4th February Trinity 2012, Passing the Test

3^rd, 4^th February Trinity

Ilya Repin

(Sunday after Ash Wednesday)

Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the loneliness of the desert to experience the tempting power of the adversary.

After fasting forty days and nights, He felt for the first time hunger for earthly nourishment. Then the tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, let these stones become bread through the power of your word.”

Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘The human being shall not live on bread alone; he lives by the creative power of every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Ilya Repin

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the parapet of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered him, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Again a third time, the devil took him to a very elevated place, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give to you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me  as your Lord. “

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship [pray to] God your Lord who guides you and serve him only.’”

Then the adversary left him, and he beheld again the angels as they came to bring him nourishment.

4^th February Trinity

Ilya Repin

February 26, 2012

Matthew 4:1-11

The gospel reading opens with Jesus being led by the Spirit into the loneliness of the desert to experience the tempting power of the adversary. In a way, this is a description of a human life in general. We are led into the loneliness of earth existence. And we are all exposed to the tests of temptation that the Spirit allows the adversary to visit upon us.

The Spirit that leads Him, that leads us, is the spirit of God’s love; God’s love wants to incarnate, to become active within human beings. But we must pass three basic tests, overcome three basic hurdles.

The first is the temptation to regard our life, our work, our sustenance as self-produced. The spirit of God’s love reminds us that what truly sustains us is God’s creative power.

The second temptation goes almost in the opposite direction. We may consider ourselves so important in the grand scheme of things that we expect God’s love to protect us from all harm. But in fact avoiding harm isn’t the highest goal. Harm, even torture and death, can stimulate the greatest forces of love in us.

Our third temptation is to misplace the source of spiritual power; to place it in the world outside ourselves, to worship the illusion that someone else is ruling us, instead of connecting with the divine love and guidance placed within us.

Passing these three tests opens us, brings us into contact with the angels, those divine spiritual beings who, with God, nourish and sustain our souls and spirits. 

www.thechristiancommunity.org

---