Lord Christ, our eternal Redeemer, grant us such fellowship in your sufferings, that filled with your Holy Spirit, we may subdue the flesh to the spirit, and the spirit to you, and at the last attain to the glory of your resurrection; who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Temptation of Jesus
Reflection on Matthew 4:1-11
Jesus comes up from the muddy water of the Jordan River, the Spirit of God alights upon him like a dove, and a voice from heaven proclaims him God’s Son, the Beloved, with whom God is well pleased. But before Jesus can begin his public ministry he is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil.
Jesus came to reconcile all people to God, to turn us back to the God who loves us unconditionally, and to help us to return that love in joy and thanksgiving. Jesus goes into the wilderness and the Devil offers him three means by which he might accomplish his mission.
Turn these stones into bread and buy their loyalty. They will follow you wherever you go if you will just fill their bellies.
Throw yourself off of the temple and make their loyalty a matter of proof, of science. When the angels bear you up everyone will know that it would be foolish not to follow you.
Force your will upon them. I will give them into your hands. Surely you would be a benevolent dictator and everything that you do would be for their good. Take this power and make them follow you.
The temptation that Jesus faces is the temptation to coercion. Buy their allegiance, make it a matter of science and fact, or force them to follow. The problem with these three options is that what Jesus wants, what God wants from us is love and coercion never leads to love. “If you can’t say ‘no’ it isn’t love.”
So Jesus chooses another path. Jesus reveals God’s true nature and draws us into loving by giving himself to us, by refusing to abandon us no matter how we treat him, by loving us even when we do not love in return.
Coercion never leads to love. Love cannot be bought, proven, or forced. Love does not come through guilt, shame, or manipulation. Jesus understands that true love only happens when we are willing to make ourselves vulnerable, giving up control of the outcome, and love one another as God loves us. Jesus rejects the temptation to coercion so the Devil leaves him and the angels come and wait on him.
The Rev. Andrew Jones
Rector
St. Andrew’s Church, Madison
1 comment:
"Love does not come through guilt, shame or manipulation." -- but we still attempt to get love in those ways don't we? Lately I am all too aware of the ways in which the Church has struck "deals with the devil" to use those tools of guilt, shame and manipulation for its own ends. Lord, have mercy.
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