TRUST
A little while ago, as I was sitting in a car dealership waiting for some paperwork, I couldn’t help but notice a mother and two daughters sitting on a couch across the aisle facing me. They had a big bag of books and activities in front of them, clearly anticipating a long wait for their car to be repaired. They were adorable. But what struck me was the younger girl who turned to her sister and said, “You know we are allowed only one cookie. It doesn’t matter if it is a big cookie or a tiny little cookie. We are only to have one cookie. The older sister nodded, barely looking at her before going back to her book. The little girl squirmed a little and then turned to look at her mother. At which point, the mother bent over and looked straight into her daughter’s eyes and said, “It is hard. But you are right. One cookie is our rule.” Satisfied, the little girl picked up a picture book and started to read. I was impressed – the little girl knew the rule. And yet… she needed to make sure that it was a real boundary. And when her mother confirmed that it was, the little girl stopped worrying about cookies and settled into looking at a picture book. I was impressed – and so as I was leaving, I stopped to commend the mother on her wonderfully behaved children and her excellent parenting. She was surprised – and pleased that I had noticed.
It's probably not fair to compare, but, last week while I was waiting in a long airport line, I noticed another family. This was a big family and the children somehow couldn’t quite stay in the queue line but kept playing with the boundary markers, trying to swing on the belts – which of course made them fall off. The parents would scold them – but the child who was being scolded would blame the other and they would begin fighting – and then the parents would scold some more – but there were no consequences. And so, it would happen again. It was a long line. Secretly, I hoped this family was on a different airplane from mine.
The Genesis story reminded me of this family. God had provided abundantly for Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden telling them they could eat the fruit of any of the trees in the garden but had also given one exception: don’t eat from the tree of Good and Evil… or you will die.
What is it in humans that make us want to test the boundaries? Is it our yearning to explore the unknown? Is it our skepticism of authority? Is it our desire to be self-sufficient, or to “do it myself” – as every 2 year old proclaims?
This might be a part of it. When the “serpent” began to suggest to Eve and Adam – just to be clear, while Eve sometimes gets the blame, Adam was standing right next to Eve and the serpent addresses both of them saying, “You all” - could be “like God.” This was tempting. After all, wasn’t God wonderful? And wasn’t the apple “a delight” and “desirable?” And so, rather than stopping and wondering why God would tell them not to eat of this fruit and rather than trusting the words of God, they decided to see for themselves – and so they took a bite.
They didn’t die – at least not right away. But something died – their innocence perhaps and certainly their relationship with God. This little bitty bite meant that, instead of trusting in God and God’s words, they wanted to trust their own experience. As a result, instead of seeing themselves through God’s eyes, as God’s beloved, they saw that they were naked. And they were both embarrassed and afraid. God knew it immediately. Trust was broken.
Temptations and trials are part of life. This was true for Adam and Eve and for the Israelites as they journeyed to the promised land. Sometimes they trusted God and found blessings even in adversity and the challenges that faced them. And sometimes, they did not trust God and had to face the consequences – which is why they stayed in the wilderness so long even though the journey wasn’t long in miles, it took a long time to re-establish trust.
Fast forward to our Gospel story. Jesus is also experiencing temptations and trials in the wilderness. Although we read the story of Jesus’ baptism, more than a month ago, in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus has just been baptized and proclaimed by God as, “My beloved son.” But rather than get to stay in the water and luxuriate in his new status…. “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil.”
After fasting for 40 days and nights, Jesus is famished. And that is when the testing begins. The devil is clever, tempting Jesus with things that are not bad in and of themselves. After all, food is good and needed. Jesus later feeds the five thousand out of five loaves and two fish. And wasn’t it written in the scripture that God would protect him? And wasn’t he born to be the messiah, the king?
But the important element in these temptations is not what is being offered but rather it’s a question of identity. At his baptism, Jesus God proclaimed him as God’s beloved son… but the “devil” dares him to prove it: “IF” you are the son of God then… turn these stones into bread.” And then… the devil gets even more tricky, using scripture to ask, “IF” you are the Son of God…and “IF” you believe in scripture then let God prove it…
In both cases, Jesus refuses to take the bait. He already knows who he is. He is God’s beloved son. He doesn’t need to prove it and he doesn’t need to ask God the Father to prove it. Instead, using scripture he tells the devil not to tempt God.
But the “devil” doesn’t take the hint and instead tries to bribe Jesus into easy and immediate “success.” Instead of suffering, pain, and death on a cross,– “just get down on your knee and worship me.” You could have it all, right now. Funny, but this sounds like some of the advertising I’ve heard. It all could be yours…. All you have to do is…
This last temptation reveals the underlying question: who do you trust? Jesus holds fast to his relationship with God and his trust in God. He knows who he is – the Son of God – and whose he is – he belongs in relationship with God. And with this solid foundation, Jesus begins his ministry and his journey to the cross.
Last week as I watched the Olympics, I was amazed at the incredible feats of athleticism performed from people who came from all over the world. I especially love watching the ice skaters. I’m awed as they do triple turns and flips and spin incredibly fast. They all look just about perfect to me. And yet… one little mistake that I could barely see and the skater’s face turns from smiles to tears as hopes were dashed in a second’s time. There was one skater, however, Alysa Liu, who seemed different than most of the other skaters. She came out of retirement changed, expressing a desire to skate because she loves the art of skating rather than skating for the sake of competition. When asked if she could beat the Japanese skaters, Liu said, “Whether I beat them or not is not my goal. My goal is just to do my programs and share my story. And I don't need to be over or under anyone to do that.” Isn’t that lovely? It seems as if she doesn’t need to prove who she is. She knows that she is an excellent skater – whether she wins a medal for it or not.
Brothers and sisters, siblings of Jesus Christ, remember who you are. You are God’s beloved child. Remember whose you are: You belong to Christ in whom you have been baptized. And now, reminded of our identity, as children of God, you and I can trust God on this journey. It will not be easy. But we know that we do not travel this road alone. Jesus is with us and has sent us the Holy Spirit to guide us.
We will still face challenges. Sometimes these challenges feel like a hole in our hearts – whether from the loss of loved ones, hopes or dreams or “the way it used to be.” At other times we may find ourselves pushing the boundaries, or wondering if the yearning we have inside of us can be filled. And, chances are, we will be tempted to believe that we can this hole by ourselves if only … we had a little more money, a new car or maybe just a piece of forbidden fruit – or another cookie? But it turns out… that even if you win the lottery… it’s not going to fill that hole.
And so, maybe the goal is not to fill the hole in our hearts, but rather to follow Jesus and the way of Jesus as we continue to walk this journey together, trusting in God to make us fully whole. Amen.