Are you tempted to take the easy option?  When you are faced with a difficult decision do you follow the line of least resistance?  I know I do.  Perhaps it is our nature to take the easy route, the action that requires the least work or the least pain or personal sacrifice.  Do we do it even when we know that we should be doing the right thing?

How often have you heard someone or even ourselves say “the ends justify the means”

As Christians we are expected to live our lives with Jesus as our pattern, it is difficult and at times impossible.  How can we mere mortals emulate the Son of God?  This would be impossible if it were not for the times in Jesus ministry when we see his humanity, when we see a glimpse of ourselves in his reactions to situation. We feel a little comforted because we know that when we look to him for help he has been there before us, been through the same struggles.

Today’s reading from Luke is one such occasion when Jesus humanity struggles with his divinity.  Luke records that Jesus went out into the wilderness to a lonely desert place and when he had nothing to eat or drink was confronted with the reality of his mission on earth.

Jesus was to bring in God’s Kingdom on earth in the here and now; he had a journey to make from his Baptism in the Jordan by John to Resurrection Sunday through his death on the cross.

It was to be through death and resurrection, through pain and glory that he would redeem the world and bring all creation back to God.  However he had to convince people that this was what he was about, explain to them what it was like to live in Gods Kingdom and that would not be easy.

Jesus humanity wanted to take the easy way out, what was the easiest way to get people to follow him, to listen to what he had to say, well he could feed them, give them all the food all the physical nourishment that they wanted. Rome did this, the peace of the city of Rome depended on the daily distribution of free Bread to the poor of the city, it filled their stomachs and they were less likely to cause trouble.

But no Jesus new that people are more than flesh and blood, they needed more than food. We are body mind and spirit and we need our mind and spirit fed, and Jesus recall the scripture from Deuteronomy “Man shall not live by bread alone but by the word of God” the creating word of God that speaks of love and grace.

Another easy way to get people to follow him was to be of the world to act as all the kings and tyrant do to use physical power over others.  To surround him with a group of strong arm men form an army and force people to do his will.  To worship all that is wrong in the world to worship all that is evil.

No Jesus new that his way, Gods way was one of free will, creation was free to take its own path and the only way to get to peoples hearts was to show an example of Gods love and grace to them, to make the ultimate sacrifice to show that weakness is strength and that love is more powerful that death.

And again, magic tricks.  First century Palestine was full of people who claimed to be able to do magic tricks and persuaded people to follow them because they seem to have the power to do the supernatural.  Jesus new he could so easily have used his divinity to astound the people with magic tricks, fly though the air, throw himself from the highest tower and land without injury, surely all the people would follow him.

No, Jesus new that this would not last it was all show, it did not express to people the love that their Father God had for them and how he wanted them to be like him to show his love to one another not through magic trick but though practical help and loving care.

Jesus new what he had to do and that it could only be achieved by showing to us the face of a loving God who cares not only for our body but also for our mind and spirit, a God who is willing to risk all by giving us free will so that his love can draw us to him, a God who knows that magic trick are only for show and that the support of his loving power though his spirit is much more important.

So when we are tempted to take the easy route, to do the worldly thing, to try and force people to do our will. Remember we can all turn to a Jesus who over came these temptations and showed us the love and grace of God who’s power through his spirit can enables us to do all things in his name.