Context

• Sajid Javid left his post as Chancellor of the Exchequer rather than sack his advisors and take on those appointed by Number 10 Downing Street.
• We are in the middle of Fairtrade Fortnight. The BBC reports that some female cocoa farmers are paid as little as 23p/day.
• Flooding is still a risk to many homes and businesses and yet Greenpeace reports that more than 11,000 new homes are planned to be built on flood plains.
• Following the demise of Wonga and the general unpopularity of payday loan companies, a new generation of ‘buy now, pay later’ firms is coming on to the market.
• Parasite won three Oscars – including the first foreign language film to win best film. It tells the story of a family living literally below stairs who inveigle their way into the home of a rich family. It has been said – and this viewer agrees – that it is better not to know too much about the film in order to enjoy it the most.
• Hunters is a new show on Amazon Prime that has caused some controversy over its portrayal of events in Auschwitz; in particular a macabre game of chess replacing the pieces with camp inmates.

 

 Reflection

This week’s reading tells a story that appears in all three Synoptic Gospels. Mark, typically, is very brief, whereas Matthew and Luke give us a fuller account of how Jesus was tempted, or possibly better put, tested. The three stages of testing are the same in both Matthew and Luke, although they vary in order. It is likely that there are reasons for this discrepancy in their ordering, but that need not bother us in this reflection, as we consider the choices we make.

It is perhaps unusual for a politician to be praised for ‘doing the right thing’, but Sajid Javid was willing to accept his P45 rather than be foisted with advisors not of his choosing. When the popular view is that politicians will climb over one another in order to reach the high office they crave, it is good to read about someone who makes the choice to stand by his principles.

The Living Wage for London will increase to £10.75/hour in April this year. This equates to 18p/minute. This contrasts with some female cocoa pickers who earn 23p/DAY. People have different priorities when they shop. For some it will just be price, for others, quality, and, perhaps for most people, a balance between the two. However, some people will add in a third criterion: environmental and economic impact. It may be hard for us to see how our choices can have an effect on global matters, but that should not be a reason for us not to play our part.

Our country is in need of new houses being built, but there is a premium on available land. This means that there is pressure to build on green belt land and land that is liable to flooding. It would be natural if the result of this pressure for more houses meant that we build where we shouldn't build. There is a risk to be taken and so a choice to be made.

The publicity for Access, one of the first British credit cards when it was launched in 1972, included the slogan, “Takes the waiting out of wanting”. Until that point there was really only hire purchase as an option for buying things that at the time you couldn’t afford. Since then credit cards have proliferated and payday loan companies, while criticised, still exist and offer an outlet for people who need quick cash, despite APRs typically over 1000%! The new generation of loan companies are offering interest-free loans which are funded by the retailers who benefit by people buying things they might otherwise not have bought. Why wait for that new TV when you can have it now and spread the cost over six months at no extra cost? Why suffer the pain of crucifixion when there is an easier way to take your rightful place in heaven?

In Parasite, the Kim family decide that they want the good life enjoyed by the Park family, but don’t want to work for it, so they look for an easier, albeit illegal, method. Parasite is one of those films when it is better not to know too much about it and rather let the story unfold before you. Obviously the viewer has a choice – the instant buzz of knowledge, or greater gratification from waiting.

The controversy surrounding Hunters is that the Holocaust was so appalling that there is no need to create an additional fictional horror. Indeed, to do so detracts from the fate of the genuine victims and plays into the hands of those who seek to deny what happened in Auschwitz and the other camps. Jesus surely faced testing throughout his ministry right up to and including the night before he died. Does the ‘set piece’ series of temptations diminish the trial that Jesus faced throughout his life?

 

Prayer

Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Psalm 32:1-2

Our God, we can come up with all manner of excuses
for why we have given into temptation.
We know that the fault lies not ‘in our stars’, but within ourselves.
We are sinful people and we find it hard to turn our backs on temptation.

We pray your forgiveness for our sins
and ask that we may forgive those who sin against us.

We know that Jesus was tempted,
but never succumbed to the desire to take ‘the easy road’.

Give us the courage to face temptation and take the right road,
no matter the cost to ourselves.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

 

 Questions

• How do you feel about the suggestion that Matthew 4:1-11 describes a fictional event that portrays the experience of Jesus throughout his ministry?
• Robert Louis Stevenson wrote: ‘to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive.’ The phrase continued, ‘… and the true success is to labour.’ Is something only worth anything if it is the result of hard work?

 

 All-age activity

Thinking about Fairtrade fortnight, a home group could discuss how much they would be prepared to pay for a jar of coffee if they knew that it would give a better life to a coffee producer. The article How much is coffee worth to you? suggests that the current price for Fairtrade coffee is still 70% of the price it needs to be to give the growers a living wage.

 

Young people

• Have you ever looked at ‘spoilers’ for a film or TV show? Did you regret it?
• A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush but does this apply to marshmallows? What do you think these children will do?

  

Simon Carver is a Baptist Minister in St Albans and takes a particular interest in film, sport and US politics.

 

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