Sermon - Lent 1

2024 Lent 1          Genesis 22:1-18             James 1:12-18                Mark 1:9-15

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.

It is unpleasant, some might even use a stronger word such as appalling, to be confronted with the reading from Genesis 22 as the first lesson of the day.  Wrapping one’s imagination around the horror of that command is no easy task. God actually commands Abraham to sacrifice his only son. This child, Isaac, whose name means laughter, because his arrival brought such joy to Abraham and Sarah, must now die at the hand of Abraham as a sacrifice to the Lord God. Abraham and Sarah have waited decades for this child to arrive. Truly, this is an impossible task. 

The text does not record the parents’ reaction.  We only know that Abraham assented to the demand. And made his way with the necessary provisions.  If there was ever a time of trial, this was most certainly it. 

One would reasonably wonder why Abraham would be in such a frame of mind that this could possibly be an option. The reason for this is that during this era surrounding pagan cultures did engage in child sacrifice as well as general human sacrifices to appease their gods. There are other scripture references to this pagan practice in ancient times. Sad as this is, we bear in mind that we have within our own land practices such as abortion and euthanasia.  

I think the church includes Genesis 22 in the lectionary for the First Sunday in Lent for a number of reasons. One of the lessons of Lent is learning how to grow in obedience, Abraham made a conscientious decision to obey the command of the LORD.  When we make a decision to engage in a particular spiritual discipline for Lent, it often requires us to be intentional about following through.  We make a change in order to incorporate this discipline into our life. That change may be one of habit, or schedule, or routine, or practice. Regardless, of what that change may be, change is often difficult. It requires commitment. 

Abraham is being tested by the Lord. In order for him to move forward he has to give up all of his hopes and dreams for his son, his only son, that he waited for all these years. Then, he has to explain God’s command to Sarah. It will be either before or after. But there will be an explanation.  All along the way, he has to deal with his own doubts about this covenant that God has established with him. He has to wrestle with his faith. 

This is a test. It is not a pleasant test at all. This test requires soul searching. It  requires courage. Despite the worst possible of outcomes, Abraham has faith in God. His faith leads him into an obedience he could not possibly want anything to do with. Yet, he goes forward in full trust of the LORD God.  Faith is often strengthen through trial and hardship. 

Abraham is a model of faith for us. His faith strengthens ours. We need the encouragement of the faithful who are around us and who have gone before us. They show us that keeping the faith, organizing our life around our faith, is possible and leads to unexpected joys. 

The unexpected joy in this case is the ram that mysteriously appears. The Lord provides a very welcome substitute for the sacrifice. The ram is substituted for Isaac.  The Lord is praised. Abraham’s faith is affirmed. A suitable sacrifice is made to the Lord.  Intermingled with the sacrifice of the ram is the sacrifice of thanksgiving that Abraham makes that his son is spared. 

In time, Christians will look back on this text and see in this text a foreshadowing of Christ.  Jesus is our substitute.  On the cross, Jesus takes our place at the sacrifice. He bears our sins and by his sacrifice on the cross we are released from the bondage to sin, death, and the devil. 

In his letter to the church, James makes a distinction between a test and a temptation.  God did not tempt Abraham. He provided a test. The purpose of that test was to strengthen Abraham’s faith through a challenging situation. James clarifies that God does not tempt anyone.  James says, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life…” Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one.” 

Abraham was not tempted, but Jesus was. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke record the temptation of Jesus Christ in the wilderness after his baptism. Matthew and Luke provide three examples of Jesus’ temptation. Mark offers very little detail. The narrative moves along rapidly.  Only two verses account for Jesus’ temptation. We do learn the essentials though. After His baptism, the Holy Spirit propels Jesus into the wilderness where he remains for 40 days and during that time he was tempted by Satan. He was truly in the wilderness because he was amongst the wild animals and the angels attended to Jesus. 

In His baptism, the veil is lifted.  The sinless second Adam takes his place among us.  He has nothing to repent of, but through His baptism, he formally stands with fallen, sinful, humanity. The Father announces that Jesus is His beloved Son. The Son has the authority of the Father.  The Son will speak and act in the stead of the Father.  When Jesus, the Son of God, moves forward in his ministry of healing and teaching, he does this in full agreement and with all the authority of the Father. 

John is not the only one that knows this.  Satan knows this too. For Jesus comes to take the world away from Satan’s grip. He comes to take away the grip of sin and death too. Satan is not pleased at all. So, the first round between Jesus and Satan happens in the wilderness. It is a direct confrontation. Satan does all that he can to tempt Jesus to forsake his trust in our heavenly Father and to forsake his mission.  Satan does not know exactly what is coming or exactly how Jesus will circumvent his kingdom, but Satan knows he had best derail Jesus now. 

Of course, Satan’s efforts were unsuccessful.  But Satan will persist after this. Only from now on, his attacks will come indirectly. For example, Luke 4 reports that the crowd tries to kill Jesus.  Then, instead of killing Jesus, John 6 reports that the crowds want to crown Jesus as king.  But this would be as an earthly ruler, not as one who sacrifices his life on the cross wearing a crown of thorns for the sake of the world. Matthew 16 reports that Peter tried to distract Jesus from going to Jerusalem where he was to suffer, die, and on the third day be raised from the dead. Who do you think was pushing the buttons behind the scenes?  Was it Satan too that is somehow responsible for Pilate’s sneers and the Jewish hierarchy’s taunts?  Pilate and the leaders will stand accountable for their own thoughts and actions, but I’m sure Satan had a hand in it too. 

The point is that regardless of the who, where, and why’s of the tempters, Jesus remains steadfast. His faith, his confession, his direction toward the cross of Calvary never wavers.  Jesus is intent to serve as our holy Substitute.  He will take up the cross and bear our sins and our punishment so that we may have faith in Him as our savior and receive the blessing of his forgiveness. And, as Martin Luther likes to say, where there is forgiveness of sins, there is life and salvation.   

… The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.