3 Temptations

1. Physical – make bread right now (you have needs) [lust of the flesh]
   
2. Relational – jump from the temple to prove your value to others (they will see you and be impressed) [lust of the eyes]
   
3. Spiritual – submit to the principles of this world to achieve (take pride, man! Dream the dream: I will, I will, I will, I will, I will) [Pride of Life]
   

The idea is that all of our temptations come from just three basic ones in the way that all colors come from three primary ones. I have physical, relational and spiritual needs. I often panic and seek fulfillment my way and on my time schedule. That is what Satan is all about. Do not submit, step up and take charge (see Isaiah 14:13,14 for the 5 "I will" boasts of Lucifer). Jesus in his temptation at the beginning and the end of his ministry says the opposite: "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."

Do you have any temptations that are not some combination of physical, relational or spiritual (how to use your will)?

Is it difficult knowing that your needs and desires are real, and often valid, but that you still need to wait upon the Lord?

How is the temptation story of Jesus relevant to you?

Temptation MT 4:1-10

Here is an excerpt from a chapter comparing Buddhism and Christianity I wrote a couple of years ago:

Like Siddhartha, there came a point when Jesus left town to encounter the ascetics. For Jesus it was his cousin, John the Baptizer, leading the call to repent (change actions due to a change in thinking). Jesus identified with those seeking purity before God and chose a course determined to fulfill all righteousness. God the Father affirmed him directly, but then God's Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness to face temptation by the devil. Into forty days of fasting the tempter approached Jesus three times.

The first temptation was a direct appeal to a specific desire Matthew records that Jesus had: hunger. The challenge was how to handle two competing realities: a real desire for food and a real belief in the access to the God of provision. Jesus' answer sets the tone quickly. Jesus does not deny that he has desire; he simply subordinates the desire of his flesh to the desire for faithfulness in accordance with the revealed scriptures. Life is not ultimately sustained by the impermanence of calories; life is sustained by the abiding Word of God.

Having resisted the lust of the flesh, the tempter takes Jesus to the most significant public place of worship. The temptation is for Jesus to be seen by others as the Son of God by means of a public miracle. Satan knows that one of man's greatest desires is to be seen as significant by others. This may be the dominant meaning of the term 'lust of the eyes'. Looking with lust on another is more an expression of the lust of the flesh attempting to be satisfied, even if just visually. The eyes we lust after, too often, are the eyes of others looking with admiration at us. When others do look upon us with awe, fear, reverence, admiration or any other elevating mindset, we feel a kind of pleasure. Jesus again rejects the temptation by referring to the Word of God and his willingness to wait upon God instead of attempting to force God to serve him.

The ultimate temptation is the capstone of the other two. In order to compromise to his carnal desires and his social cravings, a reflective person has to devise a system to justify his own actions. This is the pride of life. What is offered by the tempter is a simple plan: acknowledge that Yahweh is not ultimate, that there is some authority other than the uncreated creator which is ultimate (all forms of this rebellion satisfy Satan's desire for worship) and the fallen world is yours to do with as you will. Jesus rejects anything but the will of the LORD as revealed in the scriptures.

At this point Jesus is attended to by angels. Though Siddhartha was tempted in similar fashion including, lust, pride, compromising rationalization, the responses were different. Siddhartha appealed to his own merit and was aided by supernatural beings in his conflict with Mara. Jesus appealed to the Word of God as the basis for truth, and no angelic beings or gods were included. Only after the engagement was settled did he get attended to according to the promises of angels being ministering spirits to those of God.

The Universal Challenge of Desire

It is interesting that desire is the ultimate test given. Desire is the human problem of living rightly. All of us live life struggling with the various facets of desire. James, the half brother of Jesus, articulates this problem of desire quite forcefully:

 

From what source do quarrels and conflicts among you come? Do they not come from this source, namely, from your inordinate passions which are struggling with one another in your members? You have a passionate desire and are not realizing its fulfillment; you murder. And you covet and are filled with jealousy, and you are not able to obtain. (James 4:1,2)

Our strife with others, as well as within ourselves, is essentially because we cannot fulfill our desires wisely or with finality; true, lasting satisfaction. What are some possible world view options in relation to this basic problem in life?

 

• Resign to desire (and be embittered by the consequences) Nihilism
  
• Embrace desire (despite its frequently negative consequences) Epicureanism (some Brahmanic; e.g. Karma Sutra)
  
• Suppress desire (punish failures) Legalism (moral/religious fundamentalism)
  
• Ignore desire (pretend to be above it) Stoicism
  
• Fight for desire (blame others for non fulfillment) Liberation-ism
  
• Quench desire (pursue beyond-being) Buddhism
  
• Redeem desire (be made a new creation by the Creator) Christianity
  

 

Though this list is neither carefully precise nor exhaustive, it is illustrative of the universal nature of the problem of desire and the type of primary strategies offered to deal with the problem.

Jesus’ Baptized MT 3

Last week was the breadth of the story of God and man, of heaven and earth. I will provide this post mainly for people to post their notes of elements which stood out to them. The main point for where we are headed is that the religious establishment was referred to as a fruitless tree in danger of being cut down and as chaff. Psalm 1 lays out the distinction. RIGHTEOUSNESS is living fully, abundantly according to God's plan. The imagery is of a river (God's revealed truth) providing life to a tree which grows strong (prospers), its leaves don't wither (fresh to the tips of its being) and it produces fruit in due season (appropriately productive). This is in distinction to chaff (organic wrappers) which are tossed to be burned.
John was calling people to 'repent' (think again such that we choose differently). The Kingdom of God (God in charge) should be our focus. Those who had defied God's rule but repented showed such by renouncing their treason (sin, sedition) and announcing their loyalty. When Jesus arrived John was reluctant to baptize him. The mistake is not realizing that Jesus did not need to renounce wrong allegiances, he did not need to repent, but he did need to publicly declare his allegiance to the Kingdom of God. When he did the Father blessed him as the Spirit descended onto him.

1. Righteousness is living like we should. The image is of a tree (not something lifeless and stiff like telephone poles). Righteousness is good and beautiful and our calling; it is life
2. Not being righteous is more than just wasting opportunities, it is being a rebel, a traitor to the cause we were created for. Our soul, mind, heart and strength were given for a reason. To misuse our being is no small offence.
3. Repenting is turning from the treachery of rebellion and renouncing those previous allegiances.
4. Baptism is the clean start for one ready to declare allegiance to God's rule, the Kingdom of Heaven.
5. Jesus stepped up to declare his allegiance.

 
For conciseness, I will stop here. Please post notes for others and we will continue clarifying.

Sermon on the Mount Teaching Schedule

Sermon on the Mount Lesson	passage	idea	date
1	MT 3	Whole thing as intro Immersed into righteousness	1-20
2	4:1-10	Temptations	1-27
-	???	Gone to Pattaya	AGM
3	4:11ff	Kingdom is at Hand	2-10
4	5:1-10	Beatitudes	2-17
-	???	Gone to London	Region
5	5:11-20	Costly Righteousness	3-2
6	5:21-26	Put off contempt	3-9
7	5:27-37	Put on integrity	3-16
8	5:38-47	Live out mercy	3-23
9	5:48/6::1	God over Man	3-30
10	6:2-4	Righteous giving	4-6
11	6:5-15	Meek praying	4-13
12	6:16-18	Mournful fasting	4-20
13	6:19-24	Wise Treasuring	4-27
14	6:25-34	Physical concerns	5-4
15	7:1-14	Relational concerns	5-11
16	7:15-21	Spiritual concerns	5-18
17	7:22-8:1	FOLLOWING THROUGH	5-25
18	MT 3-7	Whole thing as review	6-1

The First Century World and Coping with Movie Questions

5 Strategies of Heaven vs. Earth
go along - coast
go against - fight
go away - hide
go backwards - reverse
go forwards - renew

In church history class we used the example of Christian values when confronted with movie choices. As Christians we believe in the arts, in creativity and we know why; because we are made in the image of our Creator. We also value virtue, purity, hope, life and goodness. That's where the problem comes in. Too many movies make us choose between values. We value our friends, we value fun, we value creativity and we value dignity. So what happens when we have to choose between them?

Sadducess - go along with the Romans (the ruling way of life). Compromise; coast; blend in. This strategy seems to be the most common throughout history, at least for those who learn to benefit from the status quo. The movie strategy would essentially be to watch whatever everyone else is watching and benefit from being included, having fun, appearing confident and informed. All it costs is a bit of integrity. Sadducees find that to be affordable. Compromising the hard to see values like the life to come and the invisible spiritual realm make much more sense to them than losing out in the visible realm. "We can be religious people in the world like the world, no big deal."

Zealots - go against the Romans (the ruling way of life). Stand up! Fight! Forward e-mails with threats! This strategy is to be aggressive as possible. "Let Heaven rule of Earth even if we have to use the powers of the Earth to beat the Earth for Heaven!" (Zealots like exclamation points). The movie example would be to aggressively pressure others away from distasteful movies, maybe even intimidate people. In extremes it would involve sabatoging the worldly situation by tearing down offensive movie posters or picketing movie lines while shouting at people, or worse. In Jesus day Judas was an example. "For God's sake rise up and crush the ungodly!!"

Essenes - go away from the Romans (the ruling way of life). Get up and get out of town. When the Romans dominated Jerusalem (with the help of easy going Sadducees) the Essenes headed for the hills. They lived in secluded communities and waited for the wicked world to end by the weight of their own wickedness or by the wrath of God. John the Baptist is a type of this strategy. He left Jerusalem and lived outside warning that it was not safe to be so worldly. The movie example? Don't watch movies, they are worthless. Just read books, heaven oriented books like the Bible and a few others and hang on, the end is near.

Pharisees - go back to the good old days before the Romans (the ruling way of life). These are the social conservatives who in Jesus time were neither Sadducees (compromising religious worldly people) nor Essenes (wilderness dwelling escapists). They stood in the world agains the world, but not violently like the Zealots (violently revolutionary). Jesus was actually close to them in many ways. He said their problem was not that they were not as righteous as they should have been. That surprised many. What Jesus taught was that their way of going back to the good old days showed that they did not really understand the good old days very well. What was good in the old days was having prophets who could look forward to the Kingdom of Heaven reigning graciously on Earth with Justice and Mercy. The Pharisee movie strategy is to only watch a select number of old movies and to criticize all the new movies for not being like the good old movies.

Jesus - go forward with the Kingdom of Heaven even amongst the Romans (the ruling way of life). The Saducees are such sell outs that not even the world really notices them. The Pharisees engage the world, which is more than we can say for the Essenes, and they do it relatively restrained compared to the Zealots. What they don't do well is to offer a meaningful example of the Kingdom that is not so visible to Romans and people like them. Jesus came to give life, abundant life, flowing pure life (rivers of living water). Jesus showed how he could take the truths of the LORD's Law (Torah) and express it in ways that actually renew people tangled in the other options. What does it look like in regard to movie watching? Wisdom. There are some movies that need to be rejected, "Go and sin no more." There are others where we engage and separate the good from the bad. Jesus did that from within the home of Zaccheus, from within the parties of 'publicans and sinners'. By wisely seeking a way to express as many of our ideals as faithfully as possible we can be in the world, even of Romans and Californians, without being of the world (Hollywood, Bollywood or Cyberwood).

an ugly duckling diversity story (Sophie's college essay for RICE)

A. The quality of Rice’s academic life and the Residential College System are heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural traditions each student brings. What perspective do you feel that you will contribute to life at Rice?

“Foreign Devil! Foreign Devil!” I heard the mocking shouts of classmates echoing across our Chinese kindergarten playground as children ran to inspect me. They reached for my curly blonde hair, unnatural to them, pulling it and laughing. I took cover in an old mushroom shaped slide, in exasperation promising my sister that the next person to ridicule me would pay. The bell rang, and I peeked to see the lines retreating back to class. When I was sure all was safe, I left my refuge and tentatively headed back. Then to my surprise a little girl came up from behind me and stroked my hair. I took it as one insult too many: turning on the girl I punched her straight between the eyes. I was struggling with being different, hurt by being the odd one out, yet she was the one who actually appreciated and even admired my difference. When I returned to the school years later I realized how much I had grown in my awareness that diversity is a valuable thing. It does not have to isolate people, rather it can foster an appreciation of one’s own uniqueness and enhance the color of life by enjoying the uniquenesses of others.

Growing up I had the privilege to experience life in four beautiful countries; born in America, early childhood in remote China, most of my education inThailand, and a fascinating year studying in England. Each place had its challenges and opportunities, unique in its own way. When I was young I did not like being different. However, as I grew through my experiences living in such varied places I began to see the beauty of how diversity enriches unity when we learn to appreciate and embrace differences, rather than fight against them.

I spent most my childhood in Thailand attending an international school. Although more than half of the students were fellow Americans, I found my place with a different crowd, the Koreans. Previously having been a minority myself, I learned to see school from their perspective. Together with a Thai friend I took an evening class at Chiang Mai University to learn how to begin to read, write and speak Korean. The class was with all Thai students so the material was either in Thai or Korean. This strengthened my Thai language and relationships while at the same time helping my understanding of Korean language and culture.

Thailand prepared me for the most diverse place I’ve ever lived: London. On the first day of school in a British sixth form, I went to lunch at Pizza Hut with some fellow students. Among the four of us there was a British atheist, a Bangladeshi Muslim, an Indian Hindu, and an American Christian. Each of us had our distinctives. I prayed before I ate. My Muslim friend could not eat pork. My Hindu friend could not eat beef. My atheist friend was a vegetarian, and so we enjoyed a cheese pizza together. Instead of our differences pulling each other apart, we were drawn together, intrigued and fascinated. Throughout the year we grew as friends, sharing our cultural and religious perspectives while respecting each other’s. Through this I have learned not to be threatened by differences in belief and cultural, but rather to embrace them as a chance to learn more about myself, and to open my eyes to the world around me.

While in London I tried out for the Queen’s Park Rangers Football Club and was overjoyed to be signed by them. This team of girls from various backgrounds, some from the difficult inner city, others from long established British middle class families, taught me not only about soccer, but about working with still more cultural backgrounds. By the end of the season, I had risen from bench warmer, to starter, to receiving an award from the team manager. He mentioned his appreciation of me for not only understanding the sub culture of British football, but by bringing my unique ‘American Spirit’ to contribute to the team. I was accepted as different, yet belonged.

I used to be like an ugly duckling, flustered at being different from others. Time and experience have helped me to grown beyond that. My perspective has broadened over the years as I have enjoyed insights from others by taking the time to see from their perspectives. Whether Chinese, Thai, Korean, British, American, or other, different cultures have shaped me to where I am looking forward to finding my place in a community where variety makes life interesting and beautiful.

A. The quality of Rice’s academic life and the Residential College System are heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural traditions each student brings. What perspective do you feel that you will contribute to life at Rice?

Agape in Action

Evaluate a significant experience and its impact on you. (An essay question for the Common Application for admission to university)

Agape in Action

Mechai Viravaidya, a well-known Thai activist, addressed the issue of AIDS with this image: "In your life there will come a fork in the road and both forks lead to flowers. One event for flowers is graduation. The other is the funeral of your child. You decide which road you want to take.” His solution is education. Shockingly, I have actually heard someone else say we should just put everyone with AIDS on an island and wait for the disease to die out. When I hear about AIDS I think about my friends at Agape Home, an orphanage for AIDS children here in Thailand. I don’t have an answer for AIDS, but I do have a heart that’s been changed by my time spent with those who suffer from it.
I became involved with Agape Home in ninth grade. Through a ‘Big Sister” program I was paired with Ganlaya, a girl who shared my birthday, except she was four years younger than me. Over the next two years, our relationship proved to be a difficult yet rewarding experience.
Whenever I went to visit the orphanage, I did not know what to expect. Sometimes we had fun together, playing badminton or jumping on the trampoline. But at other times Ganlaya would be inexplicably hostile and reserved and then suddenly hit me or the other kids. I would have to correct her. She would sulk for a while, and then become playful again. Too often it seemed Ganlaya did not want to spend time with me, and I wondered what made it so hard for us to connect. I spoke Thai, and was trying as best I could. I was unsure of what I was doing wrong; I couldn’t understand her actions.
As the weeks went on, it got harder to return. I grew tired of missing out on Friday evenings with friends, going instead to see this little girl who acted as if she would prefer me not to come at all. One night I was given free tickets to a Korean concert in town, where one of my favourite celebrities would be singing. I was excited to go until I realized the event coincided with my night for Agape Home, and I had to follow through with my previous commitment. I was disappointed to miss the concert, but I knew what I needed to do.
That evening Ganlaya and I played cards together, along with another pair of ‘sisters’. As we were playing, Ganlaya became frustrated at not winning and lashed out at the other little girl. Ganlaya took her cards away and told the girl that she was a cheat and a loser who did not deserve to play with her, and in fact, did not even deserve to be at Agape Home.
I confronted Ganlaya, telling her to think of the hurtful things she had said and asked her to apologize to the little girl, who was close to tears. Ganlaya did so, reluctantly, and then ran off. The other “big sister” looked at me angrily questioning what I had done. She did not speak Thai and did not understand how harsh Ganlaya had been. I went to find Ganlaya but she found me first, hitting me with a stick and shouting at me. Somehow I got her to calm down. We drew pictures until it was time for me to leave. As I was saying goodbye, Ganlaya held on to me and would not let me go. Tearfully she told me she was sorry, and did not want me to leave. I assured her I would be back in two weeks and she released me.
Travelling home that night I was very confused. When I had tried to love Ganlaya, she responded hostilely and aggressively. I realized that even when one tries to do the right thing, the response they get will not necessarily be in the same spirit, or even understood. As I thought more about it, I realized Ganlaya was testing me. Throughout her life she suffered unimaginable hardship, constantly having people she loved leave her. Thai culture embraces Siddhartha Gautama’s explanation that earthly suffering comes from frustrated desires due to an unreliable world. The solution therefore is to detach; if you do not want something then you will not be hurt when you do not have it. Thinking of Ganlaya, it seemed that at the times when things were going best, she would suddenly withdraw, as if she did not want to experience the hurt of wanting something that would not last in this impermanent world. My hope was to convince her that she could not push me away, no matter how hard she tried or how badly she hurt me- I would still love her.
As two years went by, our struggles continued, but our relationship gradually improved, and eventually a strong bond formed. When my family moved away from Thailand, the parting tears my ‘little sister’ and I shared were kind, not bitter. Although I played just a small role in Ganlaya’s life, the challenges and trials of needing to love when it did not seem to be working had a huge impact on me. Agape, the highest form of love, is not simple nor is it easy. Love is faithfully caring no matter what happens. Like the name of her orphanage, Ganlaya helped me to grow by experiencing the value of Agape love.
- Sophie

Ken’s Q 5 – the Mission

That is my account of how I became a Christ follower, and a bit about what I understand his message to be. The final part of your question was regarding me being missionary about my faith. I am on a mission, but I don't know as much about it as I wish I did.

When we started off signing up for the Marine Corps we were converts to the Marine way. We were hooked on the idea of being the best, the toughest and so on. I remember showing up in Rota and being hit with cynical Marines. The dream and the reality weren't working out so well for quite a few. To some degree I became like that. I enjoyed being the short-timer with the stick of dog tags at the end of my term reminding the retention NCO that not all of us were buying into the whole story: once around the block was enough.

For many in the US Christianity has been like that. It may have been a broad part of cultural understanding, or even a very strong part of childhood. And then, somewhere along the way, the vision lost its allure and we turned our backs on finding any meaning and fulfillment down that road. To some extent that happened to me very early (13). But, as I shared, I really caught the vision for Christ in a way I had never previously understood when I was 21. That vision has been matured, even battered a bit, but it has strengthened through adversity. I am more convinced than ever that God revealed in Christ is the answer to the mystery of life.

Since I want to live out the mystery of my life well, I keep plunging forward in decisive times, plodding forward in others. I have not maxed out the depths of wisdom, beauty, justice, mercy and hope found in the life of Jesus yet. So, part of my mission is to live in such a way as to learn and grow more. That is usually through service.

What service do I have to offer? My specialty is in asking the fundamental questions about life:

1. Where did we come from? – origins
   
2. Why are we here? – purpose
   
3. Where are we going? – destiny and the afterlife
   
4. How can we know? – epistemology
   

I find that there are people everywhere who are either asking these questions or looking for questions like these to ask. I listen to what they have discovered and I tell them what I have discovered. I offer my understanding of the answers to these questions. When people want to learn more about the answers as I see them, I train them in reading Scripture and at reading their life and the world in which they live. I invite them to journey with me and others who see Jesus as the Hope worthy of our full confidence.

Practically that has meant forming small communities. In Dallas I formed a church for Spanish speakers who were trying to get a better life. We shared life together. When in need we shared food, found work together, had celebrations, prayed, learned and lived. The same happened when I moved to North Carolina for graduate studies; this time with migrant workers. I came to Asia and did similar things with communities without access to the way of life in Christ. We have seen a decade's worth of changed lives as people have learned Christ's way of love and peace, the Shalom of contentment through serving others.

Now my kids are growing up and I am looking at the world and seeking to see my place in it. The common phenomenon of aging is happening to me like it happens to most: the more I learn the more I realize how much I don't know. I am still on a mission. I want to know Christ and do that by seeking to live more and more like him. I want to be appropriately loving toward God and people, and I am prayerfully considering how to do that next. As I discover what is next I will let you know.