Nothing to Prove

Sermon by Pr. Sharai Jacob on the First Sunday in Lent + Saturday, March 8, 2025.

I never understood the point of tests or exams. I remember arguing about this with my mum, who was the principal of a school for children with special needs. Feeling the pressure to do well on a test or exam, I’d ask why kids even needed to take tests. My mum would respond that my teachers needed to track how well I was learning. I would say, well if my teachers need to know that I’m learning, wouldn’t they see that in the homework I turn in every day? I don’t remember exactly how the conversation ended, but my mum probably made the point that teachers have a whole class to keep track of, not just a handful of students and it is easier to find out who needs extra help when they can see our test scores. But I continued to take issue with tests and exams, and while I understand that they can be useful in certain contexts, I still hold my argument. What a person can do in one stressful hour can’t be a good judge of what they can do consistently over weeks or months.

In our Gospel reading today, Jesus is being tested. Of course when I heard this scripture talked about as a child, it was presented to me in the same way as the tests and exams I took at school. Jesus is being tested on his knowledge of scripture, or on his ability to resist sin, or to see if he is good enough to be the Messiah. And I thought, doesn't God already know that Jesus is their son and is good? Why does God need to test Jesus? Now, as an adult, I found myself wondering the same thing.

Our reading from Luke 4 happens immediately after Jesus’ baptism in Luke 3. Jesus was told during his Baptism, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” So yes, God does know that Jesus is Their son, and God is already pleased with Jesus. But Luke chapter four starts with Jesus being led by the Holy Spirit straight from his baptism into the wilderness to be tested. So, what is the point of this test? Well, maybe God is not testing Jesus to determine whether he is good enough to be God’s son, but for some other reason?

When the devil tests Jesus, he asks “IF you are the son of God, then make this stone into bread.” Jesus responds by quoting scripture, “One does not live by bread alone.” The devil was asking Jesus to prove that he is really God’s son. But instead of trying desperately to prove himself, Jesus responds as if the Devil’s test is irrelevant. He refuses to participate.

So the Devil takes another approach, “If you will worship me, I’ll give you all the authority and glory that God gave to me.” But Jesus responds with another quote from scripture, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Them.” Jesus responds by saying that he only worships God, not for his own glory, but to serve God. Jesus’ response here speaks to his love for God.

So then, the devil asks Jesus to prove that God loves him back. The devil even cherry picks verses from two different Psalms to entice Jesus to try to prove this. But Jesus refuses to participate again. Quoting scripture back, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” Jesus is already sure of God’s love for him, and is already sure of his status as God’s child.

Jesus’ responses are not just the result of his memorization of scripture - Jesus knows how to respond to these questions because he knows God and God knows him. His relationship with God is what assured him beyond any doubt that he is loved by God, that God has all the power and authority Jesus could ever need. That he has nothing to prove when it comes to his identity as God’s child.

So the test here was not for God’s sake. Or even for the Devil’s sake. This test helped Jesus to know not only what he was up against moving forward, but how to respond to the problems that he would face.

So what about our own struggles? I’m sure many of us have been asked to prove ourselves. Prove that you deserve your rights, are you even a citizen? Well if you don’t make good life choices, then you don’t deserve rights. Prove that your identity as a trans person is valid. Prove that people like you are still oppressed and discriminated against in America. Prove that you deserve food and shelter and medical care. As many marginalized people have experienced, having to prove your humanity, that you are an equal, even just once can be destructive. But having to prove your humanity over and over again? Having to prove that you are an equal and that you deserve rights a second or third or fourth time? That can cause you to lose hope entirely, to be lost in the wilderness, it can push you to question your own humanity and identity.

Maybe some of us have been offered power and authority in exchange for a betrayal of our own identity. The safety and security that privilege creates for us can be enticing. When you’ve been struggling, an easy life might start to seem worth losing part of yourself.

I imagine we all go through moments when we question whether God is really present in our lives. Whether God cares that we are struggling or that our world is crumbling.

So how does Jesus teach us to respond? Not simply by memorizing and regurgitating scripture, but by reflecting on how God’s presence, scripture, and our life experiences intersect. Jesus shows us that we can be sure of our identity as beloved children of God - we have nothing to prove. Remembering our baptism, that we are called God’s children and that God is pleased with who we are is enough. We don’t need to waste our time proving what God and our beloved community already know.

Jesus shows us that the power that God has is greater than any power on earth. Those who laud their power over us are insignificant in comparison to the God we serve. We may be starving in the wilderness as we follow God’s direction toward freedom - towards having our needs met, but we have to hold on to the hope that God offers us. When we remember our baptism we remember not only our own identity, but we remember who God is and the promises God has made. A promise of new and abundant life, a promise of God’s continual presence, a promise of unending Grace.

It is not just God and the person baptized who make promises, it is the whole church. A community that promises to care for and lean on one another. When we struggle to see God in our own lives, we may be able to experience God’s presence together by seeing the Spirit of God in each other.

As we embark on our lenten journeys, as we face the struggles of today, let us use this time to prepare for the struggles of life. Let us practice how we will hold on to our identity, to hope, and to our faith. May your Lenten reflection remind you of your baptism.