Put God to the Test

Brad Sullivan

4 Advent, Year A

Sunday, December 22, 2013

St. Mark’s, Bay City, TX

Isaiah 7:10-16
Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18

Romans 1:1-7
Matthew 1:18-25

Put God to the test.  That was my advice to a parishioner earlier this week who had been given some gift cards in order to give them to hungry people.  This person came to the church and offered the gift cards to me so that I could give them to folks who came to St. Mark’s asking for food.  I thought that was a pretty good idea, but then, in a surprise move, I refused the gift cards, insisting instead that this person give them to hungry people he found or ran into in his life.

A conversation ensued.  This person wasn’t against giving these gift cards to hungry people, he said he just didn’t really know any, and didn’t know how to get them to people who would need them.  He also thought it would be insulting to ask random strangers if they were impoverished and needed some food.  I agreed, and then I said “put God to the test.”  We talked about this Sunday’s passage from Isaiah with Ahaz refusing to put God to the test and the story of Joseph believing in God, and I told the person in my office to pray for God to send folks his way.  Hungry folks are all around us, I said, and if you pray to God multiple times a day for God to send those folks your way, I bet they’ll find you.  Put God to the test.

In our Isaiah reading, King Ahaz, one of the not overly good kings of Judah (seemed to have no faith in God at all, an idolater, offered up his sons as burn sacrifices…lovely guy), King Ahaz said he would not put God to the test.  You may remember Jesus telling Satan, when Satan was tempting Jesus in the wilderness, that it is written in scripture, “do not put the Lord your God to the test.”  Jesus was quoting from Deuteronomy 6:16, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you tested him at Massah.”  This was referring to a day, shortly after God brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, across the Red Sea, and the people were thirsty.  They quarreled with Moses, saying, “why did you bring us out of Egypt to kill us…with thirst?” (Exodus 17:3). 

They didn’t believe in God or trust in God that God could or would save them.  After God had freed them from slavery with many miracles, they hit a road bump, and decided they no longer trusted in God.  They put God to the test meaning they stopped believing and demanded a sign so that they would believe again.

When Jesus quoted to Satan, “do not put the Lord your God to the test,” Satan was trying to get Jesus to attempt suicide, forcing God to save him, to prove that God truly loved him.  Jesus was saying, “I trust God, and I don’t need to come up with some crazy scheme to test whether or not my faith in God is justified.  I trust in God, and I won’t put him to the test.”

Now, back to Ahaz in our Isaiah reading from today, God offered Ahaz a sign, and Ahaz decided to quote Deuteronomy back at God, using scripture as a tool against God to refuse God’s offer.  This was not a man of faith, trusting in God saying, “I believe in you, and I will not demand a sign or put you to the test in order to believe in you.”  This was a man who flat out didn’t trust in God, and was misusing scripture to further his lack of trust and confidence in God.  It’s like he was trying to trick God by using scripture, but God wasn’t buying it.

When I say “put God to the test,” I don’t mean drive some bargain with God whereby you can prove God’s existence or prove God’s goodness.  When I say, “put God to the test,” I mean tell God, “I will trust and believe in you, God.  I will ask for your help and guidance, and trust in you.”  This is not, however, a bargain, telling God, “If you deliver, then I will have faith in you.”  Rather, I will have faith in you, God.  I will follow your commandments.  I will live according to your way of life, and I will trust in you, even if the thing for which I pray doesn’t happen. 

See, I would say that when Joseph decided to stay with Mary after the angel told him that the Holy Spirit had conceived the baby in her, that Joseph put God to the test, meaning, Joseph trusted in God.  Joseph could have left. 

His wife was pregnant, not by him, and that’s all he really knew.  He was probably fairly heartbroken, maybe a little bit angry, hurt, humiliated, and yet he decided to dismiss her quietly, not to shame her publically.  She could have gone on and been with the father of her child, so Joseph thought.  It might have been a scandal, but they’d have probably been ok, and Joseph would have been heartsick. 

Then, an angel came to him in a dream and told him to stay, that Mary was still a virgin, that it was the Holy Spirit who had conceived God’s son inside of her.  He could have thought it was just a dream.  He could have let someone else raise the child that was not his.  He chose instead to believe.  Joseph chose instead to make Jesus his own child, to be his son and family, and to raise him as his own.  He never knew for certain if Jesus was truly conceived of the Holy Spirit or of some other guy.  An angel appeared to him in a dream…hell, I’ve had some pretty fantastical dreams.  Joseph chose to believe, to put God to the test, not as a bargain, not saying, “if you do this, then I will believe.”  

Joseph simply chose to believe, and things seem to have worked out pretty well.  We don’t know too much more about Joseph.  We know that he and Mary had other kids together after Jesus was born.  We know that he raised Jesus and taught him his trade as a carpenter.  It seems that Joseph died before Jesus began his ministry, because Joseph was never mentioned along with Mary and Jesus’ brothers and sisters during Jesus’ ministry. 

What that means is, Joseph may never have seen the miraculous signs and wonders that Jesus did.  Joseph may never have had any confirmation, any proof or tangible evidence that Jesus was the Son of God, as the angel told him in his dream.  Joseph chose to believe the story and let that belief be real enough to bless his life.

When it really comes down to it, none of us know that Jesus is God’s son or if there even is a God.  We don’t.  We don’t know.  We believe.  We have faith.  We have varying levels of conviction in our faith, and we choose let that belief be real enough to bless your life.

Regarding my advice to this St. Mark’s parishioner to put God to the test, to ask God to send hungry people his way so that he can give them these gift cards, people may come or people may not come.  This was not a test to prove God’s existence.  This was a chance to trust in God without fear.  This was a chance actually to believe that God will help us fulfill whatever ministry he has for us. 

In Joseph’s case, this meant raising Jesus as his own, and loving him completely.  Putting God to the test, simply meant trusting and believing in God without agenda, without any examination day.  So, put God to the test.  Trust in God.  Believe in God, and allow that belief to be real enough to bless your life.  Amen.