Scripture/Sermon of the Day. March 6, 2022

Luke 4:1-13

The Temptation of Jesus

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”
5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”
9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ 11 and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”
12 Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Reflection/Sermon:

I. This morning I’m going to test your knowledge in boxing history. Ready? Name three boxers who were sparring partners for Muhammad Ali and who later became champions themselves. Answer: Larry Holmes, Tim Witherspoon, and Eddie Mustafa Muhammad.
And why do boxers even need sparring partners? Here’s an answer I found on Google: “Without getting in the ring and practicing against an opponent, a boxer would have little idea of what to do. It would be a disaster. For a boxer to be prepared for a fight, they need to be sparring.”

II. Jesus was just baptized. Immediately after that, we are told in our reading today: “Full of the Holy Spirit, he returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.” Why did God do this to Jesus — purposely lead him to the place where the devil was waiting for him? Because in forty days Jesus would be thrown into the arena where he would meet all his enemies — King Herod, the Pharisees, the Scribes, the Saducees, Pontias Pilate and the Romans, the Temple priests and the high priest himself, Ciaphas. In just a little over a month, Jesus would meet the people who would want him killed. He had little time to train before meeting all his enemies. all the people most proficient in wickedness and evil of every Jesus would need the best sparring partner in the world to prepare himself to meet these opponents of God. Who better to fill that role than the devil himself?

III. In 1888, the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote: “Out of life’s school of war—what doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger.”
Every day, we spar, we fight something — maybe ourselves. Our temptations? Do you realize all the temptations are our sparring partners. They make us stronger, whether food or money or sex or drugs. ALL THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS ARE OUR sparring PARTNERS!
At the Ash Wednesday service last week at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, I talked about how inspiring it was to watch the recent winter olympics. I don’t care about the winning and losing — but the training the athletes put themselves through is inspiring. Hours a day. And then I think of us and what we are training for — the mind of Christ.

IV. Every day, we train for this. This morning I fed the dogs and cats around six o’clock. I need to treat them with the dignity and reverence they deserve as creations of God. I thank God for a new day, and greet Janet with a smile. I’m grateful for the coffee.
Getting OUR MORNING ATTITUDE FIXED WITH LOVE AND GRATITUDE is so important — it’s an important part of our spiritual practice. We practice the presence of Christ in all we do.
Wherever we are is our gym. And the prize we seek is the mind of Christ, which loves our friends and enemies alike. Which responds to hurt and insult — NOT with revenge or getting even — but with kindness.

V. We are tempted to do otherwise. But we have chosen the mind of Jesus Christ. So we train and practice the love of Jesus every waking moment.
And when we need a sparring partner to tempt us and humiliate us and knock us to the ground — TO MAKE US STRONGER — we know that the devil is always there with his gloves on. No matter what time of day it is, he says, “Time to practice.”