Everyone’s seen it!
Have you seen it?
That video that has been shared and re-shared on every form of social media.
The one of the young man who was seated on that pedestal
seated so very high …
high enough to cause a commotion
when he slipped
he fell
as though he had been positioned there for that very reason
To fall
As though he, and all the gifts endowed in him by his Creator
were taken up to the highest of heights
so that those
who padded that seat for him
who padded it with the currency of this world
who padded it with all that this world calls satisfying
could watch how all that had padded his seat
weakened the foundation of his life
causing him to fall.
His reminds me of another story
of another young man
with great gifts
and great purpose
but
this other young man
he had always walked in the presence of his Creator
he always lived with His Father’s Word in His heart
and so
when he spent some time in a desert place
with no friend nearby
with no bread to fill his hunger
with no place to rest his head
he was surrounded by evil
by temptation
but he did not give in
because
though before him
were the things that would feed his physical needs
He knew they would starve His soul
And so
when temptation came His way
His physical weakness was His strength
because He had nothing to fight with
but the Word of
his creator
his sustainer
his father
So he lay himself aside
for the Creator to speak
This account, from Matthew 4, is what Lent is to represent.
It is one of laying ourselves aside,
so that the Word
the work
of our Father might become more important than
US
And, that young man
placed up on the pedestal
and encouraged to believe that he could have it all
in his own strength …
maybe we who follow the One who was tempted in the desert,
ought to offer up prayers for this young man
rather than ‘shares’
After all, in the words of John Walton :
“He’s just a young fella,
hardly experienced with living”
“Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wild. For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by the Devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when the time was up he was hungry.
The Devil, playing on his hunger, gave the first test: “Since you’re God’s Son, command this stone to turn into a loaf of bread.”
Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: “It takes more than bread to really live.”
For the second test he led him up and spread out all the kingdoms of the earth on display at once. Then the Devil said, “They’re yours in all their splendor to serve your pleasure. I’m in charge of them all and can turn them over to whomever I wish. Worship me and they’re yours, the whole works.”
Jesus refused, again backing his refusal with Deuteronomy: “Worship the Lord your God and only the Lord your God. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.”
For the third test the Devil took him to Jerusalem and put him on top of the Temple. He said, “If you are God’s Son, jump. It’s written, isn’t it, that ‘he has placed you in the care of angels to protect you; they will catch you; you won’t so much as stub your toe on a stone’?”
“Yes,” said Jesus, “and it’s also written, ‘Don’t you dare tempt the Lord your God.’”
That completed the testing. Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.”
