Lent

​Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.   After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.  “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’

 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’

 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.  “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’

 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Lent is the time Christians prepare for Easter. Lent is six weeks long, beginning on Ash Wednesday and continuing forty days until Easter Sunday. This is a time for self-reflection, confession, and sacrifice.  Lent can feel long and never ending, however we can find encouragement reading about Christ being tempted in the wilderness by Satan in the Gospel of Matthew.

The first temptation, Jesus was hungry, he had just fasted for forty days and Satan dared him to turn three stones into bread.

The second temptation, Jesus was challenged to throw himself down from the highest point of the temple in Jerusalem and to be saved by angels.

The third temptation, Jesus was taken to a mountaintop and shown all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor and how they could all be his if he bowed down and worshiped Satan.

The wilderness is a very vulnerable and volatile place for one to be by themselves. The terrain is rough, with exposure to adverse elements of heat, sand and windstorms in daylight and the bitter cold at night. There is no place to take shelter. The wilderness is not a place one goes for sustenance. The wilderness is a dry and barren place.  The environment is harsh, unrelenting and unforgiving.

As a follower of Jesus, one can feel like they are alone in the wilderness at times in their faith journey. When we are downcast in spirit we can turn to the scene where Jesus is in a spiritual battle against his arch rival, Satan. Jesus has gone without food and drink in the wilderness for forty days, he’s weak and weary.  And instead of caving into the weakness of his flesh, he quotes scripture and rebukes Satan.  Let’s do the same, turn to scripture and follow Jesus’ example when dealing with our problems be it physical, power or possessions.

May we all grow closer in our relationship with Jesus as we lean on him to fill us with his strength and love during this intentional time of reflection, confession and sacrifice.