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We have two dogs, no cats. I don’t know much about cats. But I do that you can’t herd cats. That’s a well-known truth. What many poultry farmers have discovered is that you can’t herd chickens, either. Pigs are no problem. Cattle are quite cooperative as well. But chickens? Not only will they not cross the road, they won’t even cross the barnyard in an orderly fashion. To deal with this difficulty, poultry farmers have had to hire specialized laborers called "chicken catchers." Their task is to run around inside chicken houses and grab, by hand, all the crazed chickens they can, and then stuff them into cages. These chicken catchers capture 8 billion birds a year, and the toll is high on both chickens and their catchers. The birds get roughed up as they are violently grabbed, and the catchers get scratched and dirtied by the flapping chickens. Most catchers quit after a few months and head for better jobs. For years, engineers have tried to find an automated answer to the question of how best to catch chickens. One bright idea, an invention that seemed inspired at the time but just didn’t work out, was the "chicken vacuum." Whoosh — suck ‘em up! But now, after a period of intense research and development, it seems that the industry has finally come up with a better idea. Poultry farmers love it, and even animal-rights groups approve, since the machine is so kind to the birds. The only problem is the price of the PH2000: a cool $200,000. I guess you could say that’s not chicken feed. Now it’s true that we don’t have to worry about catching chickens. The pieces of poultry we want are easy enough to grab in the refrigerated section of our local supermarket. But there are certainly some other pesky little critters in our lives that we have a very tough time capturing, controlling and subduing. They’re called temptations. The problem with temptations is that, like chickens, they are so tough to grab, control and cage. There is nothing wrong with eating good food, for example, but we are easily tempted to overeat. There is nothing evil about achievement in the marketplace, but we fall quickly into destructive ambition and self-gratification, and sometimes ethics are the first casualty of success. And so on. Sometimes we are not looking for trouble when temptation catches us unaware. Other times we plan ahead. One day a father told his son not to swim in a nearby canal. But he came home carrying a wet bathing suit that evening. "Where have you been?" demanded the father. "Swimming in the canal," answered the boy. "Didn't I tell you not to swim there?" asked the father. "Yes, Sir," answered the boy. "Why did you?" he asked. "Well, Dad," he explained, "I had my bathing suit with me and I couldn't resist the temptation." "Why did you take your bathing suit with you?" he questioned. "So I'd be prepared to swim, in case I was tempted," he replied. Temptations are as frustrating as the fast-flapping fowls that can drive chicken catchers absolutely crazy. Fortunately, Jesus gives us a lesson in controlling temptation in today’s passage from Luke. He shows us how to respond to temptation successfully. For Jesus, subduing sin is all about doing three things: 1. rely on Scripture 2. stay true to your calling 3. refuse to put God to the test. Look at his first temptation (Chicken No. 1, if you will): the temptation to turn a rock into a loaf of rye (Luke 4:1-4). The devil knew what he was doing with this one, since he was well aware that Jesus was famished, and that God himself had provided bread for the hungry people of Israel. On top of this, Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days, and the Israelites were in the wilderness for 40 years, so it all made perfect sense. It seemed that Jesus had every right to turn that stone into a loaf of nutritious bread. But Jesus grabbed this bird and quickly caged it. "One does not live by bread alone," he said to Satan, remembering the guidance of Deuteronomy 8:3, "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." Jesus relied on the guidance of Scripture, not his stomach. He realized that his calling was to feed others, not himself. And he refused to draw on his divine power to perform a miracle that would serve only his own selfish interests. But there’s another tempting chicken that always seems to want to come home to roost: the temptation of ambition. Jesus faced this when the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and then said, "It will all be yours, Jesus … it will all be under your control … if you worship me" (v. 7). What a tricky temptation this was, because with all that power, Jesus could have instituted some incredible reforms: world peace, universal employment, eradication of hunger, protection of human rights, the establishment of true justice. There’s just one catch. The devil says: You must worship me. That’s the problem with ambition. It requires having to worship someone or something. It feeds off a demonic disregard for people as you claw your way to the top. The kingdoms of the world simply cannot be gained without cutting some corners, breaking some commandments, drawing some blood. And so, when you think about it, the devil is absolutely right when he says that "it will all be yours … if you worship me." But Jesus says, "It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him’" (v. 8). There is no goal so noble that it is worth abandoning God along the way. There is no ambition so pure that it can achieve a godly end without having God in the process. There is no true Christian calling that requires the destruction of others through selfish actions. On top of this, raw ambition really doesn’t work. "It often succeeds only if other people fail," writes businessman James Autry. "But in the community of work, if some fail, most fail, and all become victims. It is far better," says Autry, "to take people along with you, because the more people you try to take along with you, the faster you’ll get there and the longer you’ll stay there." Take people along with you, instead of stepping on them on the way to the top. That’s what Jesus did, and it’s what he calls us to do, as we worship the Lord and serve only him. The final seduction involves putting God to the test. The devil invites Jesus to take a flying leap off the corner of the temple walls and cites Scripture, saying that God would "command his angels concerning you, to protect you" (v. 10). That’s a lovely thought, and one we want desperately to hold onto — the conviction that God will protect us and save us, as we face the many dangers of day-to-day life. There’s just one little hitch. Jesus certainly believed that God would protect him, but he refused to put God to the test. For us today, this means we don’t test God’s constant care by driving down the interstate at 110 miles per hour, or showing up for exams without studying, or abusing drink or drugs, or engaging in promiscuous sex. It’s not a sign of sincere faith to behave in self-destructive ways and then expect God to save our skin. Do not put the Lord your God to the test. That’s the technique that Jesus used to put the final chicken in its cage, and it’s an approach that he recommends to us as well. Temptations themselves are not sinful. It’s our response to temptation that makes the difference. What’s the old saying, "You can’t stop a bird from flying over your head, but you can stop it from building a nest in your hair." Nine times out of ten when we give in to temptation we end up lying to cover up our sin. The story is told of four high school boys who couldn't resist the temptation to skip morning classes. Each had been smitten with a bad case of spring fever. After lunch they showed up at school and reported to the teacher that their car had a flat tire. Much to their relief, she smiled and said, "Well, you missed a quiz this morning, so take your seats and get out a pencil and paper." Still smiling, she waited as they settled down and got ready for her questions. Then she said, "First question--which tire was flat?" What’s that other saying? O what a tangled web we weave, when at first, we try to deceive. In the end, it may be true that cats will never be herded, and chickens will remain horribly hard to handle without a PH2000. But for those who want to manage temptation, there is no better approach than relying on Scripture, staying true to your Christian calling and refusing to put God to the test. Temptations may continue to flap around, but they can’t hurt you if you cage them. |
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02.29.04 - The Chicken Catcher (Luke 4:1-13)
