I’ve been a priest for close to 12 years now. And in those 12 years, I’ve probably preached more than 1,000 sermons. But very few of them have ever touched me in the same way as the one below.
This is the video of a sermon I gave two years ago during this same time of year – the second week of Lent. It is based on the passage from Matthew 4:1-11, the temptation of Christ in the wilderness.
I just watched it this morning and could still feel the chills in my spine as I remembered the picture of Jesus during those 40 days in the desert. The picture is not a pleasant one at all – it’s not the strong Jesus that we love to picture, or the Almighty Jesus or the Eternal Jesus. Instead we see a picture of a weak Jesus. A hungry Jesus. A Jesus in need of help from the angels. And that picture breaks my heart.
The question that I answer during the sermon is this: why did Jesus go through all of this? What was the point? Just to set an example? Or is there more? There’s gotta more.
I highly encourage you to check it out when you get a chance. It’s 20 minutes long, but trust me, it’s 20 minutes well spent. It’s 20 minutes where I promise you, if you open your heart, you will receive a clear message from God. I say that confidently not because of the great preacher in the video (although he is quite good if I do say so myself), but I say that because I know this message is one that is so dear to God’s heart. And God has confirmed that to me over and over again.
I feel like if you could somehow do some kind of divine X-ray on the heart of God and see what’s inside there, this message is what would come out. It’s that close to God’s heart and I don’t want you to miss it, so I really hope you can find 20 minutes of time today or tomorrow and see what God has to say to you.
For discussion: I’d love to hear your thoughts about this great mystery of Jesus in weakness?