Meeting the Darkness Within
A Sermon preached Sunday, February 10, 2008
by Pastor Terry Davis
First Presbyterian Church, Hartford, CT
In our scriptures lessons in the following Sundays we will see a number of
people who Jesus met with in the course of his ministry. When Elder Carty
preaches next Sunday we will see Nicodemus, the following Sunday the woman at
the well, then a man born blind and finally a family in Bethany. But before
Jesus began his ministry the spirit of God led him into a time of struggling,
into a retreat in the desert where he struggled with temptation. I am convinced
that this was an important preparation for his meeting with others, and a vital
preparation for the temptations which would confront Jesus in the next months
and years of his ministry. Jesus was equipped to better deal with the
temptations of everyday life because he had spent serious time meeting with
himself, with his inner self. He looked deep into his inner psyche and
confronted his own weaknesses and limitations, dealing with temptation on this
retreat in the desert. As he fasted and prayed he dealt with the major
temptations that would confront repeatedly in making minor decisions in the days
ahead.
Lent has been set as a time of reflection and dealing with what is going on in our lives and what we will be doing in the days ahead in our lives. It is purposeful that the length of the Lenten season has been set as 40 days just as Jesus was in the desert for 40 days, and his fasting during this retreat in the desert has set the pattern of Lenten fasting which has prevailed in the Church until quite recently.
We see that Jesus resisted temptation unlike our first parents who gave in quickly to temptation when the serpent called the almighty a deceiver. The Lord said they would die if they ate of the fruit of the one tree in the midst of the garden, and he spoke the truth because they became mortal after eating the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. The serpent said, no the creator is a liar, he doesn’t want you to have something wonderful, your eyes will be opened and you will know both good and evil. They had never thought of these things and immediately succumbed to the temptation.
Jesus who Paul often refers to as the second Adam, the parent of a new humanity did not give into temptation. In the book of Hebrews we read that 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. (Heb. 4:15)
It is interesting to me that in both stories the source of temptation is externalized. If we had read further in Genesis we would have seen that Adam blamed his sins on the woman, the woman God gave him, and the woman said: it is the serpent’s fault; don’t blame me. This is consistent with the viewpoint of Flip Wilson’s character Geraldine who would say, the devil made me do it. We would like to put the blame for our sins and our weaknesses on the serpent, on the devil, on Satan, or some force or forces of evil out there. One of the characters in west side story told officer Crumpkie, I’m depraved on account of I’m deprived. It’s the social environment that makes me bad.
I am convinced both from my own studies in psychology, and that was my field of study in college, and I am convinced from my own life experiences and my observations of others that the real temptation is not out there, but in here. No other woman seduces a man into unfaithfulness unless the man harbors desires inside his heart to which she can appeal, and likewise with other relationships. No snake makes us disobey God unless within us we harbor the desire to be like God, to be equal to God within ourselves. The people who succumb to anger, rage and violence when offended by others have a tendency to anger lurking within themselves. The external offence is only the occasion to release the anger that is already simmering inside.
And I am convinced that Jesus is no different than the rest of us. This is what the theologians mean when they say that Jesus of Nazareth is fully human as well as fully divine. If he was really tempted in every way as we are then he had to be tempted in the same way that we are tempted. The desire to concentrate on the material needs of people already lurked within Jesus before the devil offered him the opportunity to be an economic messiah, to turn stones into bread for food for him and food for the hungry masses. The temptation for power and glory was within him, the temptation for sensationalism was already there. He was consistently able to avoid making a show out of his healing miracle working ministry because in the desert he had already repudiated his tendency to be a hero. Again he was able to tell people not to go and talk about what had been done for them, but to go to their homes and give God the glory.
I know it is hard to imagine that Jesus really was like us, but how can he give us any hope that we can resist temptation if it did not affect him in the same way that it affects us. I have always resonated with the passage in Philippians where Paul says that Christ who was in the form of God emptied himself and took on human flesh. If he did not have darkness lurking within him he would not have been fully human. If he was not subject to the same weaknesses that we are and able to overcome every temptation, then how can he help of inspire me to choose my better self and repudiate the darkness within me. He was, the book of Hebrews says, tempted in every way as we are, and yet without sin.
What is the particular darkness within your soul? What are the dark desires and tendencies within your psyche? All of us have hidden within us certain hatreds and prejudices, certain weaknesses. It is when we are able to recognize and name the darkness within us that we are able to decide whether to follow the pathway of darkness and destruction, or to choose our better selves and decide to follow the light that is in Jesus Christ, and the light that is within our heart and soul. We are not able to consistently choose the light until we have recognized the darkness and chosen to follow the light.
Genesis 2:15 - 17 15The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16And the LORD God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”
Genesis 3:1 - 7 1Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’” 4But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; 5for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
Matthew 4:1 - 11 1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” 7Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” 11Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.