Underdogs and Loaves of Stone: Overcoming Obstacles of Faith
We are excited to welcome our team brother Jake Nelson back to the blog! We cannot wait for you to read what God spoke to Jake this last week! Read below, comment, and join the conversation! XO, the Boldly Seeking Team
As I write this reflection, the sports world is fully entrenched in March Madness. (In case your sports knowledge begins and ends with quotes from a Doritos commercial that you’re pretty sure was aired during the Super Bowl, March Madness is the name for a massive college basketball tournament that takes place every year.)
One of the biggest stories of this year’s March Madness is the unexpected success of Saint Peter’s College, a 15th-ranked team that, so far, pulled off a shocking upset of the 2nd-ranked team in the first round, then won their next game against the 7th-ranked team in the next round. In just a matter of days, a ragtag team that was practically written off before their first game even began has become the talk of the sports world.
Incredible underdog stories like this are one of the reasons I love sports. Any time I tune in to a random sports game, my instinct is to root for whichever team is losing at the moment. (As a Minnesota fan, odds are pretty good that this will be my hometown team, anyway…) There’s just something so inspiring about seeing a team, faced with nearly insurmountable odds, overcome the obstacles that stand in their way and achieve a victory never thought possible.
Of course, underdog stories aren’t limited to sports. Many of our favorite stories involve unlikely heroes facing impossible challenges, from Harry Potter to Alexander Hamilton. I think the reason we’re drawn to stories like these is because they offer hope - they help us believe that we’re capable of taking on the challenges in our own lives.
Sometimes, our own faith journey might feel like an underdog story. We might feel like we’re falling short of the life we’re supposed to be living, that we’re not a “real” Christian. With all of the obstacles and anxieties that the world throws at us each day, successfully living out our faith can feel impossible.
The good news is that Christ, by His incarnation, became an underdog in His own salvation story. He dealt with the same worries and anxieties we did. Before He began His public ministry, Jesus faced temptation in the desert. As a human being like us, He faced the same struggles we face. As the Son of God, He showed us how His grace can help us overcome these struggles.
We read about this story in Luke 4:1-13. In these passages, the devil tempts Jesus in three ways. First, he tempts Jesus to give in to His desire for food, that is, for earthly things. Second, he tempts Jesus with dominion over the world. Finally, he tempts Jesus to put God to the test. But Jesus always has the answer. He overcomes everything the devil throws at Him and emerges victorious. Let’s see how He does it.
Luke 4 begins, “Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he endured temptations from the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were completed, he was famished. The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “Man does not live by bread alone.”’”
In preparation for His ministry, Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days. He denied himself of earthly pleasures as a way of keeping His focus on what truly mattered - following the will of God. At the end of these 40 days, the devil - as the conniving serpent he is - “suggests” that Jesus turns stones into bread to satisfy His hunger.
Jesus responds with a reminder: as Christians, we are called to seek our satisfaction not in the things of this world, but in the Word of God. We know that Jesus had the power to transform stones into food, just like He transformed water into wine, and multiplied the loaves and fishes to feed the 5,000. But in these examples, He sought to serve others, not Himself. He chose to use His gifts and resources to follow God’s will and provide for those in need.
In our own lives, we are often faced with the choice between serving others and serving ourselves. If we make a habit of putting ourselves first, we risk losing sight of how we can be a blessing to others. Willfully sacrificing small comforts, like Christ did in refusing to transform stones into bread, strengthens our ability to recognize and address the needs of others. Lent is an ideal time to incorporate this practice into your daily life - what’s one small sacrifice you can make each day? How could you use the time or money you’ll save to benefit those around you?
Back to Luke’s gospel - now, the devil tries a new tactic: “Then the devil led him up to a high place and showed him in a flash all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, ‘To you I will grant this whole realm—and the glory that goes along with it, for it has been relinquished to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish. So then, if you will worship me, all this will be yours.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “You are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him.”’”
Christ knew all of this was in store for His life. He knew the rejection, the betrayal, and the pain that awaited Him. Simply by bowing down to the Devil, He could have traded all of His sorrow for a glorious kingship over the whole world. But He knows that no amount of earthly glory compares to the love of God. Despite the struggles He will face in His obedience to God’s will, He remains faithful.
We, too, are tempted by earthly glory. The world makes us its own offer: as long as we act a certain way, talk a certain way, and look a certain way, we’ll be rewarded with friendship, romance, attention, and status. Unfortunately, fitting this mold requires us to strip away important parts of ourselves - namely, our true identity as a daughter or son of God.
Living as a follower of Christ may not always make us popular. Choosing to be true to yourself and your faith may require you to let go of certain friendships, miss out on parties, and risk rejection. But remember: Christ gave up the glory of the entire world out of love for you. His infinite love and grace are worth more than anything, or anyone, on Earth could offer.
Finally, we read the devil’s final temptation of Jesus: “Then the devil brought him to Jerusalem, had him stand on the highest point of the temple, and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, “He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,” and “with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.”’ So when the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until a more opportune time.”
Here, the devil’s temptation is particularly devilish: he uses the words of Scripture to persuade Christ to throw Himself off the highest point of the temple. He basically says, If God really loves you, He wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you…right?
Sometimes, when we’re surrounded by a loving community of faith, refreshed and reinvigorated in your spiritual life, it’s easy to recognize God’s presence in our lives. But when we’re home alone, with stacks of overdue homework, an empty checking account, and dozens of texts left on “read”, that presence might not be so obvious.
Trusting in God is not always easy, especially when He seems far away. These times of spiritual dryness can be frustrating! I’m sure all Christians can think of a time in their faith when, in a moment of spiritual hair-pulling, they began a prayer with, God, if you really love me, then would you PLEASE…
In moments like these, we need to remember that faith does not mean believing that God will always answer our prayers with “Yes.” God recognizes the needs and desires of our hearts better than we do - no matter how stubbornly we might disagree. When God does not answer our prayers or guide our lives in the way we expect, we’re tempted to lose faith in Him.
It’s important to remind ourselves that God always operates with our best interest at heart. Spending time in Scripture, or in silent prayer, can help us recognize the wisdom of God and deepen our trust in Him. I find that taking time to begin my day in prayer helps me better recognize the ways that God is working and moving in my life - ways I might have missed if I was preoccupied with my own plans.
The bible tells us that, after Jesus succeeded in resisting temptation, the devil departed from him “for a time.” Just as Harry Potter’s fight with Voldemort did not end after defeating Quirrell, Jesus - as the human “underdog” of His own story - had other challenges to overcome. Ultimately, He would face an enemy that, throughout history, had been insurmountable - death itself. As the sun set on Good Friday, it seemed that even He, the messiah, the savior, had failed to overcome the fate that had befallen all humanity before him. But on Easter morning, His victory, against seemingly impossible odds, was revealed.
Through His life, passion, death, and resurrection, Christ became like us, lived like us, suffered like us, and died like us - and invited us to rise like Him. Through His faithfulness in the face of temptation, and His power in the midst of weakness, He gave us a model of Christian life. He showed us that, even when it seems like everything is stacked against us, we can overcome any obstacle through His grace. Now, it’s your turn. Christ is calling you to set aside your own desires to follow Him more closely. How can you make room to invite Christ more deeply into your daily life?
