Recently I came across a tradition at the prestigious University of MIT. MIT is known for academic excellence and has trained some of our nation’s brightest minds in math and sciences. Yet this renowned institution has a long-standing requirement that all the students must pass a different kind of test. The Boston Globe reported, “Seven days before the test, Stephanie Yeh stood in her sorority house and cried.” An electrical Share on Facebook
engineering and computer science major, she was set to graduate near the top of her class and start a six-figure job as a Wall Street analyst. Just one test, terrifying to her, remained. Yeh and the others must pass this exam to graduate. She had to swim 100 yards, four lengths of a pool, without stopping. The problem: Yeh never learned how to swim. Now some might ask why an institution of higher learning requires a swimming test? It is a practice that dates to WWII from a belief that swimming is a life skill we all need. Yet for Stephanie Yeh, it was more than a simple test, but rather a time to face her underwater demons.
We all face tests every day, decisions and obstacles, choices and temptations. The question is how do we respond to these tests? How does our faith bear itself out in the way we choose to act? Let us look at the temptation of Christ to explore this idea. READ Matthew 4:1-11
Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit. He is all alone and needs to center himself before his ministry takes flight. He wanders in the wilderness for forty days, a time that links him with Moses and Elijah who both fasted for 40 days. Of course, this time in the wilderness is the basis for our season of Lent, which started on Ash Wednesday, lasting 40 days. We are journeying with Christ in the wilderness. At the end of this time, Jesus is both famished and tempted.
The Greek word “peirazo” can mean either “tempt” or “test.” In English temptation denotes sin, seduction and leading someone astray. To tempt is to entice a person to do what is wrong; while to test is to give a person the opportunity to choose what is right. To tempt is to hope for failure; to test is to hope for success. Clearly here Jesus is being tempted by the tempter, by the one who wants him to fail, by the one who hopes to trick him. Yet we must remember that Jesus is famished, depleted, because of his fasting. Now it might be difficult for us to truly know the meaning of being famished, starving, wanting food so bad that every other concern does not exist. But I do think we can relate to being extremely overwhelmed, taxed beyond belief, and stressed out and how those times can lead to questionable decisions.
This week I have been fighting a cold. I slept most of the day on our Monday holiday and came to work on Tuesday mostly for Session. I tried to keep my distance from Joanna as I did with you all last week during service. I say all of that to note I have been worn down and not at my best. Parker and Brad have seen my snippy attitude and poor decisions. Whether it is financial worries, family stress, or emotional fatigue we can get worn down by these anxieties and they can affect our choices. We are starved for direction and weakened by all the burdens of life. This is when we make famished choices, the ones that if we had more time, better health, and less stress, we are sure would have a different outcome. When you are stressed beyond the limit, and worrying yourself sick, when you are feeling overwhelmed and depressed, remember two things. First you are not alone. We have all been in those situations and need support to find our way out. And secondly, we can draw on our greatest comfort when we turn to God.
Up until now we have seen the famished side of Jesus’ fasting, yet Jesus was also sure to be devoted to prayer. For fasting and prayer are spiritual disciplines that go hand in hand, in the pursuit of drawing closer to God. But we can be certain that Jesus fervently prayed, intimately connected to God while on his wilderness journey. For how else would he be able to withstand the tests, the temptations he faced?
First Jesus is tempted to make bread out of stones. Tapping into the deep hunger Jesus is experiencing, the tempter invites both relief from his empty belly and disobedience to God’s purpose. But it is in those moments of singular focus, and deep longing that deals are often made, maybe not with the tempter, but deals just the same. God if you could get me out of this mess, I will faithfully go to church. God if you could save this life, I will not ask for anything else. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. But Jesus does turn this temptation about food, into a test to show us how to trust in God’s words, not in bread alone. For the word of God will strengthen and comfort even in our famished times.
Then when the tempter uses scripture to entice Jesus to show his divinity and call on angels, Jesus turns that temptation into a test. Fighting scripture with scripture, Jesus has no need to prove himself, elevate himself, only to satisfy the one taunting him. Rather, Jesus masters the test and succeeds when he reminds us to follow our own path and to not test the Lord.
Finally, Jesus is tempted to have all power from every nation if only he will bend the knee and turn away from God. Fortunately, Jesus never sought power in the usual sense. His power comes from God, not from the world. But power is one of the great temptations we face. Balancing our desire to be someone in the world with being someone for God in the world, is a great test. Yet Jesus turned that test into an opportunity. Jesus shows us, we are not here for our glory or power, but to proclaim our God by worshiping and serving only him.
I would suggest that every choice we make, every decision we face, can be either a test or a temptation. A test is where we will show who we are, what we believe and what we are made of, or the same event can be temptation where we struggle to choose, labor to know our path, truly desire something not in our best interest. So, what is the difference between a test and a temptation? I believe we are tempted when we are famished, depleted, lost and trying to make it on our own. But when we are God centered, and dependent on God, then every obstacle is a test, a chance to succeed, a time to trust. If there is a choice in your life, one that at times feels like a temptation to lead you astray while at other times feels like a challenge and test of who you are, retreat into the wilderness of prayer and seek God in the process. Find your quiet place with God, to sort through the choice looking for a way to make this a test and not a temptation; looking for a way for God to help you choose.
The Adam and Eve temptation, or test, reminds us that we will face these challenges all of our lives, They were tempted, tested, from the very first decision in the history of choices. They even have abundant food, and no worries, but still, they eat the forbidden fruit. This was not a famished choice, but rather a time of enticements, choosing what looks good and not being concerned in God’s will. But how could they choose otherwise? When tempted, they had no relationship with God. They were only Creator and created. So when the tempting came, they had no center, they had no strength from which to draw. But we do! We have a relationship with God as children of the faith and followers of Christ. We have the power to draw upon that will not lead to corruption, but to hope. We know that strength and power through Jesus Christ.
William Barclay made a wonderful observation about this time of temptation and testing of Jesus. No one is with him, he is all alone, and yet we know of his time of trial, we know of the time when he was put to the test. Barclay calls this the most sacred text, because the very fact that we even know about this intimate time in Jesus’ life is because he chose to be vulnerable and tell those he trusted. Jesus does not hide his moment of temptation, keeping it to himself like I think many of us would. Rather Jesus shares his time of testing. Jesus tells his struggle; Jesus reveals his battle, to help us know he understands what we go through. He wanted us to know that we all have time of testing, we all face temptations we feel ill-equipped to handle. But Jesus shared his spiritual autobiography with us so that we might be strengthened for our own journey in the wilderness.
Finally, when all the testing and temptations are done, the tempter leaves and the angels come. The ordeal is over, and now is the time for healing. The angels wait on him, or better yet serve him, When Abraham passed the test to not sacrifice Isaac, God blessed him. When Job passed his many tests, God blessed him. Now God blesses Jesus. There is a pattern. There is hope for us here. When faced with difficulty, remember that God has a blessing waiting. It may not be the blessing of angels, but certainly a blessing of hope, faith and love. Now if you are concerned if Stephanie Yeh passed her swimming test, the picture showed her with her passing card and a giant smile on her face.
So, when your temptations arise remember three things:
Jesus knows what you are going through and is with you on the journey.
Every temptation can be turned into a test for you to claim your faith and succeed.
And when the trial is over, seek out God’s blessing and love. Amen.
