Today's Reading: The Sixth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer
Daily Lectionary: Exodus 4:1-18; Mark 15:1-15
And lead us not into temptation.
What does this mean? God tempts no one. We pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory.
Happy Lent! In the name of Jesus. Amen. Thank God! God doesn’t tempt us. Whew! We have enough out for us, we don’t need God in there, too!
If left to ourselves, we’ll just try to work our way out of the situation. We’ll formulate a plan to escape death and hell. We’ll do better, we’ll change, we’ll work harder, we’ll lose weight, we’ll treat others better.
Talk about false belief! The religion that begins with us will end with us—with our death. We know better! We know that the piddly little good things we do will never undo all the evil we’ve done in this world. And we know that we’re only deceiving ourselves with the idea that we aren’t thatbad. The truth is that we are just as bad as everyone else—all we lack is the time and the opportunity.
So we despair. There’s no reason to go on. Life stinks like a steaming pile of poo and then you die. What’s the use? Might as well do what we want while we can. After all, smart people believe we came from a big bang or monkeys or something—no god there. That’s much better. I will look after me and you look after you.
The Son of God has taken on Himself all our enemies. He has fought them in our place. He has conquered them by His death on the Cross. He lived the life we should live—free from sin, selfishness, and despair. He trusted that God would always provide for Him, always care for Him, always hear His prayers. He believed it so much that He prayed not for Himself, but for our benefit—so that we would believe that He is the Son of God. He paid the price of our sin with His holy life and innocent suffering and death. His sacrifice makes us God’s children.
He delivers us from our temptations in His Word and the Sacraments! He washes our sins away in Holy Baptism, proclaims us God’s child in His Word and feeds us His very Body and Blood at His Supper. His gifts free us from our slavery to sin and give us His life to live for others. God doesn’t tempt us. Thank God. He delivers us from temptation! Happy Lent! In the name of Jesus. Amen.
“And the Body and Blood of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ strengthen and keep you steadfast in the one true faith unto life everlasting. Depart in peace. Amen.” (Post Communion Blessing)