Christian Art | Love Revealed By Jesus Christ | Truth, Faith, Money, Sex, Power
Matthew 4: 1-11 | King James Audio Bible | King James Version KJV
‘Lord Jesus, Help me to discover truth in your life and in your life alone. Protect me from the devil’s false promises. Help me please to be closer with you. Please and thankyou. Amen.’
‘What is truth?’ So asks Pontius Pilate at the show-trial of Jesus. Pilate’s question dismisses and inherently rejects categorical truth as value. Pilate throws the truth to the masses – who cry for the blood of Jesus. As Christians, we hope – we pray, we ask – to adhere to truth. This is our truth: that Jesus is the Son of God, that Jesus died for our sins, and that through Jesus we can attain salvation. Yet, even as we seek to live in the truth, we are tested and tempted, just as Jesus was in the wilderness by Satan.
The temptation of Jesus by Satan in the wilderness illustrates challenges of staying true to belief in the face of temptation. As recounted in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to fast and pray for 40 days and 40 nights. During this time, Satan appeared to Jesus and offered him various temptations.
First, Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread, but Jesus responded by quoting Scripture: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’ (Matthew 4:4, KJV) Next, Satan took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and urged Jesus to jump, saying that the angels would save him. But Jesus replied, ‘Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.’ (Matthew 4:7, KJV) Finally, Satan took Jesus to a high mountain and showed to Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, offering them to Jesus if Jesus would bow down and worship Satan. But Jesus again quoted Scripture, saying, ‘Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.’ (Matthew 4:10, KJV)
The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness highlights tension between faith and worldly temptations, and the importance of maintaining a steadfast faith in the face of adversity. Just as Jesus was tempted to compromise his mission and his integrity, modern Christians may face temptations such as greed, selfishness and lust that can undermine faith and our relationship with God.
As we strive to live in the truth of Jesus Christ, we are asked by Jesus to be vigilant against temptations that seek to lead us astray. We must be mindful of the ways in which our faith can be tested and challenged, and seek to deepen our understanding of the Word of God so that we may stay on a path of righteousness.
The devil tempts Jesus with false promises and lies, offering to Jesus power and wealth (the irony here!) in exchange for Jesus’ allegiance. But Jesus resists the temptation and remains faithful to truth.
This tension between truth and deception is evident in Jesus’ teachings about money and sex. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus warns his followers about the dangers of wealth, urging his disciples to store up treasures in heaven rather than on earth. Jesus also teaches the importance of sexual purity and fidelity, and harmful effects of lust and adultery.
Love Revealed By Jesus Christ | Truth, Faith, Money, Sex And Power | Gospel Truth About Money
The story of Jesus’ temptation by Satan in the wilderness is a powerful reminder of the challenges that we face in our lives as Christians. Like Jesus, we are often tempted by the false promises of wealth, power, and pleasure, and we must remain vigilant in our commitment to truth and righteousness.
Pope Francis wrote: ‘We must be on guard against the temptation to fall into a facile and superficial way of life that obscures the depth and richness of human existence.’ (Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, 2015)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches that we cannot serve both God and mammon, and that our true treasures are to be found in heaven. This is a radical message that challenges the values of our modern consumerist society, which often equates success and happiness with material wealth and possessions.
Pope Benedict wrote: ‘The greatest poverty of all is not to know Christ.’ (Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, 2005) In other words, our true wealth and abundance come not from the things we accumulate in this world, but from our relationship with God and our commitment to living a life of truth, justice, and compassion.
The Message Of Jesus On Money And Possessions
Jesus’ message on money and possessions is clear and unambiguous: we cannot serve both God and mammon (Matthew 6:24). Jesus challenges his followers to re-evaluate their priorities and to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33). Jesus warns against the dangers of wealth, which can lead to greed, selfishness, and spiritual poverty.
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool, who stored up his abundance of crops in barns and said to himself, ‘You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry’ (Luke 12:19). But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ (Luke 12:20) Jesus concludes the parable by saying, ‘This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.’ (Luke 12:21)
In the Gospel of Mark, a rich young man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus tells him to sell all his possessions, give the money to the poor, and follow him (Mark 10:21). The young man goes away sad, because he has great wealth. Jesus then says to his disciples, ‘How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!’ (Mark 10:23)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells the parable of the talents, in which a master entrusts his servants with different amounts of money. The servants who invested their money and earned a return are praised, while the one who buried his talent is condemned. Jesus concludes the parable by saying, ‘For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.’ (Matthew 25:29)
Danger Of False Promises About Money And How They Contradict Gospel Truth
The danger of false promises about money is that they lead us away from the Gospel truth and towards spiritual poverty. The pursuit of wealth and material possessions can become an idol that distracts us from our relationship with God and our obligations to love and serve others.
Pope Francis wrote: ‘Money has to serve, not to rule.’ (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, 2013) The Gospel truth about money is that it is a tool to be used for the common good, not an end in itself. We are called to be good stewards of the resources that God has entrusted to us, using them to promote justice, peace, and the dignity of every human person.
The Gospel truth about money is a call to radical discipleship, a call to re-evaluate our priorities and to seek first the kingdom of God. False promises of wealth and material possessions are a snare that lead us away from the Gospel truth and towards spiritual poverty. Jesus asks us to be good stewards of the resources that God has entrusted to us, using our resources to build the common good and to build the Kingdom of God on earth.
Love Revealed By Jesus Christ | Truth, Faith, Money, Sex And Power | Gospel Truth About Sex
Jesus’ teachings on sexual purity and fidelity challenge the prevailing norms of our society, which often celebrate sexual promiscuity and exploitation as a form of liberation or empowerment. Jesus’ message is clear: sexual intimacy is a sacred and beautiful gift from God, intended to be shared. Anything that deviates from this ideal, whether it be pornography, casual sex, or adultery, is a distortion of God’s plan for human sexuality.
Pope Francis: ‘Sexuality, sex, is a gift of God. Not taboo!’ (Pope Francis, The Name of God Is Mercy, 2016) However, this gift comes with responsibilities and obligations, including the obligation to respect the dignity and autonomy of others, to avoid exploitation and abuse, and to promote the common good. In a world where sexual objectification and violence are all too common, the Gospel message of sexual purity and fidelity is a powerful antidote to the prevailing culture of hedonism and selfishness.
The Message Of Jesus On Sex And Relationships
Jesus’ message on sex and relationships is rooted in Jesus’ understanding of the human person as a beloved child of God, made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27). Jesus teaches that sexuality is a gift from God, to be expressed within the context of a committed, loving, and life-giving relationship.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches that marriage is a sacred bond between one man and one woman. Jesus quotes from Genesis, saying, ‘For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ (Matthew 19:5) Jesus also emphasizes the importance of faithfulness and the dangers of adultery and lust, saying, ‘But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.’ (Matthew 5:28)
Gospel Truth About Sex Expressed In The Gospels
In the Gospel of John, Jesus encounters a woman caught in the act of adultery. While the religious leaders seek to condemn her, Jesus challenges them, saying, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ (John 8:7) Jesus shows mercy and compassion to the woman, but he also challenges her to leave her life of sin and to live in accordance with God’s will.
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells the parable of the prodigal son, who squanders his inheritance on loose living and immoral behaviour. When the son returns home, the father welcomes him with open arms, but Jesus also challenges him to repent and to change his ways.
Danger Of False Promises About Sex And How They Contradict The Gospel Truth
The danger of false promises about sex is that they distort the true nature of sexuality and relationships, leading us away from the Gospel truth and towards brokenness and sin. The culture of individualism and instant gratification can lead us to view sexuality as a commodity, to be bought and sold, rather than a sacred gift to be cherished and respected.
Truth, Faith, Money, Sex And Power | The Devil’s False Promises And How They Relate To Money And Sex
The devil’s false promises are those that promise satisfaction, fulfilment, and pleasure, but in reality, they lead to destruction, emptiness, and pain. The devil uses money and sex as tools to lure people away from the truth of the Gospel, tempting them with the promise of happiness and success. However, the devil’s promises are empty and temporary, leading to a life of dissatisfaction and misery.
The Devil’s False Promises Are Expressed In The World
In the world today, the devil’s false promises about money and sex are everywhere. Advertisements tell us that happiness and success come from owning the latest gadget or fashion trend, and that sex is the key to intimacy and fulfilment. Society promotes the idea that one’s worth is determined by their wealth and sexual experiences, leading to a constant pursuit of these things at the expense of relationships, community, and even one’s own soul.
Impact Of The Devil’s False Promises On Individuals And Society
The devil’s false promises have a devastating impact on individuals and society. Those who fall prey to the temptations of money and sex find themselves on a never-ending cycle of consumption, always seeking more and never finding true satisfaction. This leads to broken relationships, addiction, and a sense of emptiness and purposelessness. Society as a whole becomes increasingly individualistic and materialistic, leading to a breakdown of community and a lack of concern for the well-being of others.
In contrast, the Gospel truth about money and sex provides a path to true fulfilment and happiness. Jesus teaches us that our worth is not determined by our possessions or sexual experiences, but rather by our relationship with God and our love for others. By following Gospel truth, we find true joy and contentment, and live a life of purpose and meaning.
Pope Francis: ‘The world tells us to seek success, power and money; God tells us to seek humility, service and love.’
Pope Benedict XVI: ‘The Gospel is not a theory, it is not a philosophy, it is not an idea. The Gospel is a person, it is Jesus Christ himself.’
Love Revealed By Jesus Christ | Importance Of Discernment And Critical Thinking In Identifying False Promises About Money And Sex
In order to identify the devil’s false promises about money and sex, we are asked by Jesus to cultivate the virtue of discernment and engage in critical thinking. We are to recognize difference between true happiness and a temporary pleasure that the devil promises. By cultivating a deeper understanding of the Gospel truth, we can develop a strong sense of discernment and critical thinking, enabling us to avoid falling into the traps of the devil’s false promises.
We process. Glass exhibition cases, old reliquaries. A forearm here; here a nun’s fingertip. In chapel, at a glance, there are the usual faces. But they all stand to attention. Jonathan breaks from the procession to – fire the organ with oomph and dignity: Ride on! ride on in majesty! The angel-squadrons of the sky look down with sad and wondering eyes to see the approaching sacrifice. When we’ve done the readings, the Arch holds that tree in his hands to deliver the homily. He rocks quietly on his feet, some few seconds, as if balance defeated it. A way you might affect as the Spirit moves… Copying. Then he says: ‘Our palm fronds may seem to us today rather dry. I mean this not in a literal sense, but by the standards of those who originally lined the roadways in order to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem, as they proclaimed Jesus to be the Messiah, who would be clambering up and ripping their palm branches fresh from off the trees. I think perhaps also our faith is somewhat distant from that of the people there on that highroad into Jerusalem, and something of our sense of the meaning has shifted in vividness from what it was then. And of course the expectation of all those many people is markedly different, but in many important respects the same. There are the same essential qualities to all our faith in God, which springs complete from our humanity, and that is one and the same in value for all of us, and time is consistent on this point. So then, let us renew the fullness of Catholic faith, and let us ask the Lord’s blessing as we embark upon our Holy Week. ‘Our Lord enters into Jerusalem in order to refresh us. He is to die in order that we may have life. There is a living reality here, both spiritual and as entangled in the joy of our daily living. We have Ladies’ Day where I grew up. They still have it, and they close the roads off, and little children parade, dressed-up like spring brides. When I was a boy, there was a May Day festival, and there was a May pole on the field, with the people dancing, like Morris dancers might be one way of visualizing this if you’ve never seen it, with their ribbons tied onto the top of the May pole, and they would weave around each other, dressing the pole, which is what we called it. It was like a dance with red and white and blue ribbons all hung off of the top of the May pole, which stood there all year, only like a telegraph pole, but it was concreted in, and then there was a slide, and swings – one baby-swing and two you could have a go at – terrible health and safety but that’s what it was in those days. ‘There was a round-a-bout – we used to run it round and round to try to get it off its central axis. It were rusty as anything and creaked like mad – on concrete. And climb up where it was all greased up at the top. Ruth, who was big as the next four of us, used to sit there sucking on the lollipops we nicked for her from Raddies, and she’d direct matters. We were trying to destroy it, and get it to dislodge from its central axis, and fly away – roll off into that farmer’s field, which he only ever kept for silage, but we never succeeded. There was a car someone had left there so we spent forever smashing that up, until someone who lived in one of the houses there took exception to our doing that, so he put thick grease under the door handles and gave us a right talking to. ‘It would only be a few stands, hot-dogs and things like that. The man selling the hot dogs would have his records on full blast. There’d be a couple of set-up stalls. Air-rifles – that sort of thing. But we all had them, and we all went shooting, of course, if not with twelve bores then with smaller gauge. Or pay a pound – I have no idea how much it was in actual fact then – it might have only been a few pennies – and we’d get all that time smashing up the crockery the man would put up for us to smash on the dressers. That was my particular favourite thing to do at these festivals, by the way, in case you were wondering. You got a little bucket of so many cricket balls. ‘I dread to think what went into those hot dogs. Probably EE rules would forbid it now. But it was a fair mix in those days. A lot of young people then were C of E. We’ve done a lot to hang onto our young people, which is a tremendous encouragement when you consider how things are, while in recent decades the Church of England hasn’t been so successful. People still want it on feast days and what are essentially now civic celebrations. It’s strange to see, though, how all the little stands there people have are run by the police and people like that along those lines. There’s no May pole. That was a sort of faith that ran and ran beneath all the theoreticals of it in the 1960s and the 1970s and into the 1980s. The May pole isn’t there now in the particular place I’m thinking of. Considering May poles were officially suppressed hundreds of years ago – as a part of the protestant reformation. One or two of you are probably thinking I’m remembering things from that time! ‘I should have liked to say that those processionals were so hardwired into us, that even after the last thirty years, when I became a bishop, they are still with us. They were […]
The three synoptic Gospels tell us of this episode of Jesus’ life, when he returned home to Nazareth and preached in the synagogue there. Luke’s Gospel gives us the text of Isaiah read by Jesus, in which Jesus’ announces his messianic mission – to bring the good news to the poor, to live and to identify with the poor, to heal us and set us at liberty from sin. As Jesus closes the book, he omits the following from Isaiah 61: 2: ‘…and the day of vengeance of our God.’ This is deliberate interruption. Jesus is not come to maintain old enmities. Jesus’ way is peace. It is the people of all the world who are to be blessed in Christ [ … ]
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