Sermon for 2/26/23: First Sunday in Lent

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The Word Is a Weapon
Genesis 3:1-21

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Both the Gospel and the Old Testament readings for this day are about temptation. Now, Adam and Eve were only human, whereas Jesus was not only human but also God. At first, that might seem like an unfair comparison. All Jesus had to do was use His divine power, and Satan could not touch Him. But a careful reading of today’s Gospel actually tells us that Jesus did not use His divine power. Jesus was hungry; God doesn’t get hungry. If Jesus had used His divine power for His own advantage, He would not have been hungry. We learn from the Gospels that Jesus never used His divine nature for His own advantage. As you may remember from Catechism instruction, we call this His “state of humiliation.” Jesus took on human flesh in order to take our place. That was the reason for His humiliation. He wouldn’t really be our Substitute if He used His divine power only to serve Himself. Instead, He used it to help others.

It is interesting that the first temptation the devil aimed at Jesus was about food. The same was true in the Garden. The first temptation of humanity was about forbidden food. God had set aside one tree, and the fruit on that tree was forbidden. All Adam and Eve really had to do was leave it alone. God had given them dominion over His creation. He asked only that they show their love for God simply by not eating the fruit of that one tree. Nevertheless, they listened to the serpent; they picked and ate the forbidden fruit.

Adam and Eve fell; Jesus resisted. What was it that allowed Jesus to resist the temptation while Adam and Eve gave up without a fight? The answer is God’s Word. The devil’s real temptation began with the words, “Did God actually say?” The battle really had nothing to do with forbidden fruit, turning stones and bread, or jumping from high buildings. The real battle is always over God’s Word. If Satan can drive a wedge between us and God’s Word, the contest is over. Did God really say, “You shall not eat of any tree in the Garden?” Did God actually say, “You shall not murder?” Did God really say, “You shall not commit adultery?” All the tempting questions have their foundation in one question: Did God really say, “You shall have no other gods before Me?” Before we commit any other sin, we must first remove God from being God. Satan doesn’t really care if we commit any other sin, as along we remove God from being God. And to do that, the devil must separate us from God’s Word.

When the devil cannot get people away from Scripture, he gets them to twist it. He gets them to think of what they must do. “Have I made a decision for Jesus?” “Have I accepted Jesus into my heart?” “Have I given my whole life to Jesus?” “Have I made Jesus my Savior and my Lord?” In a very subtle way, the devil turns your focus away from God and back on yourself. Instead, the Bible answers different questions. “Has Jesus made me His own personal sinner?” “Has Jesus welcomed me into His heart?” “Has He given His whole life to me?” “Has He died to pay the price for my sins?” And the answer in God’s Word to all these questions is a resounding yes!

The Epistle to the Hebrews says: “The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” That is how Jesus used God’s Word. “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” “It is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.’” Jesus did not cast aside the Word of God as did Adam and Eve. Instead, He relied on it to defend Himself from the devil. Hearing the Word of God, the devil had no choice but to retreat.

Today’s Gospel reading, which is God’s own answer to the Old Testament reading, teaches us that Jesus endured that full-on, no-holds-barred assault of the devil. The devil retreated after this battle, but he never gave up. He was tempting Jesus still, even as He hung on the cross. Those who passed by the cross were doing the devil’s work when they said: “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Jesus could have escaped the cross. He always had His divine power at His disposal. But He resisted the temptation to use it. He remained on the cross until He died, until He paid for the sins of the world.

Jesus endured all the temptations of the devil and lived a holy life of complete and perfect righteousness. With His death on the cross, He performed the “great exchange;” He took away our sin and covered us with the righteousness of His perfect life. And now He sends the Holy Spirit to work through God’s Word as we hear it, as it washes us in Holy Baptism, as it feeds us in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Through these means we are enabled to face and defeat temptation, for they give us Jesus and all that He has done for us. 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.