Herding Cats

I read in an article recently that it is a well-known truth that you can’t herd cats. Pigs, sheep, and cattle are really no problem. But you can NEVER herd cats.

As I contemplated this well-known "truth," one of our cats was either lying on my lap, or sitting very close to me on the couch (I can’t remember which). A second cat was lounging on the back of the couch just behind my head, occasionally licking the ever-growing bald spot on my head; and the third cat was sleeping on the love seat nearby.

Now I’m not sure who was the originator of the comment that you can’t herd cats. But I can tell you this: this person did not ever visit the Lofstrand-Spears household!

Don't misunderstand me; our cats do have attitude. There is an old T-shirt I remember from years ago whose message read: "In ancient Egypt, people worshipped cats—the cats haven’t forgotten." That would pretty much describe our three feline children. But they CAN be herded.

All you have to do in our house to herd cats is shake their food container. I don’t care if they are under the bed in the back bedroom sound asleep; within mere seconds of this sound, you will have three very impatient, yet three very well lined-up cats in your presence.

Bedtime is a potential—but not guaranteed--herding time, too. If Richard and I are both in the house, it means we both have to go to bed at the same time, AND turn out the lights. Then, within a very short time, we normally have three cats in very inconvenient places in our bed; and whatever you do, once they are in place, PLEASE try not to disturb them!

For the most part, though, cats are pretty hard to keep under control, I must admit. But if you think cats are difficult, try managing those pesky critters called "temptations". Temptations are a whole different ballgame, now aren’t they?

Temptation is the subject of today’s Gospel lesson from Luke 4:1-13. Of course it’s hard for many modern readers to relate to this reading. After all, it isn’t everyday the Devil literally shows up on our doorsteps to offer us the world. "And besides,’ we may say to ourselves, ‘this passage doesn’t address MY particular temptations."

Well, that may be true in a sense. Maybe the Bible doesn’t detail every little (or big) temptation that may come our way. The Bible IS inspired; but it was also written in a particular cultural context. So the human authors of Scripture would not have been aware of some of the temptations of the 21st century. But if we take a look at the bigger picture, I think we will see that the Bible does actually address the core issues underlying our temptations—and how to handle them—right here in these 13 verses. How is that? How can these words written so many years ago speak to 21st century humanity?

Each of the four Gospels emphasizes a different aspect of Jesus. John focuses on Jesus as the Word Incarnate. Matthew focuses on observing the teachings of Jesus, and Mark stresses the "suffering servant" aspect of the ministry of Jesus Christ.

In Luke, however, we see Jesus as embodying Christian virtues: he is empowered by the Holy Spirit; he associates with women, tax collectors, and other "sinners"; he is compassionate toward the sick and outcast; he dies a martyr’s death while praying for his persecutors. In other words, in Luke we see the "How To" Jesus as it relates to Christian living. So, following this logic, the temptation narrative can be seen as an example for all of us who are tempted in various ways.

In the first temptation, the Devil says to Jesus, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread." Now Jesus had been fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, so naturally he was weak and hungry; and I am sure a loaf of heavenly bread was sounding REALLY good about that time.

Isn’t that just like temptation? It seems that temptation shows up most often when we are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. In recovery language, there is an acronym for this situation called "HALT." The logic here is that if you become too hungry, angry, lonely, or tired, you are more susceptible to a "slip", and begin indulging in your addiction of choice once again. So the point is to HALT before the situation reaches that point.

Now that logic is great, and it has helped many a person in recovery to avoid relapse and to grow stronger in his or her journey toward wholeness. But if we look closer, this temptation is about more than food or recovery. The NRSV translation of this passage reads, "…command this stone to become A loaf of bread." So this temptation can be seen as symbolic of misusing our God-given gifts for our own selfish self-interest.

Jesus knew his call was to feed others spiritually—and sometimes he even fed people physically. As Christians, we too are called to use our gifts and resources to feed others spiritually, physically, in whatever ways we can. But when we use our gifts to benefit only ourselves, we are straying from the Christian mandate of serving others.

So how did Jesus handle this temptation? Jesus used scripture. In fact, if you will notice in our reading for today, when Jesus spoke, it was only to quote scripture. Notice there was no debate with the Devil. Jesus knew that there was more to life than self-gratification, and he used Scripture to support that truth.

"But preacher, what if I don’t know that much scripture?" Well, if that is the case, I have two words for you: Bible study. While I think group Bible study can be far more effective than studying alone, sincere and prayerful study of scripture in ANY format can be an enormous help in dealing with temptation.

The second temptation is interesting. The Devil shows the glory of all the kingdoms of the world at once and offers it all to Jesus. Now this temptation is a little trickier than it first looks. If Jesus knew there was more to life than what was on this earth, why would the Devil even think such a temptation would be attractive to Jesus?

But let’s take this temptation a little deeper. With all the power and glory of the earthly kingdoms, Jesus could have made some great reforms: world peace, universal employment, and eradication of hunger, protection of ALL human rights, the establishment of true justice. Good stuff, huh?

But there’s a catch. The Devil said, "if you worship ME…" Ah, the temptation of misplaced ambition. Now, healthy ambition is a wonderful trait. The problem with ambition, however, is that when it is misplaced, it means worshipping someone—or something—other than God.
This temptation is a tough one for many of us. We start out with good intentions. We begin to excel in our careers (secular or faith-based). Then the time comes when, in order to move up, we are asked to do things that we know are not right—or maybe we are asked (either directly or indirectly) to turn a blind eye to behaviors that are unethical (or in the case of Christian denominations, un-Christ-like). After all, "no one is really getting hurt here, right?"

Or, are they?

So what do we do? Keep silent and hopefully move up in the world, or speak up at the risk of being exiled (either figuratively or literally) from our jobs or communities of choice?
How did Jesus handle this temptation? Jesus used scripture. Jesus told the Devil, "It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.’" The message for us here is: stay true to your Christian calling—whatever that calling may be. Stay focused on your relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Remember: There is no goal so noble that it is worth abandoning God along the way! There is no ambition so pure that it can achieve a godly end without having God in the process.

The final temptation may be a little confusing for some modern readers. The Devil takes Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple of Jerusalem and said, "If you are the Son of God throw yourself down from here." THEN the Devil adds, "For it is written, ‘on their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone’". So, when’s the last time the Devil asked you to throw yourself off the top of our church?

This third temptation can be seen as the temptation of testing God. How did Jesus respond to this temptation? He used Scripture! You’re beginning to see a pattern here, right?

Jesus said, "It is said, ‘do not put the Lord your God to the test.’" Now notice how Jesus not only quotes the scripture, but he also follows through by not putting God to the test. What an example for all of us! Even though Jesus was Emmanuel—God With Us—throughout all these temptations he is identifying fully with humanity as well by saying in effect, "The instruction of the scriptures apply to me as well."

We may not tempt God by literally throwing ourselves off the top of tall buildings, but some of us do tempt God in other ways.

For example, we may say something like, "Well, the Bible says God will forgive me if I repent of my sins, so I’ll just live any way I want to live, and then make sure I make it to church on Sundays to repent. Well, if I can get up that early after being out all night the night before."
Scripture DOES say God will forgive us if we repent of our sins. And as Christians, we DO believe that God loves us and protects us. But folks, that does not give us license to go out and tempt God by abusing our bodies, our relationships, our planet, and our very souls in any of the several ways we tend to do. Amen?

Using Scripture. Staying true to our calling as Christians. Refusing to tempt God. These things may not help us herd cats—or any other animals for that matter—but by following the example of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are our best hope for herding those pesky critters called "temptations."

May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ—the peace that passes all understanding—the peace that can bring us through every temptation, be with you all.

Amen.