If you are... If you are... If you are....
If you are a real Christian and not ashamed of God you will repost this picture, this meme; and have a cross on your necklace, a fish symbol on your car, and a Bible prominently displayed in your house.
If you are a real American you will stand for the Pledge and proclaim we are one nation under God, you will rise for the national anthem, you will honor veterans and police officers and support the policies and laws of our country even when they are unjust, and any deviation from these acts or blind devotion you should just leave my country.
If you are a real man you will never cry, arm yourself to the teeth to protect your family, play and watch sports, and always take charge of any family situation.
If you are a real woman you will always smile, take care of your husband and children, and be ready to serve at home, work, or church.
If you are a good child, if you are a good spouse, if you are a good friend, if you truly cared... There is a lot of expectations of us no matter who we are or where we are on life's journey. We are expected to conform to a certain way of being and behaving and there is a lot of judgment out there and there is a lot of judgment in here as we are often our own worst critique.
We have begun the season of Lent and the story that is told is Jesus going into the wilderness. For 30 years Jesus has lived his life for his family and community. Though, especially in Luke, there was some great expectations put upon him by angels, prophets, and the Spirit, but so far Jesus had just an ordinary life working as a carpenter in the village he grew up. This is all about to change as he is now baptized by his cousin, John the Baptist. To prepare himself for this huge change in his life, he journeys into desert places and fasts. A commentator pointed out that in Luke the temptations don't seem to come at end of his fasting but throughout the 40 days. Jesus maybe even had others tests and temptations, but these were the big three.
The first one is hearing, "If you are the Son of God command this stone to become a loaf of bread." Not sure how long Jesus has been fasting at this point, but even it was only for a few days, there is hunger and want and a desire to bite into something, to taste, and have something in our stomach. This temptation given is one of comfort. Jesus, being the Son of God, should never suffer, want, or even hunger. It is putting oneself always first. When Jesus later tells his disciples that he is to suffer and die, Peter pulls him aside to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid this because you are the Messiah." Jesus rebukes him that he has his mind on earthly things and not heavenly. Jesus does eat and drink frequently in his ministry, gets called a glutton and drunkard and eats with sinners and tax collectors. But the issue is what is at the center, Jesus' own comfort and our own comfort, or serving something greater than ourselves.
The second is taking charge of all the people and all the nations. Just think, no more war or poverty or crime could be Jesus if he only worships the devil. Jesus won't have to worry about free will, bad things happening, or diversity, because all will be under his control. Now, I have to take issue here with Luke's portrayal that the world is under the devil's control first of all. During Jesus' time and afterward, there was a lot of discussion and theologies about how the world worked and who was in charge of what. I have always believed that the world is God's and the fullness thereof. Luke apparently thought that God had more than just a hands off approach but actually given into the control of the devil, Satan, or Beelzubel or whatever you would want to call him. Jesus replies that one only worships and serves only God. Even Jesus will not place himself as absolute ruler and will give glory to God and not to power, control, or the enforcement of one's own will.
The third is going back to, "If you say you are the Son of God, then throw yourself off this temple, for it is written, "He will command his angels to protect you" and "On their hands they will bear you up so that you will not dash your foot against the stone." It is a weird temptation to give. If this was the temple in Jerusalem, it would be crowded with people and everyone would see and this sight would certainly go viral and establish Jesus' bona-fides that he is something truly special. And, as Jesus is fully human, he would certainly be able to lay aside any doubts or fears that he has of God's love and protection.
If we notice, in two of the three temptations, the devil uses scripture to tempt Jesus away from his ministry, the mission, and God's kingdom. There are 66 books in the Bible. I saw a meme that said, "I can do all things with scripture taken out of context." This goes back straight to this story. How did Jesus and how do we discern and know when a verse, a command, or a story is appropriate and how do we apply it? I think it comes down what seed is planted. Is the seed being planted in action or in word building up the kingdom of God that promotes justice, kindness, and walking humbly? Jesus when he preaches his first sermon in his hometown going back to the place where he lived and moved and breathed proclaimed the good news to the poor, healing, and release of captives.
As I said, often we are our worst critics. We can have that tape in our heads: "If I really are, then I should..." "If I really want this, then I have to..." or "If I want to be loved, then..." The Bible tells us that Jesus loves us, this we know. The Bible tells us that God loves us with God's whole being. The Bible tells us that all things should be in with love, through love, and by love. Anyone, anything that tells us different is trying to sell us something that Jesus refused to buy and we should refuse as well.
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