March 9, 2003

Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church
March 9, 2003 1. lent

Pr. Jens Arne Dale

Today’s text has three episodes, the baptism of Jesus, the temptation and his preaching. Previously this year, we have had both Jesus’ baptism and his ministry in our texts. Therefore, I would like to focus on the temptation of Jesus today. That fits with Lent. Lent and temptation go together. Here at Mindekirken, our Christmas tree has been transformed into a cross. We follow Jesus on his way towards suffering, and it also reminds us that we ourselves should take up our crosses and follow Jesus. That would be to repent.

Ash Wednesday was the beginning of Lent. The Biblical expression of the day would be "to be clothed in sackcloth and ashes." The approximately 40 who were here at the service on Ash Wednesday were marked on their foreheads with ashes from the burned leaves from Palm Sunday. I think most of you have washed yourselves in the meantime, but according to the church tradition, Holy Thursday was the day to end Lent. The Norwegian word Skjærtorsdag comes from a word which means to cleanse, or wash. Ash Wednesday was first celebrated in the church around the year 450, and pretty soon after that they expressed: The day will come when Christ will rise from death as the bird Phoenix rose from ashes. An old legend tells about the phoenix, who burns himself to death, but rises from the ashes three days later. This is a nice picture, which might be used about Christ, even though it’s not mentioned in the Bible.

The baptism of Jesus was the starting point of his public work. It sounds strange that the path from baptism should lead out into the wilderness. I have heard about the badlands here in the US, a place where nothing will grow. That’s about what it was like between Jerusalem and the valley of Jordan where Jesus spent 40 days after his baptism. Did Jesus have anything to do there? Was he just lost? One might have thought that Jesus after his baptism was eager to get started with preaching the gospel But the time in the wilderness was not a mistake. Sometimes we are eager to get started. Here we see the value of waiting for the right time, for maturity, refining and education. It was the Spirit that drove Jesus out into the wilderness. Like Israel went in the desert for 40 years. Jesus was to be tempted for 40 days. He himself has to be the information source of what happened there, because none of the disciples joined him. There in the loneliness, in the wilderness, Jesus was tempted. Temptation sounds negative to our ears. The Greek word peirazein means rather to be tested. On February first, the space shuttle Colombia was changed into a fireball which crossed over the sky like a shooting star. Something went terribly wrong. 17 years earlier, the space shuttle Challenger experienced a similar catastrophe. Why did it have to happen again? They say every single small detail of the space shuttles undergo the most intensive tests. The metal is tested far beyond the limit of what it’s supposed to withstand. Even so, things went wrong again.

Jesus is the second attempt of the human race. Adam failed to be obedient to God. It was fatal when he ate the forbidden fruit. Human nature got a defect. Death became the condition for all later generations. Paul says in Romans 8:7. Flesh does not submit to God’s law. And in the chapter before: I want to do what is good, but evil lies close at hand. In this desperate situation Jesus comes to restore what sin has damaged. He came to restore life and fellowship with God. He came so that love might prevail.

But to become our Savior, he had to fully share our conditions. He had to be a human as we are, be tested in everything, like us, and experience the real possibility to sin as we have. The temptation of Jesus was real. His inner struggle shows that Jesus was a real human.

Maybe the temptation in the wilderness came as a reaction after the highlight of his baptism. When something great and wonderful has happened, it may easily come to a reaction. Elijah, who fought the prophets of Ba’al so boldly, soon afterwards became a weak and powerless character under a bush. The devil started his temptation when Jesus was at this weakest, when he was alone. Sometimes we are most vulnerable in private situations. When nobody sees us, it doesn’t matter, we may think. We allow ourselves freedoms and a lower moral standard only because we think no one will find out about it. Having double morals is always risky business, not only because it might be exposed, but because a flaw in character could be so fatal.

No one expected what happened to the space shuttle Colombia. But a hidden weakness led to tragic consequences.

The Bible teaches us that the one who is faithful in minor things will be faithful in major matters. Jesus was about to be tested. His character had to be without weakness in order to be the beginning of the new creation, the human family who would inherit eternal life.

On Ash Wednesday, we heard about temptations through good things. When we pray we may be tempted to do it in order to be recognized. When we give alms, we may feel tempted to give in order to be praised by others. Our hidden motives count in the eyes of our God. It’s not only classical temptations like money, sex and power that are issues when God examines our character. He demands purity in our inner heart.

Khalid was a very intelligent student. He went to college almost without speaking English, but he went right into the most advanced classes. He was a vibrant human of the sort who might tell stories ‘round-th-clock. He learned to speak English, Urdu and Arabic, and when he traveled all around the world, he was never taken for a foreigner any place. Khalid claimed no less than 60 aliases. He was gifted far more than a normal person. But he was tempted to do something evil which would change the history of the world. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was captured in Pakistan recently, suspected of being the mastermind behind 9/11, a terror attack which was immoral, whether one sees it from a Christian or a Muslim angle.

Our strongest sides may represent the temptation to what might be our biggest fall. In the case of Jesus, the devil no doubt would tempt Jesus to use his resources, as God. Change these stones into bread, throw yourself down from the pinnacle of the temple, would hardly sound tempting to us. But for Jesus to demonstrate his abilities as God in this way would really be a temptation. And luckily for us: Jesus refused. He went victoriously away from temptation. He was obedient to God.

For just as by to one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Romans 5:19. It was this obedience which helped Jesus in Gethsemane when he was tempted to avoid the suffering. And on the cross he was tempted to use his power as God and get down from the cross. But Jesus didn’t use his omnipotence, he was victorious through his weakness.

Salvation rests on the work of Jesus alone. It’s his obedience that has made it possible for us to be children of God. At the same time his example is an inspiration to us to be victorious in temptation and to do good. We are called to fight against everything which is wrong – for peace and justice in this world. Given this, this year’s time of lent is a special challenge to us.

Glory be to God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.

The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church ·  924 E. 21st St, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2952 ·  (612)874-0716