The many faces of temptation
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Straight to the Cross
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COLUMN: HANDS-ON FAITH
The many faces of temptation
by Barry Newton
tinyurl.com/7qowvs8
From the daily commute to the task of filling out
taxes, from the interaction among familial
relationships to those involving our work colleagues,
situational opportunities abound for a seemingly
endless variety of temptations. And yet, beneath the
façade of variation, temptations often are quite
similar.
Consider the seeming distinctiveness yet fundamental
similarity of the three temptations Jesus faced after
his baptism. On the surface, they appear so different.
Satan tempted Jesus to make bread out of stones, cast
himself off of the Temple as well as bow down to
worship him.
Yet, even the tempter's words, "If you are the Son of
God," contained in two of these temptations hint at a
common underlying challenge. If we realize that Son of
God not only describes Jesus' relationship to the
Father but also proclaims him to be God's anointed
King, all three temptations at their root level were
challenges to Jesus' identity and what type of Messiah
he would be.
In almost a mirror image sort of way, the manifold
temptations Christians face attack our identity as
Jesus' followers and what sort of disciples we will be.
Since our own evil desires stir up the temptations we
encounter, where do we believe we can obtain
significance and security? Who or what shapes our
identity and drives our behavior?
For Jesus, being the Messiah involved rejecting the
allurements and self-determination this world offers in
order to serve God's will by dying upon the cross. For
Jesus' disciples, discipleship must involve picking up
our crosses to follow in his footsteps by dying to
ourselves in order to live for God.
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