The story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness has formed the way Christians have thought about the season of Lent for centuries. It’s an extreme kind of spiritual retreat – 40 days of fasting and then facing the devil. That is not the kind of experience most of us seek on retreat.
At the end of 40 days Jesus is hungry, weak, and helpless. Not exactly the state you want to be in when you face the temptations of the devil. And the temptations themselves are aimed at these vulnerabilities.
- Jesus is hungry and is tempted not only with food, but the ability to change rocks into bread. He could feed all the hungry. What a great gift that would be! Later on, Jesus will use his power to feed multitudes, but why not do it now with magic?
- Jesus is weak and tempted to harness the power of God’s angels to protect him from harm and lift him up. It is a bit much to imagine throwing oneself off the pinnacle of the temple, but how magnificent would it be to be insulated from life’s discomforts and be safe from danger.
- He is helpless and is tempted with control over all the empires of the world. Here, the devil is saying that he has control over the power and splendor of the world’s kingdoms and can hand that power to Jesus – or anyone.
The problem with all these temptations – even when the outcomes include something apparently good – is that if Jesus accepts the offer, he must become an agent of the devil. He would have to betray his identity as the Son of God.
Jesus was offered food, power, and influence at a time when he was very vulnerable. At a time when his people would really, really have benefitted from having access to those things. But the underlying temptation was a test of his allegiance to God. It is a test that many of us face on a smaller scale all the time.
Of all the temptations, I think the last one speaks most clearly to our time. The world today is experiencing conflicts between great political and economic powers, people, corporations, and nations jockeying for our attention and our allegiance. As tempting as it is to take power at the top of the mountain from the hands of the devil – even when it seems to solve a lot of problems at the bottom of the mountain – that is not the way of God. It matters how you gain that kind of power, not just that you have it.
Jesus chooses a different way. He shows us a different way. When we see God’s purposes in conflict with the powers that be, the answer is NOT to emulate or accommodate how powers . This is one of the key reasons why Christian nationalism is wrong. The kind of power that Christian nationalism advocates is a power that Jesus shunned. And let’s be clear – the only nation that will be truly Christian is the Kingdom of God. And that kingdom has no borders or boundaries, it is welcoming and inclusive of all human beings. There is no earthly nation that can do that – and none that I know of that wants to do that.
The powers of evil are real and destructive and very attractive – to feed ourselves and everyone else who is hungry, to be safe and secure from harm, to run the world the way we think best.
But God didn’t design the world to operate on the whims and preferences of magic tricks or consolidated power. The way that Jesus chooses instead is the way we are invited to walk – and he showed us with his own human body, not special abilities.
He chose to feed the people by sharing, not magically turning rocks into bread.
He chose to harness the love of God by teaching and healing, not teasing God with a stunt.
He called followers to share in his ministry and challenged the leaders of his day who oppressed the vulnerable.
When we feel hungry, tired, and helpless, it is good to have a reminder that we don’t have to accommodate evil.