(Preached on Sunday, February 21, 2010)
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 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. -Luke 4:1-2
Each of us is born into this world and given a small piece of clock time which we call life. We all start at different times; we all end at different times. Some of us have a little more time than others, some have a little less. None of us really knows how much time we have. But however much we have, 65, 75, 85, maybe even 95 years, it really isn’t much time. Throughout that time we are constantly struggling to live. We are constantly working at understanding life, developing life, living life to its fullest. And I say it’s a struggle because there are competing understandings, competing strategies, for doing this, for living a full life. All these understandings though, all these strategies, revolve around one common denominator. They all agree that to live a full life, is to develop an understanding of one’s own identity. The quality of one’s life is gathered up in one’s understanding of who one is.
So, what are these different understandings, these different strategies? Listen to our conversations. They reveal a lot about how we understand ourselves. One way we define ourselves is by what we do. The most frequently asked question of someone you meet for the first time is “What do you do?” Listen at the next party you attend, or the next time you are on the first tee, or the next time you go to a convention. You will hear people asking one another, “What do you do?” This is also evident in our drive to constantly be doing things. We go nuts if we have free time on our hands. We must be doing something, or we might not be a person of value.
Another way we define our identity is by what we have. What kind of house do I own? Where is it located? What kind of car do I drive? What designer clothes do I wear? What degree do I possess? What college or university awarded it? Where do I go on vacation? What golf clubs do I use? What preschool, or private school, or prep school does my child attend? The advertisers all around us, and many of our friends and colleagues, suggest to us in subtle and not so subtle ways the importance of this definition.
Finally, a third way many of us define our identity is by what other people say about us. Am I liked by everyone? Do they say good things about me? This is a powerful occupational hazard for preachers. We preach a wonderful sermon on humility, and our first question is still, what did you think about the sermon? Henri Nouwen once told the story about being a speaker at a big convention. At one point he was taking questions after a talk and people were saying wonderful things about him. But then one man stood up and said, “That’s a crock of bull!” And Henri worried all day about what that one man said, instead of focusing on and remembering what all the other people said.
These are things we do to live. This is what we call life. These are our survival strategies. We are seeking to survive, to experience life, based on what we do, what we own, what others say about us. And we call that living. But Jesus calls it temptation.
At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus goes off by himself, into the wilderness for 40 days, to reflect on who he is and what God is calling him to do. Immediately before this he has been baptized by John in the Jordan River and had a dramatic experience of revelation. He comes up out of the water of baptism to hear a heavenly voice say to him, “You are my Beloved. On you my favor rests.” What a revelation! Jesus goes off to mull this one over.
At the end of his time in the wilderness, temptations come to him about how he understands who he is and what he is called to do. They are questions about his identity. Now, don’t get hung up on the portrayal of the tempter in the story. Luke calls the tempter, “the devil,” but don’t think that Luke is imagining pitchforks, horns, pointy tails, or the red long-johns that you see on cartoon devils. Most biblical scholars agree it is probably better to imagine a seductive voice offering very “good” things to Jesus, an attractive strategic plan for his ministry. More than one scholar even suggests that the tests come from deep within Jesus himself, hungry, alone and wondering. This is a very personal and intimate struggle for Jesus, much like our own struggles for defining our own personal identities.
Jesus is hungry. So the tempter suggests he turn some stones into bread. Do something. Take care of yourself. Take care of others. Meet your needs and then you will be able to meet the needs of others. Take matters into your own hands and do something. After all, if you are the son of God, you can do this. After all, we are known by what we do! But Jesus says NO! I am not defined by what I do. I am the beloved child of God and my identity comes from God. I will trust God to take care of me. My identity is defined by God’s love for me, not by what I do. I will seek God first. God does not love me for what I do. God loves me because God has chosen to love me. That is what defines me. That is who I am. I am the Beloved of God.
So, the tempter tries another tack. The tempter takes Jesus up to a high place and shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. The tempter offers those to him, they will become his possession, his to own and to wield the power, to shape and guide as he sees fit, if Jesus but kneels and worships the tempter. After all, if Jesus is the true son of God, he certainly has the right to wield power in the entire world. Besides, we are known by what we possess and certainly the Son of God should have great possessions equal to his title. But Jesus says NO! I am not what I possess. I am the beloved Child of God, and my identity comes from God. I will trust God to give me the authority and possessions I need to do God’s will. I will seek God first. What I need, God will provide and what God does not provide, I do not need. My possessions do not define me. I am God’s Beloved and that is my identity.
One final time the tempter takes Jesus to the highest pinnacle on the temple in the heart of the holy city, Jerusalem. He suggests Jesus create a sensation by throwing himself off the pinnacle, for if he is the Son of God, then surely God’s angels will protect him and a great miracle will occur in the presence of all the people. Then they will flock to him and proclaim him Messiah and King and say all manner of wonderful things about him. But Jesus says NO! I am not what others say about me. I am the beloved Son of God and my identity comes from God. I will hold on to that identity, to that truth about myself, no matter what others say about me. Even if they revile me, and say bad things about me; even if they brand me a criminal, and torture me, and kill me on a cross; even if my friends desert me; I will hold on to the truth which God has shown me about who I am. That I am the Beloved Child of God – that is my identity and that gives my life meaning.
The world tempts us with its survival strategies. Do something, buy something, listen to what people say about you. This is life, this is living. But the tragedy of this approach is this: when you come to the end of your clock time and die then there is only one thing to say about you. It is over and done with. When you’re dead, you’re dead. You don’t do anything anymore. You don’t buy anything anymore. People stop talking about you.
Jesus came to take us beyond survival strategies. Jesus came to show us what our true identity is: that we are the beloved sons and daughters of God; that we are part of God and God is part of us. We are divine. God is not separate from us, but infuses our total being with life and energy. That is why we can know we are loved and capable of love. We are not separate from God and God is not separate from us. Our clock time on this earth is not a waiting period for real life. It is real life and Jesus came that we might know that and embrace that life: “I came that they might have life, abundant life.”
This life is part of our life with God. We can embrace this life and not just seek survival strategies to get through it. How might our lives be different if we embraced the truth about our identity as the beloved children of God? In tough economic times, when employers expect more and more for less and less, can we remember our jobs do not define us, but we are God’s Beloved and that is our identity? When our finances become shaky and it becomes more difficult to buy that new car, that latest electronic gizmo, that long-planned vacation, can we remember that our possessions do not define us, but we are God’s Beloved and that is our identity? When people stop praising us and talking nice about us and we begin to fall off their radar screens can we remember that we are not defined by what others say about us, but we are God’s Beloved and that is our identity? How might our lives be different if we embraced this truth? How might our decisions be different? What actions might this lead us to take? Might we pause before making those decisions and turn to God in prayer, seeking the guidance of the one who proclaims us Beloved, not based on what we do, or possess, or what others say about us but simply because God has chosen to love us?
Let’s not settle for survival strategies in life. God wants our lives to be so much more, so much richer. Jesus walks with us to help us face those temptations, to give us the words to confound the tempter, and to maintain a firm grasp on our true identity. We are the beloved children of God.