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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion Friday, April 2, 2004 Everything |
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Frontline Devotion for Friday, April 2, 2004, by Mike Martine
Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11 (The Temptation of Jesus)
Night. The realm of dreams. A soundstage where our hopes and fears are played out. A theater where our soul wrestles with matters of good and evil. A wilderness where we hear messages whispered from our subconscious, voices from our past, and some say (even the Bible) from beyond.
It was night, and three dreams were being dreamed. A young man had just graduated. He had earned his MBA - Masters of Business Administration. And now, his sleep was fitful. And as he slept he dreamed and he saw before him a stream. A beautiful mountain stream.
A voice came to him - it was a young woman’s voice - and it said, “Here. You will build it here.”
“What?” replied the young man. “What should I build?”
“The factory.” Replied the woman. “You’ll build the factory on this spot. The land is cheap; it’s accessible; it will be highly profitable.”
As I said, this was a dream, and the young man wasn’t at all sure why he’d build the factory or what it would produce, but he had heard that last word very clearly. “Profitable.” “It will be profitable?” he said.
The woman now stood before him. “Why yes,” she said. “Beyond your wildest dreams. Of course, this place will have to change to suit the business plan.”
And then in the dream the man found himself looking into the stream. Fishes without number were swimming in it. Antelope and mountain lions were pausing to drink from it. Birds of the air were swooping down, hunting it for their next meal. And as he watched, they all seemed to stop, turn, and look at him. And though they said nothing he felt as if they were all pleading with him, sending him the same message.
“Not by bread alone,” the man said without thinking. “Thou shalt not live by bread alone.”
“No,” replied the woman. “Man doesn’t live by bread alone. But you’d better think twice about the car you want to drive.”
Across town there was another dream, being dreamed by an even younger dreamer. A talented young girl who wanted, more than anything else, to sing and dance. And in her dream she was on the stage, dancing in perfect choreography with some friends, when suddenly, before her, a man appeared. A man in a pinstripe suit, surrounded by smoke, though for the life of her she couldn’t see his cigar.
“Your dreams,” he said, “are about to come true. You have what it takes. You’re beautiful. You’re young. You can dance and sing enough. All you have to do is let me handle you. Let me show you what it takes, and everyone will know your name.”
And suddenly the girl saw screens all around her, showing videos of the songs she would sing. Screaming fans, articles in magazines, cover photos featuring her in the latest style. “It’s beautiful,” she said half aloud. “How?”
“How?” said the man? “How do we do it?” He smiled and walked closer. “It’s really just a big game, and you’ve got to play it. You do what you have to so you get noticed. Wear a little less than you should in your videos, but keep them all guessing by talking about going to church. Talk about obeying your parents, but make sure the songs you sing have a different message. Get a boyfriend who’s in a boy band. Get your face on every product, everything you can, any way you can. Make everything you do, even a trip to McDonald’s a reason for the newsmen to start reaching for their cameras. It’s simple little one. The world loves a spectacle. If you want the world to love you, be the thing they love.”
And as the girl listened she saw two men through the mist, at the top of a high tower, with one yelling, “Jump, just jump!” And she found herself saying…”but, if I do what you say…I’ll lose my life! I won’t have any privacy—people will say things about me. There won’t be anything left for me! I’ll lose my life!”
“Oh, come now,” said the man. “You know God loves you, and you know that he knows it’s just a game. He won’t let you lose your life…come with me…jump.”
Next door John was turning over in his sleep. Turning over a problem he had discovered just before going to bed.
John had worked for the same company for fifteen years. And now, he was up for a promotion to vice president. The only problem was the competition. A dedicated, talented woman named Joyce, who also happened to be John’s partner on his current project.
John suspected that Joyce was smarter than him. He suspected that she had an edge in the race for the promotion. But she never acted like it. She, in fact, embodied the concept of teamwork, going out of her way, at times, to help other employees who had made mistakes or gotten themselves into trouble.
But as John had been checking the final draft for this project, he had looked over some of her work and found something very rare for Joyce. An error. A significant error that could cost both the company and Joyce if not corrected.
And yet…if John did not point out the error, it would doubtless be discovered when the documents were reviewed by the board. And the blame for the error would fall squarely on Joyce. This simple but significant error could prove to be the edge John needed to get that promotion.
And in his dream John found himself standing in a corner office, with a grand view and a large oak desk. “This is yours,” a voice was saying, and as the voice spoke a plaque, bearing John’s name appeared on the desk. “All of this and more I will give you” the voice continued.
John half chuckled and said, under his breath, “Oh well, sorry Joyce.” And as he chuckled, he walked up to the desk and picked up the plaque. Turning it over, he found words on the other side as well. Words that read, “What does it profit a man if he gains the world, but loses his soul?” And even as he read, similar words began echoed in his head…”worship only the Lord your God…”
Temptation comes to us, even in dreams. There are few things in life more wonderful, or more important than dreams. But the problem with our dreams is that they are too often riddled with human sin. We dream for ourselves, not realizing the effect of what we do to others or to the planet. We devise ways to make money that harm others or the environment. Our entertainment industry promotes sexuality over talent without caring what the image they present might do to the young and impressionable. We are tempted to forgo loyalty and friendship to further our own causes at work or school.
The point of our lesson is simple. Jesus, in his humanity, met these temptations head on. He met the devil and beat him at his own game. He did something no one has done since; he became God’s servant completely. And in doing all this, he won our salvation.
We are nearing the conclusion of Lent. We have watched as our master has journeyed to the cross. In these final days, let us take this time to journey with him; to learn from him; and to recommit ourselves to his path. Because he is deserving of our thanks and love. And because the tempter still waits for us to fall. AMEN
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