a dollar a can – unless maybe you’re Sukey Walter and buy it during the Shoprite Can-Can with coupons...  And secondly, it shows that you got it.  You understood the idea of a “Souper Bowl of Caring” and you remembered to bring your cans so that we can share the bounty that we have with others who don’t.  How would it be if we did this not only once a year but every week?  So many of us wrestle with issues of weight and are incredibly blessed to live in a country and have lifestyles that enable us to worry about putting on extra pounds.  That is simply not the case for the majority of people on the planet.  Most people don’t have enough, much less have a surplus that causes obesity.

Are you one of those who is tempted by food?  Is there a way, during this current season of Lent, that you could translate that temptation into a sacrifice?  For example, as many of you are aware because of my weight loss over the past year through Weight Watchers, food is definitely an issue in my household.  And one that Grace and I have discussed in reference to the season.  We have decided to give up meat.  We talked about giving up sugar, but losing her Yoohoos from her lunch box was simply not an option!  And to be perfectly honest, I don’t eat that much sugar, so it really wouldn’t be much of a sacrifice for me.  Which bring me to another discussion that we had. The one about: if you give up something that doesn’t really matter to you, it really doesn’t matter much as far as the intent of the exercise is concerned either.

Food is a traditional item to give up during Lent – sugar, meat, chocolate and so on.  But there are others things that you can give up that may be more meaningful to you.  I know I’ve told you before that when I was going through a difficult time in my life a few years ago, I made the very intentional decision to give up fear.  Every time in those forty days that I began to be afraid or worried or anxious, I would simply say, “God, I know you’re taking care of this.  I trust in you and your will.  I’m not afraid.”  It was an amazing experience!  One that enriched my life immensely and one that even though the issue was not resolved until well after the Lenten season was over, I continued because of the powerful effect it was having on my life.

Is there an emotion that you need to give up during this season?  Would it benefit you to give up fear to God?  What if you gave up worrying about a specific issue, such as an ailing parent, your children’s grades, how you’re going to pay for a certain item, or something else?  Or what if you gave up pride?  Pride in your own accomplishments or those of your children or grandchildren?  What if instead of being proud of the raise that you’ve received at work or the scholarship that your daughter was awarded or your son’s acceptance into a specialized program at school or the deliciousness of the food that you prepared or the beauty of the rug you made, what if instead you praised God for the abilities to do your job or your hobby well, or thanked God for the focus and direction your children have?  What if you praised the One who has given us all we have and made us all we are instead of taking the credit ourselves?  Just for forty days…

So that covers the first two temptations that Jesus was faced with – physical and emotional.  And they are perhaps the easiest.  What if we responded to the final temptation the devil gave to Jesus?  The temptation to act like we run the show.  The spiritual temptation.

How many of us have power – in large or in small ways – and we like to use it?  What if you gave up power for the next forty days?  What if when your spouse said, “I’d like to see such and such a movie,” and you really don’t want to see it, but want to see something else, you gave up the power and went to see his or her choice instead?  What if when your friends call and want to go to a certain restaurant, but you really don’t like, say, Indian food, rather than push your own agenda, you go and enjoy the company and don’t even mention that this really wasn’t what you would have chosen.  What if when there is a large decision to make in your life or your business, your home or your affairs, you gave up the power to God.  You looked to prayer, meditation, the Bible, the counsel of Christian friends as to the best course of action instead of the material interests of this world.  What if you gave the power over how much you give to the church in time, talents or financially to the Lord these next forty days?  What if instead of thinking “I don’t have the time” or “I don’t have the money” or “I don’t have the talent, the ability” and hanging onto what you’ve got, you gave it up to God?  Just for the next forty days?

According to tradition, Sundays are not included in the forty days and are representative of the resurrection, so you could even take a day off if you feel like you can’t possibly make it that long without eating a Hershey bar or watching television or being the boss.  Or since Lent officially started last Wednesday and if you begin today, you’ve already missed four days, perhaps you want to keep Sundays in the bargain.  For, in some ways, this is a bargain.  This is Let’s Make A Deal.  Think again, about the way the old game went.

You win something behind door number one.  As I mentioned before, it was usually a washer/drier or something nice, but not necessarily significant, something you wanted, but maybe not the gift of your dreams.  And you had the opportunity to trade it away for what was behind door number three.  You had no clue of what you might get.  It might be a trip to Hawaii or it might be a stack of beat up tires.  The question was: how much were you willing to give up on the chance of getting something better?

I ask you this today: how much are you willing to give up on the chance of getting something better?  Jesus gave up his life that we all might have life abundantly.  And to be perfectly honest, there is not one of us in this room – fixed incomes, raising children with issues, on tight budgets, in relationships that are less that perfect, trials and tribulations notwithstanding – there is not one of us in this room that by virtue of living in the United States of America in the year 2005, that does not have abundant life.  We are all so extremely blessed.  We have enough to eat, a warm place to sleep, decent health care – simple abundance that is lacking all over the world and that we take for granted on a daily basis.  All the other stuff – going out to dinner, drinking soda, going to the movies, having a ton of friends, belonging to a community like this one, owning a car – or two or three, having lots of clothes in our closets, owning jewelry, all these things are extra, are bonuses.

I ask you for the next coming weeks: What are you willing to give up on the chance of getting something better?  On the chance of growing closer to the One who made you?  On the possibility that your eyes might be opened to a place, physically, emotionally, and/or spiritually that you never knew existed?  I ask you to look at your own life, to look at the places where you are tempted and sometimes fail and thoughtfully, prayerfully, intentionally, try to give up something that will make a difference for you.  Because as I said earlier, if it doesn’t matter to you, it doesn’t matter.  Choose to sacrifice something for these upcoming weeks with the idea that what you will receive in return will be greater and possibly even different than what you had imagined.  Make this an unforgettable Lenten season through your heightened commitment to it.  Just one recommendation – it’s the wrong day to give up pancakes.

Or is it?  You go to your God and decide together.  I’m telling you – it just might change your life.  Amen.