Rebecca Sheridan
Sunday, January 20, 2019
Matthew 4:1-17

Does anyone in this room actually like tests? Would you say you are a good test taker or a bad one? I have a good friend who almost didn’t get into college because of her low ACT scores…she got good grades in school and is an intelligent person, but test-taking caused her such great anxiety she would freeze and not be able to get through the test. On the other hand, I have another friend who got a perfect score on the ACT but never graduated from college – due to some personal issues he struggled to make it through the long haul of four or more years of classes, although again he is one of the smartest people I know. Different tests challenge us in different ways – temptation to eat another piece of chocolate for me? Definitely a hard test, while some of you may not even really like chocolate! Whether we’re good or bad facing some tests in life, the reality is, all of us can name tests that have been difficult for us, whether it was getting through school academically, surviving a major health setback or living through a huge loss like the loss of a spouse. Our faith in God helps us get through trying times and look back to see how God’s strength helped us persevere in whatever test we were facing.
Today, we move to chapter four of Matthew where Jesus is tested by the devil after forty days and forty nights of fasting. I don’t know if even Jesus was looking forward to that test, which was both physically and psychologically demanding. The devil is tempting Jesus to abandon his obedience and faithfulness to God by serving himself, by being selfish in three ways: misusing God’s miraculous power by feeding himself and therefore breaking his fast, deviating from God’s plan and purpose by jumping off the Temple, and finally, claiming earthly power for himself by worshipping the devil instead of worshipping God. And of course, Jesus passes the test – he does not waver in obeying God and serving God instead of serving himself or giving into the devil’s temptations.
There are some good questions that come to mind when we hear this story of Jesus being tested by the devil. WHY did the Spirit lead Jesus to the wilderness to be tested by the devil? Why did Jesus have to fast for forty days to be ready for this test? And there’s the big problem of evil question, “if God allows Jesus to be tested by evil, why does God also allow us to be tested by suffering and evil, too?”
These are questions that have no easy answers, but we can find hope in Jesus’ response to these tests. We may not be able to explain why we experience hard times, but Jesus shows us ways we can cope and respond to be strengthened by God’s spirit and supported by angels when we face sin, death, the devil and all his empty promises. First, we can prepare ourselves by fasting. Fasting is a spiritual practice that doesn’t have to be going without food, but going without something that allows us to pay attention to God more fully – so we could try a screen fast for one day a week, or a sweets fast for a month, or a day without purchasing anything. I just saw an ad for an app called “Calm” which reminds you to take 30 seconds out of your day to not do anything. I think even that would be a fast from the busy-ness of life that opens us to God. Going without something we usually do by habit opens up our eyes and ears to listen and draw strength from God.
Secondly, Jesus knows and uses Scripture against the devil. He has fed himself on the word of God and not just on physical food so that even when the devil tries to use scripture against him, he can speak powerful words of God back to the devil. The word of God in scripture gives us strength to withstand hard times, too. It may be a verse you’ve memorized, or a passage you just happen to turn to, a quote you see on social media or something you hear today in worship, but surrounding yourself with words from God allows you to hear God when you most need to hear him for strength, support and wisdom to do what is right.
Finally, Jesus refuses to worship anything and anyone except the Lord God. “Worship the Lord your God and serve only him,” he quotes from Deuteronomy. Regular worship of God helps keep our priorities straight – it’s where we hear God’s word and receive Jesus’ body and blood in the sacrament of communion for strength for our journey, it’s where we have fellow Christians to support us when we’re going through hard times. We live in a world where many people are tempted to worship themselves rather than God – there are many other important things people think they have to do on Sunday mornings than worship God. We are so enslaved to the god of busyness that we think we can’t obey God’s commandment to worship the Sabbath day and keep it holy – every store and every person has to be available 24/7 with no rest for the weary, including ourselves. Yet that is how evil can wear us down when we are not being buoyed and strengthened in worship.
Worship, prayer, and fasting are spiritual tools Jesus uses to stay connected to the source of his strength, God the Father, during his times of trial. I believe one reason Jesus is tested by the devil is to show us that we have those tools, too, to stay connected to God for our times of trial, too. We tend to think of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness as the only time that the devil tested Jesus. We call it The Test with capital letters. But from the time he was born, Jesus endured trials and had to rely on God for wisdom and strength – his escape to Egypt from King Herod, being rejected from his hometown in Nazareth, being betrayed by his disciple Judas and ultimately, crucified on the cross. The religious authorities will continue to test Jesus with questions to trap him, Matthew will tell us. But Jesus never fails those tests, even the ultimate test of facing an innocent death on the cross, dying for those God loves.
This is the good news – Jesus aced the test for us; Jesus, crucified and risen defeats all those who seek to challenge God and God’s authority, namely sin, death, and the devil. When we come to times where we feel like we might be defeated, like the test is too hard, like we’re going to fail, Jesus points us to the cross and reminds us that there’s nothing to be afraid of, we already passed the test. God has won, the devil has lost. This is why Matthew ends our chapter this morning with words from Isaiah: “the people sitting in darkness have seen a great light.” And Jesus begins his ministry of healing, teaching, and preaching by saying, “Change your life, God’s kingdom is here.” Here and now, already done. This year, we have undergone some significant challenges as a congregation. Our relaunch efforts in some ways has been like a test – there have been temptations certainly to put our own agendas before God’s will, temptation to give up or leave, temptation for us to take the easy way out. We still face significant challenges, primarily financial – we are maintaining a small membership of people who invest a lot financially and with their volunteer time. What I think is important for us to hear from God today as we go into this annual meeting and continue to wrestle with the difficult situation our church finds itself in, is that God’s got it. God has triumphed over evil, and even if our efforts should fail, God will not fail us. Scripture, prayer, and fasting are the lifeblood of the church – refusal to participate in the world’s way of operating so that we can confidently say along with Jesus “Change your life, God’s kingdom is here.” Amen.