He had finally got his chance to make the “Really Big Sale.” He was going into the final interview on the biggest contract he had ever written. 

As he was ushered into the office of the executive buyer, an assistant brought her coffee and left. The atmosphere was cordial, and he knew he was giving his best presentation ever.

Then the assistant tapped on the door, re-entered the office and spoke briefly with the executive.  She stood and said, "I apologize, but I have to tend to a matter.  I'll just be a minute or two." And she followed her assistant out of the room.

The sales representative looked around the beautifully appointed office.  He saw her family pictures on her desk.  Then he noticed a contract on her desk.  She had evidently been studying a bid from a competitor. 

Leaning forward, he could see the column of figures, but it was obscured by a diet soda can.

He was tempted to move the can and see the bottom line of his competitor's bid.  What harm possibly could there be in reading her private information?  After all, she had left it out in plain sight, almost. 

After wrestling with himself a while, he finally decided to take a peek.

As he lifted the soda can, he discovered that the can wasn't filled with soda at all.  Instead it was a bottomless can filled with 1,000 BBs which gushed out, and ran all over the desk, cascading down onto the carpet. 

His attempt to short cut the competition was exposed.

Not every temptation is so obvious.  Not every failure is so embarrassing.  But every temptation is a challenge.  Not even Jesus was spared the ordeal.

This Sunday our Lenten journey takes us down the “Road to the Wilderness.”  Our trek into the desert begins immediately after Jesus’ baptism where the text tells us he is ushered into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. 

Well, this wasn’t to be any ordinary trek – but one without food or water – for forty days! 

At some point the “evil one” approaches Jesus and puts him through a series of temptations.

The first temptation was pretty straight forward. The tempter comes to him and says, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to turn into bread."

Now, Jesus could have responded in any number of ways. He could have said, "Y'know, devil, you're right. I am the Son of God and it is within my power to tell these stones to become bread. After all, I turned water into wine. Come to think of it, a nice loaf of sour dough would taste pretty good right about now."

Jesus could have turned on Satan and said, "Get lost, devil!" After all, much of Jesus' ministry was devoted to driving away demons.

Or Jesus could have turned the tables on the tempter and challenged him to a miracle contest. Jesus could have said, "You think you're so smart, let's see if you can top this_ POOF!" Jesus turns the rocks into juicy T-bone steaks cooked to perfection along with baked potatoes and all the fixings.

BUT … Jesus did none of those things. Jesus did not play the devil's game according to the devil's rules. Jesus simply answers the devil's challenge, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

We face the same basic temptation ourselves. It is the temptation to satisfy our hungers and appetites with cheap substitutes. Jesus wasn’t going to die. He knew that.

He was in the desert because he hungered and thirst for the guidance of the Father and the Spirit. But the Devil offered a cheap substitute in its place.

Isn't that how the Devil tempts us? That is why sometimes people drink or take drugs instead of dealing with their emotional problems. It is so much easier to buy a beer and numb yourself then to really delve into your problems.

That is also why some people overeat - because they are lonely or depressed. It is so much easier to fill the emptiness in your gut than to fill the emptiness in your heart and soul.

And isn't that why some people go from cheap physical relation to cheap physical relationship because they are not willing to make the commitment and take the risk of devoting themselves and opening themselves up to a person and really love them? Been there, done that!

But Jesus’ response to Satan is enlightening. He doesn't say, "not now" or "don't bother me." Jesus instead addresses the real issue here. He says, "Humans don't live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."

Notice that Jesus doesn't disregard or pretend that the physical appetites are not important. They are a part of us. But they are not a substitute for the basic need for God.

Yes, physical food keeps our bodies alive, but we need God to truly live. If we can really learn this lesson, then we are well on our ways to overcoming the temptation to accept a cheap substitute for God.

The devil then took Jesus to the holy city and stood him on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus could have responded in any number of ways. He could have said, "You bet your sweet pitchfork my little evil buddy. Watch this while I perform a backflip with a full gainer and a combination half-twist. The angels will help me land like a feather."

Again, Jesus could have gotten into a contest with the devil, "Okay brimstone breath. Let's see you go first. Let's see the stuff you and your evil minions are made of. I'll bet they're a bunch of butterfingers that will drop you like a greased watermelon."

Jesus could even have said, "Fine. We'll do this, but first, let's draw a crowd so that everyone will see how God and all the angels will work to save me."

But, Jesus did none of those things. Jesus did not dance to the devil's tune. Jesus simply answers the devil's challenge, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

If Jesus succumbed to the second temptation, the only thing that would have been served was his own pride.  Pride is a strong motivator.

We all want to be noticed for the brilliant, creative and beautiful people that we are. And we are tempted to say, "Look at me and what I can do."

When my daughter was little she’d love to show me what she could do – especially when she was learning to swim. She’d be paddling around in the pool and would say, "Look at me, look at me."

And to an extent that is good and I looked and applauded when she accomplished something because it built her self-esteem. But we need to recognize where self esteem ends and pride begins.

The secret to Jesus' response is the recognition of the temptation for what it was. Yes, this action pretended to serve God, but it really didn't. Jesus noticed that and named it.

And he told the Devil, "Your tempting me. Don't do that." We need to realize when we are being tempted by pride and name it just as Jesus did.

Finally, the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. He said to Jesus, "All this I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me."

Jesus could have responded in any number of ways. He could have said, "Yeah, right! What a stupid offer. Just who do you think created all of these kingdoms in the first place? Whose hand do you suppose all this splendor comes from? I could have all this destroyed and rebuilt as I see fit. God did it before and God can do it again."

Or, Jesus could have said, "Tell you what, devil, I'll arm wrestle you for it. Best two out of three."

Jesus could have said, "You're bluffing, you big evil blowhard. I know what cards you're holding. I'll see your earthly kingdom and raise you a heavenly kingdom."

But, Jesus did none of these things. Jesus did not engage the devil's strategies. Jesus did not argue with the devil. Jesus did not play the game of one-upmanship. Jesus did not show off. Jesus did not retaliate.

Jesus simply answers the devil's challenge, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"

At first glance, the last temptation appears to be the least subtle.  Satan offers Jesus the whole world in exchange for worshiping him.  And we think we could never be tempted to worship the devil.  But the devil comes in many forms.

It frequently comes in the form of the almighty dollar.    Money itself isn't evil, but our love of it is.  We lust after it, long for it, do all we can to earn it, get it, and keep it. 

When we can't let go of it and give it away, when we can't use it to help God's people, then we know it has become our god. Then we know we have yielded to the temptation to worship something other than God.

We can worship success, we can worship another person, we can worship our independence and freedom.  There are all kinds of things that can cause us to yield to Satan's temptation to worship someone or something other than God.

Many times we are tempted to worship earthly things instead of seeking heavenly. We worship our earthly jobs and careers instead of serving God in our spiritual vocations.

Sometimes we seek earthly power and riches instead of storing up treasures in heaven. Sure there is some short-term benefit to it, but in the long run it’s not God who is being worshipped.

Jesus response was "Worship the Lord your God and serve him only." We too need to keep in mind the ultimate goal of all our actions. We are to worship God.  It is a good test to ask ourselves, to whose glory am I doing what I am doing? 

Bottom line - every day we are tempted. Material goods are everywhere, stacked to the ceiling in department stores. All we have to do is hand over our credit cards. Why wait? If we want something all we have to do is go and purchase it. We’ll just pay for it later.

There is the temptation to put all our efforts into our careers or back off and not work so hard and just coast. Of course, both of these choices have consequences.

It’s not just things that tempt us for people tempt us as well. There will be those who want us to get on their bandwagon or buy into their philosophy of life. Some may mislead us without our realizing we are being taken advantage of.

We are also tempted to live as we want, ignoring the needs of those around us and not having the interests of what might be best for the community.

The Scripture invites us to think about how and why we respond to evil in the world. How do we deal with temptation? When evil offers us an easy out - does our response compromise our values, our ethics, our morals, our sense of justice, fairness, and mercy?

If evil offers us a challenge - do we respond with a counter-challenge?

If evil tempts us to abandon God's presence in favor of worldly wealth, power, and prestige - do we respond with a counter-offer to cut a deal with the devil?

Jesus points to the need to just say no.  It is easier to do that when we have faith in a living, loving God who wants the best for us. 

It is easier to do that when we have a faith community behind us that is here to support us and love us and engage with us in our struggle. And it is easier to do that when we put our priorities straight and realize whom we worship.

Who is your God?  Whom do you serve?  This Lenten season, the invitation is to examine your life, let go of those things that stand in the way of your having a full and satisfying relationship with our Savior.  Just say no. 

It is never easy – but it is doable.  Jesus led the way so that we too might have a blue print to follow. 

May we each experience the joy of turning down evil and embracing the light.  For in the light there is great joy. 

AMEN.