The audacity of Satan to tempt Jesus with “If you are the Son of God”. If you are?! The Father has just declared Christ’s Sonship in the previous verses. Of course, Jesus is the Son, but Satan can’t resist attempting to sow doubt, as he did in the garden. The audacity!
It wasn’t enough for Christ simply to die for you. If that was all that was required, He could have come down to earth from heaven as a fully-grown man and marched immediately to the cross. Dying for our sins, of course, was extremely important. He was the spotless lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Paying the price for your sins, as urgently needed as it was, was not all that He did. Jesus says, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of God.
Narrowly focused, you need something more than forgiveness. Forgiveness takes away the guilt and the penalty for your sin. Thank God for that! But you still need something else, something that Jesus earned for you. Forgiveness is not the same thing as righteousness, although we often lump them together. When we break God’s laws or fail to do what God demands, we most definitely need to be forgiven for those infractions. While all of this is most certainly true, so far we’ve only covered the passive work of Christ — what He does in his suffering for you.
But He did more than suffer. He became man in the womb of the Virgin Mary so that He could live the life of obedience you fail to live. In addition to suffering in suffering in your place and for your salvation, He also had to live a perfect life for you. Because he was perfectly obedient, He earned the robe of righteousness. That’s why Luther talks about “der froehliche Wechsel,” the happy exchange, whereby you give Christ your sins and he gives you his righteousness. Thus, you get two things from Jesus — forgiveness because He washes away the guilt of your sin by dying in your place – but he also gives you the righteousness that he earned in your place. You’re forgiven, for sure, but you’re also declared righteous by faith in Christ, meaning that when the Father looks at you, He sees His perfectly righteous Son. As a faithful, baptized believer in Christ, you’re wearing His clothes!
This account of the temptation of Jesus is a prime example of how Christ lives the life of obedience that God’s people were incapable of doing. After fasting for 40 days in the desert, Jesus endures the devil’s temptations and passes the test. This text is not about his suffering in your place on the cross but about him doing what the people of God fail to do. As the Messiah He is not just the victim but the strong man who does everything well. Because God’s people then and now don’t do what is required of them, they fail to earn the robe of righteousness. But Christ succeeded. And then he gives that reward freely to his children, to those who trust in Him.
We tend to see the connection between Jesus being tempted in the Judean wilderness with the desert wandering years of the Israelites, after being set free from Egyptian slavery. And that is true. But there is another connection to make, and that takes us back to the Garden and the temptation Satan presents to Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.
Consider these contrasts: When Adam and Eve are tempted, they are in the midst of plenty. The whole garden is theirs. Their stomachs are full. They have each other for companionship. Satan tempts them by attacking the Word of God. “Did God really say?” Now in the desert the New Adam is in the Judean desert, not a garden. He is alone with the wild animals, not friendly ones. There is none to encourage him. He is hungry, having fasted 40 days. When the evil one tempts him, he replies each time with, “It is written.” God has already spoken and that settles the matter for Him, regardless of his hunger or loneliness or miserable conditions. Jesus withstands the pressure of the devil in the exact opposite conditions than Adam and Eve had. Adam fails, surrounded by abundance and the companionship of Eve. Jesus succeeds in loneliness and hunger by relying on the certain Word and promises of God.
Salvation really is all about Jesus, from beginning to end. The only thing you and I contribute is our sin. Therefore, the sooner we get it out of our heads that we have somehow earned something with God or contributed good works to the equation, the better. With Luther, Augustine, and St Paul, we give all the glory to Christ our Lord. For both his active and his passive obedience for our salvation.
I think a very good case can be made for saying that every temptation or trial that we face is ultimately about the 1st commandment. The slavery, oppression, and exile of God’s people in history are repeated consequences for their breaking of the 1st commandment – You shall have no other gods. Solomon, for all his wisdom, did not guard his heart, and he began to worship at the altars of foreign gods. David, by contrast, for all of his grievous sins, kept the faith and did not worship other gods, and thereby became the measure of a faithful king down through the centuries.
Temptations to compromise our worship of the true God are certain to come. You can count on it. If our Lord had to endure the devil’s temptation to worship other gods, then you can expect the same treatment. The servant is not greater than his master. When you were baptized, you were snatched out of the devil’s possession, and he will not take that lying down. He will seek to reclaim you, through whatever means necessary.
In all your struggles, however, remember that it’s not a fair fight. He who is within you is far greater than he who is in the world. You were bought and redeemed by Christ the crucified. You are precious in his eyes. Jesus tells you: I give you eternal life, and you will never perish, and no one will snatch you out of my hand. (John 10:28)
The temptation of Jesus in the Judean wilderness is loaded with significance. He’s in the desert for 40 days enduring the same temptations the Israelites failed at during their 40 years in the desert after the Exodus from Egyptian slavery. They complained about the manna and the quail. But Jesus fasted. They quickly turned away from God to worship idols, but Jesus refused to worship anything besides the living God. The Israelites repeatedly whined about their conditions, putting God to the test, but Jesus never complained. Where the Israelites failed, Jesus won. He is not only new Adam but also Israel reduced to One.
And so it is with you. Temptations are bound to come, especially as you take your confession more seriously. C.S. Lewis was raised in a home where his maternal grandfather was an Anglican priest. The death of his mom when he was still a pre-teen led him down the road of becoming an atheist. By the grace of God he was brought back into the embrace of the church through repentance, but he once remarked that he didn’t begin to have trouble in his Christian life until he began to take the teachings of the church seriously – even the difficult ones. There are plenty of teachings in the church that rub the watching world the wrong way. The exclusivity of Christ alone for salvation is one. Men only in the pastoral office is another. Closed communion is another one we face in the United States. From every angle we face the accusation of being narrow minded. But in reality, it boils down to remaining faithful to the Word and promises of God. “It is written,” we confess with Christ. If that was enough for Christ, then it’s enough for us.
As you abide in Christ, worshipping the true God, you will continue to enjoy the benefits of Christ’s victory over sin, death, and the devil. The most significant temptation you will ever face is to walk away from the God who created you, redeemed you, sanctified you, and who continues to love you. That’s the worst temptation of all. The Gospel reading today compels us to remember that everything Christ did – in his suffering and in his obedience – he did for you and for your salvation! He even underwent the devil’s temptations in your place. Amen.
INVOKAVIT (Der Herr über die Versuchung)
Wochenspruch
Dazu ist erschienen der Sohn Gottes, dass er die Werke des Teufels zerstöre. 1. Johannes 3, 8b
Introitus
Nr. 21 (Psalm 91, 15 u 16a. 1)
Epistel
Weil wir einen großen Hohenpriester haben, Jesus, den Sohn Gottes, der die Himmel durchschritten hat, so lasst uns festhalten an dem Bekenntnis. Denn wir haben nicht einen Hohenpriester, der nicht könnte mit leiden mit unserer Schwachheit, sondern der versucht worden ist in allem wie wir, doch ohne Sünde. Darum lasst uns hinzutreten mit Zuversicht zu dem Thron der Gnade, damit wir Barmherzigkeit empfangen und Gnade finden zu der Zeit, wenn wir Hilfe nötig haben.
Hebräer 4, 14 – 16
Hauptlied
Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott 242
Ach bleib mit deiner Gnade 253
Evangelium
Jesus wurde vom Geist in die Wüste geführt, damit er von dem Teufel versucht würde. Und da er vierzig Tage und vierzig Nächte gefastet hatte, hungerte ihn. Und der Versucher trat zu ihm und sprach: Bist du Gottes Sohn, so sprich, dass diese Steine Brot werden. Er aber antwortete und sprach: Es steht geschrieben: „Der Mensch lebt nicht vom Brot allein, sondern von einem jeden Wort, das aus dem Mund Gottes geht”. Da führte ihn der Teufel mit sich in die heilige Stadt und stellte ihn auf die Zinne des Tempels und sprach zu ihm: Bist du Gottes Sohn, so wirf dich hinab; denn es steht geschrieben: „Er wird seinen Engeln deinetwegen Befehl geben; und sie werden dich auf den Händen tragen, damit du deinen Fuß nicht an einen Stein stößt.” Da sprach Jesus zu ihm: Wiederum steht auch geschrieben: „ Du sollst den Herrn, deinen Gott, nicht versuchen.” Darauf führte ihn der Teufel mit sich auf einen sehr hohen Berg und zeigte ihm alle Reiche der Welt und ihre Herrlichkeit und sprach zu ihm: Das alles will ich dir geben, wenn du niederfällst und mich anbetest. Da sprach Jesus zu ihm: Weg mit dir, Satan! denn es steht geschrieben: „ Du sollst anbeten den Herrn, deinen Gott, und ihm allein dienen.” Da verließ ihn der Teufel. Und siehe, da traten Engel zu ihm und dienten ihm.
Matthäus 4, 1 – 11
liturgische Farbe: violett
Festzeit: Fastenzeit
Wochenspruch: 1. Joh 3,8b
Wochenpsalm: Ps 91
Eingangspsalm: Ps 34
Epistel: Hebr 4,14-16
Evangelium: Mt 4,1-11
Predigttext: 1. Mose 3,1-19 (20-24)
Wochenlied: 362 und 347
Erklärung zu den Perikopen:
Die biblischen Predigttexte sind aufgeteilt in die Perikopenreihen I bis VI. Jede Reihe gilt – beginnend mit dem 1. Advent – fortlaufend für ein ganzes Kirchenjahr (aktuelle Reihe = III). Die einzelnen Reihen haben verschiedene Schwerpunkte (Evangelien, Briefe usw.).
I(Evangelium): Mt 4,1-11
II: Hebr 4,14-16
III: 1. Mose 3,1-19 (20-24)
IV: 2. Kor 6,1-10
V: Lk 22,31-34
VI: Jak 1,12-18