"You Can Have it All!" - Luke 4:1-13 - February 29, 2004

Have you ever watched the Price is Right? The curtain opens and a brand new car appears which is attached to a brand new boat. There are all kinds of wonderful new items sitting around, a grill, a riding lawn mower and an above ground swimming pool. Bob Barker then says, "You can have it all, just by having the right price." The contestants’ eyes grow large and a sense of wonder and awe come over them as they drool over the possibility of having all that stuff.

It’s only a game show, but you imagine yourselves in their place, acquiring all the loot, driving in the country in your new SUV or motoring across the lake in your new boat. You sense the immediate gratification and experiencing all the possibilities of owning all these grown-up toys. Wouldn’t life be great if we could have it all?

Jesus wasn’t a contestant on the Price is Right, but he was given the opportunity to have it all. The Spirit led him into the wilderness, apparently to test his faith. In the process the devil tempted him with 3 things any of us would like to have; (1) an all-inclusive, endless buffet of food, (2) personal success and power and (3) the ability to fly like Superman.

Being "famished," Jesus was first tempted to have all the food he wanted. All he had to do was turn a stone into bread. But for him this would be self-serving. He wasn’t about to let his stomach rule over him and give in. He could rule over kingdoms and have thousands of people as his servants. But once again he turned down the opportunity. He could "transfer" himself as if he was in Star Trek, mysteriously appearing in another place. But, again, Jesus declined.

The things Jesus was tempted with are hardly in our realm of possibilities. Unlike him, we aren’t given the opportunity to turn stones into bread or leap from tall buildings. Nevertheless we are still tempted and how we choose has a direct affect on our lives.

Every day we are tempted. Material goods are everywhere, stacked to the ceiling in department stores. All we have to do is hand over our credit cards. Why wait? If we want something all we have to do is go and purchase it. We’ll just pay for it later. We are bombarded constantly with opportunities to travel to exotic places or attend all sorts of concerts, festivals and events. All we need is a little vacation time or take a long weekend. Opportunities to self-indulge are everywhere. We can literally eat, drink and be merry at the drop of a hat.

But there are other temptations too. There is the temptation to put all our efforts into our careers or back off and not work so hard and just coast. Of course, both of these choices have consequences. It’s not just things that tempt us for people tempt us as well. There will be those who want us to get on their bandwagon or buy into their philosophy of life. Some may mislead us without our realizing we are being taken advantage of. We are also tempted to live as we want, ignoring the needs of those around us and not having the interests of what might be best for the community. Go ahead, build that chemical plant on the Miami River, who cares if the water is polluted.

When Jesus was tempted he was in the wilderness and sometimes life for us is a wilderness. Life is sometimes barren, and we feel a vast emptiness. Or, life is scary, since we have no idea what lurks behind the rocks. Worse yet, we are alone, with no one to help or protect us.

What the devil did was offer Jesus a false sense of security. Hungry? No problem, just turn the stone into bread. Fast food at your service. What our soldiers in Iraq wouldn’t give for a hamburger from MacDonald’s. The devil also wanted Jesus to step into a storybook and play "king for a day." The devil was attempting to show him that power can over come fear. If we’ve learned anything in the cold war, we’ve learned that huge arsenals of nuclear weapons don’t keep us from the fear of being attacked by terrorists. The devil also wanted Jesus to live as though God wasn’t relevant. "You don’t need God," the devil implied. "You can do anything you want."

Although our temptations may not be the same as they were for Jesus, I believe we can learn from him as to how to handle those things in life that tempt us. First, and foremost we need to have faith. Jesus obviously had faith. He was familiar with the scriptures, the lessons of the prophets and the guiding principles of God. A strong faith provides a foundation for personal discipline and directs our thoughts in a way that will bring peace, wholeness and meaning.

Last Wednesday morning I was running my mile on the indoor track at the "Y." About half way through a little voice said, "Why are you doing this? It is painful and tedious and boring. Why not just quit?" That would have been the easy thing to do. No pain, no gain. But, I then realized I had been doing this for several years and never once in the past had I quit. There are days when it hurts, days when I am too tired to proceed. Those are times one draws upon their faith and continues in spite of the difficulty.

Secondly, Jesus knew that by serving God the community would be served rather than himself. It’s not about me, it’s about loving one’s neighbor. Later in the 4th chapter of Luke, Jesus announces his purpose for coming. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor." (4:18) Jesus was clear about his mission and his life was to be focused on the needs of others, not himself.

One time the mayor of New York City, Fiorello LaGuardia, chose to preside in a night court. An old woman was brought before him on a bitterly cold night. The charge was stealing a loaf of bread. She explained that her family was starving. LaGuardia replied, "I’ve got to punish you. The law makes no exception. I must fine you ten dollars." He then reached in his own pocket and pulled out a ten-dollar bill. "Well," he said, "here’s the ten dollars to pay your fine, which I now remit." He then tossed the ten-dollar bill into his own hat and declared, "I’m going to fine everybody in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread in order to eat. The hat was passed and $47.50 was collected. The mayor gave the money to the woman to buy groceries and dismissed the court. (from God’s Little Lessons on Life for Mom, Honor Books)

Third, Jesus realized that as humans we have limits. No, we can’t fly like Superman, nor can we leap from tall buildings without getting killed. How God works is a mystery and ultimately we must live by letting God be God. Perhaps our greatest temptation is to live as though we don’t need God. We think that stuff will satisfy our wants. We build all kinds of security systems to keep us from being afraid. And, we think we can go it alone.

Jesus was in the wilderness and the devil was trying to convince him he didn’t need God. But, Jesus was not misled. Life is sometimes painful and the way is hard. It is scary and there are times when all seems hopeless. But, Jesus also knew he was not alone. God was with him. Just as God was there at his birth and baptism God was with him in the wilderness. God will be with him all through his ministry, and with him during the events that would take place in Jerusalem.

God wants us to keep the faith, especially believing in ourselves. God wants us to care about others, not just focused on ourselves. God also wants us to know our limits.

Last weekend my wife and I were painting our family room. While we were removing the electrical plates one of the sockets fell apart. Because it was over 30 years old it had deteriorated and needed to be replaced. I bought a new one and proceeded to replace it. But because the house was wired in the seventies the modern sockets are designed differently. I tried all kinds of ways to make it work but finally said to my wife, "I am a failure. This is simply beyond my expertise." I managed to connect a few wires to give us light temporarily but the socket would have to wait.

Two days later I was having lunch with a friend and he sensed I had a lot on my mind. I mentioned the broken socket and my futility in trying to fix it. I described the problem on a napkin and he said, "Do you mind if I take this with me?" Of course I didn’t. The next day my friend met me with directions on how to install the new socket and a new socket to go with them.

God wants us to realize our limitations. God also wants us to be patient and not be too proud to ask for help. God comes through but in God’s time schedule not ours.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio