Matthew 4:1-11:
Then Jesus was led up by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ But he answered, ‘It it written, “one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’
Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle, saying to him, ‘If you are the son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you”, and “on their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”’ Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor, and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you fall down and worship me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written, worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
The Gospel of the Lord!
Lent has begun again. Lent is a season of self-examination, spiritual practices, service, and perhaps even a little guilty…
What is the point of Lent after all?
Why do we still observe this ancient practice? Is it simply because “That’s the way we have always done it?”
What is the point of Lent?
All of today’s reading deal with sin, one way or another. These readings all seem to focus on human sin and divine fidelity. Apparently Lent has something to do with considering our sins, and God’s perfection... At least, that is what those who put together the lectionary readings thought.
The thing, though, is that if Lent can be a little confusing, sin is even more confusing.
Sin is a topic that appears to be quite simple, however, upon closer examination we find it is a very complicated topic.
When we deal with sin we are dealing with a number of assumptions. We tend to talk about sin as if it were something we all understood. That is rarely the case, though…
In fact, just this week I spoke with one of my seminary professors about a class she is teaching, “The Seven Deadly Sins.” A popular course! Which, frankly, I think would be more popular if this were a lab course. (School joke)
“You’re teaching an entire course on the topic of sin?!” I balked.
“Sure,” she said.
“An entire course, for the entire semester?” I asked.
“Yeah, Ryan. Why are you acting so surprised?” She asked.
“Well,” I said, “I just don’t see how that topic could take up a full semester.”
“What is sin, Ryan?” she asked.
Ready to hit a homerun I said, “It’s doing something that is bad.”
“Well,” she began…
“Well?!?!” That surprised me!
I expected her to start applauding about my brilliant answer.
“Well, she said, what about Martin Luther’s definition, that sin is not only what you do, but what you fail to do?” She asked.
“uhh..,” I stammered.
“AND,” she added “what about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He lied and even assisted in planning an assassination. All to help save Jews. Wouldn’t you saying lying and killing is typically considered doing something bad?” She asked.
I realized my answer was less of a homerun, and more of a simply pop-fly out…
So, if sin isn’t not doing the bad thing, what is it?
Although we may want sin to be a clear set of right & wrongs, yes & no’s, it is apparently more nuanced than that. In fact, if sin were just doing the right thing, there really would be reason to hope we could do it, although it would be an admittedly high order.
Today’s readings really do prepare us for our Lenten journeys. These readings, confusing as they can be, do help us understand sin and temptation.
For instance, if sin were only about not being bad, why is it a sin that Adam and Eve eat one particular fruit? God had already told them eating was good. So why is this one fruit bad? Why is that bad?
Or, Jesus and the devil. First Jesus is tempted to turn stones into bread. Somehow that is bad, yet later in Matthew Jesus will multiply bread. So why is that so bad? Plus, Jesus could have turned those stones into bread and fed all the hungry. Why is turning stones into bread a sin, when it could be used for good, and later Jesus is going to multiply loaves of bread anyway?
Okay, I know I just said that these readings help us understand, and I just gave you all examples about how these readings are confusing, but just hold on a second.
The thing is, the Bible is more than a book of right and wrongs, a list of what is and is not sin. The Bible is a book of faith.
Eating a fruit wasn’t bad because that was the one fruit on the list of no’s. Eating the fruit was bad because it was unfaithful. Adam and Eve ate because they assumed God was holding out on them.
Jumping from the temple mount wouldn’t have been bad because the devil suggested it. Jumping from the temple would have been bad because it would have been unfaithful. Jumping from the temple would tried to make God become a puppet of Jesus’ and thus destroying any real and living faith.
These stories are helpful because they show us that what is paramount is faith, not just behaving. These stories help because they put sin and temptation in the context of faith, and faith helps us understand what sin is.
The thing about sin is that sin is always directed toward the benefit of the self. Faith, on the other hand, is always directed toward God and neighbor.
While faith may muddy up simple dualisms, faith is present and helpful in the midst of the complexities we face each day in our lives. The complex examples of Adam and Eve, Jesus and the devil, Bonhoeffer and the Nazis are really not that far away from us today. We know life is rarely a case of simply right and wrongs.
In today’s story Jesus’ example shows us that faith is about worshipping and serving God and therefore neighbor above all. This example is indeed much higher than just doing the right thing. This is more complex.
After all, who can dare say they have always acted for the benefit of another? Doing good is completely salutary, but it is not faith. While doing good may have an positive outcome for us and it is fine to consider that outcome, faith never considers any benefits for the self at all. Faith is only concerned with God, and how to serve God and neighbor.
So, now that these readings have helped us think about faith, and putting sin and temptation in the right context; faith. We’ve seen how lofty living faithfully is, it is even higher than being good.
Wow.
How are we to ever live up to this example?
Well, Lent can be a time to contemplate our shortcomings, our lack of faith.
Lent can also, though, be a time to joyfully live into this example. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the fact that we are salt and light. Faith is ours. The same example that shows us what faith is, and how impossible it can be, also gives us the very faith we need. This example is Jesus.
Sin isn’t about being bad, then. Sin is about being unfaithful. In this context sin isn’t even bad, so much as it is heartbreaking. Sin is turning from a promise, turning from our neighbors, sin is a turn away from love, often in fear.
Sin is heartbreaking. But, sin is never the last word!
(pause)
Jesus refused Satan’s tactics to turn stones into bread because that would never feed the world. Instead, Jesus becomes bread himself, thus creating the chance that the world might really be fed forever.
Jesus becomes bread, and creates a faith that feds others before the self. Jesus becomes bread and faith becomes not only a distant dream, but an immediate reality. Soon we will be invited to the table to meet this Jesus who fed others. In this meeting we become Jesus’ hands and feet.
Perhaps Lent is about less of feeling guilty, and more about realizing who we are. Lent is about living into the promise that we are salt and light. Lent is about meeting Jesus, and being transformed in this meeting. Lent is about seeing that sin isn’t about being bad, sin is about stepping away from a lover who has changed our lives and continues to do so. Lent isn’t about being steeped in guilt, instead Lent is a time to be blown away by the gifts we’ve been given by the love that is ours, and in that wonder and love extending those gifts to others.
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