I. Garden and Wilderness <\/p>\n
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Dear Friends in Christ Jesus,<\/p>\n
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Having a daughter living in Australia presents some strange realities. When it\u2019s winter here, it\u2019s summer there. When it\u2019s minus 35 here, it can be plus 35 there. Ice and snow here, brilliant sunshine there. We see Amanda walking her dog wearing a summer top and shorts while wiping the sweat from her brow. At the same time, I\u2019m outside in my parka shoveling the snow. Other opposites come to mind: when it\u2019s daytime here, it\u2019s night there. Trees here are barren, but there they are filled with apples and lemons and pomegranates. All kind of opposites!<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s \u201copposite day\u201d for our Lord Jesus, the second Adam, in our Gospel lesson. The first Adam, you\u2019ll remember, got a lush garden with all sorts of fruit trees; the second Adam gets the wilderness and scarcity. The first Adam\u2019s menu said \u201call you can eat;\u201d the second Adam is fasting for forty days and forty nights. The first Adam had Eve as a companion, because it is not good to be alone; the second Adam is alone. <\/p>\n
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Well, almost alone: Satan is there in the wilderness, just like he was in Eden. In fact, while it looks like opposite day from Eden in every other way, here\u2019s what Eden and the wilderness have in common. Satan is there, doing his usual act of tempting. His temptations have led to the world being turned from Garden into wilderness in the first place. He\u2019s still around in our Gospel lesson, and he\u2019s pretty much using the same temptations that worked so well the first time. <\/p>\n
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When Satan approached Eve, he put her focus on the one thing she couldn\u2019t have: fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She could be full and satisfied every day, all the time, from all the other available food; so he pointed her to the forbidden fruit: \u201cDoes it really have to be this way, Eve? Why not eat from that tree, too? Why don\u2019t you look after yourself?\u201d And Eve, who had everything, gave in to temptation. She repeated God\u2019s command first, but then she broke it anyway. <\/p>\n
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On opposite day in the wilderness, circumstances are far different: Jesus is fasting for forty days. He\u2019s hungry, but it\u2019s a chosen hunger. Food is scarce in the wilderness, but this is no problem for Jesus: as the Son of God, He can turn stones into bread with a Word. So the tempter comes and reminds Him: \u201cIf you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.\u201d In other words, \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be this way, and You know it. You\u2019re the Son of God\u2014why are You hungry? Why don\u2019t You look after Yourself?\u201d Jesus responds, \u201cIt is written, \u2018Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.\u2019\u201d Like Eve, He quotes the Word against the devil; unlike Eve, He\u2019s not going to give in. It\u2019s opposite day. <\/p>\n
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When Satan tempted Eve, he said, \u201c\u2019You will not surely die\u2019 if you eat the forbidden fruit.\u201d It was a lie; but then, Satan is always a liar. In effect, he whispered to her, \u201cYou\u2019ve got nothing to lose, everything to gain. Why do you think so little of yourself? You\u2019re Eve, after all. Do what you want.\u201d For this second recorded temptation in our Gospel lesson, Satan takes Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and says, \u201cIf you are the Son of God, throw Yourself down, for it is written, \u2018He will command His angels concerning you,\u2019 and \u2018On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.\u2019\u201d How crafty of the devil to quote Scripture at Jesus, twisted just enough to serve his ends. In other words, \u201cYou will not surely die. Why do You think so little of Yourself? You\u2019re the Son of God, and the Son of God doesn\u2019t die. Prove it: show everybody that You can take care of Yourself. You\u2019re Jesus, after all. You shouldn\u2019t die as the sinless Son of God…ever.\u201d Jesus responds, \u201cAgain it is written, \u2018You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.\u2019\u201d Where Eve will not deny herself what she wants, Jesus does. It\u2019s opposite day. <\/p>\n
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When Satan tempted Eve, he said of the forbidden fruit, \u201cGod knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.\u201d In other words, \u201cYou could be so much more\u2014you could be like God. Why stay in the place that God has put you if you can be and have so much more?\u201d In our Gospel lesson, Satan shows Jesus the all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, then says, \u201cAll these I will give you, if you fall down and worship me.\u201d In other words, \u201cYou\u2019re the Son of God. You shouldn\u2019t be hungry in the desert with Your eyes set on a horrible cross. You could be so much more\u2014You\u2019re not just like God, but You are God. It\u2019s just that Your Father\u2019s plan is holding You back. Why stay in the place that He\u2019s put You if You can be so much more?\u201d Eve wanted more than everything God gave her and ended up with worse than nothing. Jesus denies Himself everything to accomplish His Father\u2019s will. It\u2019s opposite day.<\/p>\n
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Throughout the entire temptation of Eve, the first Adam stood by in sinful silence. You barely hear about him in the account of that temptation. God had given him His command, His Word to preach: \u201cYou must not eat of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden\u201d; instead, the first Adam failed to speak God\u2019s Word, and fell into sin. The Second Adam, suffering the hardships brought upon by the fall of the first, keeps speaking God\u2019s Word and doesn\u2019t sin, because \u201cMan shall not live by bread alone, but [man shall live] by every word that comes from the mouth of God.\u201d It\u2019s opposite day. But why? <\/p>\n
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Remember when the temptation of Christ in the wilderness takes place: it is right after His baptism. Remember how strange the idea of baptizing Jesus was to John, how the Baptist tried to prevent it: his baptism was a baptism of repentance for sinners, and Jesus wasn\u2019t sinful. So why did Jesus demand to be baptized? To take His place among sinners. In baptism, their sins are washed off of them. At His baptism, their sins were washed onto Him. From His baptism on, Jesus\u2019 path is clear: He\u2019s on His way to death on the cross, bearing the sin of the world as His burden. That\u2019s where the opposites begin: sinners go into the water and come out forgiven. Jesus goes into the water and comes out marked as the condemned Sinner. <\/p>\n
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Don\u2019t forget: when Jesus undergoes this baptism, God the Father declares, \u201cThis is My Son, in whom I am well-pleased.\u201d This is the plan for salvation. Not only that, but the Spirit descends upon Jesus\u2014and, because this is part of that plan for salvation, it\u2019s the Spirit who drives Jesus into the wilderness. <\/p>\n
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Since Jesus has taken His place among sinners in the Jordan River, He endures the wilderness\u2014 the poverty and the hunger, the thorns and thistles\u2014that they deserve for their sin. Because they had everything and lost it all, He has nothing in order to gain back everything for them. Because they could not resist temptation, He does it for them. Because they deserve death for sin, He dies to give them life. <\/p>\n
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The temptation in the wilderness is not some oddity, just a funny thing that happened on the way to Calvary. The second Adam, Jesus, is undoing what the first Adam did. Where Satan won the battle in Eden, Jesus hands him a stinging defeat in the wilderness: because after forty days and forty nights of hunger and temptation, Jesus emerges from the wilderness as the sinless Son of God\u2014and because He is sinless, He can still be the Sacrifice for the sins of the world. On He goes from there, the sinless Son of God bearing the sins of the world\u2014so that sinners can have His righteousness. It\u2019s all the opposite of what He and they deserve. And it\u2019s the opposite of what you deserve, too. <\/p>\n
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II. Opposite Day for You
\nYou\u2019re tempted all the time, and the devil uses the same old, tired script. It\u2019s quite the accusation that you still fall for the same old temptations. It may be a different time and place and object of temptation, but it still comes back to this. The devil whispers, \u201cDoes it really have to be this way? Shouldn\u2019t you really take care of yourself? \u201cWhy do you think so little of yourself, that you deprive yourself of what you want? You\u2019re you after all. Do what you want. <\/p>\n
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\u201cYou could be so much more\u2014Why stay where God has put you, confined you if you can be and have so much more?\u201d <\/p>\n
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Pick a sin, and I\u2019ll argue it comes back to this. You\u2019re constantly tempted to look after yourself first, at the expense of God and others. <\/p>\n
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Think 4th Commandment, \u201cHonor your father and your mother,\u201d which commands honor toward parents and all authorities. The evil one constantly needles you: \u201cWhy do you do what authority figures say? Don\u2019t you know better than they do? You could be so much more if you just looked after yourself and did what you want. Ignore the curfew. Sabotage your boss. Make fun of your teacher. Keep your tax payment for yourself. Why do you let them keep you in that little box?\u201d <\/p>\n
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Think 5th Commandment, \u201cYou shall not kill.\u201d Satan\u2019s twisting you up on this one, too. Why do you think so little of yourself when others hurt you and insult you? Why not strike back? Why not plot revenge? Why not bear grudges and delight when they get hurt? Why deprive yourself of the satisfaction of their discomfort? Does it really have to be this way?\u201d <\/p>\n
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Think 6th Commandment, \u201cYou shall not commit adultery,\u201d and know that the devil is hard at work with this: \u201cDid God really say that you shouldn\u2019t fill your mind with whatever you want? Is it really fair that He says to flee lustful desires? Does it really have to be this way, where intimacy is reserved for marriage? Shouldn\u2019t you be making the decision? It\u2019s your body, after all. Do what you want.\u201d <\/p>\n
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Think 7th Commandment, \u201cYou shall not steal,\u201d and throw in the 9th and 10th against coveting. The devil tempts: \u201cIs it really fair that your neighbor has better stuff than you do? Don\u2019t you deserve to have better employees than your competition? Why do you deprive yourself of stuff that the company won\u2019t miss and isn\u2019t using anyway? Why aren\u2019t you looking after yourself better?\u201d <\/p>\n
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Think 8th Commandment, \u201cYou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.\u201d The devil whispers, \u201cAre you serious with this thought of just taking the insults of others, of turning the other cheek? Don\u2019t you deserve better than that? If you don\u2019t defend yourself, who will? You\u2019re you: you\u2019re not like that lowlife who\u2019s slandered you\u2014shouldn\u2019t you give him a taste of his own medicine?\u201d<\/p>\n
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We haven\u2019t yet mentioned the first three commandments, but that\u2019s the devil\u2019s real target. With every temptation, he asks, \u201cDid God really say?\u201d, and with every sin he\u2019s got you following your will rather than God\u2019s. Every time he tempts you with \u201cYou\u2019re you, and you deserve better,\u201d he\u2019s got you valuing your own name over the Lord\u2019s name. And with every temptation, Satan says, \u201cDo what you want. That way, you will be like God.\u201d <\/p>\n
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Whenever you put yourself first, think you deserve more or take offense that others have a sweeter deal, you\u2019ve already fallen prey to temptation. The curse of sin is for you. In other words, for your sin you deserve deprivation and death. <\/p>\n
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And that is why Jesus is in the wilderness. Opposite day is for you. You deserve deprivation\u2014 none of God\u2019s gifts and blessings, so Jesus is the One deprived even of bread in the wilderness. You deserve accusations and condemnation for your sin\u2014read through the accounts of Jesus\u2019 suffering, and marvel that He takes all the accusations and doesn\u2019t defend Himself, because He\u2019s accepting them on your behalf. You deserve death for your sin, for imagining yourself to be like God; so the Son of God, under no illusions, goes to the cross and stays on the cross in your place. <\/p>\n
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It\u2019s opposite of how it ought to be. That\u2019s the Gospel. <\/p>\n
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Never, ever think that forgiveness comes cheap. It is free to you, but only because Jesus has paid such a price. You grow cranky and feel cheated if you miss a meal: Jesus fasts and endures the hunger you deserve. You live a life with lots of nice things and covet more: the King of kings goes to the cross without home or possessions, to give you the treasures of heaven. You\u2019re easily tempted to do whatever makes your eyes or your body happy: the sinless Son of God endures scourge, nails and cross on His body in your place. Forgiveness doesn\u2019t come cheap: it comes at the cost of Christ\u2019s own blood. <\/p>\n
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But it comes. It comes to you by the work of the Holy Spirit, in the means of grace, because it is God\u2019s will. It comes as the Spirit works through every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, proclaiming, washing and feeding in His Word and Sacraments. Jesus has intentionally taken your place as the Sinner who suffers and is damned by God in your place. He has suffered hell on the cross so that heaven is yours. Risen again, He comes to you with mercy and grace, not wrath and judgment. This is God\u2019s plan\u2014Father, Son and Holy Spirit\u2014for your salvation. That\u2019s why He baptized you in His name. That\u2019s why He continues to provide His Word and His Supper. The temptation and cross are no accident, but God\u2019s plan so that you might live by every Word that comes from the mouth of God. For every Word that comes from the mouth of God is directed to tell you this truth: that for the sake of Jesus, you are forgiven for all of your sins. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I. Garden and Wilderness Dear Friends in Christ Jesus, Having a daughter living in Australia presents some strange […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[176],"wpfc_sermon_series":[],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-pastor-j-fritsche","wpfc-sermon-single","post-4871","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","hentry"],"sermon_audio":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sermons\/2026\/02\/Sermon-for-Sunday-Feb-22-2026.mp3","sermon_audio_duration":"00:20:59","_views":"25","bible_passage":"Matthew 4:1-11 The Word of the Lord from Matthew 4: \u201cIt is written, \u2018Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.\u2019\u201d This is the Word of the Lord.","sermon_video_embed":"","sermon_video_url":"","sermon_bulletin":"","_featured_url":false,"sermon_date":1771761644,"_sermon_date_auto":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/wpfc_sermon\/4871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/wpfc_sermon"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/wpfc_sermon"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4871"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/wpfc_sermon\/4871\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4874,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/wpfc_sermon\/4871\/revisions\/4874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"wpfc_preacher","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_preacher&post=4871"},{"taxonomy":"wpfc_sermon_series","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_sermon_series&post=4871"},{"taxonomy":"wpfc_sermon_topics","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_sermon_topics&post=4871"},{"taxonomy":"wpfc_bible_book","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_bible_book&post=4871"},{"taxonomy":"wpfc_service_type","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_service_type&post=4871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}