Luke 5:1-11 "Speaking The Truth To Power"

There was once a woman who went on a shopping spree and purchased a very, very expensive dress. When she got home and modeled it for her husband, he was horrified when he saw the price tag, and he asked her why she had bought it. He said, “You know we can’t afford that.”

She smiled shyly at him and said, “Well, honey, the devil made me do it. I was trying it on in the store, and he whispered, “I have never seen you look more gorgeous than you do in that dress.”

Her husband listened open-mouthed and then responded, “Why didn’t you just say, ‘Get behind me, Satan?’ ”

The woman paused, looked pensive, and replied, “I did - and the devil said, ‘It looks great from behind too.’ ”

Today begins the season of Lent, and so this morning we focus on the same Biblical story that crops up every year on this particular Sunday. It is the story of Jesus spending forty days in the desert or wilderness, all the while being tempted by Satan or the devil, call it what you will, being tempted by the personification of evil – a lust for material goods, a greed for power, and a deep felt need for protection, for being in complete control of your own destiny.

This story is told in magnificent detail in only two of our four Gospels – Matthew and Luke. The writer of the Gospel of John does not mention it at all, and in Mark, the entire experience is summarized in two sentences.

In our reading today, the Gospel writer tells us that Jesus had been filled up with the Holy Spirit at the time of his baptism, and it was that selfsame spirit that led him on this wilderness quest in the first place. One does get the feeling, however, that Jesus did not have a whole lot of choice in the matter – or time to prepare.

As Episcopal priest, Jason Sierra, speculates, “Jesus didn’t strike out into the wilderness with a stack of scriptural commentaries…we might assume he left in a bit of a hurry: his wallet, cell phone, and keys still on the nightstand. His journey into the wilderness was a test in a way. And like most tests, he couldn’t use his notes.” It was just himself – and the Spirit – and the core of a message and a ministry held deep in his heart and in his soul.

Of course, what happened out there in the wilderness, no one knows because all three synoptic Gospel writers make it clear that Jesus was alone. There were no eye witnesses.
However, I do not believe that the Gospel writer of Luke envisioned pitch forks, horns, long pointy tails, and red long johns when he personified the essence of evil. I understand the encounter more as a dialogue going on inside Jesus’ head – ideas flowing in and around, creating various scenarios about how best to do this ministry to which he had been called. How could he be most efficient and effective in this important task?

I imagine the counterpoint to be a seductive voice, soft and sensible, offering alternative strategies – plausible ones that on some level really made a lot of sense. At one point, Evil even quoted Scripture, no less, which proves one thing for sure.

Evil was biblically literate and knew exactly where to find the passage needed to really put Jesus to the test. As United Church of Christ pastor, Kate Huey, notes, this facility with Scripture “just shows how easily the Bible can be, and has been, used for entirely wrong purposes.”

First, Evil bribed Jesus with bread, and oh, was Jesus famished by that point. How many days had it been since he had sat down to a good meal?

“More bread, more food; that would be tasty right about now,” Evil cajoled. “Here – smell this, fresh out of the oven! It is more of what you need to keep you going in the proper and refined way to which you could so easily become accustomed.”

More steak. More Big Macs. More exotic fruits transported in from the other side of the planet - come on, make your life worth living. But, Jesus answered, we can not live on bread alone. More is not the answer.

Then, Evil showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and all the wealth that went along with it. They were stretched out, glittering in the sunlight, farther than the eye could see.

“This could all be yours,” Evil softly said. “It would be that easy. You could be king of the universe, the most powerful guy around. People would listen to you then. You can be sure of that. The world loves the trappings of power and prosperity.”

Bigger houses. Bigger cars. Bigger toys, whatever they might be. Then wouldn’t people stand up and take notice? But, Jesus answered, there is more to life than power. Bigger is not the answer.

And finally Evil whispered ever so softly. “If you threw yourself off this highest point on the Temple, would anyone care enough to save you? Do you think those angelic body guards would really come to your rescue? Or would you have to figure out how to protect yourself halfway down?”

More military firepower. More elaborate defenses. Increasingly de-humanizing technology. But, Jesus answered, don’t force God’s hand. Self-protection at all costs is not the answer.
And then Evil took his bag of bribes and tricks and left Jesus alone – for the time being at least.

Like Jesus, we all face temptation at one time or another. That is a given. How we define it and handle it is what is important and is certainly one truth we can derive from Luke’s narrative.

There was a young man who was sent to Spain by his company to work in a new plant. He accepted the transfer because it would enable him to earn enough to marry his long-time girlfriend. Their plan was to pool their resources and put a down payment on a house when he returned.

As the lonely weeks went by, she began expressing doubts that he was being true to her. After all, Spain is populated by beautiful women. The young man declared that he was paying absolutely no attention to the local girls. "I admit," he wrote, "that sometimes I'm tempted. But I fight it. I'm keeping myself for you."

In the next mail, the young man received a package. It contained a note and a harmonica. "I'm sending this toy to you," his girlfriend wrote, "so you can have something to take your mind off those girls." The young man wrote back that he was practicing on the harmonica every night and thinking only of her.

When the young man returned home, his girl was waiting at the airport. As he rushed forward to embrace her, she held up a restraining hand and said sternly, "Hold on there. First I want to hear you play that harmonica!"

How we define and handle temptation is worth considering, and I believe this passage in Luke can help us do just that. You know, in the face of all of those manifestations of evil that Jesus faced, the one thing he did each time was to speak the truth to power. He spoke the truth with power, to be sure, but he also spoke the truth to power.

That is, he was fearless in confronting head-on the overwhelming and powerful tide of evil. His actions are remarkable really, and they set the bar high for the rest of us. After all, the easy message of this passage for us is that we, as followers of Jesus, are obviously called to do the same. Speak up. Speak out. It is that simple.

Or is it? This is where these verses on temptation are difficult for me. If more is not the answer, and less seems impossible, then what is the answer? If bigger is not the answer, but smaller just does not work, then what is the answer? If self-protection at all costs is not the answer, but being a doormat appears the only viable alternative, then what is the answer?

I do not know for sure what the answers are, perhaps because the questions are seldom put to us so starkly. However, I do know that we as humans have an extremely well-developed facility to rationalize the world around us – to see a good side to everything.

Driving a Prius saves gas – even if we still commute to Portsmouth or Boston. The tobacco industry employs a good number of people – even though it compromises the lives of many more. A “just war” is surely within the scope of being a peacemaker.

Where are these voices coming from anyway? Sometimes it is hard to tell, but, as followers of Jesus, that is an important question to answer because we have to decide whether we are listening to the voice of the world or listening to the voice of God.

And the tempting voice of the world can make a lot of sense. More may not be the answer, but there is a lot to be said for a growing economy. Bigger may not be the answer either, but surely there is a good side to being the most powerful and the one to call the shots. Self-protection at all costs may not be the answer, but it sure beats living in fear, doesn’t it?

Who is speaking to us? The voices are all muddled and confusing. Is this the voice of the Spirit or the voice of the tempting world? When we try to go about doing God’s work, how do we know if we are doing it the world’s way – or God’s way? It all makes my head spin, so stop – I need some quiet. I need to begin to figure this out.

You know, maybe that is the point of this Lenten journey stuff. Maybe if we stop long enough and mindfully listen to our hearts enough, in the silence of these 40 days, maybe we will hear the voice of the spirit – and even be led by that selfsame spirit.

Maybe these next 6 weeks are a time to go into the wilderness – led by the Spirit, just as Jesus was – wrestle with the voices in our heads over the big questions– just as Jesus did – and when we come to the other side do the courageous thing and choose death – death to all the old ways of looking at the world – just as Jesus did – only in the end to find life, real life – just as Jesus did – and finally, finally, speak the truth to power.