Trusting God
Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7
Matthew 4:1-11
The season of Lent began a few days ago on Ash
Wednesday. Today is the first
Sunday in Lent. On this first
Sunday in Lent the Gospel reading is always one of the accounts of Jesus’
temptation in the wilderness.
Matthew tells us that immediately following his baptism,
Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where he was tempted or tested
by Satan.
We all know what temptation is. We know what it feels like. The internal tug or urge to do something that we know is not
right. It’s the voice or push inside of us to do something we know
we shouldn’t.
In our daily lives, temptation is often associated with relatively
innocuous things…. like dessert. Although we can also face very
significant temptations.
Was Jesus actually tempted? We know Satan tried to tempt him. But did he feel that internal tug of temptation? He might have; he was fully human as we
are, but we don’t know. Many commentators
have noted that what the devil offered certainly might have been tempting to
Jesus. But none of the Gospel
accounts say that Jesus struggled or wrestled to overcome what the tempter
offered…
What Jesus clearly did do was choose to trust the Word of
God over the words of the devil.
Whether or not Jesus is overcoming temptation in this
passage, he is clearly modeling trust.
For me, it’s helpful to think about this passage as being as much about
trust as temptation. It challenges
us to ask: which voice do you
trust? Who do you trust to really
have your best interests at heart?
Do you trust God over the voices of the world and the devil?
Real trust has to be earned. It’s important to differentiate between obedience and
trust. Obedience can be enforced “from
above” by anyone with power. The
parent or boss can enforce obedience by saying: Follow my orders or else there will be consequences… no dessert for you… no promotion or new opportunities for
you… It’s tempting sometimes to
think of God in these terms, as one who enforces obedience. But I think God is much more interested
in earning our trust than in enforcing our obedience.
Trust, which is given, “from below” must be earned. By the child, for example, with a
loving parent who learns, over time, that the “rules” are always intended for
the child’s wellbeing and that they may trust the parent’s love and care. Or by our consistent experiences over
time of God’s love and care that show us that God is trustworthy.
In this context, I feel for Adam and Eve. I don’t take that story literally, but
as it’s told they are brand new human beings, naïve and innocent, without any
life experience. One voice says to
them: “Don’t eat of the tree because I say so.” Another voice quite reasonably says: “the tree is good for
food, a delight to the eyes, and it is desired to make one wise.” Without any past experience to help
them decide which voice to trust, it’s not surprising they made the wrong
choice.
Trust is built, earned, given.
Was it easy for Jesus’ to trust God? Probably not always, but he had the
experience of his intimate relationship with the Father to anchor that trust.
So I’m left with two questions or reflections for what this
might mean for us.
First, do we give God a chance to earn our trust? We have to listen to God’s Word, follow
God’s guidance over some period of time before our experience will teach us
that God is trustworthy. We can’t
just stand on the sidelines.
We have to participate in a relationship with God before God can earn
our trust. Do we give God that
chance?
There’s a wonderful prayer in the Book of Common Prayer. It’s titled “For young people,” but
it’s appropriate for everyone.
God our Father, you
see your children growing up in an unsteady and confusing world (that’s all
of us!): Show them that your ways give more life than the ways of the
world, and that following you is better than chasing after selfish goals.
Lent is a time to intentionally draw closer to God’s
ways… a time to read and meditate
on God’s Word…. a time to focus more clearly on
following God guidance, rather than chasing after selfish goals. Does your Lenten discipline draw you
closer to God so that you may experience God’s love and deepen your trust in God’s
care? If the experiences of Lent
do draw us closer to God we will grow in trust that his ways do, in fact, give
more life than the ways of the world.
Second, do the actions of our lives show others that God is
trustworthy? Will other people see
in us the positive fruits of a life lived trusting in God? Each of us has the potential to help
others come to a place in their lives of trust in God’s love and goodness. We can be a part of other peoples’
experience that teaches them that God is trustworthy.
