Rev. Cecil Van Niejenhuis
Feb 22, 2026
Genesis 2:15-17 and 3:1-7, Romans 5:12-19, Matthew 4:1-11
Last Sunday, we read the story of Jesus taking three friends of his, Peter, James and John—up a high mountain where Jesus was joined by two very old friends of his…Moses and Elijah!
Today, Jesus is not meeting a friend.
And—it probably wasn’t a meeting Jesus had in his daytimer…circled and highlighted because he was eager for this meeting to happen!
Jesus was led into the desert for a face to face meeting with his oldest enemy—the Devil. And what is so startling about the way Matthew tells us this story, is that Matthew says Jesus was led “by the Spirit” (capital S on spirit).
This was not Jesus’ choice per se…but it certainly would involve Jesus making choices…
It was a test.
Three questions—not so much a multiple choice kind of test, but more of a true/false kind of test….
Maybe the best way to describe this test was as a test of character.
Jesus had just been baptized…
…do you remember that when Jesus was in the water, there was a voice from heaven that said—“This is my Son, whom I love, and with whom I am well-pleased.”
God, from heaven announcing to everyone there that day…
Including friends, and apparently, enemies: this Jesus…is my Son!
Well—the very first
The very next thing that happens—is Jesus being led into the desert for this test.
If you are the Son of God….
Since you are the Son of God… prove it.
Three scenarios…
Three opportunities…
Three times a choice to be made…
On the surface—these three testy questions were pretty simple…
Could Jesus turn stones into bread? Of course he could.
Second one a bit trickier…could Jesus jump off the temple and would there be a safety net of angels ---well, yes—but is Jesus going to flaunt his power? Pull strings with God??
And then that third one…the devil acting as if he owns all the kingdoms of the world…and acting as if he really does know the art of the deal…Make just one concession—bend your knee…kiss my ring…and all of this will be yours…
On the surface, these questions don’t seem overly difficult or tricky, do they?? Especially when you already know what happens…how Jesus dealt with things…
But let’s not dismiss these temptations too easily or too quickly.,,
..in terms of degree of difficulty or in terms of the insidious ways these temptations continue to challenge us every day of our lives.
Because there are things to keep in mind…factor in.
For one…what do you suppose went into preparing for this test?
Make sure you get plenty of sleep…
Stay hydrated…have a good breakfast beforehand…
Matthew tells us this:
“After fasting forty days and forty nights…”
That was Jesus’ preparation.
Was this Jesus primed for success?
Well-positioned to tackle this test of character?
After forty days of fasting—whatever shape that fasting took…
Jesus was hungry, says Matthew.
This was Jesus who in some ways is the poster child for hunger, not only, but for
Being weakened,
Alone.
Tired.
Vulnerable.
All of which make a test of character that much more challenging. Because when we are alone and tired and weak and vulnerable---the power of temptations increases dramatically
And our capacity for dealing with them decreases dramatically.
That’s one thing.
These temptations were especially powerful because of Jesus’ vulnerable state.
And then…did you notice that Jesus spent 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness…
Which reminds us of the 40 years of days and nights that Israel spent in the wilderness…Matthew wants us to make that connection…
There’s something happening here with Jesus, God’s only child…
that connects to what happened with God’s nation---the children of Israel…
And that gets underlined in this way: for each of the three test questions…
Jesus taps into some words from the Hebrew Scriptures…to help explain his rationale for dealing with the scenario suggestions which the Devil provides…
Some words from the book of Deuteronomy…a book which records events near the end of those 40 wilderness years.
And the three areas in which Jesus is tested…these are the same areas in which Israel had been tested during those wilderness years…their hunger and need for food… whom they would worship and trust…and the power of the nations. Israel failed their test.
And now Jesus…God’s Son…Israel personified. In the wilderness… Facing a test.
It went like this:
If/Since you are the Son of God (did God really say that about you?)
Well—if you are—take care of your hunger…turn these stones into bread why don’t you…Use your power and position to serve yourself. You deserve a break today…
Jesus makes clear—It’s not about me. I came for a specific purpose. I have a clear vocation as God’s only Son sent into this world…and it’s to serve others well-being. First, foremost. Focused.
Scenario two. Jesus taken to the highest peak of the temple in Jerusalem. If/Since you are the Son of God (did God really say that about you?) I mean, if you are…take a leap of faith here…there’s a Scripture passage that says God’s angels will protect you…let’s see if you trust God and how much he loves you…roll the dice, why don’t you…
Show us something. Impress us. Use your power to shine up your resume.
And again, Jesus makes clear---it’s not about me. Showing off, Center stage. I’d rather live life among people, with people, do what I can if and when the need is real. But not this flaunting of power and presence…no.
Scenario 3. The Devil took Jesus to a high mountain---showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. Panoramic view. This can all be yours if the price is right…just bend your knee for a moment…It’s what you want, Jesus…
It’s what you are heir to anyway, right—as God’s son???
You can have it all now. Early. Easy. One simple payment…or spread it out for an eternity of payments…the choice is yours, Jesus.
And Jesus said No. This little compromise which gives instant rewards…
Immediate control and power and ownership
I’m not bending my knee to you, said Jesus. Because only God is worthy of my service.
Power, control, ownership—these are not ends in themselves…for my benefit…
Power, control, ownership---these are the means of stewardship, by which we may serve the wellbeing of each other and the wellbeing of the creation itself, and make life flourish for all…
And at that moment, Jesus tells the devil to be gone.
Jesus, in being faithful to his vocation as God’s child, had power to resist.
And then—in a great moment of irony…angels did come to care for Jesus---not because Jesus had daringly jumped off the temple…but because God loved him so dearly…
Our texts this week are all about the testing that occurs in life…
Adam and Eve failed…as did God’s people Israel…
But Jesus did not. Jesus stood firm…
(---that’s what Paul says in the Roman passage too.)
And our psalm this week? 32? It says that for all the times we do fail and sin… we can acknowledge that—and discover there is forgiveness…and freedom and we can breathe freely.
When you begin to see how the testing of Jesus stands in the tradition of Israel’s being tested in the wilderness, and Adam and Eve being tested in the garden…
Then you see that all of this ties into our own lives, and the testing that occurs all along.
Each day, in multiple ways and in multiple moments, we make choices. And woven through our lives is the ongoing scenario: you are…I am…a child of God. A daughter of God. A son of God.
A child of God. Given life. Eyes, ears, minds, hearts, voices, capacities—gifts and skills, and resources of many kinds. We have time. Relationships…
--and the temptations Jesus faced face us just as well…
It may not be stones into bread…
But the dynamic is—just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.
Am I thinking of myself first, and in isolation from others?
It may not be jumping off a temple peak…but the dynamic is—the need to stand out, be noticed, appreciated, be seen as better than... Maybe to put others down so that I can be higher up…
The need to make ourselves superior, and protect our positions—so many of life’s miseries are rooted here:
Racism, White supremacy, Male domineering…wealthy privilege, suppression of the vulnerable…
Ultimately, the gospel message stays the gospel message. For all the failing and falling and fractures in the human community and the human spirit…
The gospel of Jesus tells us that there is forgiveness for it all. We can trust that, because when you see how Jesus navigated these wilderness temptations, you know he is genuine and trustworthy…and the Spirit who led him into that wilderness, strengthened him for that long walk.
Test of character—that’s what we often say about Calvary---what Jesus endured—in his focused, faithful, trustingly obedient walk---he passed the character test in every way. As we have often noted—it wasn’t the nails that kept him on the cross, but love.
Such love.
Such grace for us.
And such encouragement: at the beginning of this Lenten season, at the beginning of these 40 days,
Jesus shows us the way to live into our vocation as son or daughter of God. To trust that the way to walk is marked not by elevating self but by remembering others
Not by oneupmanship, but by serving
Not by seeking power as an end,
but using the leverage of all our resources as a means to bless
---that’s the way of God.
And the test of character is the challenge of each and every day. Through it all, the Spirit of God is forging our character in the image of God. Amen.