Proper 24
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series III
With the church year nearing the end of its annual cycle - and with Advent (with its eschatological content) only six weeks away - the balance between the "Little Easter" Sunday theme is disturbed. The "Come, Lord Jesus! " cry of Pentecost/Advent tends to dominate the "He is risen!" song of Sunday. As the Sundays of Pentecost are counted off, and as Christ the King Sunday draws near, this eschatological note of the church coincides more and more with the fundamental, eschatological theology of the Gospel of the Year, Mark. Those scholars who believe that Mark 13 is the key to comprehending Mark's theology would understand the entire Gospel to be surrounded by this eschatological framework of his Gospel and, coincidentally, of the church year. To preach the Gospel of Mark with fidelity requires that the preacher be cognizant of this relationship between the church year and the Gospel of the Year. Mark's theological position could have been responsible for the eschatological evolution of the church year. (It could not have been the other way around, because the kerygma gave rise to the origin and gradual growth of the church year into an eschatological year; the eschatology was present from the start in Easter and the Gospel). Worship and preaching will be faithful to the Gospel, if they "fit" into this eschatological scheme and the framework of the church year.
The Prayer of the Day
The Episcopal and Lutheran churches have each independently modernized a classic prayer, but the two prayers are identical except for the conclusion. The collect in the Book of Common Prayer reads:
Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
The Lutheran Book of Worship version uses a period after "nations" and a lower case "n" for name." It ends with the traditional "short" conclusion, instead of the traditional "longer" ending for single collects, or for the first and last collects in a series: "through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."
The Psalm of the Day
Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20, 22 (R) - This psalm has something of the "Little Easter" theme in it, particularly in the verse (3) that precedes the beginning of this responsory: "Sing for him a new song; sound a fanfare with all your skill upon the trumpet." Then the opening note of the responsory follows: "For the word of the Lord is right, and all his works are sure. He loves righteousness and justice; the loving kindness of the Lord fills the whole earth." Verses 18-20 continue this declaration of the psalmist, culminating with the prayer of the faithful, who live the new life and can sing the new song in their worship and their work: "Let your loving kindness, 0 Lord, be upon us, as we have put our trust in you." The psalm, which is suitable for almost any worship occasion, is too long to be sung in its entirety as a responsory (twenty-two verses), and has to be cut up into "stanzas" to make its use as a responsory practical.
Psalm 91 (E); 91:9-16 (L, E) - The length of this psalm (sixteen verses) may make it impractical to sing the entire psalm, as the Book of Common Prayer suggests. (The Church of Scotland, which has a tradition of singing the psalms, might be able to use the entire psalm.) People familiar with the older worship books will remember that this psalm was traditionally attached to the First Sunday in Lent: "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, abides under the shadow of the Almighty." The Episcopal Church starts the responsory with that verse, which continues in verse 2: "He shall say to the Lord, 'You are my refuge and my stronghold, my God in whom I put my trust.' " The longer form of this psalm accommodates the Gospel for the First Sunday in Lent - Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. Whether or not the entire psalm, or part of it (9-16, the last half) is appointed as a responsory, it actually speaks to the context in which the request of James and John to Jesus really occurs. Jesus had told the disciples once again about his proximate suffering and death - and resurrection - in Jerusalem, and then James and John make their rather foolish request to sit on either side of him in heaven. Satan, incidentally quoted verses 11 and 12 when he tempted Jesus to prove his identity by leaping off the "pinnacle of the temple." (Matthew 4 and Luke 4) As it is, the psalm responds appropriately to the first reading, but does not harmonize with the Gospel very well.
The Psalm Prayer (LBW)
This prayer is more appropriate for the First Sunday in Lent, Cycle C:
Lord Jesus christ, when tempted by the devil, you remained true to your Father, who commanded his angels to watch over you. Guard your church from the plague of sin, so that we may remain faithful to you until the day when we enjoy the fullness of your salvation; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.
The readings:
Isaiah 53:4-12 (E); 53:7-12 (C); 53:10-11 (R); 53:10-12 (L)
The first twelve verses of Isaiah 53, in combination with the last three verses of chapter 52, comprise the first reading for Good Friday. Most of the faithful will remember some of this fourth of the Servant Songs: "He was despised and rejected by men.... Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.... But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities.... and with his stripes we are healed." The portion of this chapter, which all four lectionaries have selected for this Sunday (verses 10 and 11) contains a hint as to why this passion-oriented reading was assigned to the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost: "by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities." Verse 12 addresses the situation created in the Gospel by the request of James and John to sit at Jesus' right and left sides in heaven: "he shall divide the spoil with the strong [in faith?]." If the Gospel for the Day began at Mark 10:32, instead of at verse 35, the first reading (and the psalm) would be much more compatible with it.
Hebrews 4:9-16 (L); 4:12-16 (E); 4:14-16 (R, C)
This reading continues where at least two of the lectionaries left off last week, at verse 12. The Episcopal and Lutheran second readings are longer than the Roman Catholic and Common selections because they inserted Hebrews 4:1-6 as last week's second reading. The new parts of this reading - verses 14-16 - continue to explain why Jesus is qualified to be our High Priest by emphasizing that he was completely human. The heart of this passage is that Jesus was tempted in every way as other human beings are, which has to do with his obedience to the Lord God and his revealed will and mission in the world. The discussions about Jesus' temptations in the last decade and a half have been expanded to speculate on whether or not Jesus experienced sexual temptations. All of this was crowned with Martin Scorceses' controversial film, "The Last Temptation of Christ." Some scholars argue that Jesus would have had to have known sexual temptation if he were to be fully human, but most declare that the kerygma is only interested in his temptation to alter course and become the kind of Messiah that the people wanted for Israel. Outside of the temptations that took place in the wilderness, as reported in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, none of Jesus' temptations is detailed in the Gospel. (A few scholars interpret Jesus' prayer in the garden, "Father, if it be possible, take this cup from me," to be a temptation.)
Mark 10:35-45
The several lectionaries reach total consensus about the choice of lections in the Gospel for the Day, after having nearly total agreement in the first two readings for this day. In this portion of Mark 10, there are two pieces of material - the request of James and John and the teaching about achieving true greatness through service - that Mark has put together. Since Mark has just had Jesus making his third announcement about his impending passion, death, and resurrection, he was really asking, in the James/John and Jesus incident, if the people in the church, to whom he was writing, understood Jesus' nature and humanity any better than did James and John and the rest of the disciples. Mark's church faced a problem with a deficient Christology that seemed to be affecting the spiritual health of the faithful; to many Jesus was less than the Son of God, a sort of Divine Man. And the people in Mark's church would have heard the second part of this Gospel - "take up your cross and follow me" - differently than people today, because Mark identified their baptism with Jesus' baptism (in his answer to James and John) which began at the Jordan and was concluded on the cross. Persecution was very real to them, and they would have realized that they had been baptized into Jesus' death, possibly quite literally. The two parts of the pericope, therefore, go together quite nicely, because only people who love the Lord and serve humbly in this world, even at the cost of their lives, will be found worthy of any special notice by God in the Kingdom of Heaven. The proud and ambitious, who seek power and privilege for themselves in the kingdom on the basis of who they are or what they think they know, are not likely to find themselves at Christ's right and left hands in heaven. The other readings and the psalm provide a fitting - kerygmatic - background for this Gospel, and help to understand it and preach it effectively.
A Sermon on the Gospel, Mark 10:35-45 - "The Worst Temptation."
A couple of days before I began working on the readings for this Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost, I met a New Testament scholar in the grocery store. He had been working, to some extent, in the same area that has occupied me - the lectionary, especially with regard to the Gospels. As we talked about our similar projects for Year B, he made a statement which has me wondering about whether he was joking or really meant what he said. He said, "The Roman Catholic Church really messed up the lectionary in Year B (He was thinking of the insertion of the five readings from John in the middle of Pentecost.) - just like it always does." It seemed to me that there was a note of disdain in his voice - that he meant what he said. As I remember the incident, it strikes me that it was a similar attitude on the part of James and John that prompted their request to sit on either side of Jesus in heaven. Could it be that pride had convinced them that they understood Jesus' mission better than the other ten disciples? It was pride of one form or another - it had to be - which was behind their petition to the Lord. But whatever it was that caused them to request to Jesus, he soon set them - and the record - straight.
1. Spiritual pride, what the writer of Proverbs called "haughty eyes," is a common enemy of those who have been actively engaged in the worship and work of the church. It may be the worst temptation of faithful people. It takes two forms. One expression of it comes from looking at other people and their life in the church and coming to the conclusion that "I am a better Christian than most of the people in this congregation." Such people usually think that they deserve special consideration from God.
2. A second form of this pride questions God in times of trouble and suffering, and says to God, "I don't deserve this. Look at the people down the street; they never go to church, give nothing to its work - don't even belong - but they have just about everything that one could desire." So often people forget what it means to be baptized into the death of Jesus Christ. Faithful Christians receive no guaranteed worldly pleasures and prosperity from Christ, no exemption from pain and suffering. Their lot is to serve - take up their cross - in the name of Jesus Christ.
3. Eternal life is reward enough for those who have been baptized in his name. They realize that their sins have been forgiven, and have been able to live in hope no matter what comes into their lives. And they know that God gives that life as a gift of his love and grace in Jesus, whose baptism in blood completed that which was begun at the Jordan. Knowledge and understanding of the cost of salvation to Jesus Christ should be enough to keep us humble all of our days here on earth.
4. The hope of the resurrection, accomplished by our Lord through the power of God on the third day, triggers a "he must increase, I must decrease" mentality in true followers of the Lord. This much we know - when we face the cross and death - we cannot raise ourselves from the dead. Without Jesus, we are doomed to the grave forever. But he has given us hope as the one who overcame not only sin and the Devil, but also death itself. It burns out the worst temptation - spiritual pride - from our souls. And it sets our hearts to singing!
A Sermon on the First Lesson, Isaiah 53:4-12 (E); 53:7-12 (C); 53:10-11 (R); 53:10-12 (L)
- "The Strange Actions of God."
1. God's strange actions began with Israel and culminated in Christ. He chose Israel to be his agent in the world and sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, as the one who would save the world. So far, so good - at least, God does not want to destroy the people on earth and start over again.
2. God could never get Israel to shape up in the manner he desired; rejection of Christ is the final proof of that. Under the heel of their conqueror, Rome, they were concerned about their own fate and welfare, not the salvation of the world.
3. God determined that Christ would have to pay the price of the sins of many. He took the "bruises" which others deserved - and "he poured out his soul in death." He knew it was the will of God to make himself "an offering for sin" and die for humanity's salvation. Death on the cross "numbered him with the transgressors."
4. So God took this strange action - giving his Son to die for the salvation of all the people in the world. And the strangest thing of all about this is that all that has to be done to receive salvation through Christ is believe and be baptized - and then live out one's baptism.
A Sermon on the Second Lesson, Hebrews 4:9-16 (L); 4:12-16 (E); 4:14-16 (R, C) - "The ONLY Temptation of Christ."
The movie, "The Last Temptation of Christ" prompted some Christians to organize protests and to boycott the film because they deemed it to be sacrilegious; to them it profaned Christ and the Gospel. In the area where I live, a clergyman of my denomination led such a protest when the film was first shown in a local theater. He received some publicity in the press and on television for his concern and activities, but the film presentation took place as scheduled, and the crowds were greater than they might have been without the protest. Oddly enough, a motion picture that seemed to be a threat to the very foundation of Christian faith and theology - because it attacked the sinlessness of Jesus - ran its course and was replaced by movies with a more contemporary theme. Few, if any, people experienced any weakening of faith, let alone total destruction of it. Perhaps they comprehended that this was all fiction, and that it had no basis in the Gospels which tell of only one temptation of Jesus - after his baptism.
1. Jesus was tempted - as we are and in every way that we are. He was tempted to disrupt the plan of God and become his own God, the kind of Messiah that the people of Israel wanted. He knew what he could have if he simply surrendered to Satan out in the wilderness.
2. Temptation is really a kind of trial that tests people to see what values they have and what decisions they will make in times of crisis and choice. Too often people reject the will of God - disobey God - and make their own decisions, thereby becoming their own god. Temptation is a tug-of-war between God and Satan, which finds human beings pulling on Satan's side of the rope.
3. Jesus turned his back on Satan, not on God, and the plan of God to save the world was preserved and executed in his suffering, death, and resurrection. His perfection is seen
- not simply in his sinlessness but in his "obedience unto death, even the death on the cross." He was the sort of Savior that God intended for the world, the true Messiah God had promised his people.
4. Therefore, he is our High Priest - forever. He offered himself - the perfect one - for each of us, for all people. That sacrifice, which is the proof that he overcame temptation and died as the perfect Lamb of God, is sufficient to save every one of us!
The Prayer of the Day
The Episcopal and Lutheran churches have each independently modernized a classic prayer, but the two prayers are identical except for the conclusion. The collect in the Book of Common Prayer reads:
Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
The Lutheran Book of Worship version uses a period after "nations" and a lower case "n" for name." It ends with the traditional "short" conclusion, instead of the traditional "longer" ending for single collects, or for the first and last collects in a series: "through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."
The Psalm of the Day
Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20, 22 (R) - This psalm has something of the "Little Easter" theme in it, particularly in the verse (3) that precedes the beginning of this responsory: "Sing for him a new song; sound a fanfare with all your skill upon the trumpet." Then the opening note of the responsory follows: "For the word of the Lord is right, and all his works are sure. He loves righteousness and justice; the loving kindness of the Lord fills the whole earth." Verses 18-20 continue this declaration of the psalmist, culminating with the prayer of the faithful, who live the new life and can sing the new song in their worship and their work: "Let your loving kindness, 0 Lord, be upon us, as we have put our trust in you." The psalm, which is suitable for almost any worship occasion, is too long to be sung in its entirety as a responsory (twenty-two verses), and has to be cut up into "stanzas" to make its use as a responsory practical.
Psalm 91 (E); 91:9-16 (L, E) - The length of this psalm (sixteen verses) may make it impractical to sing the entire psalm, as the Book of Common Prayer suggests. (The Church of Scotland, which has a tradition of singing the psalms, might be able to use the entire psalm.) People familiar with the older worship books will remember that this psalm was traditionally attached to the First Sunday in Lent: "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, abides under the shadow of the Almighty." The Episcopal Church starts the responsory with that verse, which continues in verse 2: "He shall say to the Lord, 'You are my refuge and my stronghold, my God in whom I put my trust.' " The longer form of this psalm accommodates the Gospel for the First Sunday in Lent - Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. Whether or not the entire psalm, or part of it (9-16, the last half) is appointed as a responsory, it actually speaks to the context in which the request of James and John to Jesus really occurs. Jesus had told the disciples once again about his proximate suffering and death - and resurrection - in Jerusalem, and then James and John make their rather foolish request to sit on either side of him in heaven. Satan, incidentally quoted verses 11 and 12 when he tempted Jesus to prove his identity by leaping off the "pinnacle of the temple." (Matthew 4 and Luke 4) As it is, the psalm responds appropriately to the first reading, but does not harmonize with the Gospel very well.
The Psalm Prayer (LBW)
This prayer is more appropriate for the First Sunday in Lent, Cycle C:
Lord Jesus christ, when tempted by the devil, you remained true to your Father, who commanded his angels to watch over you. Guard your church from the plague of sin, so that we may remain faithful to you until the day when we enjoy the fullness of your salvation; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.
The readings:
Isaiah 53:4-12 (E); 53:7-12 (C); 53:10-11 (R); 53:10-12 (L)
The first twelve verses of Isaiah 53, in combination with the last three verses of chapter 52, comprise the first reading for Good Friday. Most of the faithful will remember some of this fourth of the Servant Songs: "He was despised and rejected by men.... Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.... But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities.... and with his stripes we are healed." The portion of this chapter, which all four lectionaries have selected for this Sunday (verses 10 and 11) contains a hint as to why this passion-oriented reading was assigned to the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost: "by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities." Verse 12 addresses the situation created in the Gospel by the request of James and John to sit at Jesus' right and left sides in heaven: "he shall divide the spoil with the strong [in faith?]." If the Gospel for the Day began at Mark 10:32, instead of at verse 35, the first reading (and the psalm) would be much more compatible with it.
Hebrews 4:9-16 (L); 4:12-16 (E); 4:14-16 (R, C)
This reading continues where at least two of the lectionaries left off last week, at verse 12. The Episcopal and Lutheran second readings are longer than the Roman Catholic and Common selections because they inserted Hebrews 4:1-6 as last week's second reading. The new parts of this reading - verses 14-16 - continue to explain why Jesus is qualified to be our High Priest by emphasizing that he was completely human. The heart of this passage is that Jesus was tempted in every way as other human beings are, which has to do with his obedience to the Lord God and his revealed will and mission in the world. The discussions about Jesus' temptations in the last decade and a half have been expanded to speculate on whether or not Jesus experienced sexual temptations. All of this was crowned with Martin Scorceses' controversial film, "The Last Temptation of Christ." Some scholars argue that Jesus would have had to have known sexual temptation if he were to be fully human, but most declare that the kerygma is only interested in his temptation to alter course and become the kind of Messiah that the people wanted for Israel. Outside of the temptations that took place in the wilderness, as reported in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, none of Jesus' temptations is detailed in the Gospel. (A few scholars interpret Jesus' prayer in the garden, "Father, if it be possible, take this cup from me," to be a temptation.)
Mark 10:35-45
The several lectionaries reach total consensus about the choice of lections in the Gospel for the Day, after having nearly total agreement in the first two readings for this day. In this portion of Mark 10, there are two pieces of material - the request of James and John and the teaching about achieving true greatness through service - that Mark has put together. Since Mark has just had Jesus making his third announcement about his impending passion, death, and resurrection, he was really asking, in the James/John and Jesus incident, if the people in the church, to whom he was writing, understood Jesus' nature and humanity any better than did James and John and the rest of the disciples. Mark's church faced a problem with a deficient Christology that seemed to be affecting the spiritual health of the faithful; to many Jesus was less than the Son of God, a sort of Divine Man. And the people in Mark's church would have heard the second part of this Gospel - "take up your cross and follow me" - differently than people today, because Mark identified their baptism with Jesus' baptism (in his answer to James and John) which began at the Jordan and was concluded on the cross. Persecution was very real to them, and they would have realized that they had been baptized into Jesus' death, possibly quite literally. The two parts of the pericope, therefore, go together quite nicely, because only people who love the Lord and serve humbly in this world, even at the cost of their lives, will be found worthy of any special notice by God in the Kingdom of Heaven. The proud and ambitious, who seek power and privilege for themselves in the kingdom on the basis of who they are or what they think they know, are not likely to find themselves at Christ's right and left hands in heaven. The other readings and the psalm provide a fitting - kerygmatic - background for this Gospel, and help to understand it and preach it effectively.
A Sermon on the Gospel, Mark 10:35-45 - "The Worst Temptation."
A couple of days before I began working on the readings for this Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost, I met a New Testament scholar in the grocery store. He had been working, to some extent, in the same area that has occupied me - the lectionary, especially with regard to the Gospels. As we talked about our similar projects for Year B, he made a statement which has me wondering about whether he was joking or really meant what he said. He said, "The Roman Catholic Church really messed up the lectionary in Year B (He was thinking of the insertion of the five readings from John in the middle of Pentecost.) - just like it always does." It seemed to me that there was a note of disdain in his voice - that he meant what he said. As I remember the incident, it strikes me that it was a similar attitude on the part of James and John that prompted their request to sit on either side of Jesus in heaven. Could it be that pride had convinced them that they understood Jesus' mission better than the other ten disciples? It was pride of one form or another - it had to be - which was behind their petition to the Lord. But whatever it was that caused them to request to Jesus, he soon set them - and the record - straight.
1. Spiritual pride, what the writer of Proverbs called "haughty eyes," is a common enemy of those who have been actively engaged in the worship and work of the church. It may be the worst temptation of faithful people. It takes two forms. One expression of it comes from looking at other people and their life in the church and coming to the conclusion that "I am a better Christian than most of the people in this congregation." Such people usually think that they deserve special consideration from God.
2. A second form of this pride questions God in times of trouble and suffering, and says to God, "I don't deserve this. Look at the people down the street; they never go to church, give nothing to its work - don't even belong - but they have just about everything that one could desire." So often people forget what it means to be baptized into the death of Jesus Christ. Faithful Christians receive no guaranteed worldly pleasures and prosperity from Christ, no exemption from pain and suffering. Their lot is to serve - take up their cross - in the name of Jesus Christ.
3. Eternal life is reward enough for those who have been baptized in his name. They realize that their sins have been forgiven, and have been able to live in hope no matter what comes into their lives. And they know that God gives that life as a gift of his love and grace in Jesus, whose baptism in blood completed that which was begun at the Jordan. Knowledge and understanding of the cost of salvation to Jesus Christ should be enough to keep us humble all of our days here on earth.
4. The hope of the resurrection, accomplished by our Lord through the power of God on the third day, triggers a "he must increase, I must decrease" mentality in true followers of the Lord. This much we know - when we face the cross and death - we cannot raise ourselves from the dead. Without Jesus, we are doomed to the grave forever. But he has given us hope as the one who overcame not only sin and the Devil, but also death itself. It burns out the worst temptation - spiritual pride - from our souls. And it sets our hearts to singing!
A Sermon on the First Lesson, Isaiah 53:4-12 (E); 53:7-12 (C); 53:10-11 (R); 53:10-12 (L)
- "The Strange Actions of God."
1. God's strange actions began with Israel and culminated in Christ. He chose Israel to be his agent in the world and sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, as the one who would save the world. So far, so good - at least, God does not want to destroy the people on earth and start over again.
2. God could never get Israel to shape up in the manner he desired; rejection of Christ is the final proof of that. Under the heel of their conqueror, Rome, they were concerned about their own fate and welfare, not the salvation of the world.
3. God determined that Christ would have to pay the price of the sins of many. He took the "bruises" which others deserved - and "he poured out his soul in death." He knew it was the will of God to make himself "an offering for sin" and die for humanity's salvation. Death on the cross "numbered him with the transgressors."
4. So God took this strange action - giving his Son to die for the salvation of all the people in the world. And the strangest thing of all about this is that all that has to be done to receive salvation through Christ is believe and be baptized - and then live out one's baptism.
A Sermon on the Second Lesson, Hebrews 4:9-16 (L); 4:12-16 (E); 4:14-16 (R, C) - "The ONLY Temptation of Christ."
The movie, "The Last Temptation of Christ" prompted some Christians to organize protests and to boycott the film because they deemed it to be sacrilegious; to them it profaned Christ and the Gospel. In the area where I live, a clergyman of my denomination led such a protest when the film was first shown in a local theater. He received some publicity in the press and on television for his concern and activities, but the film presentation took place as scheduled, and the crowds were greater than they might have been without the protest. Oddly enough, a motion picture that seemed to be a threat to the very foundation of Christian faith and theology - because it attacked the sinlessness of Jesus - ran its course and was replaced by movies with a more contemporary theme. Few, if any, people experienced any weakening of faith, let alone total destruction of it. Perhaps they comprehended that this was all fiction, and that it had no basis in the Gospels which tell of only one temptation of Jesus - after his baptism.
1. Jesus was tempted - as we are and in every way that we are. He was tempted to disrupt the plan of God and become his own God, the kind of Messiah that the people of Israel wanted. He knew what he could have if he simply surrendered to Satan out in the wilderness.
2. Temptation is really a kind of trial that tests people to see what values they have and what decisions they will make in times of crisis and choice. Too often people reject the will of God - disobey God - and make their own decisions, thereby becoming their own god. Temptation is a tug-of-war between God and Satan, which finds human beings pulling on Satan's side of the rope.
3. Jesus turned his back on Satan, not on God, and the plan of God to save the world was preserved and executed in his suffering, death, and resurrection. His perfection is seen
- not simply in his sinlessness but in his "obedience unto death, even the death on the cross." He was the sort of Savior that God intended for the world, the true Messiah God had promised his people.
4. Therefore, he is our High Priest - forever. He offered himself - the perfect one - for each of us, for all people. That sacrifice, which is the proof that he overcame temptation and died as the perfect Lamb of God, is sufficient to save every one of us!
