God Promises Forgiveness of Sin

READING | Luke 4:1-13 | Gospel Reading for the First Sunday in Lent, Year C

¹Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness,  ²where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished.  ³The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread."  ⁴Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.'"

         ⁵Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.  ⁶And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please.  ⁷If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours."  ⁸Jesus answered him, "It is written,

          'Worship the Lord your God,

          and serve only him.'"

        ⁹Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,  ¹⁰for it is written,

          'He will command his angels concerning you,

          to protect you,'

  ¹¹and

          'On their hands they will bear you up,

          so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'"

        ¹²Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"  ¹³When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

REFLECTION | God Promises Forgiveness of Sin

In Luke's gospel, the story of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness is one in which bread features prominently.  Over a period of forty days, Jesus was tempted by the devil.  Jesus "ate nothing at all during those days," the text says, and unsurprisingly, "when they were over, he was famished."

"If you are the Son of God," the devil taunts, "turn this stone into bread."  The devil tempts Jesus with a promise of a hearty meal--a promise that Jesus' appetite will be satisfied.  For the reader, there should be no doubt that Jesus could turn the stone into bread.  After all, in the previous chapter, we heard a voice from heaven say, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."  Yet if Jesus were to turn the stone into bread, it would seem a self-serving miracle.  As I think of the stories in the gospels, Jesus always performs miracles in service to others, and to bring glory to God, not to serve himself or to glorify himself. 

Eating bread from stones would simply be consuming empty calories.  It might taste good at first, but such bread would ultimately be un-fulfilling.  Like eating a Twinkie.

Jesus answers the devil by quoting Deuteronomy.  "It is written," Jesus says, "'One does not live by bread alone.'"  The devil knows the scriptures well enough that Jesus does not need to finish the quote: "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord" (8:3).

Though the story of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness is one in which bread features prominently, it is a stretch to find any Eucharistic connections in the passage.  The bread discussed is neither created nor consumed. 

Yet, in Jesus' response to the devil, I am reminded that the sacrament of Holy Communion is not bread alone, but bread with the Word of God.  Holy Communion is not simply eating and drinking, but also hearing and trusting the promises of Jesus. 

Each time we receive communion, we hear again the promises "given for you" and "shed for you for the forgiveness of sin" in the Words of Institution: "In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: 'Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.' Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.'" 

As Martin Luther explained in his Small Catechism, these words of promise, "when accompanied by the physical eating and drinking, are the essential thing in the sacrament, and whoever believes these very words has what they declare and state, namely, "forgiveness of sin."

Jesus was tempted by the devil, but resisted the temptation to turn the stone to bread.  We are not always as steadfast when tempted.  However, when we do give into temptation, we can be assured that we receive forgiveness of sin when we receive the bread of communion--the body of Christ, the one who was tempted but did not sin.  

RECIPE | Stovetop Scones

If Jesus had turned the stone into bread, what kind of bread would it have been?  I posed this question on Facebook, and got a number of clever responses.  Pastor Kara Shaw suggested scones.  I probably wouldn't serve these dense treats for communion, but I do like the fact that "stones" and "scones" rhyme.  Here is a simple recipe from the Food Network's Sandra Lee.  

Ingredients

4 cups baking mix (recommended: Bisquick)

4 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

Directions

Preheat a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat.  Combine the baking mix, sugar, egg and milk in a medium bowl. Mix gently. Form a ball and knead the dough gently on a floured surface for 5 to 8 strokes, until the dough holds together. Pat or roll the dough to form a 6-inch circle. Cut the dough into 12 wedges.

Grease pan with shortening. Turn down to medium heat and add the wedges of dough.  Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, adjusting the heat and repositioning the wedges until they're an even pancake-brown. Flip and cook another 3 to 4 minutes.

Stovetop Scones on the Food Network