Delivered
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Jesus tells His followers to pray
to the Father: “Lead us not into
temptation.” We know that God indeed tempts no one. God doesn’t want His
children to fall into sin, and He promises that no temptation will befall His
people that we are not able to withstand by the power of the Holy Spirit. But
today we see a unique temptation, one into which the Holy Spirit actually led
Jesus. Face to face with Satan himself, your High Priest is willingly tempted
like you in all ways. But there’s one difference this time: Jesus didn’t sin.
You misunderstand this story if you
think it is our how-to manual to avoid temptations. Jesus used the Word of God,
the Sword of the Spirit, as His weapon against Satan; so you think that, armed
with your own spirituality and strength of will, you can resist temptation too.
But this is not a Law example for you to follow, for you are not God. You are
frail, sinful people who fail to resist temptation, for you daily sin much,
following the example of your earthly father, Adam, who was enticed by
forbidden fruits.
This temptation is really our
Lord’s Own work, a Gospel gift to you. After all, it was in your place that He
did what you couldn’t, standing up to the devil’s temptations to defeat Him
once and for all. He did this for you, that you may live not by bread alone, that
you would be satisfied by the Word of God’s mouth. This Word in Jesus became
flesh, so that instead of forbidden fruit, you may feast on bread which, by
that Word of God, hides Christ’s body, which He gave for you at Calvary and with which He feeds you in His holy Supper
for your forgiveness.
You give into temptation all too
readily because you are just like that old Adam. Just as his human nature was
thoroughly corrupted by sin after the Fall, you too inherit that same sin-befouled
flesh. The children of Adam and Eve are so easy to tempt—and not just by Satan,
but also by your own selfish desires! The devil tempted Eve with the things she
wanted in her selfishness, and you too really want the many sinful things you covet
and lust for against God’s will for you.
Jesus didn’t fall for Satan’s tricks,
noting the part of scripture the devil craftily omitted. As Satan tried God’s
own word against Jesus, he failed, omitting the important phrase, “in all Your ways.” Jesus didn’t forget
God’s ways, praying often, “Thy will be
done.” Jesus didn’t do what He as a human may have wanted; He did the
Father’s will for your salvation! Jesus remembered His place as the Son of God,
and He reminded Satan of that fact, forbidding the devil from testing God. And
in baptism, God’s will is to restore His image to you in His Name.
You are tempted by questioning what
God says, ignoring His revelation to you. It is so much easier to follow the
crowd, to listen and give in to popular opinion. You think that God can’t
really mean what He says when so many people believe otherwise. Such is the
temptation Satan used on Eve, when he said to her, “Did God really say...?” Such is the temptation into which the
Israelites succumbed, testing God in the Sinai, wondering if He was really
speaking through Moses.
Jesus doesn’t question God’s word
or ignore it. Instead, Jesus answers Satan’s question, “Did God really say…?” He answers resoundingly, telling the devil
that man lives “by every
word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Jesus reminds you: God
says that, instead of tempting Him, you are to worship Him. The highest form of
worship is not done in what you do; the highest form of worship happens when He
gives you His good gifts of gospel grace, and you receive them by His gift of
faith—a gift He gives you through the Spirit in your Baptism. God really says
to you today, “I forgive you all your
sins” through Christ who died in your place, who rose to exalt you on high!
So as you go forth today to face
the many temptations from the devil, from the world, and even from your own
sinful flesh, rejoice that the forgiveness God provides for you is not given
with any devilish strings attached. You don’t need to bow to Satan or put your
Father to the test. Instead, God gives His grace to you freely through His Son,
Jesus, who has already been tempted in your place. He resisted Satan perfectly,
even dying for you as your perfect sacrifice at Calvary’s
cross. Don’t trust your own strength to resist temptation. Trust His strength.
Trust His obedience. Trust His love for you. He is sufficient for the task. He
does not lead you into temptation; He delivers you from evil. In the name of
the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The
peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ
Jesus always. Amen.
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