The Gospel of Matthew 4:1-11 Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
Let us Pray: Holy Lord, Lead us into the wilderness when we need to be shaped, and stay with us when we face the voices that distort our identity. Give us the courage to trust You when we are hungry, the humility to rest in Your love without demanding signs, and the strength to choose Your kingdom over every shortcut. Form our hearts in Your Word, and make us faithful as Your Son was faithful. Amen.
Lent invites us to walk honestly through our wilderness as we journey toward the joy of the resurrection. It is a season not to rush ahead, but to pause, breathe, and remember who God is and what Christ has done for us. Jesus knew He had to go out into the wilderness to prove to Himself He was worthy of being God’s son. Forty days with the devil always on his heel, trying to tempt him. He had the strength and resolve to not fall into the devil’s traps. Do we? At his baptism by John, Jesus had heard the voice of God the Father identifying him, a young village carpenter, as his beloved Son. Here he reflects on the challenges of this radically new mission, human temptations that we all experience. Temptation is not sin, because as Hebrews tells us, Christ was tempted like us in every way but without sin. So, we should not feel guilty when the thoughts and desires come. Today, our allegiance to the Kingdom of God and commitment to the baptized life is being tested. Governmental forces use power and privilege to divide and conquer. Nationalism twists religious claims to misinterpret the will of the Holy One for their benefit. Shifting cultural and societal norms to counter the good news of God’s liberative and redeeming power with isolationism, manipulation, exploitation and fascism. Jesus provides us with the covenant we took at our baptism. And that is the rock of our salvation. Four years ago, as I wrote a reflection on Luke 4:1-13, we had seen how the need for great power encompasses a person’s thinking that they become so obsessed with it they are willing to commit great atrocities. We still need to keep the people of Ukraine in our prayers as they continue to resist the cruelties of a dictator. As we read this gospel, we see that this global leader has fallen to the temptations of the devil. You wonder if the devil did not take him up the mountain and showed him all the kingdoms that could be his. He obviously succumbed to the devil as we see that he is trying to take for his own all the kingdoms and countries he can see. Has our country and its leaders Gone up on that mountain with other dictators and with the devil and looked out to see Greenland, Cuba, Venezuela, and the Gaza Strip? Where do we go from here? Do we fall into the devil’s trap, or do we listen to God? Jesus succeeded because he knew that God was with him, and he did not need another display of power to prove it. After his forty-day wilderness experience, Jesus began his earthly mission, which was to proclaim God’s kingdom and call God’s people to repent. Are we going to live up to our Baptismal Covenant, are we going to listen to the voices of God and His Son. We have decisions to make. Lent is the perfect time to think about the direction we want our lives to go. Following in the ways of our Lord or listen to those that went up on the high mountain with the devil. Let us Pray: Lord God our Father as we go about in the world, let us remember that your son was tempted by the forces of evil but chose faithfulness rather than popularity, service instead of fame, sacrifice instead of power. These temptations still come to us Lord and we are far weaker and so we pray for the strength to shun them as he did so that we may be of use to God and to man. Merciful father hear our prayers for the sake of your son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen
Reflections by Bob 