Sermon for Lent 1 A Matthew 4:1-11 March 1, 2020 House of Prayer Lutheran Church

When I hear the story of Jesus’ temptation by the devil in the wilderness, I start thinking of one question in particular: “WHO ARE YOU?” And when I think of that question (if you are a fan of classic rock music such as myself) I start thinking of a song by that name (“Who are you, who who, who who…”), by the band known as “The Who.” I almost thought of playing that song to begin my sermon, but--well, if you know the song, you know that some of the lyrics are not quite “church appropriate.”

But it’s a great question. Who are you? As the song unfolds, we hear about a night in the life of the guitarist Pete Townsend--and it’s the kind of night that he’d probably rather forget. But then you get to the end of the song, and it’s kind of unclear who he’s talking to at that point--but you could take it in different ways. It could be people in his life that he’s let down or disappointed in some way. It could be his wife waiting for him at home. It could even be God. Maybe it’s all of them.

The ending lyrics sound like a confession, with biblical imagery, like he’s talking to God about the Garden of Eden. He sings, “I know there’s a place you walked where love falls from the trees.” And then he echoes the penitence of Psalm 51--”My heart is broken like a cup, I only feel right on my knees.” He’s humbling himself, and he sings, “I spit out like a sewer hole, yet still receive your kiss.” He knows how much he’s messed up, yet still finds out how loved he is--“How can I measure up to anyone now after such a love as this?” He’s been saved by grace, and provides the answer to his own question. Who are you? A beloved person!

There’s a lesson for us in that, and it’s the same lesson the gospel is teaching us today. We need to be sure of our identity; of who we are. When you are secure in that, you have the fundamental tool for making it through whatever life has to offer.

So let’s look at what Jesus was going through in today’s gospel--and to do that first we have to back up one paragraph in the story (which we didn’t read today). But look at what happened immediately before Jesus was tempted by the devil. He was baptized by John in the Jordan River. There the Holy Spirit came upon him, and God’s voice from heaven gave him the most important answer to the question “Who are you?” You are my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Who are you Jesus? A beloved person. A beloved child of God.

That’s who God says he is--his identity is anchored in God’s love. That’s why he was able to withstand going to the cross. That’s why he was able to trust with every fiber of his being that God would raise up new life out of death. It’s because His first identity is beloved child of God. And that’s why the devil is asking him “oh, Jesus, will that really be enough???” That’s what the temptations are designed to test--to try to convince him that God’s love will never be enough.

So Satan--the word means “the accuser”--offers three false identities for Jesus to choose in answering the question, “Who are you?”

“If you are the Son of God, turn these stones into loaves of bread.I” Aren’t you hungry, Jesus. Hey, who’s gonna know? Go ahead. Who are you? You are what you do. … “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from the pinnacle of the temple.” Don’t you want to put on a good show? All the people will be talking about the guy who jumped from a rooftop, and had angels rescue him. Don’t you want to be popular? Who are you? You are what others think or say about you. … Ok, then, “Fall down and worship me, and I will give you all the kingdoms of the world.” Aren’t you a poor kid from the sticks? Wasn’t your dad a humble carpenter? You’ve got nothin’. You’re a nobody. Don’t you want me to make you a somebody? Who are you? You are what you have.

The devil is trying to make Jesus identify himself not by God’s Word about him, but by things that are not lasting, that come and go, and that certainly are not eternal. Jesus could have turned the stones to bread--and in a couple hours he’d be hungry again. He could have thrown himself off the Temple and let the angels rescue him--and like a circus act people would have talked about the amazing feat for a while, then got on with their lives. Jesus could have sold his soul for untold earthly riches. And then his greed would have isolated him for everyone he loved.

Jesus knew, the best answer to “Who are you?” in the face of these temptations was the identity God gave him first: “Beloved child of God.”

The same is true for us. Because these temptations Jesus faced? We still face basically the same ones, just in different forms, every day. We still get driven into the wilderness, except our wilderness isn’t a rocky waterless landscape, but the pain and loss we suffer in life. And each time we end up feeling trapped in the wilderness, we need to answer the same question: “Who are you?”

What do we answer? If we start by grounding our identity in “what I do” it becomes “I’m a worthwhile person because I was so busy today.” But what happens when you feel so down that you’re unable to be busy?

If we start by grounding our identity in “what I have” it becomes “I’m a worthwhile person because I made a lot of money.” But what happens when you lose your job and you have to cut back on everything?

If we start by grounding our identity in “what other people think or say about me” it becomes “I am a worthwhile person because hundreds of people liked my post on Instagram.” What happens when your social media post is ignored? Does that make you less of a person? Does that make you less valuable?

The devil’s temptations want you to get your sense of self, your sense of worth, from things that come and go. God wants you to trust that no matter the reality you are facing--in good times and bad, in lean times and times of plenty, in joy or sadness, in pain or pleasure, in anger or contentment, in guilt or relief, in gain or loss--whether they hail you as a hero or reject you like yesterday’s news--the one underlying truth is that you are a beloved child of God.

And we can be sure of that promise, because we’ve been baptized into Christ, who has lived and died and risen again for us, and who constantly prays for us and walks with us in every circumstance of life.

So one of the most important things we can do to love our neighbors, and the people God places in our lives? Accepting them and reminding them, or even helping them discover, that they are God’s beloved children, too.

‘Cause when you can answer “Who are you?”--and truly answer it, believing in your God-given identity, then--with the Holy Spirit’s help--you can make it through anything.

So first, repeat after me: “I am God’s beloved child.”

Then turn to your neighbor and tell them: “You are God’s beloved child.” … Amen.