Is It an Opportune Time, Yet?

Luke 4:1-13

“We are not tempted to do what we cannot do but what is within our power.” [1] I read this sentence in Fred Craddock’s commentary on Luke and it struck me as particularly profound. I’d never thought about it that way, but it rings true. Temptation is that voice urging you on, “you can totally do this.” Craddock makes other poignant point about temptation, that it often seems to encourage us to act by convincing us of the good that it will accomplish. “A real temptation,” writes Craddock, “beckons us to do that about which much good can be said. Stones to bread--the hungry hope so; take political control--the oppressed hope so; leap from the temple--those longing for proof of God’s power among us hope so.” [2]

On Ash Wednesday I paraphrased the temptation to sin like this: divesting our earthly accountability of divine intelligence. Then I summarized those fancy words: God (divine intelligence) says “Don’t do it,” we say “I wanna do it,” and temptation says “You can do it!”

So a question comes to mind right off the bat: How do I discern whether I’m being encouraged by the will of God or the whim of temptation? If only there were an example of someone trustworthy demonstrating effective ways to keep temptation at bay. What’s that, you say? The passage we just read? So how does Jesus engage temptation? With Scripture. Stones into bread? Um...Deuteronomy 8:3 “no one lives by bread alone,” that verse continues, “they live based on whatever the LORD says.” Jesus doubles down on his accountability to divine intelligence (a.k.a. the word of God, a.k.a. whatever the LORD says). “Worship me,” the devil then tells Jesus, “and I’ll give you all the kingdoms of the world. Right now, they belong to me and I can give them to whomever I want.” Think of all the good that could be accomplished if only Jesus were in charge instead of Satan. “Will Jesus submit to the ruler of this world in order to achieve good for the people of this world?” [3] Um...Deuteronomy 6:13, “Worship God and serve only him.”

But then, check out what happens next: the devil drops some Scripture on Jesus. Saavy to Jesus’ faithful accountability to divine intelligence, the devil now dangles Psalm 91 from the pinnacle of the Jerusalem temple. “I see you’re keen on the word of God. Well, don’t the scriptures say that ‘God will command his angels concerning you, to protect you'...they’ll make sure you don’t splatter like a bug. If you really trust the word of God, then prove it. Take a leap of faith.” Fortunately, says Craddock, “Jesus discerns the difference between appropriate and inappropriate uses of Scripture.” [4] And the devil, defeated, departs. But not forever...just “until an opportune time.”

“Give the tempter his due:” says Craddock, “the timing is perfect. Jesus has not preached a sermon, cast out a demon, or healed a sick person. He is alone and hungry in the desert, poised at the edge of his ministry. What will be its nature and shape?” [5] Jesus is tempted by evil, as personified by “the devil,” yet demonstrates accountability to divine wisdom with such aplomb that one could claim his words and actions to be in perfect accord with the word of God. What’s that, you say, they call him the Word of God...with a capital 'W'? I can respect that.

Luke has the devil appear to tempt Jesus, but there are many other ‘personifications of evil' in scripture. I really like what Fred Craddock writes: “The Scriptures variously characterize the power of evil in this world: tendencies within ourselves; a personal being outside ourselves, apparently a powerful angel gone astray; a cosmic power; and organized forces arrayed against the will of God for the world. In whatever images or concepts, Scripture agrees with experience that there is in us and among us strong opposition to love, health, wholeness, and peace. Being committed to the way of God in the world does not exempt one from the struggle.” [6] In fact, I would argue that being committed to the way of God is what creates the struggle. Back to the initial question: how do we discern the will of God against the whim of temptation? Evil, through temptation, preys on our love of the “quick fix” and offers us a way to avoid discomfort and conflict and deep thought. God, through the Spirit, prays for our love to increase, that we might love as God loves: for the long haul, through discomfort and conflict.

Back to the initial point I introduced, that I can only really tempted to do what is within my power. This raises the the question: how powerful am I? Scripture says, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” (Christ, a.k.a. the Word of God a.k.a. divine intelligence incarnate). Look at the offers that the devil makes Jesus when he is full of the Holy Spirit. How powerful? Very powerful. So powerful that perfect divine intelligence overwhelms the temptation to abuse that power. But I am, we are, far from perfectly in tune with God, and there are other sources of power, earthly power, much more easily abused. And if we have already given into the initial temptation--to divest our earthly accountability of divine intelligence--then we are much more easily tempted to abuse our earthly power. This does not mean that those who have earthly power--wealth, influence, etc.--are evil, but that they must be espeially wary as they are prime targets for the temptation to abuse that power. We are far from perfectly in tune with God, maybe that’s why Lent is such an important time for us to be penitent and mindful. We could use the practice. Practice with what? “We are only really tempted to do what is within our power.” We need to practice letting our lives be inspired and led by God’s power, not our power, by God’s will, not our will.

“We are not tempted to do what we cannot do but what is within our power.” I also wonder if this has something to do with God’s favoritism of the poor, the weak, the sick, the crippled, the outcast, those oppressed by the abuses of earthly power. They aren’t any less susceptible to temptation, but they are less submerged in it. Maybe it’s easier to grasp the goodness of the Gospel when one isn’t drowning in the din of denial. Maybe that’s also why Jesus went into the wilderness to practice prayer...but even there, in the wilderness, away from the hustle and bustle of the crowds, Jesus faced temptation. And if Jesus faced temptation, even in the wilderness, do you think any of us, anywhere are exempt?

Lent is an important time for us to practice penitence and mindfulness and forgiveness and patience; to practice self-denial and sacrifice and sobriety; to practice meditation and creative thinking and prayer...to practice tuning our lives to transmit on the wavelength of the Holy Spirit. Today’s passage ended with a bit of a cliffhanger: “the devil departed until an opportune time.” I’m going to end on a cliffhanger, too. But first, a question, the question I posed in the title of my sermon: “Is it an opportune time, yet?” The answer to that question, I think, depends on how you would answer this one: Is now an opportune time to procrastinate on prayer?

We say, “I wanna do it,” temptation says, “You can do it!”...Divine intelligence says: “Don’t do it.”

So...let us pray.

Holy God, send your Spirit to flush us out and fill us up. Fill us as you filled Jesus Christ and strengthen us to counter the temptations of earthly power with faithfulness to your holy word. Fill us with divine intelligence and the power of the Holy Spirit to interpret your word in ways which are appropriate and which increase and inspire life, love, compassion, mercy, grace, peace, hope, and joy. Amen.

[1] Craddock, Fred. “Luke” from Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Preaching and Teaching. (Louisville, KY, John Knox Press, 1990). 56.

[2] Ibid. 56.

[3] Ibid. 56.

[4] Ibid. 56

[5] Ibid. 55.

[6] Ibid. 55.