The Backwash

Payback.  Justice.  Vindication.  For thousands of years he waited and planned.  He watched like a lion waits patiently for it’s prey.  He knew his chance would come.  He knew he would have the opportunity for payback.  Sweet revenge.  In Matthew 4, over the course of 40 days, he gave it his best shot… and came up empty.

Satan had to be looking at Jesus’ time on earth as his chance to completely unravel the tapestry of God’s plan.  If he could get Jesus to sin… just ONCE, he would be able to nullify the only hope to save mankind.  He had millennia to plan for it, and over 30 years to make it happen, but he still failed.

Reams of paper have been written about the temptations of Jesus.  We can dissect them to show how the three temptations recorded in this passage attack three dimensions of humanity.  His temptation of stones to bread address humans inherent need for basic necessity items – something we have seen people willing to kill for in years past.  His temptation of Jesus throwing himself off the highest point of the temple addresses our human desire to be “all powerful;” and his temptation of giving Jesus everything available in all the greatest cities of the world addresses our human hunger for popularity and greed.  These three areas pretty much hit home with all of us, huh?

The not-so-obvious of the temptations of Christ is that Jesus went into that situation for the sole purpose of being tempted.  The scriptures lead us to believe that he was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted, and had to wait 40 days to even get the first temptation.  How many of us would have even had the patience to wait for the testing?  This one example emphasizes the fact that satan does not often attack when we are at a high point in our lives.  It is not often when we are tempted at a gospel meeting, VBS, bible class or spiritual retreat.  No, he’s way too crafty for that.  He lets real life seep in.  He waits.  He plots.  He looks for a point that could lead to a low point.  He waits for fatigue to set-in.  That was his plan with Jesus.  “Let him wait for the testing for 40 days.”  “Let his spirit grow weak.”

It is during these times that we must rely on a power far greater than ourselves.  As temptation enters our life, look at the “environmentals” about you.  What is going on?  How long has it been since your last period of meditation, prayer or even study?  How long has it been that the devil feels you are weak enough to be tempted?

The great truth in Matthew 4 is that Jesus obliterated satan’s attempts for him to sin.  What frustration satan must have felt!  His best chance to blow God’s plan for humanity in millennia and he failed because Jesus relied on the power of God… just like we can.

And, don’t forget that satan takes that frustration out on all of us every day.  He failed in the wilderness, he failed in Gethsemanie, and so he is now on a mission to take as many of us down with him as possible.  Isn’t it comforting that we can defeat satan the very same way Jesus did that day in the wilderness?

-MH

If you watch sports, you have seen it many times – the victor being interviewed during the post-game show.  Most try to downplay their contribution, thank teammates, thank mom, etc.  “Tom Brady… you threw three touchdown passes and were named the Super Bowl MVP – what are your thoughts?”  “Well, I couldn’t have done it without my teammates.  We play as a team and we win as a team.”

There is so much that has been written about John the Baptist that it seems hard to have a thought around him that has not already been thought or preached.  He was the historical individual that marched to his own tune.  And, no, we wouldn’t want him showing up in one of our church services.  What would he look like today?  Would he be one of the people at a street corner proclaiming his word?  He certainly wouldn’t dress in business casual attire.  No, he would be everything he was back then… an enigma.

He was also one of the MVP’s.

He played his part well even though he was the given second billing.  He was the lineman that quarterbacks rely on.  He was focused, he was in people’s face, and he was by all rights someone to consider as being one card shy.  He was also believable, compelling, and no-nonsense.

His message was clear – I have good things to share, but the one coming after you has everything you need. 

Matthew three gives us a brief glimpse into John the Baptist.  Luke gives a much more in-depth portrayal of JTB, his conception, his birth and ministry.  Matthew nets it down to simply putting John in his place… the forerunner of Christ.

And when Christ arrives on the scene, John not only knows the importance of the event, but begins to back away from his role.  He tells Jesus, in essence, “I can’t baptize you…. I need you to baptize me!”  Jesus, though, continues God’s plan.  He compels John to fulfill that aspect of his role by baptizing him. 

I am sure that there are a lot of linemen in football that would like to be the star.  There are a lot of supportive roles in this world where people dream big but play their part.  John’s dream was to simply play his part, and he played it well.  He “fulfilled all righteousness” by baptizing Jesus, and he continued to compliment Jesus’ teaching by preaching a message of repentance.  He preached so well that it ended up literally costing him his head.

As we discussed a few days ago, every life matters.  In church, we tend to see those up-front and in the public eye as “more important” than others, when in reality they are only more visible.  All of us who have been involved with a church for a while know that many times some of the hardest working individuals are those behind the scenes – those who are part of the supportive cast.

Our challenge remains in being happy with the role where God has put us.  We also must remember that God considers that role important.  Remember that John felt he shouldn’t baptize Jesus, but Jesus reminded him that his role was an important one.  How many things do we let slide because we don’t feel we are capable, when God has put us in that position?

-MH

(Originally published on levychurch.com by Mark Hodges)

Matthew Chapter 2
 Displaced.  The word takes on more and more meaning to those who have had to experience it.  This past month, hundreds of thousands of individuals from Louisiana and Texas were displaced from their homes and forced to live as refugees.  In that month, two hurricanes (Katrina and Rita) blasted their way through the gulf coast leaving the largest amount of devastation in memory from a natural event.When asked, and almost all of those displaced said that they wanted to just “go home.”  Most found that their homes were destroyed.  They became displaced out of no choice of their own.  They were forced to forge a new life either in a new state or rebuild their life in their own land if it was even inhabitable.
This entire scene makes me think about a time often forgotten in Jesus’ life.  Shortly after his birth (Matthew 2), Joseph was forced to displace his family and move them to Egypt for safety reasons.