Matthew 4:1-11
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Distraction means divided attention and in today’s world we live a distracted life. We are inundated by the world news, national news, and who won the UNC-DUKE basketball game. Our jobs, our bills, our mortgage, our neighbors, our clothes, our families, even our dogs distract us from walking a closer walk to our God and risen Savior. The devil was hard at work in today’s passage, he distracted Jesus from his greater purpose.
In Disciples class this week we laughed about Flip Wilson and how he would dress up as Gereldine and say “THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT!” Today’s Devil is hard at work and pretty successful at making us do everything on our daily to do list but take that closer walk.
What then is the opposite of being distracted? It is being focused. Being Obedient.
I have the great pleasure of participating in a little reading club. and we are currently reading a book called BLIND COURAGE. It is the story of Bill Irwin, from Burlington, NC. Bill passed away just last Saturday, but Bill knew all about distraction. Bill was a chemist and a teacher and clinical researcher, but he was distracted by alcohol and lost it all. In addition he lost his eyesight to a rare disease - the vision in one eye at 28 and the vision in the other at 36.
When Bill finds himself lost in his life, a broken humbled man, he finds AA and begins a closer walk with God. In working the steps he opened himself to God’s direction, in fact he was learning to be obedient. He began to cut out the distractions in his life: alcohol, cigarettes, self-pity and slowly begins to rebuild his family relationships. When he begins to feel good about his recovery and his walk with God he goes camping on the Blue Ridge with his son. In a moment of solitude he prays, thanking God for his recovery and his new life in Christ. In fact he says to God:
If there’s ever anything I can do as a way of saying thanks to You, I want You to know I’ll do it, whatever it is.”
Irwin, Bill (1992-04-01). Blind Courage (Kindle Locations 779-780). Bill Irwin. Kindle Edition.
So God calls this blind, overweight 50 year old man to walk the Appalachian Trail! At first he denies it, just like some of our favorite folks in the Bible. Who me? He continues to hear God’s direction until he obeys and accepts his call. So Bill, his guide dog and his overloaded pack set off to walk the whole trail, 2,168 miles.
In his book he tries to answer the “why?” with these words:
... hiking was only half the enterprise. If the purpose of being on the trail was to talk to people about God and His love, I was definitely the wrong person for the job. I didn’t know the first thing about what most people called ”witnessing,” and couldn’t begin to argue theology or answer the hard questions. One person estimated that along the trail I would pass 10,000 people, exchange greetings with 500 and have personal conversations with about a hundred. Was I supposed to say something to everyone I passed? How would I know who was interested in talking about God? My lack of answers seemed to disqualify me faster than any of the physical shortcomings. Finally, I decided that the talking would have to develop like the hiking. I couldn’t plan it out or control it ahead of time. I had heard people talk about living by faith, and this was going to be my chance to discover what that was all about.
Irwin, Bill (1992-04-01). Blind Courage (Kindle Locations 852-859). Bill Irwin. Kindle Edition.
Bill succeeded and his tale is nothing short of miraculous. It is full of cliff hangers in the literal sense. And he gives us every amazing detail. At times he hikes with others, at times alone except for his faithful guide dog. Since he can’t see the trail marker he gets lost often. He falls over and over again, usually on little rocks. Once when the path narrows on a craggy mountain he is saved only when he grasps a strong young sapling as he falls. And just as miraculously he finds the right people God had in mind for him to meet, gingerly sharing his story and offering comfort to those in need.
In elementary school, during oral book reports if my classmate hadn’t finished their book they would say “read the book to find out the rest of the story.” I encourage all of you to learn the rest of the story! ( Blind Courage can be purchased for 4.99 on the Amazon Kindle!)
So Bill cut out the distractions in his life and took his own journey in the wilderness. He was tempted time and again, to take the easy way out, to quit to home home. But he was in it for the long run. Jesus too contemplated the long run, the arc of his life and what was expected of him. He was tempted to take the easy way out, to just say “no” to his call. But Jesus focused on the important things, not the distractions. Today’s passage ends with Jesus speaking these words from bold, summative words:
WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.
Are we listening for our call or are we distracted? What does God plan for our lives?
We can prepare ourselves to do God’s work through time-honored means. Read our Bibles, pray, be thankful, seek wisdom, worship with our church family, and serve our neighbors.
Look at your life and look for the distractions! Be selective! My mom and I were big yard salers and we still enjoy the thrift shop, but we don’t buy everything we like, no matter how much I like the 1960s orange crocheted vest for 99 cents. We choose the things that are best for us. Likewise we must choose what to have in our life. Is it Godly? Is it good? Will we grow?
And perhaps the hardest thing to add to our spiritual life but perhaps the most important is to be quiet and listen for God’s call. Because like BIll we must first LISTEN for our call to be able to HEAR it.
I was at a writing retreat at the beach last weekend and I met a lovely woman named Judy who lost her 23 year old son to suicide. Her journey was a difficult one and in the thick of her grief she had a dream in which she was painting a portrait of her son. She thought “how silly,” I can’t paint, I can’t even draw. But she dreamed it again, and again and again for 8 nights. Finally Judy went to the art store and asked for paint, she didn’t even know the difference between oils and watercolors but the sales clerk was more than happy to completely outfit her with art supplies. She got home, set up an area to paint and behold, she painted a portrait of her son, exactly as she had seen it in her dream. Today she is an avid painter and she gives God the glory. She has published some essays on dealing with grief and God’s presence and she is using her newfound painting skills to complement her writing. She has won awards for her art and always uses it to tell how God has touched her.
So during this season of lent let us give up noisy distractions. We are humbled to be reminded by Ash Wednesday that we are human, fallible, made from ash, but as God was with Jesus in his temptations, Bill on his hike, and Judy in the depth of her grief, he is with our human fallible selves every day. He picks us l over and over again so that we can work for his Kingdom on earth, to bring the light to the world on his behalf.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 5 that we are the light of the world:
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
So this lenten season, listen for your call and let your light shine!
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