February 17th Reflection by Bill Lynch

 
First Sunday in Lent 
Luke 4:1-13 (NRSV)
The temptation of Jesus 

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread." Jesus answered him, 'It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.'" 

Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered him, 'It is written, 
'Worship the Lord your God, 
and serve only him.' " 

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, 
'He will command his angels concerning you, 
to protect you,' 
and 
'On their hands they will bear you up, 
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.' " 
Jesus answered him, 'It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time. 

Reflection
This is it. It's show time! This is the final rehearsal for Jesus before he starts his ministry. Will Jesus give in to his fleshly desires? Will he take the bait from the devil? How about his authority over this world... will Jesus use this power? Would Jesus give up his trust in the Father and side with the devil?

These temptations are temptations that in some form or another we give in to. Temptations and sins that we buckle under the pressure. We are sinful people. But through Jesus ministry, suffering, death and resurrection; we have been released from the sins. Jesus became sin that we may live. We are free to not sin.

As we live in the grace of what Jesus has done for us, we now are free to reject sin and live without sin. So why don't we? We want to live free of sin. There are moments when we do live without sin, but then we fail. I don't want to sin. I hate to sin. I hate sin! But, I still fail and give in to the temptation and sin. I can't stand that!

That's where Jesus comes in. He knows what the temptation is like. And he knows that we are tempted. We are set free to not sin and we are set free from the bondage of sin through Jesus. Through Jesus alone. We can't do it by ourselves. We fail... and we need a Savior. A Savior that handles sin for us. A Savior that leads us through our sin to everlasting life. A Savior that frees us from sin. 

So, now what? We live our lives in relationship with Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit. We live our lives knowing that we don't need to sin. We live our lives knowing that Jesus has taken on the sins and put them behind us. This frees us from the bondage of sin to live in love with God and with one another. A love that reflects the love of Jesus. A love that moves the message of what Jesus has done for our sin to all the world.

It's show time! Begin God's ministry in your life today.

Prayer
Jesus, I'm yours. I'm your disciple, I'm you servant and your my God. Use me in the ministry you would have me do... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen