This Sunday marks the first Sunday of Lent, the period of forty days leading up to the celebration of Easter. Many Christians have a complicated relationship with this portion of the liturgical year. For some, Lent feels like a dreary season, a time filled with deprivation and gloom. For others, Lent is a welcome season of renewal, a period in which to deepen one's relationship with God and reevaluate the ways in which we live out our faith. And for still others, Lent is both: a time of frustration and a time of peace, a time of discomfort and a time of refreshment.
In our lectionary texts this week, we read the story of the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness before beginning his ministry. (Incidentally, Lent is forty days long to reflect this sojourn of Christ.) As Luke writes, "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil" (Luke 4:1-2).
Luke says that Jesus fasted for the entire forty days, and, unsurprisingly, "was famished" (Luke 4:2). So the devil said to Jesus, "If [in this construction, "if" means "since"] you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread" (Luke 4:3). But Jesus, despite his hunger, replies, "It is written [in Deuteronomy 8:3], 'One does not live by bread alone'" (Luke 4:4).
Having seen that he could not get Jesus to budge when it came to his physical needs, the devil shifts his attention to power. He shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, saying, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority...if you, then, will worship me" (Luke 4:6-7). But citing Deuteronomy 6:13, Jesus answers that people are supposed to "worship the Lord your God, and serve only him" (Luke 4:8).
Finally, the devil tries one last temptation. He whisks Jesus away to Jerusalem, brings him to the top of the temple, and declares, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone'" (Luke 4:9-11). But Jesus answers him, "It is said [in Deuteronomy 6:16], 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test'" (Luke 4:12). And with that, the devil departs.
The devil, to be sure, demonstrates that he can quote scripture just like Jesus can; his last effort cites Psalm 91. But Christ knows that God's word asks us to trust God, not test God: "You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust'" (Psalm 91:1-2).
The texts this week emphasize the idea that no matter what temptations or struggles we face, God has promised to be there for us. In Romans, Paul explains, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13). And as the psalmist lyrically writes,
"Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation." (Psalm 91:14-16)
We are not promised easy lives -- indeed, most of us have experienced our share of sorrows and pains, temptations and trials. But as the season of Lent begins, we are called to remember that such experiences need not have the final say. We can choose to trust and bless God, much as the Israelites do in this week's passage from Deuteronomy, thanking God for their deliverance from exile and celebrating God's goodness with their neighbors.
Trusting God is sometimes easy; other times, it feels nearly impossible. But when we are wandering through the wilderness, we can remember that as Christians, we worship a God who, through the person of Christ, has wandered that wilderness too, and a God who has promised to answer us when we call for help. Lent can sometimes feel like a wilderness: a strange and unfamiliar place. As this new season begins, let us give ourselves permission to reflectively wander, trusting that even if we get lost, God walks with us and will deliver us.
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