Let’s recap. We opened the Lenten season last Sunday witnessing a test of wills. After his baptism Luke recalls that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert. Though the Spirit of God accompanied him Jesus’ sojourn there would be no picnic. For in this place, devoid of all the supports and distractions of civilization, Jesus encountered an opposing spirit, the Devil. The Devil, the father of lies, the great deceiver, was intent on turning Jesus away from the difficult work of saving the human race to the more conventional path of adaptation and compromise. Jesus would have none of it. He would not choose the cheap grace of the Devil’s shady deals. Rather Jesus elected to take on the hard work of winning souls one at a time for God.
This morning’s gospel reading presents another contest of wills. After nine chapters in which he cast out demons, healed, and taught, in four short verses Jesus engages three rivals.[1] Some Pharisees, King Herod, and Jerusalem are arrayed like actors on a stage, each with a diabolical purpose that would dissuade Jesus from continuing his work. Let’s look at these characters.
The Pharisees who alert Jesus to the mortal threat of the king are a reminder that not all Pharisees were enemies of Jesus. Nicodemus was among the Pharisees who became secret followers of Jesus. The motivation of these Pharisees is unknown but avoidance of conflict was their purpose. Sadly they want peace through accommodation. “Jesus, if you would just get out of Dodge there will be no bloodshed.”
King Herod had John the Baptist beheaded for his prophetic insolence. When Jesus appeared on the scene some said John had been raised from the dead. Herod was anxious to see if this was true and silence the threat to order in his kingdom once and for all. (Lk 9:7-9) His pursuit of unrivaled power meant he was capable of killing. You see, John, and Jesus after him, proclaimed the establishment of the kingdom of God in opposition to the powers of this world. According to Jesus’ beatitudes, God’s rule honors the poor, feeds the hungry, and is compassionate toward those without justice. In God’s realm one’s enemies are to be loved into friendship; forgiveness trumps weaponry. (Lk 6:20-38) The ways of God upset men like Herod. He is a fox, bold and cunning. He will use all means necessary to remove a political threat.
Then there is the city, Jerusalem. Rather than being the ensign of God’s presence in the world, it bore the signs of worldly empire. Jesus laments its reputation as a slayer of God’s prophets. Named the City of Peace, the dwelling place of God, it did not endorse the mission of the Son of God. It became a peace breaker rather than a peace maker.
In the face of these obstacles to his mission, Jesus likens himself to a mother hen determined to protect her chicks by standing between them and the hostile forces arrayed against them. Powerful interests, both civil and religious, strive to take Jesus and his followers down, but the Lord is firmly committed to his primary mission. The power of God is his tool of choice. He will not be deterred from casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, which is to say his message had not changed from the time of his messianic announcement at the synagogue in Nazareth (Lk 4:18-19), nor from the charge he gave his disciples when he sent them out (Lk 9:1,2).
If you thought that the Devil’s testing in chapter 4 was a spiritual struggle between beings of a different order from your average human, the three opponents in chapter 13 bring it down to earth. The Pharisees’ warning emphasized religious negotiation. Threats from Herod and Jerusalem’s complicity show the ugly side of political expediency. But Jesus’ concern is for the soul of the people. The human spirit cannot be saved by the kingdoms and authorities of this world. God alone can build a New Jerusalem. It happens one person at a time as faith confesses Jesus is Lord, the true messiah, and his disciples trust him to lead them to God.
The testing of Jesus by the Devil and later by these three opponents makes it apparent that testing is an ongoing element of the spiritual life. If it happened to Jesus it will also happen to those who follow him. Acknowledging that is one thing; living it is quite another. Now it would be just fine if God would hurry up and bring in the kingdom. Our soldiers are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Millions of people are out of work. Homes are in foreclosure. Businesses are closing. A major earthquake leveled Haiti and the rainy season has come to its shelter-deprived people. Civil wars rage in African nations adding to poverty, famine, lack of healthcare, and polluted drinking water that kill. Bombs and bullets keep economies going. God we need you to hurry up! Do we really trust you?
We’re in the same predicament as Abraham. Abram, as he was known when first introduced in Genesis (12:1), answered God’s call to leave his country for a new land God would show him. God promised him prosperity, and indeed Abram became wealthy and influential. That satisfied for quite a while. But Abram grew old and realized he had no heir, not only to receive Abram’s fortune, but more importantly to carry on and remember his name. Today we’d say to transmit his DNA and perpetuate Abram’s unique gene pool. Abram ached for a son.
God and Abram were close. So God took Abram outside his tent and pointed to the stars. God said in the future Abram’s descendents would be as numerous as those specks of light in the sky. Abram believed God and their relationship was sealed in the trust they shared. A ceremony followed, strange to us, but sensible in those days, in which God confirmed his enduring presence for Abram and his descendents. Years were to pass before the promise would be fulfilled. Abram had moments of insecurity when he took matters into his own hands, like having a son, Ishmael, by his wife’s servant. Still God was faithful. Twenty-five years after leaving Abram’s tribal home in Ur, Isaac, the child of promise was born. A long time, you say, but all along God was winning Abraham’s trust and shaping his faith according to the values of God’s reign rather than the fragile urgency of the moment. Whew! But don’t forget the story of the sacrifice of Isaac (Gen 22). The testing of one’s faith is a regular part of life.
We can see in Paul’s correspondence to the converts in Philippi (3:17-4:1) a similarity between Abram’s testing and Jesus’ winning our trust and having our faith shaped according to the values of the kingdom of God. Paul objected to some false teachers who preached for personal benefit and influence. By contrast Paul reminds the Philippians that they are now citizens of heaven. Jesus promised to return and will transform their earthly bodies into bodies adequate for an eternal relationship with God. Therefore Paul asks the Philippians to imitate him by living faithfully regardless of the difficulties and hardships that inevitably come. Trust God to be faithful. A little further in the same letter, Paul writes:
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:4-7)
Jesus has risen from the dead, so we rejoice. In the words of Daniel Barrigan, “We are dead men.” Trusting in the new life of Jesus there is nothing to fear from any quarter. To be sure there will continue to be tests of our faith and ultimate hope. That includes spiritual testing by the Devil, the great deceiver, and the subtle suggestions from advertising, business interests, friends, and our own wants. In the face of it all we are to remember that the Lord is near and attentive to our needs. We are to pray for discernment, trust that Jesus is not only our Savior but our companion, give thanks regardless of the circumstances, and live confidently in expectation that God will use us to build the kingdom of God’s love and shalom.
[1] With appreciation to Timothy Shapiro in “New Proclamation – Year C, 2006-2007” p. 182.
