Right before the famous Sermon of Mount in Mt. 5, Jesus embarks on a strange but significant journey in Mt.4:1-11. He gets led into the wilderness by the Spirit. He gets led into the wilderness by the Spirit and fasts for 40 days and nights and is hungry. And if that isn’t bad enough, he gets tempted by the devil.
For spiritual reasons, in my younger days, I lived on orange juice and water for 28 days. I can’t imagine 40 days with nothing. We just have to trust in the workings of the Spirit with Jesus.
After the hunger time, the
tempter visits Jesus and says, [and I paraphrase] “Hey, if you are really
the son of God you have the power why not command these stones you see into
bread. No one is looking. You need it. You can do it. I’d be ok for this little
thing. You deserve it.”
On this occasion, the devil
tempts the human body and uses the method of an end-means inversion technique.
In other words, the end you seek is necessary and justifies the means, the way
you get there. Even if the means and method is a little sneaky, it’s ok because
the end result is absolutely needed.
Jesus must have groaned but said, “It is written, not on bread only shall a man live,
but by every word proceeding out of the mouth of God.” [Mt.4: 4].
“Oh, I’ll sneak two
doughnuts in the sack and only pay for one. They have So many anyway.”
Bam! Nope! To interpret a
method of behavior on the slightest dark side of activity as ok does not get justified by the
bright side of the end result.
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