MARK 1:9-15

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.

11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; [1] with you I am well pleased.”

12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.

13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God,

15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Margaret Moores is an amazing woman.  What makes her amazing isn’t just the fact that she recently celebrated her 106^th birthday.  What really makes her amazing is the secret to her long life.  You see Margaret Moores didn’t grow up eating tofu and alfalfa sprouts.  In fact she did just the  opposite. Her daughter, Mary Cheeseman, said that her mother loves her sweets and salt beef and all the cholesterol laden artery clogging foods that she ate growing up and now, “She loves her pizza and French fries...”  Margaret has another explanation for her long life.  She said the secret is living it up.   When asked about her longevity she said, “Good times…when I got old.  I didn’t have them when I was young.  I got so fond of them, I couldn’t let them go.”

Now if you’re cheering Margaret on it’s because Sigmund Freud was right when he came up with his “Pleasure Principle.”  Simply put Freud said that people seek pleasure in their lives and will do everything they can to avoid painful experiences.  By the way, that includes  physical, emotional and spiritual pain.

Look at it this way.  Put a hot fudge sundae and a plate of lima beans in front of a child.  Then ask the child, “Which one would  you like to eat first?”   I know which one I’d choose.  How about you?  Here’s an adult version of the question.  If you had a choice would you rather to go for a walk on the beach or go to the dentist for a root canal?  

It’s called the Pleasure Principle. Now the God who loves you has filled the world with all kinds of blessings that will put a smile on your face.   The God who loves you though also won’t hesitate to push you to face something in your life that’s painful and unpleasant. Just look at what happened to Jesus after he was baptized. In his gospel Mark says that after Jesus was baptized, “The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.” 

So, Jesus wasn’t the one who decided that he had to go out into that dry and desolate desert. It wasn’t his idea to go forty days without food.  It wasn’t his idea to face down all those nasty temptations.  God was the one who decided that Jesus had to face down all those nasty temptations and God was the one who knew that Jesus had to do that before he started his ministry.  Why?  Because God knew that all those nasty temptations had the potential to lead Jesus away from being the messiah that God wanted him to be.

You can see that by looking at the temptations that Jesus faced out there in the desert.  While Mark doesn’t mention the temptations Matthew and Luke tell us  in their gospels that there were three temptations.

The first temptation was to turn stones into bread. The second temptation was for Jesus to throw himself off the pinnacle of the Temple and the third temptation was to fall down and worship the devil in exchange for all the kingdoms of the world.   If Jesus had given in to those nasty temptations he would have been rich and famous and had vast armies at his command.  All of that, however, would have taken him away from the messiah that God wanted him to be.  All of that would have taken him away from his calling to be the humble lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.  That’s why the Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert.  

God pushed Jesus out into the desert to do something that was painful and unpleasant.  God also won’t hesitate to give you a little push if that’s what you need.  After all we all have our temptations.  We all have our trials and tribulations that are painful and unpleasant.

That’s why it isn’t all that hard to identify with the steamboat captain who was offered a chance to make a little extra money.   This was back during the Civil War.  During the Civil War it was illegal to trade in cotton.  It may have been illegal but many unscrupulous speculators would still buy cotton in the South.  They would then try and run it through the Union lines and sell it at a great profit in the North.  One of those unscrupulous speculators approached the steamboat captain and offered him $100 if he would run his cotton up the Mississippi River.  The captain refused. “I’ll give you $500,” the speculator said. Again the captain said, “No.”  “I’ll give you $1,000,” the speculator said.  Again the captain said, “No.”  When the speculator said,  “I’ll give you $3,000” the captain took out his pistol.  He pointed it at the speculator and shouted, “Get off my boat.  You’re getting too close to my price.”

God wants you to go out into that desert, like Jesus did, and face your unpleasant temptations.  God wants you to go out into that desert and face your painful trials and tribulations. It could be a troubled relationship.  It could be a difficult decision or a sinful moment from long ago that still troubles you today.  So, go out into that desert. Just don’t go out into that desert alone because if you do you will fail.  

Let me ask you this question.  Did Jesus go into that desert alone?  No!   Jesus went into that desert with his heart full of God amazing love.   Do you remember what happened right before Jesus went into the desert?   Jesus went to the Jordan River and he was baptized by John the Baptist and do you remember what the voice from heaven said when he came up out of the water?  The voice said, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

How’s that for a vote of confidence?   The words that Jesus heard that day were amazing but what makes them even more amazing is when you look at the timing of that heavenly affirmation.   Remember.  Jesus hadn’t started his ministry yet.  What that means is that the affirmation came before Jesus healed a single person. The affirmation came before Jesus performed a single miracle.  The affirmation came before Jesus uttered a single word of wisdom.  Jesus hadn’t done anything yet to earn God’s love.  The same thing is true for you.  God loves you not for what you’ve done or what you can do but for who you are.  God loves you the way you love your own children or the way your parents love you.  You have been created in God’s image and you are loved by a God who wants you to succeed and to triumph and to be victorious over all of the temptations, trials and tribulations in your life. 

Ed Koper tells a wonderful story about a victory over the temptation to be selfish and greedy.   It seems that his daughter, Emily, had been saving her allowance all year to buy a new bike.  As they got closer to Christmas she announced that she’d saved a total of $49.   It wasn’t enough yet to buy the bike that she wanted but her father told her to keep saving.  Or he told he could have one from his collection of old bikes.  Emily decided to keep saving her money.  A few days later the two of them went to look at some bikes to get an idea of what she might be able to afford.   While they were coming out of one of the stores Emily saw a volunteer ringing a bell by a Salvation Army kettle.   “Can we give them something…” she asked.  Her father said that he didn’t have any change.  So, they went home and Emily continued to save her allowance.   Then a few days before Christmas Emily walked into the kitchen and said, “you know all the money I’ve been saving?”  God told me to give it to the poor people.”  Emily’s mother got down on one knee and said, “That’s a very kind thought dear.  But you’ve been saving all year.  Maybe you could give some of it.”   Emily shook her head and said very firmly “God said all.”   So, that’s what she did.  Emily and her father went back to the store and Emily put her $58 into the Salvation Army kettle.  It was then that her father noticed that a local car dealer was collecting used bicycles to refurbish and give to poor children.  He decided that if his nine-year-old daughter could give away all her money he could give away one of the bikes from his collection.  So he went home and got a bike and then he noticed a second bike.  “Should I give a second bike?” he thought.  “No, certainly the one would be enough.”  As he got into his car though he couldn’t shake the feeling that he should give the second bike.  So, he that’s what he did.   When he delivered the bikes the car dealer thanked him and said, “You’re making two kids very happy, Mr. Koper.  And here are your tickets.”  It was then that he learned that for every bike that was donated the car dealer was giving away a change to win a brand new mountain.   Oh, and in case you’re wondering the first ticket didn’t win the brand new mountain bike.  It was the second ticket for the second bike that won the brand new mountain bike.    Ed Koper ends his story with these words.  “Coincidence?  Maybe.  I like to think it was God’s way of rewarding a little girl for a sacrifice beyond her years – while giving her dad a lesson in charity and the power of the Lord.”  (Chicken Soup For the Christian Soul p. 100)

The less than exciting news is that there are unpleasant temptations and painful trials and tribulations waiting for you out in the desert.  The really exciting news is that the God who loves you is already waiting for you out there in that desert.  The God who loves you will not desert you in the desert.  Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes

February 26, 2012