Saturday, December 7, 2002

After the devil had finished testing Jesus in every way possible, he left him for a while.
Luke 4: 13

More tests? Jesus had more tests? It's hard to get a person's mind wrapped around this part of the story; Jesus stayed there to endure more temptation and lasted until the devil was done. One can think of what the tests might have been forgiveness, love, pain and freedom, to name a few possibilities. No food, lack of stimulating environment, absence of a kindred person, probably no sleep and all this time dealing with the ultimate in nasty companionship. Not a pleasant picture! As if that's not enough, Jesus faces the inevitability of the devil returning at any time.

"Just as I was recovering from the injuries from the accident and beginning to get out of the fog to grieve my husband's death, I found out the insurance company was contesting the claim because of the manufacturer's alleged defect in the brakes. I got home from the hospital and discovered the roof was still leaking over the gables, the bedrooms were a mess I just wanted to die." In listening to Rosemary years ago, I barely knew how to respond. She was living though circumstances that many people would find insurmountable. Sometime afterward, she supported her daughter through breast cancer, had her children, one-by-one move out of state for better jobs and graduate school, was diagnoses with degenerative heart disease. Rosemary died of cardiac arrest several years ago and at the funeral, her son told me his mother thought she'd done all right with her life. Except, of course, she yielded to the pressure to bring suit against the insurance company and used some of the money she made from that to get a face-lift. She thought that might not have been exactly the right thing.

More tests, continuing enticement to sidetrack a person to self-service and their own creature comforts and away from the Journey to God. So easy to walk by, take flight, blame someone, ignore it. We all do it, every day. Jesus acknowledged the tests and stepped up to meet them through the grace of God. We can too.

Claudia Stine


All contents copyright 2002 by the Wisconsin Chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action. Permission is granted to United Methodist congregations, individuals and groups to reproduce and distribute this devotional without charge. All other use requires the advance permission of the editor.