We’re getting close to the end of the Lord’s Prayer. We have
come to the request: “Lead us not into temptation.” This request comes after we
have acknowledged our relationship to God, prayed that God’s kingdom of peace
might arrive in fullness, and asked that our daily needs might be fulfilled and
that our sins might be forgiven. Only then do we ask that God might keep us out
of trouble. Lead us not into temptation, we pray.
On the surface, it’s an odd thing to ask of God. After all,
we can’t really escape temptation. We face life’s choices all the time; and
many of them carry temptations right along with them.
Do we say anything to the cashier who gives us too much
change at Mr. Deal’s? Or do we give in to temptation and just pocket it? What
do we say to the neighbor who asks for our help in a political cause that we
don’t happen to support? Do we tell the truth? Or do we give in to temptation
and lie about how we really feel? And how many of us have ever intentionally
cheated on our income taxes? April 15 in on Tuesday. You might think about that
temptation as you finish your tax return!
But these are small potatoes, really. The temptation to tell
little white lies or to keep the change that we were given in error is a small
one; and most of the time, we don’t give in to it. What is the real temptation? What’s the one that
we’re talking about when we pray, “Lead us not into temptation”? The Lord’s
Prayer doesn’t tell us for sure; but in my opinion, it’s the temptation that
all the little ones lead up to. It’s the temptation to take the easy way out.
And that, my friends, isn’t a little temptation at all. It’s a big one!
Taking the easy way out is a way to avoid difficult
obligations, obligations that make us uncomfortable. As an example: Perhaps we
have hurt someone. The ethical thing to do when we recognize our behavior is to
apologize. But aren’t we always tempted to ignore what we’ve done? It’s so easy
to rationalize and to say something like, “Oh, that was a long time ago.
They’ve probably forgotten all about it. I’ll just pretend that nothing
happened at all.” The reality is that hurts don’t quickly go away; and an
apology can go a long way towards mending a relationship. But apologizing is
difficult, and it is always easier not to do it at all. How strong temptation
can be.
Resisting temptation sometimes means going the extra mile.
When we see an opportunity for service, it is always tempting to say, “Oh,
someone else will do that. Let George do it!” But the reality is that if
everyone says, “Let George do it!” some things will never get done!
My hometown of Piqua has a civic honor that is awarded annually
to someone who has not sat by and let someone else do all the work. It is
appropriately titled “the Order of George.” Folks who receive it participate in
all kinds of charity events and civic organizations, all of which make our
community a better place to live for everyone. Those who receive the Order of
George have successfully resisted the temptation to “let George do it.”
But perhaps the sneakiest way that this temptation weasels
into our lives is by making us want to fit in. We all just want to be normal
folks. We don’t want to cause a fuss or make waves. And there’s nothing wrong
with that. But sometimes waves need to be made. When they do, the temptation to
keep our head down and stay out of the picture can be almost overwhelming! But the
world is full of evil. All of us can see things around us that we know are
wrong. And Jesus calls us to take a stand against the evil in our world. That
stand can take many forms. It might be protesting the rezoning of green space
in order to build a new shopping mall; or becoming a voice for homeless
veterans; or speaking out against human trafficking. But the temptation is
always there to just look the other way, because making waves is risky.
Back in 1988, a movie came out that was titled “The Last
Temptation of Christ.” It was based not on the Bible but on a novel by author
Nikos Kazantzakis. In both the novel and the film, Jesus is tempted to simply
be a good man. He is tempted to avoid the cross altogether, to go back to
Nazareth, to get married and have a family, and to have a fulfilling career as
a master carpenter. The devil shows Jesus all the ordinary things about a
normal life that he will never enjoy! Oh, the temptation to be normal is so
powerful!
I can’t help wondering if Jesus was tempted in just this way
as he rode into the city of Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. After all,
Jesus knew the danger in what he was doing. Riding into Jerusalem on a donkey
and allowing the crowds to cry “Hosanna!” was a political statement. By doing
what he did, Jesus was claiming that he was the Messiah. He was setting himself
against the power of the Roman governor who was not interested in having a
Jewish messiah set Jerusalem in an uproar during the celebration of the
Passover. Jesus knew the risk. If he caused too much of a fuss, he would surely
be arrested and executed.
What temptation Jesus must have faced! Surely he considered
the alternative. Like Jesus in “The Last Temptation of Christ,” surely he
thought about sneaking out of town and going back to Galilee. Why, if he had
done that, he could have continued to teach his disciples, heal the blind and
the deaf and the lepers, and maybe even get married and settle down eventually.
He would have died at home in bed, old and full of days, just like King David
did. But if Jesus had done that – if he had given in to the temptation to be
like everybody else – there would not only have been no cross; there would have
been no resurrection. If he had given in to temptation, we might remember Jesus
today as a great teacher; but we would not be celebrating an empty tomb on
Easter morning. If Jesus had given in to temptation, we would not have the
certainty of eternal life that begins here and continues in the presence of
God’s glory forever!
When we confront temptation – as we do so often – it helps to
remember that Jesus has already been there before us. Jesus has already fought
that battle. Jesus has already conquered the temptation to stay safe and secure
and ultimately useless against the evil in our world. “Lead us not into
temptation,” we pray. But when we are faced with that temptation despite our
prayers, Jesus is our example – and our help. If Jesus could resist temptation,
so can we.
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