Year A, Lent 1, 2020 – Tempted

More Than Hearing

Greetings everyone! We attempt to find pictures that address the theme of each podcast and some weeks it is a lot easier than others. This time, it was like falling out of a tree, just like a well ripened fruit. The Gospel reading and the Genesis reading are about temptation. (Paul makes a connection between the events in his letter to the Romans.) Traditional art and mythos has identified the apple as the fruit given and received in the Garden, but apples likely didn’t grow in the Middle East. I looked up what might have been The Fruit and read it may have been a pomegranate. Scripture does not say what fruit it was; only that it was good for food and pleasing to the eye. Plus, it would have the added benefit of making one “like God”. Being identified with God causes the first humans to take on what is not theirs. Being God allows Jesus to withstand using his identity in abusive ways.

Because we were running short on time, we left Psalm 32 on the shelf. However, we do have these hymns Blest is the Man, Forever Blest (Psalm 32, Part 1) While I Keep Silence and Conceal (Psalm 32, Part 2), and You Are My Hiding Place to offer! Plus, we covered these passages three years ago in our show “The Sin that Ate Cincinnati”. We slay us.

---

Matthew 4:1-11 – [01:58]

Matthew 4:1-11 worksheetDownload

We begin in EYE smart with some memes about being tested and move on to MATH smart where Jesus’ temptation to turn stones to bread called to mind the transubstantiation doctrine of the bread turning into his body. Jesus’ body falling from a pinnacle got David to thinking about crowd surfing, so we have some images to illustrate that in BODY smart. MUSIC smart contains poetry, so David began a poem about this passage which you can find at the bottom of the worksheet. Click the download button! And for SELF smart, we had some fun remembering an advertising campaign for Klondike Bars, not a sponsor of this show.

• EYE smart – [04:49]
  • Don’t test me – Professor
  • Don’t test me – Dolores Umbrage
  • Don’t test me – Baby
  • Don’t test me – Grumpy Cat
• MATH smart – [06:21]
• BODY smart – [07:06]
  • Crowd surfing (video)
  • Various crowd surfing images
• MUSIC smart – [08:38]
• SELF smart – [09:14]
  • 12 Things I Would Do for a Klondike Bar
  • commercials: One, two, three, four
  • update with Anna Faris (That’s a real lawyer, by the way…)

---

Romans 5:12-19 – [10:06]

Romans 5:12-19 worksheetDownload

Paul is establishing a stark contrast between life with and without Christ in this letter. In these verses, he is making the case that while Adam brought sin and death into the world, Jesus’ death and resurrection has overcome it. We begin with an EYE smart illustration that we’ve used before; the Upside Down from Stranger Things. If you would prefer not to go there, think about using a map to display how sin, like a virus, spreads everywhere. For MATH smart, David suggests using wave interference to illustrate how Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection obliterate the effects of Adam’s disobedience. We have some MUSIC listed below and an article about matter and anti-matter for NATURE smart that illustrates Jesus’ obedience dominating Adam’s disobedience. Finally, break into discussion groups for PEOPLE smart and discuss how a “win at all costs” mentality has enslaved us.

• EYE – [11:36]
  • Commentary by Ryan Hansen, A Plain Account
• MATH – [13:45]
  • an article about wave interference
• MUSIC – [13:27]
  • Give Me Jesus
  • O Fountain of Unceasing Grace
  • Jesus Lover of My Soul
  • O Lord, You’re Beautiful and by The Insyderz
• NATURE – [17:14]
  • For reasons that we do not fully understand, slightly more ordinary particles endured that early epoch so that virtually all the matter in our observable universe is ordinary.
• PEOPLE – [21:13]
  • commentary by Bill Loader

---

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 – [23:22]

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 worksheetDownload

We begin with WORD smart and talk about how the serpent uses God’s words – but twists them just enough to arouse the woman’s suspicions and curiosity. We have a special effect that demonstrates this weaponizing of words. Once the couple eat the fruit, their eyes are opened – which made me think of an hysterical scene in the TV show Friends for EYE smart. You could incorporate some SELF smart elements for the special effect. The Garden was full of food, so for BODY smart, offer a table of good things to eat! NATURE smart has some information about the fig leaf the couple used to cover themselves. In PEOPLE smart, give folks the assignment to “tempt” someone and see how that turns out. And for SELF smart, think about times when someone has convinced you to step off the path.

• WORD – [24:45]
• EYE – [26:18]
  • My EYES
• BODY – [28:02]
• NATURE – [29:05]
  • Here is a good description of the leaf of the common edible fig.
• PEOPLE – [30:33]
• SELF – [31:54]

---

Image credit: Photo by amin imanifar from Pexels. Used by permission.

---