Lent and the Wilderness

 

          Hey, everyone! Quite a bit of time has passed since I’ve filled up this space. The past several months have been a whirlwind. Work takes up a lot of my time in the fall with our budget process and closing out the year. Thankfully, things have slowed down a bit (they never slow down completely!) and I plan to get back to writing more regularly.

              It’s crazy to think that the Lenten season is getting ready to commence with Ash Wednesday on February 17. Doesn’t it seem like the holiday madness just ended? No way Easter can already be on the radar!

              I’ve noticed that most congregations in the Evangelical tradition do not observe the Lenten season as they do with Advent. This has also perplexed me a bit. Why observe one season but not the other? I have a theory as to why this is the case, but that will have to be the subject of another blog post.

              Growing up in the Catholic tradition, Lent was most often associated with “giving something up”. Usually it was soft drinks, chocolate, or WCW wrestling (knowing full well that I barely watched WCW).  Of course, this is not the meaning of Lent but rather a way to bring attention to the season. As I’ve gotten older and matured in my faith, my view of Lent has shifted from a “giving something up” mindset to a season of refocusing – refocusing on what is important in this life.

              The traditional Lenten period of 40 days stems from the story in Matthew chapter 4 in which Jesus goes into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. I thought it would be meaningful to revisit this story and see what I can glean for our current day. The story just feels relevant right now. Maybe it is because it feels like we have been walking in the wilderness for the better part of a year now. The onset of COVID-19 along with the racial and political strife of the last few months has left most of us feeling trapped in a dark wilderness with no ray of sunshine in sight. Many of us have been tried and tempted in ways we never thought could be possible just 12 (long) months ago.  The good news is that Jesus has been in our shoes and came out victorious not just for Himself but for all of humanity.

 

Let’s jump into Matthew 4. The first two verses are as follows:

 

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2  After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.”

 

              I want you to notice something here. Jesus didn’t head off into the wilderness to just wander around or take a Sunday stroll. He specifically went into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. This trip was driven by the third person of the Trinity and was conducted for a specific purpose. That purpose will become clearer in later verses. Also, note that Jesus was hungry. Hunger is a human emotion. In these two short verses, the dual nature of Christ is on full display. Only a divine person would seek out to be tempted by Satan. Yet, in the very next verse His human emotion is evident. Just something to think about.

The First Temptation

 

3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

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

              As he always does, Satan is playing on human emotion here. Satan knows that Jesus could turn the stones into bread if he so desires. The devil and his minions know well the power Jesus possesses. As ill as it makes me to admit it, we often behave the same way towards Jesus. As Christians, we know the power Jesus possesses. We have seen that power at work in our lives, we’ve sang about it, and we’ve likely told others about it.  Yet, we sometimes feel like this isn’t enough. What Christ has done for us in the past feels like it isn’t adequate at times. We are always looking for God to show up and display His power time and time again. Unwittingly, we constantly ask God to prove Himself to us just as Satan has done in verse 3 above. This Lent, let’s rest in what Christ has already done for us rather than persistently look ahead to what He might do in the future. Of course, God will show up in mighty ways in the future. However, anything He does in the future will not supersede the greatness of what He has already accomplished for us. Resting in this can ease our troubled minds in this turbulent era.

 

The Second Temptation

 

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “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”

⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

              Not one to be deterred, Satan is again trying to back Jesus into a corner. In essence, the devil is asking Jesus to save himself. Haven’t we been where Jesus is? Haven’t we been tempted to try to save ourselves? In the midst of this pandemic, many of us have looked to a particular political candidate, party, or ideology to save our country (both sides are guilty to be sure). In doing so, we suppress the fact that the saving has already been done. Christ has saved us through the blood of the cross – there is nothing left to do but to rest in this fact. Hopefully, you are starting to see a pattern develop. In a world full of uncertainty and incessant noise, we should always retreat to the safety and unfailing nature of God’s love and forgiveness.

  

The Third Temptation

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

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

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

 

              The devil now tries for a third and final time to trick Jesus. Satan promises Jesus that He will have everything if he will just worship the devil. We’ve been in this spot too, haven’t we? These verses really hit home for me and I suspect it does for many of you as well. I tend to chase happiness and find my worth in my career, popularity, clothing, or the shade of my lawn. Often, these shallow objectives are achieved at the expense of my relationship with Christ.  By chasing these things (which are not bad in and of themselves), I am saying that God is simply not enough for me. I am reiterating that I need these other things in my life to be complete. If you are brutally honest with yourself, you will likely find that you fall victim to finding your self-worth in something besides Jesus.  In reality, our worth and righteousness was cemented in God’s eyes the moment Christ rose from the dead on the third day.

              As Christians, we will undoubtedly face countless trials and temptations.  We can take comfort that Jesus faced similar temptations during His time on earth. The same Spirit that led Christ to defeat temptation also lives in us as believers. When the darkness of the wilderness starts to creep in, we have a perfect guide to lead us out. The work is done, the devil is powerless. Christ has dominion over all the Heavens and the Earth.  That is good news to rest in this Lenten season.

 

In Christ,

 

Kendal May