10th February, 2008
Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11

1. The Temptations of Jesus

We are now at the commencement of Lent, which actually runs from the 6th of February to the 23rd of March. Lent is the period preceding Easter in which the Christian church is devoted to fasting, repentance, and abstinence, in commemoration of Christ’s fasting in the wilderness. It was originally called in Latin ‘quadragesima equal fortieth’ which signifies its duration. In the western church it runs from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, and so includes forty weekdays.

We will observe this occasion with special reverence in order to bring to mind what Jesus experienced, when he was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Today we will read together the story about this event, which has become widely known as, The Temptation of Jesus.

However before that, it might be useful if we looked back at the passage which describes how Jesus first became convinced that he was the Son of God. Matthew records the scene at the time of his baptism: “And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). The spirit present at Jesus’ baptism now leads him into the wilderness where he is tempted and tested, before he begins His Ministry in Galilee.

The first Temptation came after forty days and forty nights of fasting. In the Bible ‘forty’ is a symbolic number which signifies trials. It was the duration of fasting for Moses before going up to Mount Sinai to receive the tablets of stone on which the ten Commandments were written. It took the same number of days for Elisha to wander in the desert, where he eventually met God.

And for Jesus the same duration of forty days was required. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry and tired. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread” (Matthew 4:2-3). Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’ ” (Matthew 4:4). Then the devil took him to the holy city and made him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: . . . ” (Matthew 4:5-6). The devil cites Psalm 9:11-12 to temp Jesus into jumping while relying on God’s protection. Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test’” (Matthew 4:7). The third and last temptation concerned earthly glory. Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me” (Matthew 4:8-9).

Here we should remember the episode of Jesus feeding the five thousand with a ridiculously small quantity of food. The crowd was amazed by his miraculous power and wanted to make him their king. But Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself (John 6:15). The perception of worldly glory caused Jesus to pull away from the crowd. To the third temptation he shows a similar reaction concerning the offer of earthly power from Satan. Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only’ ” ( Matthew 4:10).

2. What is behind the Temptations in the desert, according to Deuteronomy

All phrases of Temptations begin with ‘if you’, the expression which opens a possibility of one’s own choices, in other words hesitations. Though this story tends to focus upon Jesus as the Son of God, these introductory words reveal that temptations are not exclusive to Jesus’ experience, but they could easily happen to us who live in this modern world. Please notice then that Jesus rejected the Temptations each time by quoting verses from Deuteronomy.

To the first, “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” (Deuteronomy 8 :3). And to the second, “Do not test the LORD your God as you did at Massah” (Deuteronomy 6 :16). Then to the third, “Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name” (Deuteronomy 6 :13).

We see now that Matthew teaches us to read Deuteronomy in order to thoroughly understand the story. So let’s take today’s invocation verse from Deuteronomy, the third verse of chapter 8. “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”

The redaction of Deuteronomy is based on the experience of Exodus. At that time, the Jewish people were emancipated upon leaving Egypt under Moses’ command. It was the commencement of Israel’s journey with God to the promised land of Cannan. But, the place where they arrived was not the promised land, instead it was a desert. So living conditions were unexpectedly hard. The book of Exodus describes their reaction in facing the severity of reality. In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death” (Exodus 16:2-3).

To such complaints God responded with manna to feed the people. However it took them forty years to enter the land of Canaan though the distance between Egypt and Canaan was normally within two weeks walk. The people were obliged to wander in the wilderness for a long time. Many died during this time without seeing the promised land.

Under these conditions one might be tempted to lose trust in God. But when they arrived in Canaan, they looked back at the period of their wandering, and acknowledged God’s mercy, and remembered God’s provision for them. Because their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell during these forty years. Thus they arrived and gave thanks to God.

But there were those who worshiped God only because they were liberated from the Egyptians. Now in the face of difficulties they wanted to return to their former routine environment of Egypt, and the guarantee of their daily food. They were such a simple minded crowd. So much so, God allowed them wander in the desert for a long time in order to educate them. God’s leading, testing and oversight of the people in this rugged wilderness eventually forged a bond between them, and they became God’s people. After all their experiences they came to believe that, “man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” (Deuteronomy 8:3). It’s a testimony which nobody could give without having the experience of being fed by God. We can see how bread is so precious, and we give thanks to God, the bread of life, for His provision during our many trials and temptations.

3. We Too Experience Personal Trials.

We could say our way of living is very similar to that of the Jewish people wandering in the desert. Today, please allow me to tell you of my personal experience, as an example. In spite of receiving baptism at the age of twenty I spent most of my time, until fifty years of age, seeking earthly bread and worldly goals.

I was absent from Sunday services in order to go to the office, even during heavy snow falls, or to participate in golf competitions with colleagues, which is considered a necessary criteria in climbing up the career ladder of success. I continued such a lifestyle for twenty-seven years. Then, at forty-five years of age, there was an accident which changed me.

It began with an almost meaningless quarrel between my son and myself, which resulted in a serious injury to my son. A glass which I threw at him broke and wounded his knee severely. He was transported to hospital, and from that event he won’t talk with me anymore, except to accuse me of being a fake christian. He even refused sharing a table with me. That familial condition compelled me to question if I really had faith, and I recognized that the past days and years spent in Church couldn’t have changed me.

That accident unveiled my sin. Under that shadow of suffering, I began to attend a Baptist seminary school where I studied theology by a night time curriculum, which continued four years.

Through learning, I knew that the most important thing in my life is not a business success which guarantees earthly bread, but rather, the joy of spiritual bread. By the time I finished the curriculum, my company was looking for voluntary retirees. I decided to accept the offer, and quit the job. At that time my son was a university student, and my daughter was at high school, depending on my income. But, by believing and trusting in God’s provision, I started a new life with merely the retirement allowance, and I continued theological studies at another university. However financial instability was always my concern.

A year after graduating from the university, I got a manager’s post at the Tokyo Baptist Seminary. Six years on from then, I am now the Pastor of this Church, and my son and daughter are both financially independent. I can’t help identifying my past with that of the Jewish people, who wandered throughout the desert for forty years. So, I can say that we have no need to struggle to get earthly bread, because God provides us with what we need for our body. Jesus teaches us to live by trusting in Him.

4. The Meaning of Trials in our Lives

In reading Deuteronomy we learn what happened to the people after they entered the promised land. They changed their former nomadic lifestyle to an agricultural one. That stable and settled form of living allowed them to build storehouses to stock surplus products, which made them feel secure against the threat of famine, without the protection of God. Thus we witness the beginning of idolatry, defined in this instance by the worship of material goods.

And this kind of society generates a gap between rich and poor, because everyone seeks to increase one’s own wealth. The new social environment might make people think that life in the desert was better or, at least, at that time all community members were equal with no competition. They helped each other by communicating vividly with God. Humans down through the ages have often found that material ease, and abundant wealth does not necessarily make them happy.

Matthew tells us in his Gospel, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil” ( Matthew 4:1). It was the Spirit who led Jesus to the place of temptation, which means it was God who really placed him in that situation. And we must know, God doesn’t put us under trials in order to destroy us, but to educate us.

Jesus didn’t change stones into bread because He does not take instructions from Satan and trusts only in God (Matthew 4:3). Jesus was hungry and weak after fasting for forty days, but He chose not to use His divine power to satisfy His natural desire for food. Besides, this was a temptation which he overcame. Bread easily obtained has little value and cannot nourish our bodies.

We meet God through difficulties and personal trials, like hunger or hard and difficult conditions of life, as if we too, were in the desert. In other words, only through the pain of the Cross can we begin to feel the joy of the Resurrection. So we should try to understand the meaning of trials in this way, “God allows us to suffer earthly pains, in order for us to receive His merciful blessing.”