On Sunday we heard Luke 4:1-13, which records Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. The temptations likely don’t seem tempting to us—only “command this stone to become bread” even really makes sense—but that isn’t because we aren’t tempted by the same things. Most temptation looks a bit odd when pulled into the light and reported this factually. There is a seduction we feel in the midst of temptation that loses its power when the actual temptation is named out loud in a clinical fashion, and when named out loud, temptation usually seems a little strange. “Why on earth would anyone want to do that?”
A little thoughtfulness and imagination reveal that Jesus was tempted in ways that are common to us all. In each instance, he was offered something legitimate. Material comfort and provision, proof of the Father’s love, power and influence—not only were these legitimate desires, Jesus actually deserved all of them! We all desire these things in some degree, and we all assume that we deserve them in some sense.
The temptation is not usually even the thing itself. The real temptation is how and when we acquire it, and Jesus’ responses to temptation reveal our own sinfulness. There is nothing wrong with the desire for material comfort and provision, but does it rank higher than the word of God in our daily life? A little self-reflection likely reveals that we depend far more on what we eat and our finances than God’s word. There is nothing wrong with wanting God to demonstrate his love for us, but do we set the terms for what it means for him to love us? Again, self-reflection likely reveals how frequently we put him to the test by assuming that, if God loves us, a certain area of life must be fulfilled or fixed. And there is nothing wrong with wanting a voice and influence amongst our family and friends or in our workplaces, but do we bend the knee to the devil to get it? In other words, do we seek to achieve it using the world’s methods of selfishness, pride, slander, and dishonesty? Self-reflection reveals how frequently we take matters into our own hands and operate with the devil’s tools in seeking influence.
The way of Christ could not be more clear. He does not deny that the thing is legitimate, and he does not debate the devil (that would be a fool’s errand!). He simply refuses the bait, buttressing his refusal with Scripture. The posture we see is of one utterly convinced that the Father will give him what he needs at exactly the right moment. And that is what we are called to; this is what faith looks like in action. The way of Jesus is to approach every situation with the deep conviction that God will provide what we need, in his timing. To take matters into our own hands and grasp for things as if God won’t provide them is sin, because it is an act of coveting and a failure of faith.
The only remedy for our continual grasping, our failure of faith and our covetousness, is the life of Jesus. He conquered the temptations common to us all and offers his very life to us, so that in him, we might be able to wait in faith for the Father to provide everything. There is no need for us to grasp in covetous doubt, “For all things are yours, whether … the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.” (I Cor. 3:22-23)
Steven+
Ash Wednesday
At some point, Christmas overtook Easter as the biggest celebration for the church. We all now spend far more money and energy celebrating the birth of Jesus than we do the resurrection, but this wasn’t always the case. In fact, it took several centuries for the celebration of Jesus’ birth even to become normal and widespread in the church. But from the beginning of Christianity, the church celebrated the resurrection of Jesus as its principal feast of the year.
Lent, the 40-day period of preparation for Easter that begins on Ash Wednesday, grew out of Biblical examples. Noah, Moses, the Israelites, and Elijah all waited in periods of fasting or preparation (for 40 days or 40 years) before encountering God and receiving new blessings and ministries. Great encounters with God, great blessings from God, and great ministries in the name of God are all appropriately preceded by a period of fasting and preparation. It isn’t that God needs our preparation before he can show up—he can do what he wants, whenever he wants! But we need the preparation, so that we are ready for him! Moses needed 40 years as a shepherd in the wilderness before he was prepared to encounter God in the burning bush, and the Israelites needed 40 years of wandering in the wilderness before they were prepared to enter the promised land. The fact that Jesus submitted to this pattern—40 days of fasting before beginning his ministry—should demonstrate to us that we would be wise to follow it as well.
This doesn’t fit a culture saturated with instant gratification, but our souls need preparation before celebrating the resurrection. They need yearly seasons like Lent to call us back to the things that matter. They need periods of fasting and contrition, where recurring sin is dealt with, distractions are set aside, and our energy is devoted to works of mercy, so that we are ready to meet God again. Some of these seasons need to be painfully long—40 days long!—so that the preparation sinks deep enough into the hard places of our hearts, softening the soil before God arrives.
As we move toward Easter, I encourage you to take seriously the idea that we are preparing for an encounter with the risen Lord. This is what the celebration of Easter is about, after all! Prepare through fasting, prayer, Bible-reading, repentance, and works of mercy. These are the spiritual disciplines appropriate to seasons of preparation. Pray expectantly that God would reveal himself to you anew this year, calling you deeper into his love for and mission to the world, and spend the next six weeks preparing as if he will answer this prayer!
Steven+
Shrove Tuesday
Tuesday, March 1, is Shrove Tuesday! Like many other special days in the church calendar, there are different practices associated with Shrove Tuesday in the various cultures that celebrate it. Some of these practices and ideas even seem to be self-contradictory. In some cultures, it is a day of debauchery that has completely lost its Christian character, and in others, it is a day of self-examination and confession prior to the beginning of Lent. Clearly those two things don’t fit together well!
Christians have done several things on Shrove Tuesday for hundreds of years. First, it is traditional to spend time in prayer, self-examination, and confession on this day. This practice is at least 1000 years old, and the name “shrove” comes from the archaic verb for confession, penance, and absolution. In this tradition, the spiritual disciplines of Lent begin with a time of focused confession. Second, it is a day of modest feasting before Lent’s fast. Eating pancakes for dinner comes from the practice of ridding the cupboards of rich foods before Ash Wednesday, so that they won’t tempt us during the weeks of fasting. Third, it is the traditional day for burning palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday, which is where the church gets the ashes for Ash Wednesday.
Most members of the church will be joining together in homes for a Shrove Tuesday meal, and I pray that these meals would be examples of God’s kindness in each of our lives. Throughout the Bible (read Psalm 104 to see an example of this), we hear that food is one of the primary ways God shows us his goodness, and it is important to set aside particular meals to remember this. Eat a good meal and thank the Lord for it as you do!
I also encourage you to spend time asking God what sins need to be confessed and changes made in your life this year. If you want to speak to me in that process, either for confession or advice, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
I am thankful for you all and pray that the upcoming season of Lent will be a time of growth in the Lord.
Steven+