Lent 1 (2/10/09) “Tactics of the Tempter”

Text: Genesis 2.15-17; 3.1-7; Matthew 4.1-11

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made.” These two stories are placed side by side in our lessons today, the one from an early passage of Genesis, the other from an early passage in the gospel of Matthew. Both have to do with the devil, the serpent, Satan; but both have to do even more with temptation, and how to face it. That is why these stories are given to us on this first Sunday in Lent, as we begin a season of focusing on discipline and growth in our Christian faith. Temptation is perhaps the biggest obstacle we face in our efforts to follow Christ, and so on this Sunday it is traditional for us to look at how Jesus faced temptation, how he struggled and overcame it. And it is useful for us to compare his struggle with that of Adam and Eve, our first parents, who also faced temptation and were overcome by it.

I suppose that both passages are difficult for us because they talk about Satan, the Devil. Modern men and women have generally ceased to think much about this terrifying Biblical character, and when they have thought about him, they have done it in terms that come more from Hollywood than from the Bible. Perhaps you recall the Peanuts cartoon of several years ago where Charlie Brown’s sister Sally got into a bit of predicament because a ruler she had borrowed from a third-grade boy had accidentally gotten broken. Here’s the scene that shows Sally lingering after school. Linus comes by and Sally says, “Will you walk home from school with me Linus? I think the powers of darkness are out to get me.” Linus skeptically replies, “I really doubt if I could protect you from the powers of darkness.” “Well,” Sally says, “how about a third grader who claims I broke his ruler?” Like Sally and Linus, it is usually easier for us to deal with something concrete like an irate third grader than to fathom the depths of all the powers of darkness. So what we need to do as we read these lessons is to avoid concentrating on the Devil himself, but to look instead very closely at the way he works in these Biblical stories. By seeing how the Devil tempts Adam and Eve, and how he tempts Jesus, we can perhaps get some insight into the temptations that we face.

What is it that the Tempter wants? To put it in a nutshell, he wants his victims to disobey God. It really is just as simple as that. He doesn’t try to coerce them to commit some grave atrocity, or to make them into murderers or sinister, evil people; he wants them simply to disobey God. Genesis tells us that “the serpent was more crafty than any of God’s creatures,” and craft is exactly the approach he takes to his victims. We can see this in both stories, the one in Genesis and the one in Matthew. I think we can identify several tactics that the Tempter uses here.

The first is the power of suggestion. Notice there is no hint of force in anything that happens here. That’s why the Hollywood treatments of the devil are so far off the mark. The real Tempter does not do tricks like the ones we see in Steven King movies. He doesn’t torment little children, or make use of mad dogs; he doesn’t even go in much for debate. He simply suggests. Look at Eve, in all her innocence. The serpent never tells her to eat the fruit, nor does he try to convince her. He just suggests the possibility—her own imagination, her own pride, her own curiosity take it from there. He works the same way with Jesus. He only makes a suggestion: “If you are the Son of God, you can certainly make these stones become bread.” A suggestion! Temptations, you see, are not always violent forces that attack us, but little ideas that try to appeal to us, that try to win us over.

Then the Tempter’s second tactic is confusion. Clarence Jordan has pointed out that the Greek word for “devil” means literally “one who throws things around,” or, as we might put it, “one who mixes things up.” The Tempter is the Confuser. Look how he works with Eve. He approaches with a simple question: “Did God say . . . not to eat that fruit?” He does not deny what God has said; he does not argue against what God has said. He just quietly calls it into question. Did God really say that? Did you really understand correctly? Surely you must have misunderstood? And with that question, the crack is there. Eve begins to wonder if perhaps she has misunderstood, if perhaps God really doesn’t mind if she eats that fruit. It is the same with Jesus. The Devil even cites Scripture to convince Jesus to throw himself down from the Temple! In doing so, he tries to confuse Jesus as to just what the will of God really is. Temptations, you see, are not violent arguments about why we should do something wrong, but subtle questions about why we should do what is right.

Do you know that one? It happens so often to us when the thing we know we should not do is suddenly cast in a different light. I know this is not right, but . . . everyone else is doing it, so perhaps it isn’t so bad. I know this seems wrong, but I believe God would want me to be happy, and I believe this will make me happy. I used to think this was wrong, but now I’m just not so sure anymore. Times change. These are the approaches the Tempter takes—suggesting to us that perhaps we’ve simply misunderstood, that God really feels differently about something than we thought.

And then his third tactic is flattery. He can get anything he wants by appealing to pride. We human beings are so susceptible to that! Tell us we’re good looking or intelligent, and we’re so convinced you are right that we’re willing to believe anything else you may say! Look at Eve, so innocent; look at what he says to her: “If you eat that fruit, you will be like God!” All that stands between you and God is that piece of fruit. You’re good enough to have his job, Eve! And of course he does the same with Jesus: “You can have all this power, all the kingdoms of the world bowing down to you . . . if you’ll just . . .”

And haven’t you faced that one, too? Haven’t you been asked just to look the other way about this thing, or just keep quiet about that thing? Haven’t you been told how important you are, how capable you are, how much good you could do if you just cut a corner here or there? Just one compromise, and you will benefit so much!

Let’s notice just one more thing about the ways of the Tempter. Most of us don’t face temptation that is painted in big red letters of warning. Our translation of Genesis says the serpent was “crafty,” but some other translations render that Hebrew word as “subtle.” Temptation is often subtle, hard to notice if you aren’t looking carefully. We are not likely to be tempted to rob a bank; but we may well consider fudging on our income tax. Temptation comes to us in subtle ways, in the ordinary things of life.

Joseph Scriven as a young man who had more than enough of sorrow. On the eve of his marriage, his fiancée drowned. In despair, Joseph emigrated from his native Ireland to Canada. There he met another young woman, and they became engaged; but she became ill and died quite suddenly. He received word that his mother back in Ireland had also suffered a great sorrow, and so he took pen and paper and sketched out a verse to send her. It contained these words: “Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful, who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness. Take it to the Lord in prayer.” Joseph understood, you see, that the trials and temptations of life are common to all of us. One does not have to be a spiritual giant; one does not have to be in a position of wrestling with great moral issues. Trials and temptations come along the way for every man and woman. It is part of life.

But in Jesus, our friend Jesus, we have strength and help in time of need. He can help us because he has experienced trials and temptations, just as we do. But he understood that the way to overcome temptation is not to rely on our own strength, but to put our trust solely in God. He does not heed what the Tempter offers or claims or suggests. He clings to what God has said.

And that is what he teaches us. If we would overcome temptation, our eyes must not be on what we think we want, on what we believe we need, on where we fancy we’d like to go, but on God. When we trust in ourselves, we respond like Adam and Eve, giving in to temptation and disobeying God. You remember Luther’s words: “Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing—were not the right man on our side, the man of God’s own choosing. Dost ask who this may be? Christ Jesus, it is he.” In Jesus Christ, you see, we have one in whom we can trust in life and death, one who will give us strength to overcome temptation. We can be confident of his help, because from this story we learn that he himself was tempted, just like us, and that he overcame. The wonderful assurance is given so clearly in the book of Hebrews: “Because [Jesus] himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.” That means he is able to help me, and to help you. And not only able, but willing. “In his arms he’ll take and shield you. You will find a solace there.”