Mid-summer greetings, my friends! I ran across an article about the Lord’s Prayer this week that made me go back for a second and yet a third read. It spoke of Pope Francis’s musing that perhaps instead of “Lead us not into temptation,” we should be saying “Do not let us fall into temptation.” (Reynolds, Matt. “Where We Stand.” Christianity Today, March 2018)
Have you ever stopped to wonder about that? If God is leading us into temptation, is God pushing us into sin? We wouldn’t ask God not to lead us into temptation if He hadn’t shown signs of leading us there in the past! Yet, the pope’s suggestion goes against what biblical scholars tell us. There are very few Bible translations that interpret this phrase differently.
The Pope’s version is attractive, because it gives us a vision of God that is our protector and rescuer. But it also gives a vision of a God who runs ahead of us, as would be done for a toddler, steadying us anytime we falter. Many of us will recognize that we run into far too many troubles in our lives for this to be an accurate view of God.
“Lead us not into temptation” then, tells us some uncomfortable truths. Namely, that God leads His people… sometimes down paths that we would rather not tread. And yes, sometimes He leads us into temptation. Wayne Muller in his wonderful little book entitled “Learning to Pray” points out that temptation is not always a bad thing. He says that “Temptation calls us out of the comfort of our ordinary lives in order to learn something extraordinary about ourselves” (Muller, 127). He reminds us that we are not all tempted by the same things, and that we can learn a great deal about ourselves as we observe which temptations are most appealing. Is the true cost of temptation that we waste our time chasing after things on the outside that can only be made whole from the inside? Could the time and energy that we spend chasing after things that we desire (whether they be money, power, love, food, drugs or any other great temptation) instead be spent creating loving actions, healing and beauty?
Abraham was tested. Job was tested. Jesus himself was tested in the wilderness. Satan presented him with three temptations: food when he was hungry, absolute proof of who he was when many still questioned and power over all the things of the earth. These temptations show us that Jesus struggled with the same things we do. He demonstrated His character by refusing all of Satan’s offerings.
Whenever anything is placed in front of us that calls to our hearts, perhaps we need to step back and consider it more carefully. We are called to make choices daily. How will we live today? What will our priorities be?
“Lead us not into temptation” is a reminder that we will be tested in this world. Yet, if we try to base our decisions on what Jesus demonstrated for us, we can become stronger through the testing.
As we wrestle with these thoughts of who God is, we find ourselves studying and pondering and self-examining. Perhaps this is itself a test for us. Can we reconcile ourselves to difficult theology? Pope Francis gives us a good example of someone who can take five little words and really examine their meaning for us. I could make a life study out of just the Lord’s Prayer! Blessings as you consider the meaning of God’s Word in your life!
— Reflections appears regularly on the religion page. The column features a variety of local writers, coordinated through the Monroe Area Clergy Group. Kelly Jahn is pastor of the Juda Zion and Oakley Union United Methodist Churches.