“So, he brought Jesus to Jerusalem and placed him at the highest point of the Temple. And the Evil One said to him, ‘If you are the child of the Divine, jump off. For it is written that God will command angels to protect you, and they will catch you and lift you up so you won’t even stub your toe” (Luke 4.9-11).
Prove it.
Jesus has refused to give into fear. He has chosen faith in the presence and love and work of the Holy One. So, the Evil One tries a different tactic.
Okay, he says, if you are so fearless then jump. You’re high enough the fall will kill you. But you’re not worried, are you? No, of course not. You’re not afraid; because, you know God’s right here with us, don’t you? You believe God is going to make all things new, and that can’t happen without you, can it? So, go ahead, Mr. Fearless, jump. Nothing’s going to happen to you, right?
Or are you afraid?
I can remember, as many of you probably can, my friends trying to get me to do something along with them. If I hesitated, they’d ask the most dreaded of schoolyard questions: you’re not chicken, are you? I can’t help but think of the Devil, his elbows out and flapping, his hands under his armpits, asking this same question. What’s the matter, Jesus, are you chicken?
In school, there was only one answer you could give, and that was by doing whatever you were being dared to do. Being called chicken or a ‘fraidy cat wasn’t an option. Your reputation was at stake. And losing that was far more frightening than whatever you were being asked to do.
Prove it, Jesus. Show me and, most importantly, show yourself that you really believe what you’re saying. Show me how fearless you are.
Make no mistake, there are times when Jesus calls us to take a dangerous and frightening step. At the flooded Jordan river, the waters did not pull back until those carrying the Ark stepped into its raging waters. Mary was asked to say yes to something she could barely get her mind around.
But all of these actions are a response in faith. In fact, both are counteractions to fear. Never, in all these situations, did anyone have anything to prove. They were simply being asked to step into a world far bigger than they’d imagined possible.
At the top of the Temple, though, the Evil One’s goading is all about proving: to the Devil and to Jesus himself. If you don’t jump, it means you really are afraid. It means you’re scared that God won’t take care of you, won’t take care of all of Creation. And if you are afraid, then perhaps you want to reconsider those stones and those empires you see on the horizon.
Jesus was fearless enough not to need to prove he had no fear. He’d trusted in a real God and not an idol. His faith was in the Holy One and not a god of his own making. He believed in that God and not in himself alone.
Do you?
Tempted One, may I have the courage not only to do those frightening things but to refuse to act out of fear.