Settling the Issue: Preparing for God’s Future (a Missional Reading of Matthew 4:1-11)
NRS Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” 7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9 and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” 11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
John Wooden is the legendary UCLA basketball coach who led his teams to be a dominant force in NCAA basketball for several decades. His name is associated with success including coaching his teams to ten Division I-A National Championships. It may be surprising to learn that he did not teach explicitly about winning and losing. Instead, Wooden focused on preparing himself and his players into the sort of people who could make maximum impact not merely in basketball but in life. One of his best known dictums reads “failure to prepare is preparing to fail.” For Wooden, achieving success on the court was rooted in preparation-winning was merely a byproduct.
This is also true with respect to the life that God invites us to live. The great narrative that God continues to write envisions an unbelievable future for God’s people. The Scriptures tell the story of God’s mission to bring healing, hope, and wholeness to all Creation. From the moment that humanity turned away from the life that God had created women and men to embody and live and instead chose to go their own way, God has relentlessly pursued his most prized creation. God’s mission culminated in the sending of Jesus as the agent through whom God’s salvation would reach its climax. But before Jesus emerged as a public figure in Israel, God led him into the wilderness in order to undergo a period of testing. Our Scripture lesson in Matthew 4:1-11 records this pivotal episode that occurs immediately prior to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry to all Israel (4:17-16:21). In our lesson, we reach the zenith of Jesus’ time of preparation. In his confrontation with the devil, Jesus settles the issue of what sort of impact he would make with his life. Jesus was born as the Christ–God’s long-awaited ruler who would usher in God’s age of salvation. How would Jesus live in light of his identity as Messiah and Son of God?
Preparation
“God has a lot more invested in you than you do.” This was the exhortation delivered by seminary professor Robert Tuttle to his theology class. Those who have had the privilege of sitting under Tuttle’s teaching during his long career know that Tuttle was just as interested in shaping his students into more profound and godly people as he was in depositing book learning into their heads. Tuttle constantly reminded his classes to prepare themselves spiritually for the work that God had called them to.
Our text tells us that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the Wilderness specifically for testing. How does Jesus respond to this challenge? Jesus practices the spiritual discipline of fasting. In anticipation of a test, Jesus returns to tried and true methods of preparation. He fasts for forty days and nights. For those who are familiar with the Old Testament, this time period is reminiscent of the forty days that Moses spent on Mt. Sinai preparing to receive the Law from God. Jesus completes his fast. He was physically hungry, but focused and ready for the tests that awaited him.
John Wooden prepared his players in a similar fashion. He always started with the basics. No detail was too small or insignificant. In fact each practice season began with Wooden showing his players (all of whom had already enjoyed stellar basketball careers in high school) how properly to wear their socks and tie their shoes-Wooden wanted to prevent the most common basketball injury, blisters on the feet. He prepared his players for victory by covering all the bases.
Throughout his time of ministry on earth, Jesus repeatedly withdrew from the crowds for periods of prayer. As we seek to become persons whom God can use to change the world, we need to make sure that we are prepared to participate fully in the life of God’s dreams. Are we ready? What practices do we need to put in place to maximize the impact that we will be able to achieve for God?
First Test (Matt 4:3-4)
The tempter came with a straightforward test of Jesus. Knowing of Jesus’ physical hunger, the tempter suggests that Jesus use his power as Son of God to create a meal of bread for himself out of the stones lying on the ground around him. Jesus responds by quoting Scripture from the book of Deuteronomy. Jesus deploys Scripture from Deuteronomy in response to all three tests that he will face. The reason for this is that Deuteronomy was proclaimed by Moses to Israel while Israel itself was still in the Wilderness. Deuteronomy was Moses’ final instructions to Israel before his passing and Israel’s own entrance into the Promised Land. In other words, Moses’ words in Deuteronomy represented Israel’s final preparation for the future that God had prepared for it.
Jesus’ response is classic: One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. In other words, Jesus refuses to act on self-interest because Jesus has settled the issue of trusting God with his life up front. The giftedness of Jesus was not a means for his own self-preservation but for completing the mission that he was sent to accomplish.
The lesson for us is simple: Use our God-given gifts for something greater than our own needs. Later in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus will offer these words:
the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many (Matt 20:28).
How are we tempted to use our gifts, talents, and passions in ways that serve our own needs rather than touching the lives of those whom God places in our paths?
The Second Test (Matt 4:5-7)
Jesus is then transported to Jerusalem. From atop the highest section of the temple, the tempter urges Jesus to throw himself off so that God can deliver him. The tempter adds to the intrigue by quoting from Psalm 91 in which there is a promise of God’s protection. Jesus answers with another text from Deuteronomy: Do not put the Lord your God to the test (Deut 6:16). Jesus deploys the Scripture again to move the focus off of himself and on to God. God does not have anything to prove.
The principle here is this: Live confidently that God has your best interests at heart.
If we are to become the sort of person whom God can use to advance God’s work in the world, we have to settle the issue of trust up front. We do not have to be frozen in a world of doubt about God’s intentions. We do not have to come up with elaborate schemes to verify God’s commitment to us. We trust in the relationship that we have with God through Jesus Christ:
Romans 5:8 But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.
We then act faithfully in light of God’s love for us through Jesus.
Are we confident of God’s love for us? Are we able to act decisively and live boldly for God, or are there lingering doubts about God’s trustworthiness?
The Final Test (Matt 4:8-11)
Undaunted by failure, the devil makes a final attempt. He takes Jesus to a high mountain and proceeds to show Jesus the world. He then offers Jesus a deal. Jesus can be ruler of the whoe world if he would simply bow down and worship him.
Jesus responds swiftly and decisively. He orders Satan to depart with a final reminder from Deuteronomy: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him. There will be no compromise. Jesus, the Son of God, came to complete a mission. It was a mission hatched out of the very heart of God. It would involve authority over the nations, but this authority would be gained not through compromise with the enemy but through submitting to death on a cross for the sins of the world.
Following his death and resurrection, Jesus spoke these words to his first followers:
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… (Matt 28:18-19a)
According to Matthew, these remain the marching orders for Jesus’ followers.
Jesus’ response to the tempter’s final test leads to a third principle: Engage the world without compromising God’s mission.
Loyalty matters. God is looking for women and men who have settled the loyalty question up front. God has a job for God’s people to accomplish: make disciples of all nations. To fulfill this task God’s people need to engage fully the world in which they live without compromising their commitment to God.
Have we settled the loyalty question?
Conclusion
After the devil left, angels arrived to care for Jesus. The time of Jesus’ testing ended. It was now time for Jesus to launch into life that God sent him to live. He had prepared well. He had settled the issues of self-interest, trust, and loyalty up front. Now he was ready for action.
Let us end with the Wooden quotation cited above: failing to prepare is preparing to fail. What about us? Are we ready to live the life of God’s dreams? Are we ready to engage the world with the message of hope, healing, and restoration that Jesus has made possible through his life, his death, and his resurrection? Have we settled the issue in advance?
What do you think?
I received this comment via email from Ted N
Modern churches are growing by leaps and bounds, but their membership is largely drawn from those who ask, “What can this church do for me?”, not “Is this church the best place for me to serve Christ?” The few who have newly come to Christ are left with a warm fuzzy patina and an empty core, with no tools to learn or serve.
Bill Hybels of Willow Creek has recently admitted that the Willow Creek phenomenon has left few ready to serve. Willow Creek is now coming to the realization that they have to be very active in training. All Christians have to be given good study tools and challenging study courses IN CHURCH.
I have been able to begin this process at Sabbath Grace Fellowship in Apopka, Florida. Recently I taught a seven week, two hours per week course on Decoding the Bible. I used materials from Empower Ministries (www.empowerministries.org). Lee Gugliotto’s Handbook for Bible Study, Bible Study Basics, and Simplified Jude Study Guide allowed me to bring about ten members up to a “power student” level. It was thrilling for both them and me.
I believe that churches that follow this sort of approach will find themselves growing in the power of the Lord, not just in numbers
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