This is Rev. Geoff McKee’s sermon for 10 March 2019 – the first Sunday in Lent – considering Luke’s gospel and its story of Jesus being tested in the desert. Of course, Jesus withstands these temptations and Geoff explains how this teaches us – somewhat counter-intuitively – that succumbing to temptation enslaves whilst choosing God’s way brings freedom.
Luke 4:1-13 (New International Version)
Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
In the mid 1990’s the movie, Devil’s Advocate, was released, starring Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino.
Reeves plays Kevin Lomax, a happily married and very successful lawyer in America’s South. Down in the South, he’s a man of integrity who’s focused on what’s important in life.
Then he’s offered a job in the Big Apple, New York, with a worldwide law firm. Kevin and his wife move to New York, only to find Kevin being seduced by the atmosphere of greed, sex and power that surrounds the firm and – more particularly – its owner, John Milton, played by Al Pacino.
But we soon discover that there is more to this movie than the age-old theme of greed versus goodness. The plot is much more sinister. [Read more…]