Jean – Page 4

Confessional Prayer – Holy Week

Friends, as we approach Good Friday it’s appropriate that we take time to ask God to search our hearts, “to see if there is any offensive way in us, and to lead us in the way everlasting (Psa 139). May God grant us discernment, compunction, and contrition as we make our way to Calvary. What a tragic yet glorious phenomenon. We do not have to beat ourselves up, we don’t have to dissect our lives so that we might feel bad enough to think about Christ’s crucifixion. How can it be, that He became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God? Today, tonight, as we sit quietly in His presence, may the Holy Spirit bring to our hearts those sins we long to lay down. I have been cranky, and judgmental, and angry when things did not go my way today. Those sins and so much more I long to be cleansed of. I long to see the “power of the Cross” work its way into my heart. As long as He is nailed to that cross – may our sins be thrown onto Him. Can we release to Him our shame? Our wounds? Our suffering? Of course, we know that He died once, once and for all – but may we, this day, take into our hearts the reality of His suffering and His death.

Begin by centering your heart in God’s presence… Give thanks to Him that you do not need to hide anything from him. Affirm that He is faithful and good, and his mercy and grace are “new every morning.” The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22-23).

Now let him begin the process of searching your heart. What is the Holy Spirit revealing to you? Is there anger in your heart? Bitterness? Unforgiveness? Pride? Take time to let the Spirit help you be specific about your sin. How have you not honored God this week? Know that “the grace of God prepares the way for the confession of sin” (Rutledge).

Then, simply confess in as specific a way you can the sins that trouble you. Don’t rush through this process. Simply rest in God’s presence as He does this. Keep before you the Cross and what Christ has done for you. You may want to hold a cross, or a crucifix in your hand as you confess.

Now choose to let this go and receive Christ’s forgiveness for you. Remember – “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

And finally commit this confession to the Lord. As you rest in his forgiveness ask him how to walk this out. Ask for the supernatural power of His Spirit to give you what you need to move forward. Thank him that you “have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer [you] who live, but Christ lives in [you]” (Gal. 2:20).

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in me a new and contrite heart that I, worthily lamenting my sins and acknowledging my wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Book of Common Prayer.

The Power of the Cross – Sovereign Grace Music

Holy Week Lectio Divina

Friends, there is so much to consider in Holy Week. It’s a dramatic week and the events pass by so quickly! I feel inclined to take our time this week to consider Good Friday (and then Resurrection Sunday) so I might not write about Maundy Thursday – the Passover meal Christ shared with the disciples and his vigil in Gethsemane. I’m very torn about this and might change my mind!

I’ve written about this before, but I want to put it before you again. Paul took all of what happened in the life of Christ and then of course in the disciples’ lives and made it theology. As I said before, he went even further than that. The Cross, the Resurrection, baptism, death and life became a language of sanctification – it became for us who follow Christ – a way of life. And it wasn’t just Paul. You see this in Peter and other writers of the epistles.

My sense is that it would be worth our time reading reflectively these passages I’m including that use that language, especially as we approach Good Friday. How was our old self crucified? How is it that in Christ we are now the righteousness of Christ? What is it about His crucifixion that made that a reality? What does it mean that our sins were nailed to the cross?

I think as well, it would be good to read all four Gospel accounts of the crucifixion. If you read them side by side, you’ll see the way each writer brought his own personal perspective to it. Spoiler – Luke’s account made me think of Christmas!

Lord, may Your Word go down deep in us. I’ve included a song called “Show Us Christ” which might be good to listen to before reading the Scriptures.

Rom 6:3-7 – ³ Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. ⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷ For whoever has died is freed from sin. (NRS)

2Co 5:21- ²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (NRS)

Col 2: 13-14 – ¹³ And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, ¹⁴ by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Step One – Read the passage slowly, attentively. Allow yourself to be taken in by the words – pay attention to any word or phrase that strikes you in the passage. (If you haven’t studied this passage, you may find this first reading will stir observation questions in you – such as who, what when, where, how).

Step Two – Read it again. Meditate and reflect on the passage. What is it in your life that needs to hear that word or phrase? Sit in silence for a time, attending to the thoughts, images and impressions that begin to come to you. Turn that into prayer.

Step Three – What is God saying to you? What do you begin to feel called to?

Step Four – How does God want you to live this passage out? What are you resolved to do?

Lectio Quote

Friends, please forgive the length of the second quote! But what a quote. If you can, take some time this week and read this out loud. Have someone else read it to you. And let its truth sink deep into your soul as you prepare for Good Friday. (The first quote is also so very good!)

The Cross is the abyss of wonders, the center of desires, the school of virtues, the house of wisdom, the throne of love, the theatre of joys, and the place of sorrows; It is the root of happiness, and the gate of Heaven.
Thomas Traherne

Of all the things in Heaven and Earth it [the Cross] is the most peculiar. It is the most exalted of all objects. It is a sign lifted up for all nations, to it shall the Gentiles seek, His rest shall be glorious: the dispersed of Judah shall be gathered together to it, from the four corners of the earth. If Love be the weight of the Soul, and its object the center, all eyes and hearts may convert and turn unto this Object: cleave unto this center, and by it enter into rest. There we might see all nations assembled with their eyes and hearts upon it. There we may see God’s goodness, wisdom, and power: yea His mercy and anger displayed. There we may see man’s sin and infinite value. His hope and fear, his misery and happiness. There we might see the Rock of Ages, and the Joys of Heaven. There we may see a Man loving all the world, and a God dying for mankind. There we may see all types and ceremonies, figures, and prophecies. And all kingdoms adoring a criminal: An innocent criminal, yet the greatest in the world. There we may see the most distant things in Eternity united: all mysteries at once couched together and explained. The only reason why this Glorious Object is so publicly admired by Churches and Kingdoms, and so little thought of by particular men, is because it is truly the most glorious: It is the Rock of Comforts and the Fountain of Joys. It is the only supreme and sovereign spectacle in all Worlds. It is a Well of Life beneath in which we may see the face of Heaven above: and the only mirror, wherein all things appear in their proper colors: that is, sprinkled in the blood of our Lord and Savior. (Traherne)

Jubilation and Betrayal

I started this post thinking I was going to continue a conversation about suffering I started a week ago. It seemed especially right because yesterday was the 10^th anniversary of Zekey’s (my grandson) passing. Also, as someone who suffers with chronic migraines and other ailments, I thought I would share my thoughts about what suffering says about our God and how our suffering can be redemptive. But…

Today we turned our faces toward Jerusalem. Today, we are a part of the crowd who sang as Jesus rode by on a donkey. Today, we add our cloaks, and lay our branches down – to pay homage to a king.

This has been a difficult post to write – I am unsettled about this celebration. It seems naïve and thoughtless. It feels like cheering on the Detroit Lions – this is not going to end well.

In the jubilant cries of Hosanna – there is a plea – Hosanna is not just another hallelujah; it is the cry – Save us! As the crowds were laying down their cloaks and their branches – they were saying to the King of Kings- Be the king we need! Be the One who saves us! I think of those who were in the crowd – the ones who witnessed the raising of Lazarus, the ones who had heard and swarmed toward Bethany. The disciples were in that crowd. And of course, the Pharisees and the enemies of Jesus. A party unlike most parties. The Pharisees rebuked Jesus for the great noise that was being made by the crowd. They were singing and rejoicing over all the mighty works they had seen. But Jesus tells the religious leaders – “if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” (Lk 19:37). They even rebuked Jesus for the songs sung by children! (Mat. 21:16) Such joy! Joy that should not be silenced. In Luke’s account we hear the Christmas angels’ cry – “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

But… there’s a very real “but” here – because there is great irony, isn’t there? These joyful followers are not there at the end. At least as far as we know. Even his closest friends would be strangers by Friday. Is it any wonder that he wept as he drew near and saw the city?

In some traditions Palm Sunday moves quickly in the liturgy from the crowd’s celebration to the events that will happen over the next seven days. Palm Sunday becomes Passion Sunday – where Scriptures like Psalm 31 and Philippians 2 are read. It seems that our souls would do well to temper that joy with the realities to come. We of course have an advantage over the crowd in our Gospel narratives. We know what happens – our knowledge extends from the Incarnation all the way through to the Resurrection (and beyond of course). And we know just how fickle we will be and how fear will turn our hearts away from the beauty of our Lord – even the beauty of Good Friday.

The entry into the city is charged with irony, and it is about us as fully as it is about the people of ancient Jerusalem… Our faith, too, is fickle; we are the crucifiers of the One whose coming we have called ‘blessed.
Laurence Hull Stookey

These are the texts that are read as the liturgy moves toward the Passion narrative:

⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:5-8 (ESV)

And from Psalm 31:9-12

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress;
my eye wastes away from grief,
my soul and body also.

For my life is spent with sorrow,
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my misery,
and my bones waste away.

I am the scorn of all my adversaries,
   a horror to my neighbors,
an object of dread to my acquaintances;
   those who see me in the street flee from me.
I have passed out of mind like one who is dead;
   I have become like a broken vessel.

This liturgy… “reminds us that at the moment of what seems to be the height of Jesus’ public acceptance also begins the process of His public betrayal, His public failure, His public abandonment. Only in the mind of God is Jesus any longer a success, it seems.” (The Liturgical Year)

This is what lies ahead on the road to Jerusalem. It quickly becomes the road to Calvary. It seems right to me that we do not forget what lies ahead. We can live in the tension between jubilation and fear. Because next Sunday after all our betrayal of Holy Week, that joy will return to us – and we will see Him, not as the King of Palm Sunday alone – but as the King who triumphed over death; who ushered in a kingdom like no other; a kingdom of the heart -and a kingdom opened up to all the world! Hosanna!

The Lenten Trail and the Lamb of God

If I could paint, I would paint a picture of the Lenten trail. I see in my mind’s eye – the lamb of God, holding high the flag of the cross, leading us on toward the summit of our Christian faith. Some of us are weary, some of us are innocent; some with eyes cast down, some with eyes lifted high; some acutely aware of what is to come, and some of us blissfully ignorant. We will falter on this trail, many of us like Peter, determined not to deny Christ, diligent to follow our Savior wherever he leads. But there comes that moment on the path – when for us the rooster crows, and we know we are undone. We reach the hill of Calvary looking for triumph but watch as the unspeakable speaks. – The cry of the crowd echoes in our broken hearts – “Come down! Save yourself!” “O Jesus, be the triumphant One, show your power!”

Yet didn’t we know it wasn’t going to be his strength that would save us? Didn’t we hear John say, “Behold the lamb of God?” Doesn’t Isaiah say – “He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed?” (Isa 53:5 NAS) Who is this Jesus? This is God? How can this be? A suffering God?

Yet, we look around at each other – recognizing pain when we see it, because we know pain. We know suffering, some more than others. This is the company we keep – whether that pain is on us, or to us, or in us, we walk this trail with suffering kindred spirits. And so, is this not the God we need, one who knows our weaknesses but also knows our sin, yet never having sinned? I read somewhere that people are not saved through Jesus’ miracles, but through his wounds. All of it, our suffering, our wounds, our sin is gathered up into the indestructible love of God. And so, our Christ is a servant who suffered to the very end.

It’s night now – in fact it’s been dark for so long – We heard that last cry of his. It will probably stay with us until the day we die – that cry that mirrored our own – our fears of being forsaken, spoken by the Lamb who was slain for us. We know now why this had to be. We weep. But I think we know this is not final. If all the things he said about dying were true, then the other things must be true too. Could it be so? I don’t think our Lenten trail ends here. An old preacher once said, (actually he yelled it…) “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s a comin!” I leave you with another image of our journey – we’ve followed the Lamb, we’re weary and frightened and a little beat up. But there’s just something about what that old preacher said. And didn’t Jesus tell us this as well? Sigh, c’mon friends. We’ll do it together.

The Lord’s Prayer in Lent – Temptation

A word on temptation. In the New Testament we find the same word used in Greek for both temptation and testing in several passages, although there are other verses/passages that use a different word altogether. In the Lord’s Prayer, we find that what is translated as temptation could more likely mean “tested”. In fact, the New Revised Standard translation translates this verse as – “And do not bring us to the time of trial but rescue us from the evil one.” (Mat 6:13 NRS) (I like that!)

James 1:13 – ‘When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.’ This is the same word used in Matthew 6:13. But in John 6:5-6, the same Greek word is used as in both the Matthew and James passages, but it’s translated as test. – ⁵ When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.”

Some scholars say the best way to translate it as either test or tempt is to look at the context. I’m not sure why the more recent translations of the Bible (like the NIV or the ESV) use the English word, temptation. One other thing to note here is that the NET Bible, like the NRS personifies evil – “deliver us from the evil one.” *

There is another passage which uses this word and it’s found in Matthew and Mark in the garden of Gethsemane. In Mark it reads: ³⁸ Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mar 14:38 ESV) It is also interesting to note that Jesus, in one sense, is asking the Father to not test him in the trial to come (two verses just prior to this – v. 36 of Mark 14). But He says, “Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come; thy will be done.
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day, our daily bread,
And forgive us our sins,
As we forgive those who have sinned against us.
And lead us not into temptation.
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power,
And the glory, forever. Amen.

We pray to you, Father, as Your Son has instructed us to pray – You have called us your children and have given us the right to call you Abba. You, with the Son and the Spirit alone are holy. May we truly worship Your holy name. Abba, we pray, especially in times of temptation, that your kingdom would come, and that Your will alone would be done. Feed us with the rich sustenance of Your Word and Your presence and thus give us what we need to stand in the face of temptation. Do not bring us to the time of trial but deliver us from evil and keep far from us the snares of the evil one. We are eternally grateful for Your kingdom and Your power and Your glory! May You reign for all time!

* NRS – New Revised Standard, ESV-English Standard Version, NIV- New International Version, and NET – New English Translation.

Confessional Sin and Temptation

A word here about confessing sin. We know of course that we can simply bring our sins to Him, and He forgives us. Yet there is power in praying with others and confessing to God in the presence of another. There can be divine objectivity in having others pray with us. They might have a word, or a picture of what God is doing. Sometimes, just having another person witnessing our confession is healing in itself!

Now let him begin the process of searching your heart. Are there particular temptations that are really difficult to withstand? Have you given in to sin and now want to confess that?

Simply confess in as specific a way you can the sin. Don’t rush through this process. Simply rest in God’s presence as He does this.

Now choose to let this go and receive Christ’s forgiveness for you. Remember – “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Receive His assurance of pardon – ⁸ The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. ⁹ He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. ¹⁰ He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. ¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; ¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. (Psa 103:8-12 ESV)

And finally commit this confession to the Lord. As you rest in his forgiveness ask him how to walk this out. Is God asking you to do anything in regard to your struggles with temptation? Ask for the supernatural power of His Spirit to give you what you need to move forward. Thank him that you “have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer [you] who live, but Christ lives in [you]” (Gal. 2:20).

Lectio Divina – The Scriptures and Temptation

Hebrews 4:15-16 – ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (ESV).

Step Three – What is God saying to you? What do you begin to feel called to?

Step Four – How does God want you to live this passage out? What are you resolved to do?

Lectio Quote

“Hence the importance of patience in the New Testament, which becomes the basic constituent of Christianity, more central even than humility: the power to wait, to persevere, to hold out, to endure to the end, not to transcend one’s own limitations, not to force issues by playing the hero or the titan, but to practice the virtue that lies beyond heroism, the meekness of the Lamb which is led”. Hans von Balthazar

You can go through the same steps that we use for Lectio Divina for Scripture, or simply take some time and read this quote slowly and ask the Spirit to give you insight on the place of perseverance and patience in dealing with temptation.

From Whence Does My Help Come

Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan. Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save. (Collect from the Book of Common Prayer).

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Heb. 4:15 ESV)

This is holy ground. It’s holy because Christ is here. He is here to meet each one of us in any and all our temptations. I was struck as I sat down to write today’s post (which is the third in a series on temptation) that each and every one of us is so dear and precious to the Lord. I was drawn to simply pray and wait. I do have responses to the points about temptation that I wrote about yesterday, but I want to be very careful to not reduce our struggles to ‘fill in the blank” answers. We each have our own story, and we each have our own needs. More than 6 steps to freedom, we need the triune God to come and be with us, to listen and to show us the astonishing, outrageous love that was given for us at the Cross. This is our Lenten journey – to give all that we have and are to our beloved Jesus; to walk with him this path to Calvary – and beyond.

Yet there is wisdom in being practical, especially with our struggles with sin and temptations. It clears the mind and can strengthen our wills and affections.

From the list yesterday these are possible ways of helping us deal with temptation:

1. Temptation breeds in the indecisive will.

Be decisive. Settle the sin question. By that I mean, having wrestled with your conscience and through listening to God you know what sin lies on the other side of temptation. I really don’t like talking so much about my own struggles – but those that know me well know my problems in the car. It runs the gamut from simply being impatient with other drivers to yelling, throwing my hands up… I think I’ll stop there. Ugh. There are two things I know I must do about this problem. One – be clear on what the sin is when I act out my frustration. The second will come up a little later, but I know I am not going to fix this problem in the car. I tried pretending the person in front of me was someone I loved dearly, but that didn’t last long. I knew that my aggressive driving had nothing to do with what happened in the car. Please know friends, I am not trying to trivialize temptation or sin. This is a long standing challenge for me.

With that, we need to pray for the strengthening of our wills. We know, don’t we, that when our wills are weak, we will most likely not make good decisions. We need the supernatural work of the Spirit, not only in our minds or hearts, but especially in our wills. Pray this every day if you must.

2. Temptation relies on impulsivity. (Do it now, don’t think, just act).

Be prepared. Have a plan. In some ways, though, this is more than having a plan. This kind of impulsivity can often indicate a problem in our character. There are good spiritual practices that will help us here. Slow down on the Amazon purchases. Amazon knew what they were doing when they added the buy now swipe button. You don’t know about that? Well, you didn’t hear it from me! In other less fraught moments, practice delayed gratification. It will make a difference in the battle over your temptation.

3. Temptation calls us to numb anxieties and fears.

Be present. Know your heart. I have chronic migraines and often I know one is coming long before the actual pain starts. I’ve learned the triggers, and I’ve learned the signs. I think we can do that with our anxieties and fears. Learn our own personal triggers and signs. This is an area that requires much prayer and help. Do the hard soul work required here. It truly does help us in the grip of temptation to know what’s going on in our hearts.

4. Temptation thrives on procrastination.

This is my wheelhouse (look it up). This is one of the hardest challenges in my life. I am always starting my new plan next Monday, the day after my birthday… I would imagine most of us struggle with this. I’m not at all sure that the answer to this is simply to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and just do it. It would serve us well to understand what might be driving that procrastination. It could be depression, or trauma or simply a way to shut down. Make this an intention in your prayer life. Listen to God, others, and seek help.

I think there is great wisdom in simply being careful and intentional about our responsibilities. Procrastination aims at shutting the voices out that shame us. I think this temptation is so deceitful because we think we are only delaying the action. But in fact, we are running away from the demands placed on us either by ourselves or other people.

There’s wisdom in being careful. Deuteronomy talks about being careful to do what God commands over 23 times. Slow things down. Listen to what stands in the way. Be careful. I love this verse in particular.

⁴ You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.
Deuteronomy 13:4 (ESV)

You shall follow, fear, keep, obey, serve and hold fast to him!

5. Temptation counts on us isolating.

Hear this carefully. It is not just sin that isolates us (which of course it does) but the temptation itself. We might be so deeply ashamed of our temptations and feel that they have to be so much worse than anyone else’s. Christians shouldn’t struggle. Friends, this is exactly the place where we need each other. We need prayer partners, companions on this journey of life. Find someone who will help with accountability, and by that I mean someone you can call while in the midst of the temptation – not to judge you, but to stand with you before the Cross and be a witness to what God can do!

6. Temptation can trigger despair.

Even the temptation, which has not given birth to sin can trigger despair. This is so difficult, and so tragic. But, know friend, there is a way back to hope. Hold on, press in, practice His presence, call a friend. I will be writing about virtues that can help us on this journey soon, but one virtue that helps us here is fortitude. “It’s the virtue that allows us to overcome fear and to remain steady in our will in the face of obstacles.” Hans von Balthazar writes this:

Finally friends, while it is very helpful to think about and act on some of these helpful suggestions, we know that our true and lasting help comes from above.

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2

We will end here, with this quote,

When we are tempted and seek to know and love God, and like Moses long to see His glory, and out of that occupation of our minds have no further love for that previous temptation, we have experienced something of the reality of the very highest form of freedom from sin. It is one thing to love sin and to force ourselves to quit it; it is another thing to hate sin because love for God is so gripping that the sin no longer appeals. Jim Ellif

The Door in the Wall: Reflections on Temptation

In the last post we talked about the temptation of Christ in the wilderness at the very beginning of his ministry. This post will be about what temptation looks like for and in us. Tomorrow’s post will be about how we deal with temptation through our relationship with God and with each other.

The first point we need to make here is that temptation is not sin. I’m reminded of something Martin Luther is rumored to have said. “You can’t keep a bird from flying over your head, but you can keep it from building a nest on it!” To breathe is to be tempted!

Christian maturity is not indicated by the infrequency of temptation but by the infrequency of succumbing to temptation.
Douglas Moo

Secondly, it will be natural to be discouraged as we take some time to look at the temptations we face and how often we give into them. We must remember that when we sin, “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1).

We must take to heart this encouraging word from the book of Hebrews:

¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:15-16 (ESV)

This is a familiar verse that I think bears slowing down and praying through. It makes a good Scripture for our Lectio Divina this week

Thirdly, we are not left alone to our own resources when we struggle with temptation. As hard as it might seem, we must remember that we are indwelt by a living God. In the throes of temptation, we can indeed practice the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, calling on Him to help us! Leanne Payne never left this sentiment out of her teachings: “Apart from God we have been and are in many ways monstrous; we do monstrous things. When we are properly related to God, we silence the accuser of our souls by admitting, “Yes, I am capable of the petty; I am capable of the monstrous; and if He should leave me but for a moment, I should do yet worse.” Restoring the Christian Soul, p. 33.

Fourthly, we must believe that God is never the tempter. (He does test us – look at the last post for more clarity here). James 1:13-15 – ¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

¹⁴ But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. ¹⁵Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
James 1:14-15 (ESV)

Finally, we should not fall into the “temptation” of grading our temptations. It’s sheer pride to think “well, at least my sin is not as bad as some.” It’s also pride to think that no one could possibly know what we are going through, because our sin is so great. As we begin our discussion on temptation – let’s stop. Pray. Thank the Father that the triune God dwells in us. Let’s use our God-given imagination to see ourselves in His presence, standing at the Cross. Release self-condemnation, pride, shame, discouragement.

1 John is an incredibly helpful book to read when thinking about temptation and sin, especially chapter 2. I want to take a minute and look at a passage I’ve mentioned before, but which bears a second look!

1 John 2:16 – For all that is in the world–the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life–is not from the Father but is from the world. (ESV)

Many of our temptations will fall in these three categories. The NIV and other translations use the word lusts in place of desires, which can be helpful for our study here. I think the first desire/lust is one we are most familiar with – the struggles with what Paul calls the flesh. Unholy appetites come to mind here – we can go to Galatians 5 and see his list.

The second temptation – the desire/lust of the eyes is one we probably don’t think much about. We would naturally put pornography in that list but I think we would be surprised to find what else might be considered lust of the eyes. I’ll give a personal example that I thought of as I studied the passage on Christ’s temptation. You remember when Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory (splendor, magnificence, grandeur – other translations)? You could say that Satan was luring Jesus into this “lust of the eyes” (look at the rocks, bread… post where I talk about concupiscence). Of course, Jesus did not sin!

I’m very aware these days of all that comes at me through social media (mostly Instagram). They pick the right ads for me, they know my hobbies, my interests, even desires. In fact, I would say the movers and shakers of Instagram are showing me the wonders of the world and all its glory (found in the purchases that I believe will make me a better knitter, quilter, cook…). I would have to say – what is required of me other than my money? – Could it be my addiction to consumerism, even my worship? I just googled worship (another fixation…) and this is what I found: “to worship is to show a lot of love and adoration for something.” Ugh.

The third temptation we also find in Satan’s temptation of Jesus. When Satan took Jesus to the highest peak there is and told him to throw himself down and command the angels to catch him, he was tempting Jesus to use his position as the Son of God to save his own life. He was tempting Jesus to what John calls “pride of life.” We too, are tempted by pride – often through our positions, roles, talents, spiritual gifts. Even our discouragement over our sins is a form of pride. I know many people who will not let go of their pasts because it’s become a part of who they think they are. Are any of us exempt from this sin? “Lord, have mercy.”

Let’s move on then and take a look at the observations I’ve made about temptation either through my own struggles or from my pastoral care for others. I am going to reserve the responses to these observations until the next post, in part because it’s good for us to sit with these for a while.

1. Temptation breeds in the indecisive will.

What I mean by this is that if we have not made a decision or a commitment to settle the sin question, we will have a very hard time withstanding temptation.

2. Temptation relies on impulsivity.

Do it now. Don’t think about it! This is where I get caught up into consumerism. Especially with Amazon purchases. Need I say more?

3. Temptation calls us to numb anxieties and fears.

4. Temptation thrives on procrastination.

This is my kryptonite. I’m the worst at postponing decisions about spiritual practices or praying through temptation. When I say I’ll deal with it later, it means I won’t deal with it at all.

5. Temptation counts on us isolating.

This is so real, isn’t it? When we are feeling overwhelmed by temptation all we want to do is retreat – go away from it all, in some misfortunate hope that it will all go away.

James 5:16 – “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

6. Temptation triggers despair.

I have a few final thoughts here. I don’t mean to leave you hanging! Tomorrow will come! I think Lent is a really good season to stop and think about and pray about how temptation drives us. It’s that kind of season – a time of reflection, a time of penitence, a time to really press into what is coming! Good Friday is on the horizon – and Resurrection life is on its way! Let’s remember our baptisms – that we have chosen the way of Christ, that we can in prayer, in Communion, take our place once again in His death and in His rising. Thanks be to God!

I want to end this post with part of a story called The Door in the Wall. A young boy was abandoned by his family and suffered greatly. A monk came to him and took him and cared for him and taught him. This is one of the lessons he taught Robin.

Brother Luke uses this as an opportunity to teach Robin greater lessons. He references something familiar to Robin: “‘Dost remember the long wall that is about the garden of thy father’s house?’” Robin replies, “‘Yes, of course. Why?’” The friar continues, “‘Dost remember, too, the wall about the Tower or any other wall?’” Robin nods. “‘Have they not all a door somewhere?’” The friar continues with conviction, “‘Always remember that. Thou hast only to follow the wall far enough and there will be a door in it.’” Robin promises that he will remember, though he is not entirely certain he knows what Brother Luke is trying to tell him. As the story continues, Brother Luke continues to teach Robin many things, including carpentry. “‘Remember, even thy crutches can be a door in a wall.’” From the children’s story – The Door in the Wall.

Amen. Glory to God.

The Temptation of Christ

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” ⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” ⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ ” ⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” ⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’ ” (Mat 4:1-10 NIV)

In some traditions the temptation of Christ is taught the first Sunday of Lent. It’s appropriate for us to begin there as well since we too are taking a forty day journey, (although we are a little late to the party). Our journey begins in the desert as well – the place where on Ash Wednesday we were marked with the dust of our mortality and the ashes of our depravity. And in our deserts we too face temptation.

I want to share some thoughts I have about temptation and how to faithfully deal with it, but I wanted to first start with the story of Christ’s temptation. What does his temptation teach us about our own? I’m taking a different approach here than I have in prior posts, by looking at one of the temptation passages and seeing what we can glean from it, through observation and interpretation of the text. Stay with me, friends!

In the text, you can see phrases that I’ve put in bold text, others in colored text, some italicized and some underlined. I think you get the point. I will tell you why I’ve done those particular markings. I have also chosen the Matthew passage, but there are two other accounts, in Luke and in Mark (I love Mark’s. It’s like 2 sentences!) I might refer to them as we go deeper into the text. The first thing we observe in this passage is not even included here! It’s found just prior to this text in all 3 accounts. It’s Christ’s baptism by John the Baptist. From Matthew’s account we read,

¹⁶ And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; ¹⁷ and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:16-17 (ESV)

This is extremely significant because all three of the accounts mention that the Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness (verse one in the Matthew account). I love Luke’s account because he adds, “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan…” This is the same Luke who wrote Acts where he records in chapter 2 – “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Act 2:4 ESV). I love Mark’s version too because he stresses the incredible significance of what is happening! From the ESV – “The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness!” (Mar. 1:12)

In Matthew’s account we are told that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. I don’t think I had ever noticed that before. Think on that for a while.

Twice, Satan appeals to Christ’s divine identity and his authority. In the first temptation he is attempting to take advantage of Christ’s hunger – by telling him to turn stones into bread. (A side note here, I find it almost humorous that Matthew says – after 40 days of fasting, he was hungry!) I am ashamed to admit I struggle with hours, not days… In the second temptation he is trying to get Jesus to use his divine authority to command the angels.

I’ve highlighted in red the three times “it is written” is used. Once, by Satan himself, and the others by Christ. After each of these temptations Jesus uses Scripture to refute both Satan and the temptation itself. And the sentences that have been put in bold print are Jesus’ responses (Scripture).

In the first temptation Satan tells Jesus to turn stones into bread. Jesus was hungry and that can be a powerful weapon in the wrong hands. Jesus’ response to him reveals that there is not only a temptation here but a test. Let me chase a rabbit here. We know from Scripture that God never tempts us – but He often tests us.

“The same Greek word can be translated “temptation” and “test.” They are a world apart and context determines which translation to use. Satan is the one who tempts us to sin. God is the one who tests us to righteousness. Satan wants to destroy us. He wants to weaken our faith. He wants us to spiritually fail. On the other hand, our Lord is forever testing us. His goal though tests, often in the form of trials, is to make us spiritually stronger, refine our character and increase our faith.” (Randy Smith)

The first temptation was an appeal to a natural part of being human. The test though, is revealed in the passage Jesus chose to quote from:

“The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers. ² And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. ³ And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
(Deuteronomy 8:1-3, ESV)

Satan was attempting to get Jesus to use his power to ease his hunger, but the real test was a test in humility. And that was Jesus’ response to Satan.

The second temptation was a temptation to misuse authority. Satan tells Jesus, “throw yourself down… and then command the angels to catch you.” The text that Satan chooses to quote from is found in Psalm 91:12., a beautiful psalm that ironically writes that “those who make the Lord their refuge… will trample the great lion and the serpent” (!) Jesus responds with another Scripture: Deu. 6:16 – “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test… (ESV)

I think the test here is one of trust. Will Jesus trust the Father? Looking at Psalm 91:9-10, it reads ⁹ If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, ¹⁰ no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.

With the third temptation Satan tries to have Jesus use his divine right to rule over all the kingdoms of the earth. “Again, the devil took him to a high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor” (Mat. 4:8). Satan not only is tempting him to take the kingdoms, but to assume their splendor as well. This temptation centers on the possibility of glory. In 1 John 2:16 (which we will talk about in the next post) John speaks to three temptations, which he calls the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life. I believe there is a correlation between this temptation and the “desires of the eyes.” Satan shows Jesus all the kingdoms in the world and offers them to him. The condition here is of course, that Jesus must worship him. I think Satan must have been getting tired of Jesus making it through these temptations, because this one is really lame. Why take what is already yours?

The Scripture Jesus speaks from is 1 Samuel 7:3-4, ³ So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths and served the LORD only. (NIV)

The test is idolatry and Jesus says to Satan – “For it is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” (Mat. 4:10)

There are lessons to be learned here in how Jesus dealt with temptations and with tests, lessons for our own struggles. I pray that as God has revealed Himself in His word we might have hearts eager to respond. I’ll leave you with a quote.

“His fast of forty days makes this a holy season of self-denial. By rejecting the devil’s temptations, he has taught us to rid ourselves of the hidden corruption of evil, and so to share his paschal meal in purity of heart, until we come to its fulfillment in the promised land of heaven.”
(https://www.marquette.edu/faith/reflections-lent-1.php)

We will make the shift from looking at Christ’s temptations to dealing with our own! May God give us courage!