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February 2002
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1st Sunday in Lent (February 17, 2002)
“From Temptation to Temptation”
Dr. Van Kemper
Texts: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 and Matthew 4:1-11
SERMON
Mardi
Gras is over. The Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper is behind us. Ash Wednesday is
history. Now, the Table is set for sharing in the Sacrament of the Lord’s
Supper on this, the first Sunday in Lent.
And
the Lectionary readings are all about temptations, transgressions, and
trespasses! The familiar Genesis story of Adam and Eve and the “serpent”
started us along this journey from the beginnings of human history. Then we sang
together Psalm 32 from The Presbyterian
Hymnal, which harmonizes an ancient text that began, “Happy are those
whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” Then, in Paul’s Epistle
to the Romans, we heard his declaration that “... sin came into the world
through one man, and death came through sin,...” and the corollary “... just
as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of
righteousness leads to justification and life for all.”
Those
Christians in first-century Rome knew that the first man was the one called
“Adam,” which simply is the generic ancient Hebrew word for a “male human
being.” They also knew that the second man was the one called “Jesus,”
whose name meant “the Lord, Yahweh, saves.”
What
makes “Adam” such a terrible role model for humanity? And what makes
“Jesus” such a special figure for salvation? And why do these stories
intersect today, on the First Sunday in Lent? These are the key questions for
this morning, as we prepare for the Lord’s Supper and for the penitential
period of the Lenten Season.
Let
us begin at the beginning – by going back to the basics, back to the story of
the “Garden of Eden.” Some Christians take literally every word in this
passage of scripture; others see it merely as an “origin myth,” not unlike
those found in the folklore of peoples around the world. Whatever we believe, we
are reminded through this tale that God has provided for humanity since the
beginning. We were given a place to live, we were given work to do, and we were
given freedom of choice in our daily lives. And, just to keep life interesting,
God provided a voice (in this case, the voice of a “serpent”) capable of
challenging our complacency.
The ancient Chinese had a curse, “May you lead an interesting life!” In the
Garden of Eden, the “serpent” is the one that made life “interesting”
for the first humans– simply by talking! The “serpent” is described as a
“crafty” creature – which just happens to be a play on the ancient Hebrew
word for “naked,” the very circumstances in which Adam and Eve soon find
themselves.
The
first “sin” was an act of disobedience against God’s will for us. What was
so tempting to that prototypical couple? Was it the desire for something
“good for food,” for something that was “a delight to the eyes,” or for
something that would make them “wise”? Certainly, each of these elements
entered into their decision to be disobedient – just as these elements often
influence our decisions to be disobedient to God.
Indeed, the staying power of this tale of first “sin” comes from the
all-too-human desire to be more than
we can be, even to be “like God” – to use the words of the “serpent.”
Even thousands of years later, this story helps us to comprehend the
consequences of disobedience. Adam and Eve, and all humans ever since, have been
bound by the brokenness of our earthly existence – a life that goes literally
from “dust to dust.”
But
then along comes Jesus. According to Matthew’s version of the story, Jesus had
just been baptized and “then” he was “led up by the Spirit into the
wilderness to be tempted...” And, according to Matthew, before he was
tempted, Jesus “fasted for forty days and forty nights” – precisely the
length of the Lenten Season, not counting Sundays.
Of
course, first-century Christians did not have a Lenten season. They surely saw
Jesus’ time in the wilderness as a parallel to the forty days that Moses had
spent on the mountain of the Lord and the forty years that the Israelites were
in the wilderness. The community also knew that Jesus’ responses to his
tempter came from the scroll of Deuteronomy, including the central tenet (Deut.
5:6-7) of Israel’s obedience to the Lord:
Whereas
the “first couple” took what was offered by their tempter, Jesus rejected
all three temptations – first, the opportunity to turn stones into bread;
second, the chance to survive throwing himself off the “pinnacle of the
temple”; and, finally, the offer to rule “all the kingdoms of the world”
if he would “fall down and worship” his tempter.
In
rejecting each of these temptations, Jesus went well beyond ordinary human
responses. His answers show that he depended on God for everything. He focused
on obedience to God above all else. Jesus, the recently baptized “beloved of
God,” chose not to use God’s power for his own personal benefit. He
rejected the temptation to “be like God.”
In
their disobedience, Adam and Eve sought to be more than they could be. In
his obedience, Jesus proved himself capable of demonstrating exactly who he
really is.
In
fact, the staying power of this story resides in its affirmation of Jesus’
ability to resist the very temptations that always caused ordinary humans and
our human institutions to fall from grace. None caused Jesus to fall down and
worship his tempter. In his humanity, Jesus was unique precisely because he was
“above price” – nothing that his tempter offered was sufficient to bring
Jesus into disobedience to God.
And
this brings us to the connection of “temptation” to the Lenten Season. We
began Lent last Wednesday evening with a worship service that concluded with the
“imposition of ashes,” the visible reminder that we should “remember that
we are dust, and to dust we shall return.” And, this morning, the lections
remind us that temptation, transgression, and trespasses have been the rule for
humanity for all time. The only exception to this rule is here in Matthew’s
gospel. Jesus surpasses our ordinary human expectations and, in the process,
provides a model for us as we contemplate our own forty days and forty nights
until, once again, Easter rises on the horizon of our lives.
As
we begin this penitential season, as we contemplate the sinfulness inherent in
our community, many Christians decide to give up something until Easter comes.
In this way, we follow the pattern of fasting of Jesus in the wilderness. In
this way, we challenge ourselves to go beyond our ordinary responses to
temptation.
During
this Lenten Season, we can respond to temptation not only as individuals, but
also as a community of believers. We can give up what we do in ordinary times,
as we move into this extraordinary season in the church year. Here are two
temptations for us to consider:
First,
let us give up the temptation “to do what we always do.” Many of us have
become so comfortable in doing the “same old thing” that we have lost our
capacity to respond to new opportunities. In choosing the “tried and true,”
we turn our backs on the possibilities that the Lord places before us.
Second,
let us give up the temptation to believe that we are not responsible for where
we are in God’s creation. Trinity Presbyterian Church is here on North
Zang Blvd; this may not be a “Garden of Eden,” but it is not a
“wilderness” either. We are responsible to be here, to be the “body
of Christ” in this place, to be in interaction with the people and the
institutions surrounding us. A willingness to confess our sins and to repent –
literally, to go through a “turn around” – is essential to living out the
Gospel in this place at this time.
In
this Lenten Season, let us repent, let us seek righteousness, let us
practice justice with our neighbors.In finding new ways to be here, we
will be transformed beyond our wildest expectations. Let us demonstrate the
courage to reject the temptation to live in the past, and to accept
the temptation to follow Jesus’ path into a blessed new future.
Amen.