Facing Temptation

The First Sunday in Lent

 February 18, 2024

Mark 1:9-15

 “Journey to Joy: Facing Temptation”

The Gospel lesson for the First Sunday in Lent is the same from year to year. It is always the account of Jesus’ temptation by Satan in the wilderness. As we enter into this season of Lent, this is a time when Jesus’ followers are especially cognizant of the temptations we face in our own lives. There is a heightened awareness of the dangers to sin and temptation that are all around us; within and without us. The Exhortation in the liturgy for Ash Wednesday last week reminded us: “As disciples of the Lord Jesus we are called to struggle against everything that leads us away from love of God and neighbor. Repentance, fasting, prayer, and works of love – the discipline of Lent – help us to wage our spiritual warfare. I invite you, therefore, to commit yourselves to this struggle and confess your sins, asking our Father for strength to persevere in your Lenten discipline.” Although this is a very sobering thing to think about, it is tinged with joy. That is so because our hope is not in ourselves and our own power to overcome sin and temptation. Our hope and confidence are in Jesus only who has defeated the power of sin and temptation. That is why, even in this somber Lenten season, there is joy for the child of God. Our Lenten preaching series is based on this and entitled, “Journey to Joy.” Rising out of today’s Gospel lesson, the theme for today’s message is “Journey to Joy: Facing Temptation.” May the Lord’s rich and abundant blessing rest upon the preaching, the hearing, and the living of his Word for Jesus’ sake

If today’s Gospel lesson sounds familiar, that is because we heard this not even two months ago when we celebrated the Baptism of Our Lord on the first Sunday of January. Then, the text ended with Jesus’ own baptism in the Jordan River by John, who was baptizing out in the wilderness (Mark 1:4). But today, Jesus’ baptism serves as the preface to his own journey into the wilderness and the beginning of his ministry in Galilee. So we see the wilderness as the bookends surrounding Jesus’ baptism. Mark’s Gospel spends only two verses on Jesus’ temptation. It’s a bare-bones, stripped-down version of what takes eleven verses in Matthew (Matthew 4:1-11) and thirteen verses in Luke (Luke 4:1-13). Like everything else in Mark’s account of Jesus’ life and ministry, his death and resurrection, the narrative is swift and the details are few. But what is there is significant and should not be overlooked because of its brevity. Mark doesn’t mention the three specific temptations that Matthew and Luke do, but describes this simply as Jesus’ being “in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan” (Mark 1:13a). Both Matthew and Luke describe Jesus’ being “led by the Spirit” (Matthew 4:1; Luke 4:1) into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. But Mark puts it very differently. Immediately (there’s that word again!) after Jesus’ baptism, the Spirit “drove him out into the wilderness.” That word “drove” (έκβάλλω) is the same word used in the Gospels to describe Jesus’ driving out, casting out, demons (Mark 1:34, et. al.). But here it is Jesus himself who is cast out by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness.

Both Matthew and Luke conclude their accounts of Jesus’ temptation by saying that the devil left Jesus (Matthew 4:11; Luke 4:13). Mark doesn’t say anything about the devil leaving Jesus, which may be understood to mean that for Jesus’ entire ministry, he was in a constant state of temptation because the tempter never left. Only Mark mentions that Jesus was with the “wild animals” (Mark 1:13), which could mean a number of things: that this was part of the demonic battle, or that Jesus was in solidarity with all of creation that was eagerly waiting for the redemption that he came to bring (Romans 8:22). Whatever it was, Jesus had crossed a border between what was tame and what was wild; between civilization and the wilderness. In facing temptation there at the border, Jesus is at the crossroads. He would continue to be at the crossroads throughout his ministry, pushing boundaries and borders as he cast out demons (Mark 1:21-28, 34); touching and healing untouchable lepers (Mark 1:40ff.); raising the dead (Mark 5:35ff.); interacting with outsiders and Gentiles (Mark 7:24ff.). All of this would lead to the ultimate crossroads for Jesus when he burst forth from the grave and crossed over from death to life (Mark 16:1-8).

Facing temptation in our own lives is going to look different for each one of us. The enemy knows our vulnerabilities, where we are weak, and seeks to exploit that. If he did that with Jesus, rest assured he is going to do that with each and every one of Jesus’ followers. The purpose of all temptation, in whatever form it may take, is the same: to drive us away from God and lead us to destruction. And that is our own personal wilderness. Our own wilderness might not be out in a desert setting like it was with Jesus. It might be in our place of work or school. It might be when we are with others or when we are alone. It might be when we are away from home or when we are at home. As C.S. Lewis, the famous twentieth-century Christian apologist, wrote: “There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every split second is claimed by God, and counterclaimed by Satan” (Quote by C. S. Lewis: “There is no neutral ground in the universe. Eve...” (goodreads.com). Where do we go? What do we do? How do we face the temptations that are all around us? First, last, and always, we flee to Jesus. He understands what it’s like for us because he himself became one of us. The Word of God tells us: “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16). Facing temptation on our own will lead to our inevitable fall. We need the strength that only Jesus can give. Even then, because of our weakness and despite our best intentions, temptation can get the upper hand and we fall. What then? Do we throw in the towel and give up? Not at all. Same as before: we flee to Jesus. As that same Scripture reminds us: “that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Facing temptation is part of our journey to joy. That may seem counter-intuitive, but we need to understand that the journey is not always going to be sunshine and roses. At times, it will be a difficult and painful struggle. But we are not on this journey alone. Jesus, who himself endured temptation, walks with us to lead and guide us; to support and encourage us. Our journey takes us to the cross where Jesus defeated the source of all sin and temptation. On the cross, Jesus gave his life to defeat the power of the tempter, Satan himself. Yes, the tempter is still out there, but the victory has already been won by Jesus through his death and resurrection. There is power for living here! That power of Jesus for living comes to us through his Word and Sacraments so that we may be strengthened and built up not only to resist sin and temptation, but to love and serve others in Jesus’ Name.

May our journey to joy in this Lenten season fill us with the peace of Jesus – the peace which passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). Amen.