It all started in the Garden . . . oh, you know which garden I mean – the Garden, the Garden of Eden.  Adam and Eve had everything at their disposal, everything to enjoy, with one exception—one tree.  ‘Don’t eat of that one,’ God said.  That tree had it all, all that could tempt and entice … and represented all that tempts and entices you and me yet today.

     It was “good for food”—the lust of the flesh

It was “pleasing to the eye”—the lust of the eyes

It was “desirable for gaining wisdom”—the pride in one’s lifestyle^[1]

              (also called the ‘pride of life’)

Matthew first covers the temptation of making food to satisfy Jesus’ hunger, then he tempts him with power, and finally, that which was pleasing to the eye.  The temptation is to want that which one finds attractive; it is what we see that we want—might lead us to covet, to envy, and to have misplaced priorities. 

The area of the United States in which I live--South Orange County, California--surely must be the mecca of me, where the titan of things reigns, where the substance of stuff owned is the definition of the man, and where there is a veritable feast of physical and sensual beauty and pleasure to be pursued  . . . or so one thinks.

The third temptation Satan flung at Jesus seems the least likely to actually tempt Jesus.  To tempt him to make himself food makes sense—lust of the flesh; he was starving after all.  To try and convince Jesus to use his power to show Satan that he truly was who he purported to be, the Son of God, who would be rescued by angels if he flung himself from the pinnacle of the temple, is fathomable (pride of life).  But material things, those which appealed to the eye . . . how could those things tempt Jesus?  Unless it was more about us, than it was about him. 

We remember that Jesus chose to be baptized by John to identify with us, and when he chose to fast and submitted himself to temptation, it was also to identify with us.    

Matthew wrote, “Again, the devil took him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to him, “All these things I will give you if you will fall down and worship me.” 

  Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan!  For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only you shall serve.’” 

  Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him.”

                                                                                 Matthew 4.8-11

The only reason I can see that this was one of the three temptations is that it is as old as man, as we mentioned about the Garden of Eden and Adam and Eve. Then God addressed it when he dictated to Moses the laws which he chiseled into stone on Mt. Sinai; it was the last of Ten commandments:²  ‘Thou shall not covet.’

When I was a little girl, I sang a song at Sunday School, which hit upon all the senses including this verse, ‘Oh be careful little eyes what you see, oh be careful little eyes what you see—for the Father up above is looking down with love, so be careful little eyes what you see.’  Combine that with Paul’s mantra, ‘I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.  I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry.³  Do you know contentment?

Upon what do your eyes feast that might cause you to stumble?  For Eve, that tree represented everything that would trip her up—you and me too.  Ultimately, every time we choose to indulge ourselves, choose our will over God’s way, we have said that we know better, and what we want, matters more.  ‘Old fashioned sin’, my mother called it.

At the end of the day—or Jesus’ testing—we notice that what the brother of our

Lord said was true:  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.⁴

Jesus was tempted in every way we have and will be and yet was without sin; therefore, he identifies with us—he understands everything that comes  our way. 

Second, we remember that Paul said, ‘he is faithful, and he will provide a way out so that you can endure it.’⁵  With our awareness to turn to God, there is nothing that we will face that will lead to our demise.  Jesus knows.  Jesus understands.  Jesus equips us to withstand. 

Amen.

2 – Exodus 20.17

^{3 – Philippians 4.11,12}

^{4 - James 4.8}

^{5 – 1 Corinthians 10.13}