The LORD Alone
Luke 4:1-13[1]
I’ve observed before
that the information age has opened many doors for us. Most of us carry a
device with us that provides instant access to all the information we could
ever need or want. That opens up for us new doors by which we can learn and
grow, new ways in which we can stay connected to one another, and even new
means of being productive. But the information revolution has also opened a
whole “pandora’s box” of temptations for us all every day. If anyone has a
particular weakness, our smartphones and tablets and computers tempt them 24
hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Whatever it is that we turn to in
order to fill the emptiness in our hearts, we can access it any time, and
nobody will know about it.
We turn to our faith
to help us with the temptations we face. But I think we get confused about what
constitutes faith. In the Scriptures, faith is not about getting whatever we
ask for, simply by using the right “magic” words. Faith is about recognizing
that the “LORD our God alone” is the one who provides all our wants and needs.
Faith is about trusting God, regardless of the circumstances of our lives. And
faith is about a relationship with God in which we love God with all our
hearts. That means that we commit ourselves to be faithful to God, no matter
what may come. That’s the kind of faith that will help us face our temptations,
not some kind of magical wish fulfillment.
Our Gospel lesson for
today tells a story about how Jesus faced temptation. It talks about Jesus
being tested for forty days by the “the devil.”
Since Jesus had gone without food during that time, the initial
temptation was obvious—he was hungry! And in a subtle and seemingly innocent
way, “the devil” suggests that if Jesus is really the Son of God, he could turn
a stone into bread. In this way he could easily fill his hunger. It seems
harmless enough. If I had gone without food for an extended time and someone
told me that I could turn a rock into a meal, I probably wouldn’t think twice
about it. After all, what’s wrong with eating when you’re hungry?
But Jesus knew there
was much more at stake than the rumblings in his stomach. The temptations
weren’t about the best way to find a meal in the desert. The point of the test
that Jesus faced in the wilderness was about his faith in God and his
faithfulness to God. He faced this test right after hearing God’s voice
affirming him at his baptism: “You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well
pleased” (Lk 3:22). The temptations Jesus faced tested how he would fulfil his
role as the “Son of God”: whether by relying on his faith in God and by
remaining faithful to God or simply by using any means available to fulfill his
own desires.
Jesus knew that the
point of the temptations, even the one about feeding himself, was to determine
whether he would follow God’s ways and God’s purpose for his life, or whether
he would see to his own needs. I think that’s why he responded by quoting
scripture: in every case Jesus demonstrates his determination to remain true to
God. In response to the question whether he would take a shortcut to ruling
over the kingdoms of this world that would bypass his death on the cross, Jesus
answered, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him’” (Lk
4:8, quoting Dt 6:13).
The background of this
quote is important. In Deuteronomy chapter six, Moses insisted that “The LORD
is our God, the LORD alone” (Dt 6:4). Since the LORD alone was their God, then
the “great commandment” followed: “You shall love the LORD your God with all
your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might” (Dt 6:5). And the
way they would do that was by obeying God’s commands from the heart in all
areas of their lives. In other words, their faith in the LORD as the one who
alone was their God led them into a relationship in which they were to love God
with all their hearts. And the way they were to demonstrate their love for God
was to remain faithful to God by obeying him. This was the kind of faith that
Jesus used to overcome his temptation.
Like the people of
Israel, Jesus found himself in the wilderness, at the mercy of the elements,
unable even to provide for his most basic needs. This was not an accident.
Moses says that the purpose for Israel’s wilderness wandering was to determine
whether the people would remain true to God (Deut. 8:2). I think something
similar was going on with Jesus: The test Jesus faced on this occasion and throughout his ministry
was whether he would remain faithful to God’s ways and God’s purpose, which
would lead him to a cross. Although Israel failed that test again and again,
Jesus demonstrated that he would hold firmly to his faith in God and remain
faithful to God’s purpose.
Our Gospel lesson
presents Jesus as the prime example of faith and faithfulness to God: his faith
that “the LORD alone is God” meant that he loved God with all his heart. That
love for God led him to remain faithful to God. This story encourages us to
follow Jesus’ example in our own lives. But we must remember that Jesus’ faith
and faithfulness led him to his death on a cross. As we seek to follow him in
this season of Lent, we must remember that the fundamental test we face is
whether we will worship “the LORD alone” who is our God. There is no other one
who has created us, there is no other one who provides for us, there is no
other one who deserves our faith and who can command our faithful obedience. All of that, along with our hearts and our lives, belong to the LORD alone!
[1] ©
Alan Brehm 2022. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, Ph. D. on 3/6/2022 for
Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman NE.
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