1st Sunday of
Lent
Cycle C
Have you ever spent any
meaningful time out in the desert? I remember the first time I was in the
desert. I was about nine or ten, and my dad and I went on a camping trip to the
Mojave Desert. We just pitched our camp in the open, with no one for miles
around us. That night I woke up around 2:00am and poked my head out of the
tent. The night was dead quiet. Not even a slight breeze. And the stars, man,
there were more stars than I had ever seen before in my life. It was as if the
entire Milky Way was spread out above me. I stood there mesmerized for a
minute, looking up, but then I was overcome with an irrational fear. It was very dark, even in starlight, and my
imagination took over. There were scary things out there. It felt like I was
being watched. I felt alone, but not alone at the same time. It was exciting
yet unnerving at the same time. And so, I ducked back into the tent where it
was safe. That experience has stayed with me all these years.
The desert is a very
unique place, both barren and beautiful at the same time. It seems to be devoid
of life but actually teems with living creatures. You just can’t see them in
the daytime, they’re beneath the surface. Living here in the mountains we see
the splendor and majesty of God’s creation all around us. There is so much life
visible here, the trees, lakes, rivers, and all the wildlife. The desert is so
different than the mountains. It is more mysterious and dangerous. There is
something about the desert that attracts us and frightens us at the same time.
I think what attracts me to the desert the most is the silence. It makes sense
that Jesus often went to the desert to escape the noise of the world and the
crowds. There is a sense of peace in desolation.
God is found in the quiet
places. God is found in desolation. God is found in the most unlikely of ways. God
is encountered many times in the desert in scripture. Abraham met God in the
three travelers who came to his tent for hospitality. Moses saw God in the
burning bush. Elijah experienced God in the still soft voice whispering to him
in a cave. We also experience God in the most unlikely places, oftentimes while
we are in the desert wastelands of our lives. At those times we may feel lost
and alone, yet life is still there, beneath the surface, hidden from our sight
for a time.
Jesus often went to out
into the desert to prepare and recharge in the presence of his Father, but this
time was different. Just before this gospel passage Luke tells us the story of Jesus’
baptism. Something very powerful happened to Jesus at his baptism. As he came
out of the water the Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove, and he
heard a voice from heaven say, “You are my beloved son, with whom I am well
pleased.” This was not a new revelation to Jesus. God was not telling him for
the first time that he was his son. Jesus had divine knowledge, so he knew who
he was and what his Father’s will for him was. He had gone to the Jordan to
declare himself publicly. This was an affirmation and a sign that his hour had
come, the time he had been waiting for his entire life. It must have been
exciting and also a bit unnerving at the same time.
So, it makes sense that
Jesus would want to go somewhere to prepare. Luke says that Jesus was led into
the desert by the spirit. In Mark’s gospel it says the Spirit drove him
into the desert. Led or driven, the Spirit of God took him there.
He needed to focus
acutely on what he needed to do going forward. And the desert has a special way
of focusing someone, especially if fasting is involved. Jesus removed everything
but him and God. The desert is not only barren; the need to survive its
brutality strips away all other needs. In the quiet and simplicity of the
desert Jesus could hear the voice of his Father most clearly.
But he could also hear
that nagging voice in his head clearly. Jesus was not questioning who he was or
what he was to do, he was considering the alternatives. The devil was simply
pointing out an easier way for Jesus that wouldn’t require all that suffering
and misunderstanding. Maybe there was a way to make people see who he
really was rather than help them to come to that belief on their own. He could
prove it so easily. And they could all be saved, and wasn’t that the purpose of
it all anyway?
He knew his mission was
to upend the powers of the day. Satan tempted him to take that power for
himself. If he overthrew the Romans, they wouldn’t torture and kill him. And
wouldn’t it be a good thing if he were the earthly king, benevolent and
merciful? Wouldn’t the people benefit? Of course he could turn those stones
into bread. How many people could he feed with that power? And why not himself
first? And not just bread, but any possession he could ever desire could be
his, just by desiring it. And why did he have to suffer? Didn’t scripture say
that the angels would protect him so he wouldn’t stumble? And if he didn’t have
to suffer, why should anyone else?
It was so easy. All Jesus
had to do was think about his own needs and not the will of his Father. All
Jesus had to do was use his power for good. All Jesus had to do was deny his
very self, and that was something he could not do.
Isn’t that what
temptation is? It doesn’t just come out of nowhere and put an unnatural idea
into our heads. The idea is already there, the devil just wants us to consider the
alternatives. It seems to make so much sense. If we are powerful, we can use
that power selfishly. If we are weak, we can stop trying to be strong. We can
rationalize it any way we want, and the more we do, the easier it is to give
into it. Can it be wrong to do this if my intentions are good? Think of all the
people I could help? Think of the greater good.
Temptation is most
difficult if we are tempted to do something that is fully within our power to
do. Temptation is simply taking our focus off God and putting it on ourselves.
And that’s why it is so easy to succumb to it.
It is so easy. All we
have to do was think about our own needs and not the will of the Father. All we
have to do was use our power for good. All we have to do is deny our very
selves. Unlike Jesus, we do that all the time.
But you don’t have to. Like
Jesus, we have a choice. Like Jesus, we do not have to give in to our
temptations. You are not alone. Like Jesus, we can go to the desert and be in
the presence of our Father. Enter into
the desert of Lent. Focus your time and energy not on your own needs and desires
but on God’s will for you. Meditate on the scriptures to better understand where
they are leading you. Spend more time in prayer. Fast from what is causing you
to sin. Be more charitable to others.
And then, like Jesus,
emerge from the desert with a strong sense of purpose and resolve, with clarity
of what you are called to do to build the kingdom of God.
