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Message: Mystery and Mercy in Temptation
by Rev.
Keith Mozingo
Reading: Matthew 4:1-11 a
Then
Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards, He was famished. The
tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command these
stones to become loaves of bread.”
But Jesus
answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by
bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the
devil took Jesus to the holy city and placed Him on the pinnacle of the temple,
saying to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is
written, ‘God will command angels concerning You,’ and ‘On their
hands they will bear You up, so that You will not dash Your foot against a
stone.’”
Jesus said
to the tempter, “Again it is written, ‘Do not
put YAHWEH to the test.’”
Again, the
devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the dominions of the
world and their splendor; and said to Him, “All these I will give You, if
You will fall down and worship me.”
Jesus said
to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve God alone.’”
Then the
devil left Him, and suddenly angels came and waited on Him.
Contemporary Reading from In Wisdom’s Path by Jan
Richardson ©Cleveland: Pilgrim Press, 2000, p. 54
I am not asking you to take this wilderness from me, to remove
this place of starkness where I come to know the wildness within me, where I
learn to call the names of the ravenous beast that pace inside me, to finger
the brambles that snake through my veins, to taste the thirst that tugs at my
tongue, But send me Tough angels, Sweet wine, Strong bread Just enough.
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