Posts filed under ‘Devotional Thoughts’
The Temptation of Christ – Matthew 4:1-11
Yesterday at Concordia, we kicked off our Lenten season with a two and a half day fast. If you want more information on fasting, its theological significance, as well as some of the mechanics of fasting, you can download a pdf of our fasting booklet here.
My guess is, if you are participating in our fast from solid foods, even as you are reading this, your stomach is growling. Mine is. And yet, as I mentioned in my message last night, we fast so that we can feast. For as our stomachs are emptied, our souls are filled as we remember, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
As I was thinking further about the temptations Satan leveled at Jesus while he was fasting in the desert, a few things struck me. First, I found it striking that Satan didn’t stop at one temptation. He circled back to tempt Jesus a second and a third time. When it comes to luring people into sin, Satan’s motto seems to be, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!” Thus, this is a temptation truth that we do well to remember: Fighting temptation is not a battle, it’s a war. If we resist temptation once, we can be pretty much guaranteed that Satan will come back for another round. But, then again, lest we throw up our hands in despair, believing it is futile to even try to resist temptation because Satan will simply continue to assault us, I also found Matthew 4:11 to be especially heartening: “Then the devil left Jesus.” Satan will eventually check out, even if he comes at you for a few rounds. Jesus’ brother James puts it well: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). If you, like Jesus, are fighting a battle with Satan, I would simply offer you this exhortation: Resist the devil. And keep on resisting. Even if it takes forty days. For Satan will eventually check out.
The second thing I found striking about Satan’s encounter with Christ is what one scholar terms as the “descending Christology” of these temptations. In his first temptation, Satan addresses Jesus: “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread” (Matthew 4:3). Notice that Satan acknowledges Jesus could be the Son of God, but he does not acknowledge he is the Son of God. But Satan does not stop here. He dives deeper into heresy until he crassly declares in his third temptation: “All [the kingdoms of the world] I will give you if you will bow down and worship me” (Matthew 4:9). Satan begins his temptations by saying, “If you are the Son of God…” He ends his temptations by essentially saying, “If I am god…” He ends his temptations demanding Jesus worship him as a god. A subtler error turns into a huge and hoary one.
Satan uses the same tactic with us that he used with Jesus. He begins by tempting us with smaller errors but then tries to drag us into larger errors until he finally destroys our faith altogether. This is why, whether it be a temptation to tell a little white lie or a temptation to commit murder, we must resist Satan’s every temptation at every turn and on every front.
The final thing I found striking – and really, touching – about Christ’s battle with Satan is the final line of Matthew’s temptation account: “And angels came and attended Jesus” (Matthew 4:11). The Greek word for “attended” is diakaneo, a word which describes someone who waits on tables. This has led many scholars to believe that following Satan’s temptations, angels came and waited on Jesus with food. And so Jesus finally breaks his fast. Oh what a relief that must have been for our Lord. And oh what a joy it must have been to see all of heaven concerned with his hunger and temptations. And here is comfort for us too: When we feel hungry or weak or tempted, all of heaven is concerned with our concerns. And heaven attends to us. God’s angels and best of all, God’s Son, offer us strength when we are weak and perseverance when we are tired. And so, as you fast, rejoice that all of heaven watches. And rejoice that all of heaven cares. But most of all, rejoice that the God of heaven loves you.
Confession and Absolution with the Lutheran Fathers
I came across this quote in the Lutheran Confessions and thought it might be appropriate as you prepare for worship this weekend. Two things are striking to me about this quote. First, the candor of the confessors concerning their sinfulness is a good reminder to us all concerning the importance of transparency over and against hypocrisy. Second, the questions asked by the confessors serve as a terrific guide for a private time of confession before God. As you read, read the questions slowly and ask yourself, “How have I fallen short in each of these areas?” Be honest with yourself and with God. But then, read on! For the second paragraph of this quote lays before us the sure and certain hope that we have been forgiven of our sins for the sake of Christ! Indeed, I love how the confessors quote Augustine to this end: “All the commandments of God are fulfilled when whatever is not done, is forgiven.” This is beautiful gospel, for it reminds us that we are only righteous, noble, pious, and good when God forgives us for all the ways in which we have been sinful, depraved, wicked, and bad! What a gracious God we serve and trust.
So, with that primer in mind, here is some wisdom from our Lutheran forefathers:
The Law always accuses us. For who loves or fears God sufficiently? Who with sufficient patience bears the afflictions imposed by God? Who does not frequently doubt whether human affairs are ruled by God’s counsel or by chance? Who does not frequently doubt whether he be heard by God? Who is not frequently enraged because the wicked enjoy a better lot than the pious, because the pious are oppressed by the wicked? Who does satisfaction to his own calling? Who loves his neighbor as himself? Who is not tempted by lust? Accordingly, Paul says in Romans 7:19: “The good that I would I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do.”
Augustine says: “All the commandments of God are fulfilled when whatever is not done, is forgiven.”…Wherefore we cannot conclude that we are accounted righteous before God because of our fulfilling of the Law, but in order that the conscience may become tranquil, justification must be sought elsewhere. For we are not righteous before God as long as we flee from God’s judgment, and are angry with God. Therefore we must conclude that, being reconciled by faith, we are accounted righteous for Christ’s sake, not for the sake of the Law or our works.
Defense of the Augsburg Confession III 45-56
Want to read more from the Lutheran Confessions? Go to http://bookofconcord.org.
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