Unchained

Luke 4:1-30  

^4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, ² where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. ³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” ⁴ Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”

⁵ Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶ And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. ⁷ If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” ⁸ Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”

⁹ 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.’” ¹³ When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

¹⁴ Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. ¹⁵ He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. 

¹⁶ When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷ and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, ¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

²⁰ And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. ²¹ Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” ²² All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph's son?” ²³ He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” ²⁴ And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown. ²⁵ But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; ²⁶ yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath  in Sidon. ²⁷ There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” ²⁸ When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. ²⁹ They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. ³⁰ But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.   




2 Timothy 2:1-9  

^2:1 You then, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus; ² and what you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well. ³ Share in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴ No one serving in the army gets entangled in everyday affairs; the soldier's aim is to please the enlisting officer. ⁵ And in the case of an athlete, no one is crowned without competing according to the rules. ⁶ It is the farmer who does the work who ought to have the first share of the crops. ⁷ Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in all things.

⁸ Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David—that is my gospel, ⁹ for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. 

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The Psalmist says, "In you, O Lord, do I put my trust."

But why?

Why do we trust in God?

         What proof do we have that God is trustworthy?

         Or more specifically,

                  when have we encountered times

                  that it seemed we could not trust or rely on God?

At the start of today’s gospel reading from Luke,

         Jesus has just been baptized.

He is filled with the Holy Spirit.

So what happens?

Nothing good, it seems.

He is driven out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit,

         and there he stays for 40 days, eating nothing.

And he is weak, and he is famished. And he is vulnerable.

And here comes Satan, with three temptations.

“You’re hungry, aren’t you, Jesus?

         I know you are.

         Here are some stones.

If you are REALLY the Son of God,

         why don’t you just turn them into loaves of bread,

         right now, and satisfy that groaning in your belly?

“But wait.

You’re just starting out on your ministry, Jesus.

         Let me make it easier for you!

         Worship me,

         and I will give you authority

         over all the kingdoms in the world.

I can do that, you know.

“And you know, your journey

         is going to be hard and dangerous, Jesus.

Why not just show people a great example,

         a sign of God’s saving love,

         by throwing yourself off of the temple,

         and letting people see how God saves you.

We both know, don’t we? -  that God – will – save – you.

And in every case, Jesus’ response reflects his utter trust in God.

Jesus says,

         It is written, “one does not live by bread alone.”

         It is written, “worship the Lord your God,

                  and serve only him.”

         It is said, “do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Jesus says, “it is written”…”it is said”…

         because these are words of scripture, the Word of God.

Jesus, the living Word of God, is quoting the Word of God.

Jesus trusts in God completely, and relies on the Word of God to convey that trust.

Jesus is being tempted in the very same ways that we are typically tempted.

·      The first temptation is about meeting our needs.

o  The devil offers him bread, food, something he desperately needs.

o  Who could blame him for turning a few stones into bread and satisfying his hunger for that moment?

·      The second temptation is about power.

o  The devil offers him authority, power, control – a choice that could certainly change the outcome of his journey toward the cross.

o  Wouldn’t it be great to avoid or eliminate those things that create problems in your life, with the snap of a finger, to make them go away?

·      The third temptation is about protection, safety, self-preservation.

o  The devil challenges him to prove God’s protection for him, by doing something incredibly risky and completely contrary to God’s will.

o  Why not provide proof of God’s love, why not establish a sign of God’s intention to save your life, so that your enemies will see firsthand that you are God’s chosen one?

What are we willing to do for food and shelter, for sustenance?

What are we willing to do to acquire or maintain our power to control things, to make things go the way we would choose?

What are we willing to do to protect ourselves from the potential that bad things might happen to us?

How often are we tempted to not trust God in these very same circumstances?

Are we able to trust in God in these things, come what may? And if we can’t, are we more subject to temptation?

When Jesus goes back to Galilee,

         filled (either again or still)

         with the power of the Spirit

         after his time in the wilderness

         and his time of temptation,

he brings good news to the people in the synagogue –

         the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy –

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

         because God has anointed me,

         to bring good news to the poor,

         to proclaim release to the captives,

         recovery of sight to the blind,

         to let the oppressed go free,

         to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

All of this is here and now fulfilled, this day,

         in your sight, in me.

And they of course like the sound of that, and they trust in God to fulfill all of that for them. After all, they are God’s chosen people. And Jesus is their hometown boy!

But wait, there’s more.

He says, it’s not just for you, for God’s chosen people.

         It’s for all the people.

         Jesus offers two examples from the Word of God,

                  where prophets saved and healed

                  “outsiders” of the faith.

Interestingly, this is not heard

         as Good News by God’s people.

We read that “they are filled with rage”.

We can imagine what it must have been like,

         this angry crowd of faithful believers,

         rising up, driving Jesus out of the synagogue,

         all the way out of the town,

         and up to the edge of a cliff

                  so that they can hurl him off.

Think about that.

I wonder if Jesus was thinking about

         the devil’s challenge to him, -

                  jump off the top of the temple!

                  leap off the top of this cliff!

         let them see how God protects you!

But, as we read, Jesus takes a humble approach.

He turns, and enters the crowd,

         this crowd of people who are ready

         to force him off a cliff.

He enters the crowd,

         and passes through the midst of them,

                  and goes on his way.

When I imagined him doing this,

         it made me think about one of the ways

         “the force” gets used in the latest Star Wars movie,

         and has actually in some of the earlier movies too,

                  in order to change someone’s mind,

                           to change a situation.

Our heroes are in a tight spot,

         and they invoke the force,

         and say something like

                  “you will release my handcuffs, walk away,

                  leave the door open, and drop your gun”.

And their stormtrooper guard,

         in some force-created trance, will reply,

                  “I will release your handcuffs, walk away

                  leave the door open, and drop my gun.”

And our hero is off to save the galaxy for another day.

Is this what Jesus did?

         Did he hypnotize the people in the crowd

         so that they wouldn’t touch him,

         so they would let him get away?

That’s not what the scripture indicates.

Instead, it says he passed through the crowd

         and walked away.

Sounds pretty humble to me.

Sounds pretty trusting to me.

He trusted in God completely, come what may.

When Paul writes to Timothy

         in this second letter that we heard a portion of today,

         he is not looking much like a winner,

         like someone who is reaping God’s blessings.

He is in prison, “chained like a criminal”, as he puts it.

He is near the end of his life,

         and he is giving Timothy final instructions

         for how to carry on without him.

And he is not really offering a prediction

         of sunny skies ahead for Timothy either.

He says, be strong in grace, the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Share in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

Stay focused on obedience in your discipleship, no matter what that brings you.

Live your life to please God.

Live a life in line with Christ’s commandments.

Do the work of discipleship, the hard work,

         even though it will bring suffering,

         not release from suffering.

Trust in God, come what may.

And Timothy, says Paul, you may be chained as a criminal,

         like me, as a result.

But the Word of God is not chained.

The Word of God is freedom.

The Word of God is our basis for trust,

         complete trust in God.

The Word of God is our response to temptation,

         our only response.

The Word of God is our strength in grace.

The Word of God is what helps us to step away

         from the relentless, lifelong drive

                  to achieve,

                  to accumulate,

                  to conquer and control,

                  to be protected from all harm –

         to give in to these temptations.

It takes trust in God to step away from temptation.

Because, we may go hungry in our lives.

We may not have enough.

We may not be saved from harm or illness or persecution.

We may not see clear signs that God is trustworthy.

A contemporary theologian, David Lose, observes

         that temptation is closely related

                  to insecurity and mistrust,

         and suggests a way to help us see

         the link between trust and temptation,

         and the way that link either chains us or sets us free.

You will find pencils and 3x5 cards in the pews.

I invite you to take a card and a pencil,

         and label one side “trust”.

Now write something down on this side of the card

         that is important to you,

         and for which you feel confident of God’s support. Maybe it’s the love of your family,

         or a job that pays the bills,

         or your relationship with God.

It should be something that matters to you,

         something you do worry about,

         and yet you trust God with it.

It shouldn’t be a “given”,

         something you never worry about.

Write this down on the side of the card

         you have labeled Trust.

(pause)

Now, turn the card over,

         and label the other side “Mistrust”.

On this side, write down one thing

         that is difficult for you to trust God with right now. Maybe it’s a particular relationship,

         or a job or school decision,

         or something challenging at work or home,

         or an uncertain future.

(pause)

Now, take a moment

         and compare the two things you have written down

                  on either side of your card.

Why is it easier to trust God with one of them

         and not the other?

What makes the harder one different?

Do you think they really are different?

         Do you think, perhaps,

                  that you might be able to trust

                  more than you thought, on the difficult one?

(pause)

I invite you to do one of two things with this card.

Either take it with you,

         and plan to carry it around for this coming week,

         taking just a moment or two each day to pull it out,

so you can give thanks for what you trust,

         and to pray about the thing

                  you are having a hard time trusting God with.

And if you do this, and you are willing,

         please email me and tell me what it’s been like

                  to lift these challenging things up in prayer.

And your other option is to put the card in the offering plate,

         so that I can pray about these things for you

                  in the coming week. 

Trust is at the heart of Jesus’ relationship with God.

Trust is at the heart of our relationship with God

         and with each other.

It’s not always easy, and when trust is missing,

         temptation is right outside the door.

But when we are in community,

         when we support one another,

         we can go out from here,

                  filled with the Holy Spirit,

                  ready to trust God,

                  to trust in the unchained, living Word of God,

         and in so doing, to resist temptation.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.