This week is the first Sunday in the season of Lent, the 40 day period leading up to Easter. Why 40 days of Lent? This number is based on this week’s reading – the so-called temptation of Jesus – in which Jesus is in the wilderness for 40 days being tempted by the devil. It’s also why the traditional discipline for Lent is fasting (and prayer) as Jesus apparently fasted throughout the 40 days.
The temptations that Jesus faces all seem reasonable – feed yourself (and potentially others) to ease your hunger, rule over the nations of the world (responsibly and justly of course), and show others that God can indeed save by leaping off the temple. Jesus resists these temptations by choosing to follow God’s way instead – the way of deep trust in God, the way of service and the way of humility and suffering. These will be the hallmarks of Jesus’ ministry.
We face different temptations to Jesus but they are often equally subtle and enticing. At heart, most temptation is about making ourselves the centre of everything – satisfying our own desires and building our own little kingdom of self. If we follow the way and example of Jesus, we will resist such temptation by deliberately choosing to turn to God and following the ways of God’s kingdom instead.
May Lent be a rich season for you as you take time to reflect on your personal walk of faith.