3-3-14 - Temptation

Every first Sunday in Lent our Gospel reading is the account of Jesus being tempted by the devil in the wilderness. This year it’s Matthew’s version, which begins simply: “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished.”

This story follows right on the heels of Jesus’ baptism, and seems to have been a necessary step as he prepared for his mission to make known to the world the power and love of God, and to reconcile humanity to the God from whom we had become estranged. Was it because he needed to know his adversary? Did he need toughening up? Did the Son of God have to prove his sinlessness?

We’ll get into Jesus’ forays with the tempter as the week progresses. Today, let’s talk about temptation. How does it work, and why are we vulnerable? Our tradition has a “root story” to explain it, the story of First Man and First Woman in the Garden of Eden (the reading printed today). In this ancient mythic story woven to explain the disconnect between creator and creation, we see some classic temptation tricks wielded to great effect:

1. Divide and conquer. The tempter doesn’t approach both humans – he starts with the woman.
2. Distort reality. The serpent asks the woman, “Did God say not to eat of any tree?,” when God had said they could eat of every tree, except one.
3. Undermine your target’s sense of identity. When the serpent contradicts God’s instructions, he causes the woman to question God’s goodness and authority, and her place in that relationship.
4. Make disobedience appealing – chances are, they wouldn’t have flouted God’s instructions for a wormy, overripe piece of fruit.
5. Get an accomplice. The woman is quick to invite the man to join her transgression, and he puts up no fight at all. 

This is pretty much how temptation works, whether in our lives, or in advertising. If we want to stay grounded in the goodness and love we are offered as children of God and followers of Christ, we’d do well to get hip to the wiles of the evil one and say, “No thanks,” when temptation comes our way. Of course, that's a little over-simplified, and sometimes the temptation seems to originate in our own hearts and minds. That’s a mystery for another day – and for the rest of our lives. (We will talk about the devil some this week… I know views differ on that subject.)

Today, how about we think through the last time we submitted to temptation, to do or say something that was not in our best interest or harmful to another, whether it was eating more than we needed or passing along a tidbit of gossip, or indulging in some judgment about someone (remember how broadly Jesus defined sin!). Break down the process if you can, and see where you might tighten your defenses. And think of a time when you resisted and stayed true to yourself and your hopes.

The point of this exercise is not to feel bad about ourselves – we are vulnerable because we are alive and have been given the gift of free will, to choose, and choose, and choose again. As we become more aware of how temptation works on us, we are able to develop strategies for resisting it.

The most important strategy of all, I believe, is to remember that we are beloved of God, and that God doesn’t turn away from us no matter how often we stumble. God’s forgiveness and mercy abound. That’s the best defense of all.