February 17, 2013 at Calvary
Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA
“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was
led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty day, being tempted by the devil….
And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from [Jesus] until
an opportune time.”
“One little word can fell him.”
Such thought was in the mind of Satan when he appeared in the wilderness to confront
Jesus. One little word—a word that would follow temptation, enticement, and ensnarement—was
all it took before. One little word was the weapon of choice to bring down the
man whom the Lord formed from the
ground. Sure, a couple of phrases were used to get his companion, the woman, to
eat of the tree’s fruit: “Did God really
say…? You will surely not die.” But then she gave it to the man, saying: “Eat.”
And that was it. The man ate what the Lord
had prohibited. Death came because of it.
So it went through the
centuries, one little word bringing down man after man: “Doubt. Lie. Steal.
Curse. Swear. Covet. Cheat. Lust. Deceive. Rape. Kill.” The little words flowed
out of the Slanderer’s mouth. They were heard and followed. The acts were done
that felled each man. For every word that came from Satan’s mouth was vile and
poisonous. They were commands to self-destruct, to perform deeds that brought
wrath and death to the actor. But each individual would actually do them. Victim
after countless victim was added to the tally.
Satan’s encounter with Jesus was
meant to go the same way. Another man, another descendant from Eve was present.
The quarry was there in the wilderness. This One had even walked into the venue
where the Deceiver had great advantage. He had traveled away from the others,
away from the supposed safety in numbers. The Slanderer had brought down herds
of this Man’s ancestors in the wilderness before. It would be a simple matter
with the Liar having a single target this time, just as it was in the beginning.
“One little word can fell him.” That
was the formula for victory. Several phrases were used: “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread…. To you
I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has all been delivered
to me, and I will give it to whom I will…. If you are the Son of God, throw
yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command His angels
concerning you, to guard you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest
you strike your foot against a stone.” But they led up to the simple commands,
the little words spoken into Jesus’ ears: “Doubt. Worship. Test.”
The devil’s expectation was that
the little words would work. But this time, there was a problem. This time, the
result that had been achieved through the generations did not come. The
time-tested method did not achieve its goal. Against this Man, the little words
were not effective. Why did it not work? Why did the little words not fell this
One?
The answer to those questions is
found in the actions that Jesus does when the Satan’s little words were heard.
The instructions to commit acts that would transgress the Lord’s will were answered with
statements that defiantly declare that will. In the face of temptation,
enticement, and ensnarement, Jesus responds with announcement and affirmation
of the Lord’s righteous ways, the
way of life that He will follow.
“Doubt,” the Slanderer commands:
“If you are the Son of God, command this
stone to become bread.” But Jesus responds with the statement of trust in
the provision that His Father gives to Him: “It
is written: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” “Worship,” the Deceiver
commands: “If you, then, will worship me,
it will all be yours.” But Jesus responds with the statement of true and
exclusive devotion to His Father: “It is
written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.’”
“Test,” the Liar commands: “Throw
yourself down from here.” But Jesus responds with the statement of abiding
by the ways that His Father has set out, not pushing the boundaries: “It is said: ‘You shall not put the Lord your
God to the test.’”
The tables are turned, and Satan
recognizes this: “When the devil had
ended every temptation, he departed from [Jesus] until an opportune time.”
The formula of victory had been reversed. “One little word can fell him.” But
with Jesus’ actions, the one who was being felled by the word was not the Man
standing as Satan’s prey. Instead, Satan had become the victim. He was being
felled by the words proceeding from Jesus’ mouth. The slander, deceit, and lies
of the devil were countered by the praise, honesty, and truth that Jesus spoke.
Not falling as a victim of Satan, Jesus returns from that wilderness to take up
His role as the Messiah, the One who brings deliverance by crushing the serpent’s
head.
Jesus does as the psalm prophesied:
“You will tread on the lion and the
adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.” That
trampling of Satan begins in the wilderness. But it does not stop there. It
continues throughout Jesus’ life, as He encounters the results of Satan’s
slander, deceit, and lies. Jesus sees all who had been felled by the devil’s
little words, and He does something about it. That is what you heard in part during
the Epiphany Season. Jesus’ first preaching reveals His work: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because
He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to
proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set
at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
The words that flow from the mouth of Jesus—His exorcizing of the evil spirits,
His rebuke of illnesses, His command that makes the leper clean, His preaching
of righteousness, His calls to follow Him, His speaking forgiveness—they all
counter the effects of Satan’s handiwork.
And then the big event occurs: the
felling of Satan happens when the Sinless One offers Himself to atone for all
the times when man obeyed the little words that led to their sins. This is
where the judgment against the slander, deceit, and lies is rendered. The
serpent that overcame by the tree of the garden is likewise by the tree of the cross
overcome. Salvation is given through the mighty hand and outstretched arm of
Jesus—not just in the great deeds of terror, the signs and wonders performed by
Him, but also in His loving arms that were stretched out to embrace the world
in His death.
But these events have not been
kept secret. Jesus’ actions have not been printed on the pages of history book,
left on a hidden shelf never to be seen again. No, His acts that engaged and
defeated Satan have become the Church’s proclamation, the Church’s word. It is
what you have been given to hear. Your confession of it is made, even as you come
to offer to the Lord the first
fruits of your harvest or work. You gather and remember the act of salvation
that Jesus performed for you; even as you eat and drink here, you proclaim Jesus’
death for you. The record of what Jesus has done for you is the word that is
put in your mouth and in your heart. That’s what Paul means when he writes: “’The word is near you, in your mouth and in
your heart’ (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you
confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God
raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes
and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” This word
is given to you to believe and confess. It is a word given for you to speak.
There are times and places when
you will need to speak it, especially in the venue where Jesus found Himself.
Though Satan could not defeat Jesus, he still attempts to fell all the sons of
Adam and daughters of Eve. The method has of attack has not changed. It still
is the use of little words that follow temptation, enticement, and ensnarement:
“Doubt. Lie. Steal. Curse. Swear. Covet. Cheat. Lust. Deceive. Rape. Kill.” Those
little words and more are spoken in your hearing. Even now, the devil still
wants people to despair, to have false gods, to test the Lord. But he also knows the truth: “One
little word can fell him.” That word of faith—the confession that Jesus is Lord
and the belief that God raised Him from the dead—is the word that does so.
When the devil leads you into
temptation, then the word of faith that speaks of Jesus’ lordship must be
spoken. That word calls on Him for aid: “Everyone
who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” That word of faith that
confesses Jesus’ death and resurrection is the deathblow for Satan. He cannot
bear to hear it, because it reveals the truth about him and about you: “I am
not your slave; Jesus has redeemed and delivered me. I am not ignorant of your
deceptions; Jesus has exposed what you are. I am not bound to follow your will;
Jesus has given me the will to follow the righteous ways of life. I am not left
to be a victim; Jesus has overcome you and has given me a share of the spoils.”
That effect of Jesus’ work for you is what the word of faith makes known.
Because Jesus has felled Satan
and has made you His people, you have a Lord who is powerful, who offers you
protection. This is why you could say the words this morning: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most
High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my
God, in whom I trust.’” This is why you could call Him a “trusty shield and
weapon”. What Jesus provides for you stands true—not just in the times of
leisure and ease, of joy and celebration, but also in the midst of your trials
and tribulations, your times of testing and temptation. It turns you from being
cowering victims to being the victors, the ones who could defiantly say:
Though devils
all the world should fill,
All
eager to devour us,
We
tremble not, we fear no ill;
They
shall not overpower us.
This
world’s prince may still
Scowl fierce
as he will,
He can
harm us none.
He’s
judged; the deed is done;
One
little word can fell him.
That word of faith is once again
in your mouth and in your heart today: “If
you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that
God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Ensure it stays there by diligently
hearing it proclaimed and regularly making it part of your speech. For this is
the formula for victory given to you: “One little word can fell him.”
+ In the Name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
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