Matthew 4:1-11
February 10, 2008
Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco.
One of the greatest challenges facing parents today is the courage to look their children in the eye and say “No.” In a culture where most of what we hear tells us that our job as good parents is to work hard to give our children everything their hearts desire, the word “No” is not in our vocabulary. When I see the amount of toys and playthings that children have in their homes and perhaps in our church nursery today, we found it hard to say “No.”
Today is the first Sunday in Lent when we are invited to say “No” to something we like.
The word, “lent” actually has little to do with any Christian significance. It simply refers to the lengthening of the daylight hours during this time of the year when Lent occurs.
I don’t know how it was when you were growing up at this church but at my home church in Boston many years ago, we didn’t practice Lent let alone know what the word, Lent meant. I just remembered that we jumped from Christmas to Easter!
But I knew something was different living in a Catholic neighborhood of Boston. I remembered when my classmates would come to school on a Wednesday with this black spot on their forehead. Now I know that they just came from an Ash Wednesday morning mass marking the beginning of Lent. I thought it was awfully strange.
Today I have learned that as we celebrate the season of Lent, we are invited to ponder the meaning of self-denial and learning how to say “No.” We start off by saying “No” to simple things like chocolate, ice cream, watching TV, drinking coffee or any other sundry of passions that we may have. Going along side of any Lenten self-denial that we might decide to do, we associate this decision with the opportunity to shed off some of that unwanted weight that we earned over Christmas.
Self-denial or giving up something in Lent is a form of fasting that by denying the body of some kind of food, we enter into a spiritually heightened state of being. So every time you realize that you are abstaining from eating something, you are reminded of how you desire to know Christ in your heart.
While today is the First Sunday in Lent, we are a long way from that world of Lenten self-denial that we as Christians need to do. Many of these rather trivial acts of self-denial of denying ourselves from having dessert end up not denying ourselves of that much after all.
Our puny little self-denial looks pale in comparison with the huge act of self-giving that Jesus is about to make for us on the cross. Giving up a piece of chocolate each week is nothing compared with God giving up Jesus Christ his Son for us.
Lent is the season when we meditate on the passion of Jesus and to die spiritually with him so that we may also be renewed in the resurrection of Christ.
Self Indulgence
Now while all this is true that what we give up is nothing compared to what God gave to us in Christ and that Lent means much more than our rather pitiful attempts at self-denial, Lent does not mean less than this.
We live in a world today of self-satisfaction and self-indulgence. “Deny thyself, take up thy cross, and follow…” is a statement that has never been paraded in a TV advertisement.
The Men’s Wearhouse says, “You’ll like the way you look.” The auto industries tells us that giving a luxury car for Christmas with a red bow on the roof would make you happy. Burger King says, “Have it your way.” After you may have made a big mistake, Southwest Airlines tells you “It’s time to fly.” Popular slogans like, “Enjoy yourself.” “You owe it to yourself.” or “You deserve it.” fill our airways, computer screens, cell phones and billboards.
For some years now, many segments of the church have preached what we might call the “prosperity gospel.” Got something wrong in your life? Want more out of living? Then come to Jesus and he’ll fix that for you. Jesus is there to fix what ails us, to go and fetch us what we want but can’t reach on our own. Few “prosperity gospel” advocates are so crude as to promise us new cars, free vacations, and the like; the rewards promised are usually psychological or spiritual rather than material, but they are still rewards. Christianity becomes just another self-help technique of getting what we want. Indulge yourself.
40 Days of Lent
Lenten self-denial is one of the most counter-cultural seasons in our church year. During these 40 days we walk behind Jesus toward his cross. The work of God in our world is not to help us get what we want but rather to enable us for the first time in our self-centered little lives to get what God wants. And how does God get what God wants? Not through the use of economic, political, or spiritual power but rather through rejection, renunciation, learning how to say “No.”
What Jesus said to Satan was “No!”
In our passage for this morning, we see Jesus tempted by the devil in wilderness. For forty days and forty nights, he didn’t eat anything. Being famished, the devil tempted him to change stones into bread. Jesus said “No” and proclaims that we do not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from God. No economic power was going to change Jesus’ faith in God’s word.
Satan then tempted Jesus by placing him on the very top of the temple and told him to throw himself off in order to test God’s power to save him. Jesus said “No” and proclaims that we must not put God to the test. No political power was going to change Jesus’ faith in God’s plan for him.
Finally, Satan took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and that all of this splendor can be his if Jesus would bow down and worship Satan. Jesus said, “Away with you, Satan,” I will worship the Lord God and only serve him. Jesus said “No” and proclaims that God is the only one he would worship. No spiritual power given by Satan was going to change Jesus’ faith that there is only one God to worship and serve.
Our popular culture and advertisement tell us that we are the most important projects in the world. We tell ourselves that the only damage that you can do for yourself is by denying yourself what you really, really want. Self-care, self-absorption, self-indulgence and self-satisfaction are what our country tells us is an American freedom. We worship the self. We have no greater project than ourselves.
Now I know these self-improvement TV shows are very popular these days. They take someone who needs some body shop work. And with the help of professionals who perm, eye-line, dress, cap teeth, nip and tuck eventually produce what once was a plain person into someone who is attractive! There’s absolutely nothing wrong with making oneself look nice but we are mesmerized by these shows because their ultimate message is that the most important project in the world is ourselves!
Years ago Flip Wilson had a skit which his “Geraldine” character went out and bought herself an expensive dress. When she later modeled the garment, she was told that when tempted to buy it she should have resisted the temptation by saying, “Get thee behind me, Satan!” To which Geraldine replied, “That is what I did say and the Devil told me it looked very nice from the back.”
The reason why there’s a small proportion of college students who attend college chapel services or get involve in campus ministries is that our message of self-denial is against just about everything that college is about. College life is all about the students. They have their room and board paid for by their parents and all they have to do is to make sure they have passing grades! No wonder sometimes we fantasize how carefree and wonderful it was to be in college. Students have enough sense to know that following Jesus could only make their lives more difficult.
Perhaps that’s why Jesus responded to Satan’s temptations by mentioning worship. He repeats the prayer that Israel knew by heart from Deuteronomy: “You shall worship only the Lord your God.” That’s a tough word to hear in a world that tells us to worship ourselves.
The temptation with which Jesus struggled is ultimately the sin against this great Deuteronomy affirmation, “The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” (6:4-5)
Against three offers to be like God, Jesus resists and refuses. To Satan’s offers of spectacular economic, political and spiritual powers, Jesus says, No.” He refuses to be God on our terms. He will be the “Son of God,” as was proclaimed in his baptism and on the transfiguring mountain that we heard about last Sunday. He will be God’s Son only as God defines Jesus’ Sonship.
Very early in his ministry, Jesus is first known by what he rejects, what he renounces and what he gives up rather than what he affirms, accepts, and receives. In our own discipleship with Jesus, how shall we be known by what we are able to give up for Lent? What can we say “No” to?
Saying No
We need to take some small baby steps toward this new life. It begins with denying ourselves in some small things in order to be receptive to greater sacrifices in our lives.
Maybe we can begin with giving a few dollars a week to relieve some of the suffering of others. Maybe we can give a few hours taken from our infatuation with ourselves in order to expend them to others like what Don Fong does at the soup kitchen. Maybe it begins by rolling up our sleeves and cooking one of the Friday Night School dinners and give up a Friday for partying. These are not huge acts of self-denial, but we must start somewhere. On this first Sunday in Lent, God gives us the grace to practice some self-denial and to learn how to say, “No.”
So here are some Lenten questions for you: What do you need to give up in order to give Jesus a chance with your life? What is that thing in your life that is in danger of taking over your life? What do you love too much in the wrong way?
The good news of today’s Gospel is that Jesus says, “No!” to Satan, not just once but three times. He triumphed over the temptation to be who he was not meant by God to be. And so can you.
In your bulletins this morning, you have a small piece of paper. On this piece of paper, I invite you to write down something that you want to deny for Lent. You want to say “No” to this thing. What do you want to give up in order to give Jesus a chance with your life? What is that thing in your life that is in danger of taking over your life? What do you love too much in the wrong way?
In a few minutes, the ushers will come by with the offering plates and receive your Lenten self-denials. No one will read them. This is just between you and God. I will take them and dispose them as your commitment to proclaim today that you will worship the Lord your God and serve only him.
The good news is that Jesus is powerful over temptations, even over your temptations. He can give us the grace to deny ourselves, to take up our crosses daily and follow. Ask him to give you what you need in order to give up something for Lent.
Let us say “No” to our self-indulgence so that we can say “Yes” to Jesus Christ.
(5 minutes to write)
Let us pray.
Lord Jesus, we have come to you, accepting you as our “savior,” welcoming you as our “friend,” affirming your way as the way of “truth” and “light.” In your cross and resurrection you said “yes” to us; and in our baptism and discipleship, we have said “yes” to you.
Now as we walk with you during these 40 days of Lent, help us to say “no” to the world and its allures. Help us to reject sin and all of its enticements. Give us the grace we need to walk your narrow way that leads to life eternal. Help us to reject those things that so delude and charm us in order that we might be faithful to your plan for us and the world. Amen.