By Rev. Canon David B. Tabo-oy
v1Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the Devil. v2After spending forty days and nights without food, Jesus was hungry. v3Then the Devil came to him and said, “If you are God’s Son, order these stones to turn into bread.”
v4But Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Human beings cannot live on bread alone, but need every word that God speaks.’” (Matthew 4:1-4)
This Sunday is the beginning of the Holy Season of Lent in the Christian liturgical calendar. This is the most solemn season in the Christian calendar. Lent is the period of 40 days which comes before Easter. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, Lent is a season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter. By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians replicate Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days. Lent is marked by fasting, both from food and festivities.
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Whereas Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus after his death on the cross, Lent recalls the events leading up to and including Jesus’ crucifixion by Rome. This is believed to have taken place in Roman occupied Jerusalem. The Christian churches that observe Lent in the 21st century (and not all do significantly) use it as a time for prayer and penance. Only a small number of people today fast for the whole of Lent, although some maintain the practice on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. It is more common these days for believers to surrender a particular vice such as favourite foods or smoking. Whatever the sacrifice it is a reflection of Jesus’ deprivation in the wilderness and a test of self-discipline.
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Why 40 days? 40 is a significant number in Jewish-Christian scripture: In Genesis, the flood which destroyed the earth was brought about by 40 days and nights of rain. The Hebrews spent 40 years in the wilderness before reaching the land promised to them by God. Moses fasted for 40 days before receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness in preparation for his ministry. Most Christians regard Jesus’ time in the wilderness as the key event for the duration of Lent. (ww.bbc.co.uk)
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The gospel reading appointed for this first Sunday in Lent relates to us the temptation Jesus Christ went through before he went around as an itinerant preacher. The temptation of Jesus by Satan was an attempt to entice Jesus from the pathway of perfect obedience to the will of God. Notice that in each temptation, Jesus submitted himself to the authority of the Word of God rather than to the desires of Satan. We can learn from this earthly experience of the Son of God the following: 1. Satan is our greatest enemy. As Christians, we must be aware that we are engaged in a spiritual warfare with unseen but very real powers of evil. 2. Without the Holy Spirit and the proper use of God’s Word, the Christian cannot overcome sin and temptation. We can overcome temptation and sin with the following suggestions: (a) Realize that through the Word you have the power to resist any appeal Satan can make. (b) Engraft the Word of God (memorize) into your heart and mind. (c) Meditate day and night on the verses you have put in your mind and heart. (d) Say the verses to yourself and God the instant you are tempted. (e) Recognize and obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit to obey God’s Word. (f) Surround all these steps with prayer. These are the suggestions from the Full Life Study Bible on dealing with temptations.
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Lent is the period of 40 days which comes before Easter in the Christian calendar. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, Lent is a season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter. By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians try to follow the spirit of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days. Lent is marked by fasting, both from food and festivities. Whereas Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus after his death on the cross, Lent recalls the events leading up to Christ’s death in Mount Calvary. The Christian churches that observe Lent in the 21st century (and not all do significantly) use it as a time for prayer, penance and abstinence.
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Satan, the tempter. Satan (in Hebrew, meaning “accuser” or “adversary”) was a great angel created perfect and good. He was appointed to be a minister at the throne of God; yet before the world began, he rebelled and became the chief antagonist of God and humanity. In his rebellion against God, Satan drew with him a multitude of lesser angels who are probably to be identified, after their fall, with demons or evil spirits. Satan and many of these lesser angels were exiled to the earth and the atmosphere around it, and operate within this sphere under God’s permissive will. Jesus came to earth to destroy the works if Satan, establish God’s kingdom and deliver us from Satan’s dominion. By his death and resurrection, Christ initiated the defeat of Satan and thereby ensured God’s ultimate victory over him. [Full Life Study Bible NIV].
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Satan presently wars against God and his people, seeking to draw them away from loyalty to Christ and into sin and bondage to this present world system. Believers must pray constantly for deliverance from Satan, be on the alert concerning his schemes and temptations, and resit him through spiritual warfare, while remaining firm in the faith, “Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the Devil, roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Be firm in your faith and resist him, because you know that other believers in all the world are going through the same kind of sufferings (1 Peter 5:8-9).
Let us pray.
Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one god, now and for ever. Amen. (ECP-BCP First Sunday in Lent Collect)
