Matthew encourages us to return to the Word of God, to listen to the promises of God, to hear the ways of His Kingdom, and to let God’s voice guide our work in His world.
He is an engineer. I am not. I was just unpaid labor. But I did learn something in the process.
The hardest part of building the deck was setting the footings. We were digging into an embankment. The ground was not level. Roots and stones impeded our progress. But once we had set the footings, once they were both stable and level, the rest of the process was a breeze. What I took away from my brother’s summer project was the importance of a firm foundation.
I thought of that experience when reading the text for today. Jesus has just been baptized in the Jordan river by John. In that baptism, He has fully identified with sinners and, yet, He has also been fully identified as the Son of God. A voice from Heaven declared Him “Beloved” (Matthew 3:17). What happens when the Son of God fully identifies with sinners? How will God’s work proceed in this world?
Our text offers us a glimpse of the very beginnings of the public ministry of Jesus... and, yet, these beginnings are not public. They are private. Jesus is driven by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness where He is tempted by the Devil. His work is hidden, observed only by wild beasts and worshipping angels. Still, what happens there is crucial. And for that reason, Matthew takes what was private and makes it public. Matthew shows us how Jesus sets the foundations for His ministry.
In tempting Jesus, Satan tries to distract Jesus from His goal. With the temptation of turning stones into bread, Satan tries to make Jesus’ ministry all about Himself. Satan tempts Jesus to set His needs above others, to make Himself the priority and to use His power to feed Himself.
With the temptation of throwing Himself off the pinnacle of the Temple, Satan tries to make it all about Israel. Jesus could reveal Himself to Israel as the Son of God in a dramatic and powerful way. Israel could see how God intervenes to save His Son through the power of angels and be tempted to think God will always work that way for them.
With the temptation of bowing down to worship Satan, Satan tempts Jesus to make it all about saving the world. Jesus will receive all the kingdoms of this world (as if that were a gift Satan could give) if He would just bow down to Satan. Here, the end would justify the means. He could have all the kingdoms of the earth and, thereby, accomplish the plan of God in a different way.
What does it mean for Jesus to be the Son of God and to fully identify with sinful humans? For Satan, it means Jesus makes His ministry all about Himself, all about Israel, and all about the world. He can satisfy His desires, be the Lord of Israel, and be the Savior of the world... but do this in His own way, without obedience to His Father.
To counter the temptations of Satan, Jesus relies on the Word of God.
To counter the temptations of Satan, Jesus relies on the Word of God. Here, we see Jesus lay the foundations of His ministry on God’s Word. He has come to be obedient to the will of His Father. The promises of God will come true, not because Jesus uses any means to be the Lord of Israel and the Savior of the world. No, the promises of God will come true because Jesus will humble Himself and be obedient to the will of His Father. Jesus is God’s Word made flesh. Jesus will be the Lord and the Savior that God the Father has promised Him to be.
The Word of God which brought the entire cosmos into being, the Word of God which offered the first promise of a Savior (Genesis 3:15), that Word will be the foundation of the ministry of Jesus. By being obedient to His Father’s Word, Jesus will fulfill the will of His Father which is the salvation of all people. That salvation will come not through putting His interests above all others. No, salvation will come when Jesus denies Himself, humbles Himself, and bears the punishment for all sin on the cross. Through suffering, Jesus will fulfill the will of His Father, and His Father will raise Him from the dead and reveal Him to be the Lord of Isreal and the Savior of the world.
Whatever else happens in the Gospel of Matthew... however the ministry of Jesus unfolds... we know one thing. It is founded on God’s Word. Jesus listens to the Word and the will of His Father and, thereby, brings about the restoration of all things.
The work of Jesus in our gospel reading this morning is a comfort and an encouragement to us as Christians. It is a comfort in that we see God is faithful. He has brought about the salvation He promised in the Garden of Eden.
It is also an encouragement to us to return to the Word of God. Sometimes, we can get lost in the project of building our lives. It is hard to know how to live in this world. We make wrong decisions. We are tempted to build on unstable foundations. Our career, our achievements, our family, our friends, our reputation... these things may get us far, but they will not bring us home. They are not a certain foundation. Today, Matthew encourages us to return to the Word of God, to listen to the promises of God, to hear the ways of His Kingdom, and to let God’s voice guide our work in His world.
This Lent, we are invited once again to listen to Jesus. His words and His work are the foundation of a life that lasts.
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out 1517’s resources on Matthew 4:1-11.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Matthew 4:1-11.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
