Reverend Ref +

LENT 1-A

I like readings like this. There are so many different directions I can go, which means that I don’t have to worry about repeating myself in three years. Today, I want to focus on temptation and death.

If you didn’t notice, temptation plays a big part in today’s readings. In the second story of creation, Eve is tempted by the serpent to eat the forbidden fruit. And in the Gospel, Jesus is led out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Both people face temptation and death, but both handle it in very different ways.

Have you ever noticed that we are very rarely tempted to do something wrong on a grand scale? For instance, I owe a whole heap of money on my student loans, but I’m not going to go rob the local bank to cover it. Or you may be having trouble at home, but you probably aren’t likely to murder your spouse.

Temptation and sin start small. If the speed limit is 70, maybe you creep up to 72, then 75, then 80, slowly working your way into a major speeding ticket. Or maybe you don’t report some of those cash gifts on your income tax. Or you think, "It’s only a few grapes, or a couple of baseball cards. Nobody will miss them."

And as you get more comfortable with the notion of doing a little bit wrong, that little bit grows slowly and steadily larger. Pretty soon you can start rationalizing all kinds of stuff. "The company won’t miss this, they have plenty." Or maybe a well-timed house fire is the solution. Slippery slope? Maybe. But as Obi Wan said, "Once you start down the dark path . . ."

And that is just what happened to Eve. The serpent asked her, "Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree’?" ANY tree? No, not any tree. God said, "You can eat from any tree except this one, or you will die."

Really? You’ll die? Do you think God would create you just to kill you? What is God hiding? I don’t think he’s telling you the whole truth. I don’t think God trusts you. He wants to keep you in the dark. That fruit won’t kill you, it looks just like all the other fruit. I bet if you eat that fruit, you’ll be just as good as God, and then you’ll be free. You won’t have God telling you what you can and can’t do. C’mon, just one bite. It won’t kill you.

Was there ever a time when you were tempted to do something wrong, however small, that, in retrospect, was really huge? Whatever that thing was, you did it and shortly afterwards, did you feel like dying? With me, it was baseball cards. I stole a handful when I was maybe eight or nine. I was tempted into such a small thing by a schoolmate. I didn’t get caught, but right away a part of me died. I was no longer an innocent school boy, but a guilty thief.

There’s a song lyric that goes, "Wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then." That’s Adam and Eve. Their eyes were opened, and they stared into the face of knowledge that they weren’t ready for. And that knowledge caused a part of them to die. They were tempted by such a small thing right into death.

Now contrast Eve’s temptation with that of Jesus. First, Eve seems to be wandering around the garden on her own. So the encounter with the serpent could have caught her off guard. But look at the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ temptation. Jesus isn’t on his own, wandering around the wilderness. He is led there by the Spirit. Jesus knew that the world held plenty of temptations, which is why he allowed himself to be led by the Spirit. Jesus relied on God.

In contrast, Eve relied on herself. God gave her a brain, and she used it. But she was not yet wise enough to know when she was in over her head. Kind of like a teenager, actually. But Jesus let God lead. The whole scenario of the temptations of Jesus revolve around him taking charge; they revolve around him placing himself on par with God. Like Eve did, and which he refused to do.

Jesus knew, and Eve did not yet understand, that short-term gains have long-term consequences. What seems to be the right quick answer usually isn’t. We need to spend time . . . time working on our relationships, time working on our knowledge, time developing the ability to see the big picture. In some respects, it’s a lot like chess. New players usually go for the quick and easy victory. Experienced players learn to see several moves into the future; they can predict the consequences of their actions.

So this Lent, instead of looking for quick and easy grace through quick-fix self-denials, spend some time looking at the big picture. Spend some time looking how the Spirit can lead you through this Lenten wilderness. Spend some time figuring out a new way to practice your faith. Spend some time figuring out how that can impact your life, or the life of this parish, or the life of this town.