Bread and Circuses

Bread and Circuses

The Temptation of Jesus - A Sermon for the First Sunday in Lent

 

Luke 4.1-13:  The Temptation of Jesus

 

Preparation is everything.  This year's Olympic athletes prepared for the previous four years for their big chance.  Four years of early mornings, strict diets, punishing exercise routines.  I guess all that is why I will never be an Olympic Athlete!

Jesus believed in preparation.  In fact our best estimates are that he took over 30 years to prepare for his ministry. When he was completely prepared - he set out to be baptised.  But even then, there was still preparation to do.  Jesus needed to complete his preparation by opening himself to the temptations that he knew might plague him as he began his ministry.  So, after being baptised, he went off for 40 days, into the desert, to be, in Luke's words, 'tempted by the devil'.

So -  what happens next?

The devil – who we might prefer to see as metaphor for Jesus’ more human instincts - begins to make some suggestions for how his ministry might play out.

"Why don’t you turn those stones into bread?"

Remember that Jesus lived during the time of the Roman Empire.  The Emperors were clever politicians. They understood that simple people needed just two basic things to keep them happy...food, and entertainment.  Or, as the Roman expression went, “Bread and Circuses”.  Places like the Coliseum in Rome put on great circuses of entertainment, and fed the crowds with free food.  Entertain and feed the people, and they won't overthrow the Government.  But Jesus had come to proclaim another kind of Kingdom….

When Jesus was challenged to turn stones into bread, we could say he was being tempted to follow the Roman way…"provide food for people, and they will follow you”.

But Jesus said no. "It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

Jesus knew that food alone is not enough. If you feed someone, you only put off the time when they will ultimately die.  But if you can change their heart,  then you open up the opportunity of eternal life with God.  Jesus wanted his ministry to count FOR EVER, not just until the next meal.

So, the devil tried a new tack.  Effectively: "Why don’t you throw yourself off the temple and let the angels catch you?"

Bread...and Circuses. Again, the old Roman trick.  The devil was tempting Jesus to use his power to do amazing miracles that would wow the crowd. I mean - I’m pretty sure that if I threw myself off the top of St Faith's after this service, and some angels rescued me and carried me safely to the ground...you’d all think I was pretty fantastic. Word would soon spread around the City, and then around the country, of the amazing flying Rector!

But again, Jesus knew that amazing miracles would not turn people towards God. He knew that the changes we need to make take place on the inside, not on the outside. Faith is not about asking God to do amazing feats of supernatural wonder...it’s about trusting that God is in control, and is with us through every circumstance of life.  That means the mountain-top experiences like on the Mount of Transfiguration...but also when the chips are down, and the going gets tough.

So Jesus rebuked his 'devil' - the darker potentials of his human nature: "Do not put the Lord your God to the test."  In other words, God is not in the business of wowing the crowd with tricks.  God is in the business of building a kingdom, soul by soul, person by person.  His call is to a life of sacrifice and self-lessness, not to stage shows of powerful miracles.

So the devil tried for the last time.  He took Jesus to the top of a very high mountain and showed him the kingdoms of the world laid out before him.

"Why don’t you worship me...then I will give you all this!"

Bread, circuses...and political power.  The devil was tempting Jesus to establish a kingdom of political power.  To raise up an army which would conquer the world. Many people expected that this was exactly what the Messiah would do.

But again, Jesus wasn’t interested. He knew that all the political power in the world would not create the circumstances that he wanted.   God's way is not the way of political and military power.  God’s way is the way of turning the other cheek, of forgiveness to those who wrong us, and of carrying each other's burdens.  Jesus could have taken political power.  He could have raised an army to smite the Romans.  But unless the hearts of the people were changed, any political solution would only be temporary.

It's important that we get this.  The Prime Minister will not save us.  No political leader can.  The President of America can't do it.  Only God can save humanity.  Or, to put it another way, only by following the teachings of God, by the grace and power of God, can the world ever be saved.  The Kingdom of God is the only political system - if that's the right description for it - that has the power to save the world.  It won’t happen overnight.  It may not happen in our own lifetime. But it’s the only hope for humanity.  And I yearn for a politician with the courage and the vision to take the teachings of Jesus seriously.

The Kingdom of God requires radical change across all human politics.  In the Kingdom of God, the meek and humble get lifted up - their priorities dictate the agenda.  In the Kingdom of God, the rich (and those lucky to be born in rich places) understand and live out their responsibility. 

In the Kingdom of God, wealth is shared for the lifting up of the poor, who become blessed.  In the Kingdom of God, wars cease - swords become ploughshares - because no-one is trying to control others anymore.  Every-one works together for the good of all.  In the Kingdom of God, the planet which God gave us to tend and care for…it gets saved too.  As we humans learn what it means to live lightly upon the earth, as Jesus himself did, the planet has a chance. 

So what was Jesus’ response to the Devil’s tempting of Jesus to grab that political power? "Away from me Satan! For it is written 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only!'”

In other words...what we need to do is put God first. Not bread, not circuses, not earthly power systems...God.  God who made us. God who saves us. God who sustains us.

So in this period of Lent, take some time to ask yourself what you are putting first in your life. Who is it that you trust, to lead us forward?  A politician, or the King of Kings? 

What do you look for from God?  Miracles, signs and wonders, or wise and fruitful teaching to lead a more blessed life. 

What is the most important thing in your life?  A question that Scripture constantly throws at us is...'how are you going to spend your days?'.  Are you going to spend them accumulating wealth that you can't take with you, or soaking up the modern day circuses of TV.  Or are you going to spend your days building community, creating relationships - caring about others, and worshipping God for whose pleasure you were made.

Will it be bread and circuses and the vain promises of political power...or will it be life, to the full, through a dedication to loving God and serving our neighbour - the motto of this very church!

God gives us free will to make those choices.  The choices are ours to make.  I wonder which we'll choose...

Amen.