Lent 1C 2004, 29 February, Luke 4:1-13
Those of us who prowl the internet or have friends who send us interesting if apocryphal stories in our email may already be familiar with this story.

We've all seen railroad tracks. Now in case you've never measured before, the distance between the rails is exactly 4 feet, 8 1/2 inches. But why would that distance be such a strange number like that? Well, train tracks in the United States are 4 feet, 8 1/2 inches apart because that's how far apart they are in England. And the first railroad lines that were built in this country were built by people from England. But why are the English train tracks that odd size? Well, it's because that's the size that they used in England for the tramways, which was sort of the forerunner of the train.

And the tramways used that size of 4 feet, 8 1/2 inches because that was how far apart the wheels were on wagons. And when they built the tramways, they were mainly using the same equipment that they used to build wagons. But then, why were wagon wheels made 4 feet, 8 ½ inches apart?

The answer there is that they wanted the wagon wheels to match up with the ruts that had been made in the roads. Well, who made those ruts in the roads in England? Well, the answer is that the ruts were from the ox and horse
carts that had been in use in England for many centuries And the wheels of those ox and horse carts were 4 feet, 8 1/2 inches apart. And why were the wheels of the ox and horse carts that far apart?

The answer is the Romans, about 2000 years ago. And those same roads have been used ever since. But why were the ruts 4 feet, 8 1/2 inches apart? It's because that was the width of a chariot back then. So it seems that when those
chariots made ruts in the road about 2000 years ago, they really did get us into a rut that we've never gotten out of. (1)

And I suppose we've been a rut about temptation ever since the gospel writers put down this story of Jesus' time in the desert almost two thousand years ago. It seems an odd thing to say, but think about it.

First of all we are basically law-abiding citizens. We might press the envelope a little on income taxes from time to time. And we might feel a little guilt about some of the venial sins we've committed over time. But hey, they were only the minor venial sins, and not the big mortal ones. And we aren't given too much to committing the great seven mortal sins, anyway, for
the most part.

We're not tempted so much by the devil showing up breathing fire and brimstone with his big scaly tail and ugly demons face tempting us to rob the Bank of Lancaster with the promise of never being caught out. Or hijacking a plane to take us to the Caribbean in cold weather.

We're not usually tempted by questions like: "Should I blow up a building today or should I help an old lady across the street?" Or: "Should I rob the ABC liquor store today or should I take flowers to the Lancashire nursing home?" Most of us could handle those kind of situations. Or should I burn down the house of
the person who cheated me or gave the Hawaiian good luck sign finger wave -- or should visit a friend in the hospital. We know how to handle questions like that -- and mostly they are silly questions for people like us anyway. We certainly aren't likely to hijack airplanes, or turn terrorist, or steal cars, not at all. (1)

So we're in a rut. A comfortable, harmless rut, to be sure but in a rut, all the same.

One commentator notes that a psychiatrist living in his community, and actively involved in his local synagogue, is quoted as saying that he has come to the conclusion that the mature religious person is one who can embrace ambiguity. Most human beings do not, by that standard of measure, show themselves to be particularly mature. The majority of people prefer things in black and white but shades of gray are less comfortable. We like matters clear -cut. It is easier if people can be judged altogether good or obviously evil.

Moral choices are easier if we have firmly decided and are absolutely certain that we know what is right and what is wrong. Mitigating and extenuating circumstances are problematical for us, at best a nuisance.

Temptations that matter are characterized by ambiguity. What could have been more ambiguous than the temptations placed before Jesus in the wilderness? Led by the Spirit and tempted by the devil simultaneously, the choices before Jesus were difficult in the extreme.

Bread would have satisfied his own hunger, and he might have addressed the problem of hunger in the world. But he chose neither one. In the second instance, Jesus might have compromised just a little with the devil and thereby achieved liberation for his people, delivering them from their oppressors. But he refused either choice. Finally, the leap from the pinnacle of the temple would have established Jesus' power and immediately given him authority for his mission, absolute authority in the eyes of the world. It would have been spectacular, removing all doubts of everyone who saw it. But he chose to refuse.

In the case of each temptation Jesus resisted by attending closely to the Word. Even when our ancient foe quoted scripture, Jesus was able to discern the Word within the Word. Christians can find strength in this same Jesus who is called the Word made flesh. He looked not only for the good in everyone but the best among the good.

The choices with which we ourselves struggle not so clear-cut, either. Happiness and financial security for our families is not an unworthy goal but, if in order to achieve that happiness we are unwilling to share significantly of what we have or extend ourselves for others, the goal becomes less worthy and we diminish ourselves.

Another commentator points out that "The simple gospel is not as simple as a lot of simple people would like to think it is." And that has the ring of truth to it. Any serious study of scripture finds layers and depths of meaning the more often one engages it - plus the fact that the same Scripture can speak a different message to our minds and hearts each time we encounter it and if weplunge deeply into those depths.

There's a story about a road junction where five highways all come together. And so a store at that intersection posted a sign that said: "Five roads meet here. Four of them will take you the wrong way. Stop in and ask for directions."

So - in today's Gospel, the temptation, the ambiguities presented to Jesus, mean that no Christian can expect to be saved from the ambiguity of life in the 21st Century in which we are led simultaneously by the Spirit and by the forces of evil. (1 and2)

It's like the old Warner Brothers movie cartoons of our youth - the good blue angel sitting on the right shoulder whispering into the ear of the cat and the red bad devil whispering into the other ear.

So what is all this stuff about comfortable ruts and ambiguity? Well, how about the closing down of the Rappahannock General Hospital maternity ward and obstetrics unit? Its the latest of more than 20 such units closing recently in the Commonwealth of Virginia alone. Some commonwealth when insurance companies and trial lawyers and hospital administrator greed can force this to happen! I don't think any of us like it -- but are we doing anything about it or are we just in our comfortable rut of avoiding ordinary temptation? We surely have a responsibility to children yet unborn to give them a fighting chance of surviving their arrival into this world

And what of the other safety nets that have been lowered or removed because we could not as a so called commonwealth resist the temptation to have a certain tax lowered and then phased out? There will be a severe price to pay for at least a generation for that foolishness. And why are we not up in arms about that?

I could go on and on about these greater temptations, ones to which we succumb without even knowing it. But remember -- the comfortable rut may not be so comfortable after all.

AMEN

Not: Most of the basic background material for this sermon was taken from the sources listed below and incorporated directly into the text. I am very grateful for the help such homiletical resources such as SermonMall and sermons provide in weeks like this one where a sudden death in the parish placed severe time limits on sermon preparation.

1. Modified from the version found in G. Porter Taylor, "Sometimes I Wonder If Luke Knows How To Tell A Story", at SermonMall.com for 29 Feb 2004

2. Craig B. Adams, "Preaching Luke 4:1-13". At SermonMall.com for 29 February 2004, somewhat adapted