Back in the 1920s, residents of Cades Cove, Tennessee, lived in fear of the legendary Wampus Cat, a creature known to be vicious, supernaturally strong, and sly. The Wampus Cat was so sly that no one had actually seen one, but there were those who swore that it existed. One loud shotgun blast echoing through the Cove would warn the men of the town that the Wampus Cat had been sighted, and they'd all grab their guns and go out hunting it. Only after the legend of the Wampus Cat was passed down through many generations did the old-timers finally confess: the legend had been started as a hoax. It was a way for the men-folk of Cades Cove to circumvent Prohibition. When someone came across an especially good batch of moonshine, he would shoot one time in the air. This was a signal to the other men of the town to come share in the liquor. Every man who heard the shot would grab his gun and claim it was his duty to go hunt the Wampus Cat. (1) The men of Cades Cove knew how to deal with temptation. They organized it.
Our scripture lesson from Matthew has often been called the temptation of Jesus. Dr. William Barclay believes it would be accurately called “the testing of Jesus."
You know the story well. Jesus came from Nazareth at the age of thirty to be baptized by John the Baptist in the river Jordan. As he came out of the water, the spirit of God descended upon him and a voice from heaven declared, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased." However, before there could be a reception and party to celebrate Jesus' baptism, the spirit of God led him to the desert--to do battle with Satan, the tempter, or more accurately, the tester.
Needless to say, Jesus passed. He refused every entreaty of the tempter. He came through with flying colors. The first man God created, Adam, failed a similar test. He ate the forbidden fruit. Christ did not fail. Christ passed the test.
Think with me for a few moments this day about temptation as a test. I believe that all of us can be helped if, rather than saying, “I am being tempted," we would re-frame the situation and say, “I am being tested." Being tested has benefits that being tempted does not have.
As the Union Pacific Railroad was being constructed, an elaborate trestle bridge was built across a large canyon in the West. In order to test the bridge, the builder loaded a train with enough extra cars and equipment to double its normal payload. The train was then driven to the middle of the bridge, where it stayed an entire day. One worker asked, “Are you trying to see if we can break this bridge?"
“No," the builder replied, “I'm trying to prove that the bridge won't break."
In the same way, the temptations Jesus faced weren't designed to see if he would sin, but to prove that he wouldn't. Like steel which is tested by fire to see if it can bear the stress and strain of the load that it will be called to bear, Jesus was tested to see if he could carry the burden of humankind on the cross of Calvary. Jesus passed the test. It is a source of strength for us to know we have a friend who has been tested, who passed the test and can help us pass our test as well. In Hebrews 2:18 we read, “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."
NONE OF US GOES THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT BEING TESTED. Although Jesus was the Son of God, he still was tempted. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus was tempted in every way, just as we are, yet was without sin. Jesus was not tested to see if he were the Son of God--but because he was the Son of God.
Satan tempted Jesus in terms of the mission which he accepted at his baptism. Satan tempted Jesus to act independently of and contrary to the will of his Father. Satan tempted him to avoid the path of the cross--the path of suffering and humiliation and hardship, but Jesus was equal to the test.
The testing that Christ experienced is similar to the testing that you and I experience daily. Temptation has three components that need to be considered in order to help us past the test as Jesus passed the test.
FIRST THERE IS AN INTERNAL COMPONENT TO TEMPTATION. How we deal with our own times of testing will be determined, first of all, by the strength of our internal resources. If we are strong inwardly, we will pass. If we are weak, we will fail.
Mark Antony was considered one of the great orators of Roman culture. He was an intelligent person--a brave soldier--a powerful leader. Outwardly he was a big man. His credentials would have put him in Who's Who in America? He was a celebrity. He merited an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show. However, internally--morally--he was a midget. One of his associates said to him, “Thou art able to conquer the world, but unable to resist a single temptation." How tragic that such a large man would cast such a small shadow. He would not be the last leader so flawed, as we all know.
Contrast Mark Antony with Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was a penniless, itinerant preacher in the eyes of Rome, yet he cast a shadow over history like none other who ever lived. And he did it partially by the strength of his character. The Bible tells us he was without sin. In other words, whatever the circumstance, Jesus always did the will of God. Only a strong person could achieve such a record.
How strong are you on the inside? The truth is that some people are stronger than others, and there seems to be little that can be done about it, except by the power of God. Perhaps it has to do with self-esteem. Maybe it has to do with the strictness of the discipline that we had growing up. Maybe it was the example set by significant adults. It could even be genetic, according to some authorities. Maybe it has to do with our personality. Some of us seem to need more than average acceptance and approval by others. But there is such a thing as character, and some people seem to have more of this quality than others. Some of us are better able to cope with temptation because of what we have on the inside.
THE SECOND COMPONENT OF TEMPTATION IS EXTERNAL. Some of us have no difficulty with temptation unless it is staring us in the face. Sometimes the best advice we can receive is to flee its presence.
Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." It is better translated, “Let us not fall, when we are tempted by the evil one." A seminary professor used to say, “Good opportunities only knock once; temptation just seems to stay and knock unceasingly."
Martin Luther expressed this thought in a hymn: “Though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us." Further on he adds, “Still our ancient foe, doth seek to work us woe. His craft and power are great."
Satan used external objects to test Jesus. He showed him stones and urged him to turn them to bread, he showed him the temple and suggested he make a daring leap from the top of it, he showed him the kingdoms of the world and offered to give them to him. Satan was offering Jesus external success--popularity and power--if only he would follow the ways of the world and not the way of God. He should have known Jesus had the power within to resist.
Every day you and I are confronted with tests. In a sense, like Jesus, we are tested not to see if we are God's children but because we are God's children. There are tests we confront that worldly people aren't even aware of. There are tests of our honesty and integrity. Tests of our ability to love others. Tests of our willingness to sacrifice for others. Tests of our commitment to our spouses and our families.
In the comic BORN LOSER, the husband is unable to fall asleep and says to his wife: “May I ask you a question, Gladys?"
“Oh, what is it?" she answers.
“Is your love for me beyond temptation?" he asks. “Say, Paul Newman was trying to woo you away, would you still love me?"
And Gladys replies, “Of course dear! And I would miss you very much, too!"(2)
There are tests that come to us every day. And because we are followers of Jesus, we regard these tests more seriously than more worldly people might. To many people, what's a little cheating, a little lying, a little betrayal, a little pilferage? But these are important issues to us because we understand ourselves to be children of God. And because these issues are important to us, we recognize that the only safe response is to make certain that we are not put into a position where the external temptation may overcome our internal defenses.
In a campaign for the Democratic nomination for President many years ago, John Kennedy's brother, Robert, suggested that they make a deal with Lyndon Johnson, the other leading contender, prior to the vote for the presidential nomination in order to eliminate Johnson as an opponent. John Kennedy disagreed. He told his brother, “Let's defeat him, then deal with him."
That's the attitude we need to take with the tempter. We do not even give the tempter the opportunity to gain a foothold. If necessary, we remove ourselves from the external temptation--particularly if we know our inner resources are weak. There is an internal component to temptation and there is an external component.
THERE IS ONE MORE COMPONENT TO TEMPTATION --THE ETERNAL. We resist temptation best when we are committed to something so important, so lasting, of such great value that we will not allow ourselves to be dragged down by that which we know in our hearts is of dubious value. Satan offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world, but Jesus was already committed to the Kingdom of God. He was committed to such a high calling, he could not be brought down to Satan's level.
It is significant that Jesus confronted this test at the beginning of his ministry. This test prepared him for all the decisions he would make later--even accepting the cross. Passing this test made him better able to pass the other tests.
HERE IS WHAT WE NEED TO REMEMBER: WHEN TEMPTATION COMES, IT IS A TEST NOT ONLY OF OUR INTERNAL RESOURCES BUT ALSO OF OUR COMMITMENT TO AN ETERNAL GOD. When you are tempted to be dishonest, or unfaithful, or unloving or whatever external temptation may come your way, say this: “I am not simply being tempted to do wrong. I am being tested as to the seriousness of my commitment to Jesus Christ, and if I past this test, I will pass the next test that much easier. I am a child of God, and with God's help, I can be true." That may mean that we remove ourselves from the presence of an external temptation. It may mean we spend more time in prayer, in communion with God. But we can pass the test. Christ has shown us that we can pass the test.
A group of mountain hikers came across an old woodsman with an ax on his shoulder. “Where are you going?" they asked.
“I'm headed up the mountain to get some wood for repairs to my cabin," he replied.
“But why are you going up the mountain? There is wood to be found everywhere you look right here."
“Oh, no," came the quick reply. “I need the timber from the higher elevations--where the wood is hard and toughened by the weather. I need to go up higher where the strong timber grows." (3) That is what Christ is looking for today from you and me--strong timber. People who are willing to pass the test of temptation.
1. Ewing, James. It Happened in Tennessee (Nashville: Rutledge Hill Press, 1986), 69.
2. Contributed by Dr. John Bardsley.
3. Thanks to Brian K. Bauknight of Christ UMC, Bethel Park, Pa., for this story.
Pastor Ritz would like to thank the late Dr. Harold Brack of Drew Theological Seminary for help in this outline developed years ago in Voice and Diction Class.