Fulfilling God's Purpose

Rebecca Sheridan
Sunday, February 26, 2023
Matthew 4:1-11

    What do you picture in your mind when you think about the devil?  A guy in red tights with pointy horns and a pitchfork?  A dark, scary, shadowy figure?  Our gospel this morning does not give us a physical description of what the devil looks like as he tempts Jesus in the wilderness.  But we know what evil looks like; we know that suffering and pain is real.  We feel it and sense evil’s presence even when we can’t see it.  Just turn on the news or check your phone’s news app and you’ll quickly be reminded that evil is real – a force we all have to confront and struggle with.  What’s probably most scary is that evil often works in more subtle, subversive ways so that we don’t obviously want to avoid its hold on our lives.
    It is comforting to see in Jesus’ temptation this morning that Jesus’ struggle against the devil is easy.  Jesus confronts evil out in the wilderness after his baptism and before he begins his earthly mission to preach, teach, heal, and save us on the cross.  The devil is trying to undermine this mission and turn Jesus away from God’s purposes.  We see that the devil is threatened by who Jesus is and is really pulling out all the stops in trying to tempt and trick Jesus.  The devil even tries to quote scripture, but Jesus isn’t afraid of the devil.  “Away with you, Satan!” Jesus says.  Jesus knows who the devil is and knows who he is.  He is fully grounded in his relationship to God as the son of God.
    This season of Lent we are focusing on the theme, “Fulfilling God’s Purposes,” and today we begin by seeing how Jesus remains committed, despite the temptation of evil around him, to fulfilling God’s purpose, God’s mission for him.  Unfortunately for us, the temptations we face usually are not as obvious as the cartoon devil on our shoulder.  Unlike Jesus and more like Adam and Eve in our first reading today, we are tempted by food, for example!  And this is more than just a struggle to maintain a healthy weight and eat healthy food; we want what we don’t have.  We want more than what we have.  We confuse wants with needs – “OH I NEED that piece of cake, or that designer purse, or that twentieth pair of shoes and so on.”  Instead, Jesus reminds us that one doesn’t live by bread alone.  Jesus turns us back to relying on God, our one true need.
    When you think about it, evil tempts us to put a lot of stock into things that aren’t as important as we think they are.  When we get uncomfortable, anxious, or afraid, it can be tempting to turn away from God to look for what we think is security, power, and love elsewhere – in the amount of money we try to earn or in workaholism, in seeking affirmation and approval from others, in our outward appearance – the list could go on and on.  Quick fixes and false assurances are tempting!  The story of Jesus’ temptation today asks us to really think about what tends to lead us astray, especially in sneaky ways.  We hear Jesus reminds us to “worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”  We sing our Lenten gospel acclamation, “Return to the Lord your God, who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.”  We hear God’s call again and again to put God’s purposes ahead of our own, and certainly prioritize God’s purposes above the devil and all his empty promises.
In the coming weeks, we will learn more about what God’s purpose is for our lives.  We see this purpose most fully lived out in Jesus’ ministry in building relationships, telling others about the good news of Christ, serving others, and giving generously.  In striving to do these things, we discover what’s truly important in our lives and worth our time, energy and investment.
    As we begin Lent, we turn back to God confessing our sins. We confess that we are more easily tempted than Jesus to turn away from God.  We confess that we know what God’s purpose is but we don’t always do it.  In turning back to God, we see in the story of Jesus’ temptation that even before his earthly ministry begins, even before his death on a cross, Jesus has already defeated sin, death, and the devil – all the forces that seek to defy God.  Like with Jesus, the devil tries to undermine our desire to follow God’s purposes by saying, “If you are a child of God…” When we falter or doubt that we are indeed named and claimed as God’s beloved children, Jesus brings us back to following him as our primary purpose.  Jesus reminds us of who we are, beloved children of God with the power of Christ living in us!  We look to Jesus for strength, comfort and assurance that we are not pawns of the devil but rather children of God.  Assured of this promise, then we can more confidently go and fulfill God’s purpose.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.