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In touch

Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues

Real meaning

‘All these I will give you’, says the devil (Matthew 4:9). But what does it really mean?

Context

We cannot take the devil’s words at face value. Clearly, his offer means, ‘If you do what I say, you will be controlled by me.’ Then, when we read that ‘sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin’ (Romans 5:12); this also cannot be literally true. We know that death has existed for as long as there has been life on earth, for hundreds of millions of years, and that we have evolved from what Pooh-Bah in ‘The Mikado’ refers to as a ‘protoplasmal primordial atomic globule’ in one of the earliest jokes about Darwin’s theory of evolution.

 

Ideas for sermons or interactive talks

Roald Dahl’s children’s books are being rewritten to remove language deemed offensive by the publisher, Puffin Books. The whole world seems to have commentated on the story, from the Prime Minister downwards.

A useful contribution was made in Giles Fraser’s Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday, 23 Feb. He points out that while the delightful books were devoured by children PRECISELY because they contained language and ideas which were edgy and even offensive even where they were published, this is an issue which readers of Scripture (and, indeed, any ancient religious texts) face all the time.

Can we take scripture literally? The problem is that some Christians imagine this is possible. But, can we trust the devil who says, ‘All these I will give you’? Of course not. This takes us back to the most ancient biblical story in the Garden of Eden, in which ‘knowledge of good and evil’ (Genesis 2:17) is portrayed as the first sin by the original humans which causes them to become mortal. We cannot take the story literally; having ‘knowledge of good and evil’, having the powers of discernment to know the difference between right and wrong is not a sin. It is precisely the kind of awareness which allows Jesus not to fall for the Devil’s false promise. (The first real sin described in scripture is Cain’s murder of Abel.)

We are becoming increasingly aware of a multitude of false voices which might delude us; for example, ‘fake news’ – false stories – about the disappearance of Nicola Bulley. There are fake messages which try to steal our money, and fake stories put out to sway the result of elections. Who do we believe about the merits of Brexit or the Northern Ireland protocol?

As Giles Fraser reminds us, most Christians deal with the issue of whether to accept things literally every time we read Scripture. This is at the heart of the recent dilemma across the entire Anglican Communion after the decision of the Church of England’s General Synod to support the blessing of gay marriages, but not agree to the marriage of same sex couples. (You can find the full story, including links to contributions and reactions from every angle, on Thinking Anglicans.)

Do we believe (just a few examples):

• Eve was made from Adam’s rib?
• the world was made in six days?
• God destroyed biblical Jericho when the Israelites marched round it?
• ‘Sin came into the world through one man’ (Romans 5:12)
• ‘Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error’ Romans (1:27)
• the serpent who said to the woman, ‘You will not die’?

The 40 days of Lent mark a serious time to confront the dilemmas which can baffle us and challenge us to discover the right way. Consider the different ways in which the evangelists conclude the story of Jesus’ temptations:

• Matthew 4.11: ‘the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.’
• Mark 1:12: ‘And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.’
• Luke 4:13: ‘When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.’

Is the aftermath of the temptations a rest, the gift of the Spirit in facing ongoing trial, or something more menacing? Perhaps, as the story unfolds, it is all three.

 

Questions for discussion

• Ask Pilate’s question to Jesus, ‘What is truth?’ in the questions and dilemmas we face.
• What is biblical truth, and how might this be different from literal truth?
• Should we update the words of old hymns as Puffin Books have updated Roald Dahl? Or should we keep the old language (e.g. that of the King James Bible)?

Tom Ambrose is a retired vicar and former geologist now working in the Parish of the Ascension, Cambridge. The views expressed in In Touch are those of the author.

 

Check-in

Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people

We are living through some testing times: the impact of Covid over the last few years; the repercussions of the economic downturn; the war in Ukraine. All these issues will affect young people. Closer to home, there will be difficult circumstances in your own contexts: sudden unexpected bereavements; family breakdowns; parental unemployment. Bear these in mind as you think about the challenges your young people are experiencing.

It is in those most testing periods of our lives that we discover something more of who we are - better understanding our temperament, our gifts and challenges, as well as our limitations. We can also discover more about those we choose to put our trust in. Where are the firm foundations that hold fast, and where are the sands which give way as we step out?

At the start of Lent, with our eyes fixed firmly on Jesus, may we see ourselves through that lens, and discover more about who we are when we depend fully on the Rock that will not fail.

Becky May is Founder of The Resources Cupboard

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