This morning’s Gospel lesson is from Luke 4 – the temptation of Jesus. With the aid of Evelyn Underhill, English novelist and poet, I found a connection in these verses with a point made at our pre-seminary discussion group.
Many authors have attempted to bring the temptations of Jesus down from their lofty descriptions and show how they are repeated in our lives. We are infrequently taken to the pinnacle of the Temple or shown all the Kingdoms of the world. But we are tempted, often tempted, with the temptations of Christ.
There are “those who think first of their own spiritual hunger, and the imperative duty of feeding their own souls; those for whom the spiritual life means spiritual privilege – who defy common sense, take foolish risks, and call the proceedings ‘trust in God’…. The New Testament contains no single instance in which our Lord sought or obtained a private spiritual advantage.”
The highly privatized spiritual life lived out by so many in our culture needs to be considered against the backdrop of the events recorded in Luke 4. These verses ought to aid us in avoiding the temptation of looking upon our Christian calling as some sort of spiritual advantage or advance placement. The call to discipleship is a call to serve others, to share our bread with others, to devote our days to glorifying God.
Contemporary culture looks to see how a gift might set us apart from those around us. The way of Christ encourages us to consider how we might more completely lose our self-centeredness.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment