ILC Devotion - 11 February 2013

Immanuel Lutheran Church Weekly Devotion

Monday 11 February 2013

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^NRSV Luke 4:9-12  Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, ¹⁰ for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ ¹¹ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” ¹² Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

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When I was growing up as a young elementary student, it seemed to me I was always being tested. I was in 3^rd grade when I encountered the dreaded Iowa tests, where we had to take our No. 2 pencil and darken circles corresponding to our response to the questions on the test. To this day, I hate taking a test where I have to darken circles on a testing form, I would much rather take an essay test. We are tested in so many other ways - the copier always seems to not cooperate when we are in a hurry to make copies; when we are in a hurry and busy cleaning up, we spill the coffee grounds over floor and counter; we are running late to an appointment and we encounter traffic. Life gives us plenty of opportunities to be tested. Our patience is tested, our persistence is tested, our temper is tested - we do not always pass the test. At such times when we are in a desperate situation, we may even want to test God - we bargain with God. We offer a prayer to the effect: “O God, if you get me out of this fix, I will promise to go to church every Sunday.” We may or may not get out of the fix we are in. But regardless of the outcome, do we ever keep up our end of the bargain?

Jesus is being tempted by Satan. These are not your every day, run of the mill temptations - these are pretty grand temptations. The devil is challenging Jesus Identity and bargaining with Jesus. I will give you all of this, if you fall down and worship me; if you are the Son of God, turn stones into bread, or God will bear you up lest you dash your foot against a stone. These are pretty compelling temptations; any one of us would have capitulated after the first one. Who among us is able to resist responding to anyone who would challenge our identity?

Jesus spends 40 days in the wilderness struggling, wrestling with His identity and His call to ministry. Jesus is being tested. This is a stringent and severe test. But it is a test that will prepare him for what he must endure when he sets his face to Jerusalem and the cross.

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We pray: Dear Lord, we face many tests in our life. Help us to endure them, help us to struggle through them. We may not be successful in our being tested. Forgive us and help us, as we face new tests in life. In Your Holy Name we pray.  Amen.