First Sunday of Lent 9 March
Readings: Dt. 26.1-11; Rms. 10. 8b-13; Lk. 4. 1-13
Theme: The Devil’s in the Details
At the start of Lent this year, we encounter the period of preparation for the public ministry of Jesus that begins with forty days in the wilderness and temptations by the Devil. This period of preparation by Jesus is meant to be reproduced in our own Lenten observance during these forty days. So, what might it mean to for us to prepare during this Lenten Season?
What it means for us to prepare is given in the details of our three temptations of Jesus by the Devil. The first temptation is to turn a stone into bread when Jesus is hungry. This is clearly referencing the time of wandering in the desert by the Israelites as they were looking for the Promised Land. Forty days symbolizes the forty years of wandering. The figure of ‘forty’ just means ‘a long time’, in other words, the preparation required to enter the promised land of the kingdom is considerable. There is a need for Jesus and for us to be made ready for this, and so the weeks of Lent allow us time of preparation because this cannot be done overnight. Each of us needs the preparation that we personally require and that will be different for each and every one of us. The Devil we encounter presents himself differently to each of us depending on our own personal stories, our own details of life. Coming to know how this happens is part of the Christian responsibility of each of us, so that in this self-knowledge, we can be better able to meet the challenges which lie ahead of us.
The second temptation relates to power, glory and authority. The Devil presents to Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if he will only worship the Devil. This temptation grips onto that very basic human instinct of wanting to ‘run the show for ourselves’. Each of us, once we reach the age of maturity, learns to stand on our own two feet. This sense of autonomy is obviously a good thing. It means that we are growing in maturity and depending less on our parents or guardians and more on our own abilities to function in life. Yet, while this is a positive thing, it can also lead to a sense of detachment from God. We may start to believe that we are in absolute control of things and do not need to rely on God. Finding the right level here is complicated. God does not treat us like incompetent little children. We are meant to learn to live happy, autonomous lives. However, this autonomy is meant to allow us to freely choose God and to acknowledge that all ultimately comes from God and returns to God. When we learn to realize this then we are able to use our freedom for the good, for the good of ourselves and of others because we know why we are free. The end of our freedom has become clear, you might say.
The third and final temptation takes place in Jerusalem, the city that will witness the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is clearly a temptation that points towards Jesus’s crucifixion. It is a temptation to avoid the suffering which will unfold in Jerusalem as he goes about his business of preaching the Gospel. This temptation, to want to avoid suffering, is one that we can all understand. Suffering is painful both physically and emotionally. It can also be painful spiritually. At whatever level, we experience this it challenges us to face up to our own reality; a reality that has suffering in it. This is not something we should avoid because it is part and parcel of what it means to be human. We suffer and we die, that is how things are. Obviously minimizing unnecessary suffering and alleviating what we can in this respect is normal and healthy. But once we embrace the fact that we are mortal, we begin to recognize that the path to our death will involve some suffering. Moreover, if we accept to love, we also accept to suffer. It is the price that we pay for it. Yet, this suffering can be seen as a part of our Lenten preparations. It reveals to us that this mortal life is bounded and limited. Our ultimate goal should be to live this mortal life as an eternal journey into the promised land of God’s kingdom: the kingdom of heaven.
The motif of life as a journey to God is reproduced in our gospel today by the fact that Jesus is quoting verses from the Book of Deuteronomy back to the Devil as answers to his temptations. Jesus is reading the Scriptures to the Devil because it is the Word of God that acts as our guide to the kingdom. The Word of God should act as our compass so that in our wanderings in the desert, we can meet the temptations which come to us with the insights of God’s Word for us. Yet, on this journey, each and every one of us needs to take responsibility for our own pathway. Illuminated by the Word of God and in the company of our fellow travellers, we journey towards our heavenly home. The details of this journey will all be different, and because of this the Devil for each and every one of us will appear differently. The Devil for us really is in our own details and so as we journey together this Lent, let us take heart that the Lord Jesus has gone before us to prepare a place for us in our heavenly home.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.