Matthew 6:13a (The Sixth Petition)
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Dear Friends in Christ,
There’s a repeated scene in the classic western movie of a generation ago, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” that presents a parallel to what we’ll be talking about today…
After robbing a bank or a train (I forget which), the two outlaws are on the move. A posse of lawmen quickly forms and begins to follow them. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are far enough out front that from various hiding places they can look back and see the posse, but the posse cannot see them. Nevertheless, the idea is to lose them altogether, so they commence with all the conventional things that outlaws on the run do to hide their tracks…
They walk their horses far up a river so as not leave any hoof prints. But the posse follows them. They go into the mountains. But the posse follows them. They do every conceivable thing to conceal their whereabouts. Yet every time they turn around, the posse is hot on their trail. And each time this cycle of “thinking-they-lost-them-but-finding-out-they-didn’t” repeats itself, Butch Cassidy asks incredulously, “Who are these guys?” He was amazed that they just couldn’t shake them, no matter what they did.
Today we are going to be talking about something in our lives that is just as relentless as unshakable as the posse was in theirs. It is something that continues to pop up no matter how hard we may try to avoid it or evade it or ignore it or dismiss it…
The “it” we are talking about is temptation. And it’s a problem for us. That is why in the Sixth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer Jesus specifically teaches us to pray:
“LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION”
As we now turn our attention to these words of Jesus, let us consider
Because the wording in our English translation can be misunderstood, let’s start by considering what this petition is not saying. When Jesus says “lead us not into temptation,” He is certainly not suggesting that God is the author of evil. Neither is He suggesting that God is some kind of celestial mischief-maker who deviously positions us in compromising positions or slyly guides us into ethical ambushes – and then delights when we fail.
Today’s Scripture reading from the Book of James addresses such an idea head on and makes it clear that God certainly does not lead anyone into temptation: “When tempted, no one should say ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.” Likewise, Martin Luther wants to steer us away from this idea. In his explanation of the Sixth Petition he begins by saying: “God surely tempts no one…” God is never the agent of evil or a willing partner to our sin.
So what are we asking in this petition, then? Luther’s explanation continues: “But we pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us, so that the devil, the world, and our flesh may not deceive us or lead us into false belief, despair, and other great and shameful sins; and though we are tempted by them, we pray that we may overcome and win the victory.” Or as one modern English translation puts it, we are asking that God would “keep us clear of temptation.”
This raises another question. What do we mean by temptation? Although the Greek word here can and is used in other places in Scripture to signify a “trial” or “test” (perhaps the best known example of this is that beloved passage in 1 Corinthians where we are promised that God will never allow us to be “tempted” [read “tested” or “put to a trial”] beyond what we can bear…), it can also mean something bad. That is the case here. In the present context, temptation is the invitation to sin. And when temptation is given into, it separates us and leads us away from God…
And there are some powerful forces we as Christians are up against that would like nothing better than for that to happen. In his explanation of this petition, Luther talks about the veritable three-headed monster of the devil, the world and our own flesh that conspire to crush our Christianity and solicit our sin.
If it is true that to be forewarned is forearmed, it will be worth our time to take a closer look at this unholy trinity which is out to destroy us spiritually…
First, there is the devil. We should immediately acknowledge that much of modern theology dismisses the idea of a real, personal devil as a product of unenlightened medieval thinking; a device concocted to literally “scare the hell” out of people. Today we may hear some talk about the devil as a symbol or poster-child for the concept of evil, but mostly he is viewed as nothing more than a cartoon character dressed in red pajamas with horns and a pitchfork. A literal “prince of darkness” is considered an affront to intellectual thinking.
On the other hand, the Holy Spirit has led us as Bible-believing Christians to understand that Scripture (as opposed to man’s faulty and over inflated thinking) is the source of all truth. And the Bible tells us that the devil, also known as Satan, is real. He is a fallen angel who was cast out of heaven, and according to the title of a book that came out some years ago, he is “alive and well and living on planet earth.” Although he is consigned to an eternity in hell, he nonetheless has a certain amount of liberty until the Day of Judgment renders him completely powerless. Until that time, his goal is to drag as many people down to hell with him.
Now I confess to not knowing exactly how he works. Is he busy re-arranging the furniture of our personal weaknesses so that we always find ourselves tripping over and bumping into those things which cause us maximum temptation? Is he able to literally plant thoughts in our minds? Again, I don’t know. But this much we do know: he’s behind all kinds of efforts to separate us from God and to lead us into sin.
Luther associates “great and shameful sins” with his work. We think of the devil being behind things like murder and adultery and other “big” sins. True as this is, oftentimes he’s more subtle. I’m not sure where I read it, but I recall somebody making the statement that for him the greatest evidence of a personal devil is that we knowingly do not do the things which we know are good for us. Think about that. Who and what is holding us back?
Before leaving this subject, we must always recognize that Satan is very good at what he does. Especially useful to him are the tactics he first unveiled in the Garden of Eden. Just like he suggested to Adam and Eve, he forever wants us to think that God is holding back something from us or that He really doesn’t have our best interests in mind or that life is really more exciting if it is lived outside of His will.
When those temptations come before us, we can do no better
than to follow Jesus’ lead and say, “Get behind me, Satan. You do not have in mind the things of God…”
The second member of the evil triumvirate that seeks to lead
us into temptation is the world – meaning the sinful world. The Apostle
John helps us understand this term when he writes: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the
Father is not in him. For everything in
the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting
of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the
man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John
The world in which we live showcases temptation and always
presents sin in a very attractive light.
But as many of us know from our own personal experience and from the times
we have fallen into its temptations, the world never ever delivers on what it
promises. The world wants to tell us
otherwise, but the Church Father Augustine hit the nail on the head when he
said (and I paraphrase), “You have made
us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless, O Lord, until it finds its
rest in you.”
Finally, we must also contend with our own sinful flesh. That, too, wishes to lead us into temptation.
Although we are “new creatures in Christ” who understand that we are redeemed, restored and forgiven through the atoning work of Jesus; although we know that we are but strangers here and that thanks be to Jesus Christ, heaven is our home; although we desire with all our hearts to bring glory and honor to the One who lived and died so that we might die and live forever… we still carry around within us a sinful nature. And as the Apostle Paul outlines for us in Romans 7, this is a daily struggle, for too often (in the melodic words of the KJV) “the good that I would I do not, and the evil I would not, that I do…” And we know exactly what he is talking about.
So, the three headed beast of the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh that wishes to lead us into temptation is indeed formidable. But, with Christ on our side, it is not unbeatable. In fact, it has already been defeated for eternity. Yet, as we have mentioned, while we live in the present it continues to plague us. In the short time we have left, let us consider how to deal with temptation. What are the weapons at our disposal?
First, there is prayer.
Here, in the Sixth Petition, Jesus directs us to turn to God in prayer when we meet temptation. Other words of Jesus come to mind. In the
And then there is the Word.
In our Gospel lesson for today, what is it that put temptation to rest
and Satan to flight? Three times Jesus
appealed to these three words, “It is written.” Luther condensed it even further in verse
three of “A Mighty Fortress” when he says: “One little word can fell him.” And then there is that magnificent section
at the end of Ephesians where Paul tells us to “put on the full armor of God so
that [we] can take our stand against the devil’s schemes”… and to “take
the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God”…
and to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and
requests.”
The point: As we stay close to our Lord through Word and Prayer, we have strength.
The hymnist summarizes this thought – and the entire meaning of the Sixth Petition – beautifully. It will be with his fitting and appropriate words that we’ll close today:
Rise, to arms! With prayer
employ you,
O Christian lest the foe destroy you, for Satan has designed your fall.
Wield God’s Word, a weapon glorious;
Against each foe you you’ll be victorious;
Our God will set you o’er them all
Fear not the prince of hell – here is Immanuel!
Sing hosanna! The strong ones
yield to Christ, our shield,
And we as conquerors hold the field.
“Lead us not into temptation.” Lord, teach us to pray this way. Amen.