Voices: Disregard or Obey?

 

(Luke 4:1-11) Lent 1c, February 21, 2010

 

How many of you hear voices? You may hesitate to answer. What does he mean? Does he mean, "Do we hear the voices of other people in our lives, people like our friends, our parents, our neighbors, our children, our spouses, even those others who irritate us?" Or does he mean, "Do I hear internal voices – voices that cause us to wrestle with decisions – should I do this or shouldn't I?" 

 

There are both external and internal voices. Upon hearing these voices, it is important to be intentional about which ones pay attention to, which ones we will obey. These voices may be audible to our ears or audible only to our minds, our inner beings. These voices may be loud, coming to us in ways that are difficult to avoid. Or these voices may be quieter, seeming almost like a whisper but still very present. We may hear such voices, caught off guard when we least expect them. Or we may hear these voices when we are actually seeking guidance, as we face major decisions. However frequently or infrequently, however loudly or softly these voices are to us, they are important.

 

Did you notice that Jesus heard voices? In today's Gospel we are told that Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit returns from the Jordan where he was baptized and is led by the Spirit no less into the wilderness.  There for forty days, which may have been a literal 40 days or a very long time, Jesus is tempted by the devil. He eats nothing at all during that time. Understandably then he is famished. It is in that moment of his vulnerability, that Jesus is tempted. He hears a voice, "If you are the Son of God", or perhaps more slyly, "Since you are the Son of God … command this stone to become bread."

 

Now, what could be wrong with Jesus feeding himself? He is hungry! He had not been eating. Perhaps he had been fasting in order to focus himself in prayer. In any case there is nothing in the wilderness to eat. Wouldn't God want him to eat? What could be wrong with turning a stone into bread, having a little bit of magic to ease the pain of his stomach? That's what this devil, the evil force wants him to do. Never mind trusting God! Jesus take things into your own hands right now.

 

But Jesus answers, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.'" Oh, really?

 

Still, Jesus is hungry and therefore vulnerable. His temptations are not over. Who wouldn't want power over others, over things? Many people want Jesus to exercise that kind of power – to just wipe out things or people they don't like. The devil leads Jesus up to some high place. There the devil somehow shows Jesus all the powers of the world. Wow, what would that look like?

 

The devil promises Jesus all of that power and glory, if Jesus would just bow down and pledge allegiance to the devil. This is the promise of instant power and gratification without any mention of personal suffering or sacrifice. Nor is the cost for such power first delineated. But later in what the devil may have hoped was the small print it is spelled out: to receive this, Jesus must bow down and worship the devil. This would be to fundamentally deny who Jesus is, the Son of God, one who does not grab at power, but instead one who humbles himself and therefore shows a different way than most attempts of humans to exercise power! Thanks be to God: Jesus refuses to submit to this temptation. Instead Jesus answers the "devil", "It is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'"

 

But Jesus; hunger remains. So, the devil leads him out of that wilderness, back now to the temple, the place where many people experience God's presence, the place where people may be deluded into thinking that they are safe, that here there will not be temptation. At the temple the devil seeks to use Scripture to tempt Jesus. Basically the devil tells Jesus, "to jump". The devil reminds Jesus that the Scripture says of the promised One of God, that God's angels will protect you no matter what, not allowing you to be hurt in any way. The devil is saying to Jesus, "If you really trust God, if you truly are the Son of God you will be able to do this." The devil is calling into question Jesus' very identity.

 

But once again Jesus responds with a quotation of Scripture, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

 

Luke then tells us that when the devil had finished every test, he departed from Jesus until an opportune time. 

 

There are a number of parts to the confession of our faith, to those experiences of God in Christ that have been handed down to us by others. One of these is that Jesus was fully human and at the same time fully divine. This is a paradox. Both parts of this statement are absolutely true while at the same time seeming to be mutually exclusive. 

 

In these temptation accounts of Jesus we see that Jesus is fully human. He is famished. In his vulnerability the power of evil comes, seeking to dissuade him from the call God places upon his life.

 

Are there times when you are hungry?  You may be hungry for food, for purpose, for status, for power, for acceptance, for understanding, for an easy life or an easier way through life.

 

We need to know that in and through Christ God promises to provide for our needs. This DOESN'T MEAN that there won't be times when are short of food or status, when we don't feel or experience another's love, when we may have doubts about our purpose or even our acceptance by others. The temptation then may be to seek to end our hunger immediately, in this moment. Take the easy way. Grab quick gratification! Do our own thing. We may be tempted not only to listen to those voices that invite us into all these things but to actually follow their advice: DO IT! NO ONE ELSE WILL EVER NEED TO KNOW. YOU DESERVE IT!  YOU'LL FEEL GREAT THEN!

 

But when we yield to such temptations the results are often disastrous. From global climate change, to broken promises that harm our children, friends, neighbors, and ourselves, the relationships in our lives become broken as we seek to manipulate others so that we may have control, status, and or self-gratification. In such actions we also fracture our relationship with God!

 

Observing Christ's refusal to give into the temptations that he experiences as a human being, we begin to glimpse his divinity. He is not promised nor does He look for success or power. Instead, especially in His vulnerability, Jesus remains focused on his mission. Jesus' mission in Luke is delineated only a few verses after this temptation account. Jesus comes to this world to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. He is about doing this not by feeding himself in some magical way or by worshipping other forces while getting a share of the power for himself. Nor does He need to prove himself to be God's Son by doing some magic. NO! NO! NO!   He says no to all of those.

 

Instead He chooses to listen for the voice of God. He steeps Himself in hearing the words of Scripture. He makes time to pray to God. From that foundation He continues His journey on to where He first grew up. Only later does He make His way to Jerusalem. This way, His way of seeking to obey God, involves suffering and sacrifice. But ultimately Jesus' obedience to God leads to new life, a whole new way of being not only for Himself but for all who will hear His voice and trust Him.

 

Today is the first Sunday in Lent. Lent is that season of the Church year when we are specifically invited to pause and listen. Listen for the voices in our lives.  With the help of God sort them out. Discern which of these voices are coming from God. How might we hear and obey them. Concerning the remainder of the voices, just as Christ did, we too can say, "No". No, to the easy way out! No, to thinking of ourselves exclusively first. "No", to the avoidance of sacrifice and suffering that often accompanies following Jesus, as we seek to be part of good news for the poor, recovery of sight to the blind, release to the captives. On the other hand we say, "Yes," to making time to hear God, to be intentionally with God.

 

Did you notice that it is only the devil in Luke's gospel that promises success and power without any suffering or sacrifice? We need to be assured that our identity as God's children is a gift, is a promise. Yet being God's children does not exempt us from suffering or sacrifice. What is promised in this, is that God will walk with us. May we then seek to hear God's voice and obey. As we do so, God's good and gracious will, may be done even through us. Somehow, someway this results in a reflection of what Christ has done and wills, new life with God for all. Amen.