Matthew 4:1-11
We’ve all seen the devil in movies.
- Sometimes he’s temptation in a three-piece suit…suave and sophisticated, like Al Pacino in The Devil’s Advocate…
- A sharply dressed…smooth-talking lawyer with dangerous charisma.
- Other times…he’s as charming as a fast-talking horse trader.
- He’s slick and the definition of charm itself.
- He can sweet-talk a fencepost into walking.
- The Bible does say that he might appear to us as an angel of light.
- The movies also show us a seductive devil like in Bedazzled…offering fame…fortune and romance with a wink and a contract.
But we also see the terrifying devil in movies.
- The one sporting horns…hooves and flames…as though he’s Dante’s host of the Inferno.
- Or…think of the sinister and demonic force in The Exorcist or The Omen.
Yet other depictions of the devil render him a comic fool…
- A red-suited figure in cartoons…pitchfork in hand…whispering into someone’s ear…
- A kind of an anti-Santa Claus…for those who have been naughty…not nice.
- Or we see him as Lucifer…the star of the Netflix show…
- In which the defiant archangel leaves hell…and now is a proprietor of a nightclub in Los Angeles…teaming up with an LAPD detective.
- The surprise is that Lucifer Morningstar startles everyone…
- Including some of his pals from the underworld…by protecting the innocent and punishing the evildoers.
But no matter the form…these portrayals usually get one thing right:
- The devil shows up when something big is about to happen.
- In today’s Gospel reading…the devil appears at the threshold of Jesus’ ministry…
- Right after his baptism and right before he begins his public ministry.
- The devil shows up…crashing the party! The Lord be with you.
Matthew reminds us that temptation is not just about weakness …it is often about timing.
- The devil comes when we are hungry…alone…tired…or just about to do something meaningful for God.
- So…the question is not if the devil will show up.
- It is when…and more importantly…Will we be ready?
The 40-day journey begins…with Jesus…when he heads for the deep…mountainous wilderness east of Jericho.
- A place of loneliness…hunger and testing.
- This is not an Airbnb retreat.
- It is 40 days of solitude…silence and spiritual confrontation.
But it is also a sacred space…because it’s here in this desolate landscape…that Jesus begins his public ministry.
- The text tells us that Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil.
- This is not a detour…it is a divine direction.
- It seems to be the way God operates.
- The Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness before they reached the Promised Land.
- Joseph was thrown into a pit and sold into slavery before rising to power in Egypt.
- David ran from Saul and hid in caves before taking the throne.
- Even Moses spent 40 years in Midian tending sheep before God called to him from the burning bush.
- Over and over…the pattern holds:
- Wilderness before calling…silence before speech…testing before triumph.
The first temptation is about hunger: If you are the Son of God…command these stones to become loaves of bread.
- After 40 days of fasting…this is no small enticement.
But Jesus responds with scripture: One does not live by bread alone…but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
- The devil starts by attacking Jesus’ identity.
- If you are the Son of God.
- It’s the same tactic the serpent used in Eden…casting doubt on God’s Word and God’s love.
- But Jesus doesn’t take the bait.
- He refuses to define himself by his appetite.
- His identity is grounded in his relationship with the Father.
Temptation often comes not just in the form of a desire…but in the form of a question.
- Who do you think you are? If you are really a follower of Jesus…then …
- This is insidious…the devil tried it with Jesus…so no surprise if he tries it with us…too.
- When the devil shows up…it is best to remember who we are.
- We are not our accomplishments.
- We are much more than our failures.
- We are not defined by our politics or the labels the world gives us.
- We are defined by God…baptized believers…claimed by God…marked with the sign of the cross and sealed with the Holy Spirit.
There’s a scene in The Hunger Games…where Katniss is about to be thrown into a brutal contest…
- And her stylist and ally…Cinna…reminds her:
- You’re different. You don’t just play their game. You make them remember you’re more than this.
- It’s good advice for all of us.
- Remember…you’re more than this.
- Whatever wilderness we find ourselves in…whatever trials we face…
- We do not have to play the enemy’s game.
- We do not need to accept the labels anyone else tries to pin on us.
- We can remember who we really are…and Whose we really are.
- And in doing so…we can stand firm and say with quiet conviction: I am God’s…and that’s enough.
The second temptation is theatrical.
- The devil turns up the drama…placing Jesus on the highest point of the temple…with all of Jerusalem watching below.
- Jump he says. Prove who you are. The Bible says the angels will catch you…doesn’t it?
- It is spiritual manipulation dressed in religious language.
- How often do we hear: If God really loves you…he’ll protect you from pain…he’ll make you successful…he’ll come through on your terms.
- It’s the temptation to use faith like a lever…to treat God like a cosmic stunt coordinator…
- Who is supposed to catch us when we demand it.
- It’s not a good look.
- Jesus fires back: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.
- He will not force God’s hand.
- He will not turn trust into theatrics.
Faith is not flashy…trust is not loud.
- Real faith is staying when you want to run…being still when you want answers or keeping your vows when no one’s watching.
- Trust does not grab headlines…trust anchors the soul.
- We just need to walk with God…one honest step at a time.
The third temptation is political.
- The devil shows Jesus the thrones and kingdoms of the world and offers them all in exchange for worship.
- This is a shortcut to glory.
- No suffering…No cross…Just bow and reign.
But Jesus says: Away with you…Satan! For it is written…Worship the Lord your God…and serve only him.
- Jesus knows his mission.
- He knows that the way to resurrection runs through rejection.
- It is a seductive and powerful proposal…but Jesus knows it’s not redemptive or satisfying.
We are tempted to trade integrity for influence…to chase applause instead of obedience.
- But Jesus reminds us to remember who we are.
- We are the people of God with two things to do:
- Worship God…and serve only him.
- We do not worship God because God needs it…
- But because we do.
- Worship reminds us of who God is…and who we are.
- To serve God is to serve others.
- We serve others because every person bears the image of God…
- And when we serve the least of these…we serve Christ himself.
So…when the devil shows up…show him the door.
- Jesus is not abandoned in the wilderness…he is attended by angels.
- Today…we remember Jesus…who overcame temptation…not with force…
- But with faithfulness to the word of God.
- Nothing positive can come from giving the devil a foot in the door…
- Pope Francis once advised: Never dialogue with temptation…never dialogue with the devil.
- It’s good advice.
- Jesus emerged from the wilderness not weakened…but ready.
- So…let us walk with him during these 40 days.