( Sermon John 13: 21-30 ) [ German Sermon ] [ Announcements (German)313.8 KB ] [ Attachment50.9 KB ]
Good morning congregation.
If I see easter eggs on offer already at the end of January in the shops, I simply cannot resist. My firm resolution after Christmas, “I shall eat no more sweets,” simply fades away in view of the delicacies on offer on the shelves of the supermarket. Especially the “speckled Easter eggs” are at the top of my list of temptations. And if they are then even on special, I end up not only buying one packet, but three. When I then unpack my shopping bags, I get angry with myself for yet again not having been able to withstand the temptation and for not having looked in the other direction when I passed the Easter shelf. And my courage disappears, the bad conscience nags and I am angry at my weakness because I know … once the packet is opened, I end up eating it all at once.
The topic of this 1. Sunday in the time of lent is temptation. Since the very beginning God has given us human beings the freedom of choice, but since humans are simply human, they were not able to handle this freedom responsibly back then. And today, too, it is shocking how the temptations of the media, shops, politics and economics lead to wasting money, corruption and inner conflict.
To some, the example of “speckled eggs” may sound ludicrous, but it is important to understand that temptations cover a wide range of things and try to creep into our lives in different ways. Temptations are lures of evil that continuously succeed in exercising power over us humans, be it the small temptations, such as secretly eating a piece of chocolate in spite of the resolution not to do so, or the big and serious temptations, e.g. dodging taxes, misappropriating funds, dubious deals and much more. A shocking reality that can hit anybody – the strong and the weak, believers and non-believers, yes, you and me too.
The Bible is full of stories of temptation, starting with the snake in paradise, Job who was tempted by Satan and even by his own friends to turn his back on God in view of his blows of fate and illness, Jesus who was tempted by the devil after having spent 40 days in the desert. Then there is Judas who could not resist the temptation of betraying Jesus for a few silver pennies. Jesus, too, was again tempted in the Garden of Gethsemane to let the cup pass from him and even Peter could not resist the temptation and betrayed Jesus three times in order to save his own skin. Temptation was an important topic back then, and still is today.
Let us listen to the text underlying our sermon today from John 13, verses 21-30:
“After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. 23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, 24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. 25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.“
I want to focus on two ideas in the text today. The first one is based on the verse, “The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke.” If you consider these words, they seem to imply that each one of the disciples considered it possible that they themselves could become a betrayer. Usually, we condemn Judas as the betrayer, while seeing ourselves as those who suffer with Jesus. But this sentence lends a completely new significance to this matter. It implies that all of us can potentially stage a Judas scene at some point in time. That we are tempted to do something of which we know that it is not right, but where we know that it could be to our advantage. And then we become just as guilty as Judas. We may not have betrayed Jesus into the hands of Roman soldiers, but still we break God’s commandments, give in to temptation and commit sins. And we know: sin is sin, in the eyes of God there is no difference. Perhaps it is this insight that we need at the beginning of this time of lent. To realise that we are in no way better than Judas was.
Then the second thought in our text offers us the comfort that we need when we realise this: Jesus, the victim, was still in charge of the situation. Although Judas’ plan caused Jesus to be troubled, he already extends his hand of peace and reconciliation to Judas before the betrayal had even taken place. Humanly, a situation that is completely unimaginable. Jesus knew in advance what would happen. His words that he gives in answer to the question who the betrayer would be are deeply moving, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.”
What is meant by this? Two significant opposite poles, betrayal and reconciliation, meet in these words that Jesus speaks. On the one hand, they are irreconcilable; on the other hand, they are the very foundation of our faith. We are sinners and God is the forgiver. The dipping of the bread and passing it to Judas represents holy communion. In this way, Jesus extends his hand of forgiveness to Judas before he has even committed the horrific deed. A gesture by which Jesus says, “Take, this is my body which is given for you, for the forgiveness of your sins.” And how is this possible? Through the love of Jesus alone, his love that is true for all, his friends, his betrayers, the saints and the sinners of this world, and also for you and me.
I again ask the question, “Who is the real Judas in my life?” It is me myself! I am the one that cannot resist temptations, never mind how small they may seem to be. In spite of being God’s child... And then the question, “God, why do you allow this to happen?” cannot simply be disregarded. My accusation, “God! You know how weak I am and still you send trials and tribulations my way” is justified.
But the good news is that I can know that the very same God who allows temptations and tests my responsible handling of freedom is the very same God who can lead me out of temptation. Who can prevent me from giving in to temptation and from sinning. Sin does not lie in the temptation, but sin lies in crossing the boundary between what is good and what is evil. Sometimes God allows me to get very close to this boundary because he wants to show me that he is always there for me, that he loves me and that he can save me from any situation, regardless of how difficult it may seem, if I trust him.
What is important is that we are always aware of how dangerous the tempter can be and what methods and tricks he uses to destroy our love of God, that he lets the peace that God gives appear small, that he reduces the power of prayer, that he plays down sin and places us in a world in which humans are raised up and God is lowered. A world in which the word
of the Bible is weakened and the media are trusted, a world in which worldly things are placed at the centre and what is essential dwindles.
How can I resist temptation? The letter of James contains valuable guidelines in chapter 1:
1. Do not be afraid when you meet trials! You will learn much from them for many other situations in future. Stick it through and you will move ahead and you will become stronger.
2. Do not doubt God’s guidance. But rather pray for wisdom that God will gladly give. In this way you will gain insight into God’s thoughts.
3. Do not rely on fleeting values – they shall all pass. Those who belong to God will remain!
This may sound really easy, but in reality we are often too weak to follow these guidelines. We need concrete methods on a daily basis that will give us strength.
1. My most important rule for my life is to start every day with praise and to end every day with praise. Sometimes this is easier said than done, but I have experienced so often already: there is endless strength in praise and in daily conversation with God.
2. Reading in God’s word is important so that we can learn how to get to know God’s will and how to distinguish his voice from the many other voices. So, read the Bible, receive daily watchwords or other Bible verses on your smartphone every day, take these words with you into the day and see how God works through them.
3. Live in community with other believers. Visit or listen to services and devotions together, praise God and sing songs to honour him. Try to learn Bible texts off by heart and share them with others. Pray every day, not only before meals or before going to bed, but whenever you think of God’s love and grace. Become part of a Bible group, have a Christian CD in the car or in your CD player to which you can sing loudly. The proximity of God in your daily life will free you from worries and fear and will help you recognise the tempter and prevent him from reaching you.
4. Look for likeminded people whom you can trust. To offload worries and burdens with other Christians and to come before God together is a true gift.
5. We as Christians may accept Jesus as our constant companion and can ask in every situation, “What would Jesus do?” Jesus is our strength. His promise to us is, “because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Hebrew 2:18).
Nothing in life comes without effort. In faith neither – life according to God’s word also does not come without effort. In order to be able to withstand temptation requires work, self-discipline, open communication with God and with others. It requires target-oriented actions, trust in God and the knowledge that for God no sin is too big to ignite God’s unconditional love and to receive his forgiveness.
And this time of fasting is a wonderful time to practice strength in order to resist temptation.
The Evangelical churches in Germany have the initiative 7 weeks without...” that is meant for this time of fasting. Every year this initiative has another topic. This year it is, “7 weeks without blockades“. During this time of fasting, I want to rid myself of those blockades that hinder me from encountering God in his word, from hearing his voice in my life, from recognising and doing his will. How can I do this? For example, I could get up 10 minutes
earlier in the mornings or I could undertake to read my WhatsApp or Signal messages only 3x a day instead of 20x a day. The time that I save in this way I could spend in dialogue with and in prayer to God. Or instead of having a cup of coffee on the couch after work, I could walk another round outside with a bottle of water, in nature, because there God can reach the depths of my soul. And I could determinedly pass the speckled eggs on special and could put the money saved into a money box to support a family that is in need.
7 weeks without blockades are to help me to experience God in a completely new way and it is not really the sacrifice that is important, but rather the liberation from rigid views so that I can realise, how I can handle and live with the freedom that God has given me in a different, more meaningful and more trusting manner.
And, last but not least, another special tip: how about “Seven weeks with...”? With time for others, with time for God, with a daily devotion, a walk, a Bible verse. Not always easy, but definitely possible.
In order to help me with this, I have prepared a bottle of Bible verses for myself that will give me an additional message of hope on every day during this time of fasting on how I can fully enjoy seven weeks with God. These verses are not only to strengthen and support me, but also you. That is why they are sent out today by e-mail to all of you together with the announcements50.9 KB. Use them, because God wants to give you hope through his word, wants to strengthen you to resist temptations and wants to assure you that you are secure in his love yesterday, today and tomorrow. Amen.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Amen