YOU CAN DO IT

First Sunday of Lent

February 17, 2002

Matthew 4: 1-11; Genesis 2:15-17, 3: 1-7

She sat at the top of the slide looking down that 10 feet to the bottom where mother stood. It was her first time to sit up there alone. Mother stood at the bottom of the gentle slide encouraging her daughter to push off and slide safely into her arms. The daughter was cautious; she was scared yet she wanted to. With words of encouragement, "You can do it! I will catch you!" the child pushed off and slid gleefully into the waiting arms of love. "You can do it!" Whether it is a young child on a slide, or a child trying out for the soccer team, or a 16 year old trying for the driver’s license or a person setting off on the dream of his or her life, we have heard from others and we have said ourselves to children, "You can do it. Go for it." There is the risk, the daring, the stretching, the going outside the boundaries (our comfort zone) that is important if we are going to grow and be the full person we can be. Just think of the reality shows like "Survivor."

Yet, along the way, we have also heard voices (sometimes the very same voice) encourage us to do things that some other voice in our head and heart tells us not to do. "Why don’t you go into the store and grab a candy bar for each of us; they won’t catch you. You can do it. They’re not watching." "Go tell your mom that you are coming to my place to study homework; she won’t know if we go to the mall. We’ll be back in time." As we get older the suggestions can take on bigger risks. In church terms we call it temptation and sin.

We are capable of doing much. We have gifts and skills with which to do amazing things. Look at the athletes at the Olympics, pushing the edge of skill, risking life and limb to be the fastest, go the farthest, and endure the longest. Yet, we are raised with instruction and a conscience that says certain things are not right. Stealing - whether a candy bar or millions of dollars worth of stock in a company – is all the same. We say it is wrong because it is taking something that belongs to another. Whether it is cheating on a test in school or cheating on the time card at work, or falsifying tax returns, it is all the same. We may be able to do it, but does that make it right? Is it okay as long as we don’t get caught?

In the interesting story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, God has told them they can eat of anything in the garden except on particular tree. They had free reign over the entire place; they could do anything they wanted – except one thing. In the story a snake has the ability to talk (since no other humans were there) and this snake questions the explanation God gave that if they ate the fruit of that tree they would die. The snake said, "You won’t die, because God knows that if you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will become like God, knowing good and evil." The snake tells the truth but not the whole truth.

The creation story tries to tell us that the introduction of temptation and sin (separation from God) enters human history at the point of the desire to be our own God, to be our own boss, to decide for ourselves what is right and wrong, what is good and bad. The biblical story affirms that we not only were created in God’s image, but that God chose to give us freedom of choice; we are not puppets. And that automatically means that if there is choice there are two options – one is God and the other is not God. There is God’s way and there is not God’s way. The snake told them their options. The desire to determine for themselves what is right or wrong, the desire to have that power was very tempting.

Have you every watched a two year old child as he begins to discover his own autonomy apart from parents? Independence! "No!" Refusal to go to bed, take a bath, eat the vegetables and meat and not just the desserts. He wants to wear what he wants to wear; he learns to pout, cry and throw temper tantrums to try to get his own way. And we parents have to learn how to give options and choices so he has a sense of ownership and autonomy yet within bounds. It’s a big part of growing up; a huge parenting responsibility. Some children gain control over their parents then and never lose it.

From the plush Garden of Eden to the bone-dry desert of the Judean wilderness we now find Jesus on a spiritual retreat to prepare himself for the mission before him. At the end of 40 days of fasting and prayer all alone, it is not a snake that talks to him but evil personified in the form of a person we call Satan. Evil comes, not in some horrible image that is repulsive to us but in a friendly form that appeals to us. The temptations to get food for himself (do I have the power?), to demonstrate God’s protective care (will God protect me?), to claim power for himself (what would happen if I did claim it?) – all these were possible; they were "doable." Satan said to him, "You can do it." And that was the truth. Jesus could have done it; he had it in his power. Yet, he said, "No" – not because it wasn’t a real temptation (it was) but because the motivation was wrong. It would have separated himself from God; it was for self and not God’s glory.

The humanity of Jesus was being fully tested. The motivation, the spirit behind them, was the question. Later in his ministry Jesus takes 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish and feeds 5,000; is that different from turning a rock into bread? Jesus walks on water; is that much different from jumping off a tall building and having God keep him from getting hurt? What is the difference?

Temptation comes, not at our point of weakness but at our point of strength. Temptation is real because we are capable of doing it and it appeals to us. And we figure out a way to justify it, to explain it to ourselves and others, even though it is false. The real battle is not of the flesh – the outward acts – but in the spirit, the heart and mind. That is why Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, talked about sin not as an outward act but beginning with an inward thought. The struggle is having clarity of mind and heart to know what is truth and false, when something is of good or evil, or whether it is for our own good or for God’s. Temptations always have some truth in them.

And this is not just an individual thing; it frequently shows itself in a corporate sense. Businesses, governments, even nations as a whole act in ways that long for the power of God – to determine good and evil for themselves. Business ethics, concern for the environment or employees are set aside because profit becomes the god. Power over other groups of people consumes a government and military power is used (in the name of good) to control and destroy others – who are always evil. Groups determine right and wrong – good and evil. Power, greed and a feeling of superiority can consume a nation or company and make it corrupt. A lot of evil has been done in the name of God through the years. And the United States is no exception. The church is no exception.

The Judeo/Christian faith tradition has proclaimed all along that we are created in the image of God and that we have freedom of choice in how we choose to live. Yet, Scripture proclaims that our Creator who made us shows us the way to fullness of life. And that way is putting God first – love God with our entire being, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. It is seeking to understand what God calls truth rather than we deciding for ourselves. It is also recognizing that we all fall short; the desire to be like God and determine for ourselves what is good and evil is strong in us. The stronger our relationship with God, the deeper our spiritual journey with Jesus, the better we will be prepared to see and face squarely the temptations when they confront us.

In Matthew 16 we have the story of Peter recognizing Jesus as the Messiah. A couple of verses later Jesus announces his upcoming passion (death and resurrection). Peter, Jesus’ closest friend, reacts strongly, "No, that can’t be!" Jesus, knowing that is what he really wants to do but that it is God’s will, shouts back at Peter, "Get behind me, Satan. You are a stumbling block. You have set your mind on things of the earth, not of God. "

Yes, you can do it. It is not a matter of if we can do it, but it is a question of who is Lord? Who is in control? Is Jesus Christ Lord of my life, or do I want to be in control? The journey through Lent is a time to examine ourselves and seek to say with Jesus when he was facing trial and temptation, "not my will but yours be done."