Temptation to sin can be very strong, but it is resistable by God's grace. God is stronger than any temptation you face. But to resist temptation we cannot run to it, but must run from it. We cannot enjoy it, but must grow to hate it no matter how attractive it may seem. This is illustrated in the ancient, mythical poem composed by Homer, the Odyssey. The main character, Odysseus, was returning to his wife, Penelope, having won the Trojan War. But in order to reach home, he had to sail by a certain island that had brought many ships and crews to destruction. It was not the tide, the weather, or the rocky coastline that had proven so destructive.
No, it was the Sirens, mythical creatures who had led countless sailors to lose their mind and to jump to their watery grave through their beautiful singing. In order not to suffer the same destruction, Odysseus sealed the ears of all his crew with wax, but had himself tied to the mast so that he could hear the beautiful singing and yet not plunge himself to his grave. He suffered temporary insanity, but not death.
Like Odysseus, Christians want to enjoy the attractive and alluring temptation of sin that could lead to much misery, but don't want to suffer the consequences that follow from yielding to the temptation. That is why we need to understand this Sixth Petition in the Lord's Prayer. |
