Lent is named from the Anglo Saxon, Lenten
meaning lengthening of days when in the first three centuries of the church a
few days were set aside for strict fasting. By the 4th century the preparation time
had developed to 40 days. Lent was seen as a time of personal preparation for
Easter. In the Roman Catholic Church fasting is still encouraged on the first
day of Lent, Ash Wednesday and on Good Friday. In the Eastern Orthodox Church
not eating eggs, meat and fish is still common, which is why painted eggs are
given out on Easter Sunday.
In the stories in the gospels Jesus was led
into the dry dusty desert. If you’ve ever been to a desert, you will know how
barren it is and yet how awesome that endless sandy, orange and red. Looking at
it reminds us of how small we are in this world. Its humbling. We all have
these times when we are in an alien place either psychologically or really and
we feel alone with no resources. Its frightening.
Worse than that someone is playing mind
games with him. The devil comes to him, equivalent to the Old Testament Satan,
meaning adversary, slanderer. "If you are the Son of God (Satan knows
Jesus is the Son of God) turn this stone to become bread". Then in an
instant he led him up. He says he has all authority. Such power, how terrible!
But Satan may be lying! He then led Jesus to the highest point of the temple
jutting out from the wall and encourages him to jump because "It is
written concerning you that angels guard you carefully". When the devil
had finished all this tempting he left him until another time.
So in the temptation story there are three
tests: i] Stone into bread; will God supply Jesus's needs? ii] Authority over
the world; iii] Signs and wonders; self-glorification. The story gives us
insight into the devil. He acknowledges that Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed
one who is to lead his people to the promised kingdom; He accepts the authority
of scripture; He is described as lord over the present age; he is a deceiver
and so sets out to compromise Jesus' messiahship. As with all tempters he
starts with the subtlety of doubt. Jesus' answers to all the wiles of his
tempter are to quote scripture back to him. He is tempted to make food and he
responds with spiritual food, to perform magical acts for his own benefit, with
power the ultimate subtlety, the ultimate corrupter. He chooses each time the
choice which would not give him fame, or wealth or power but would be a playing
out of the plan for his life and give a satisfaction beyond that of these
temptations and gives life.
Its a story of a cosmic struggle between the
devil and God. The wilderness is Satan's realm, a place of horror, loneliness.
Jesus's wilderness struggle is a foretaste of the coming three years, which
will involve an unending assault from demonic forces. As he is sustained and
affirmed in the wilderness, so he is sustained through the wilderness of his
ministry. People are also tested like Jesus.
If you haven’t eaten for 40 days and are hungry
you are open to visions, to the spiritual, both the divine and the demonic. In
our own lives we like Jesus face choices. We may feel we have at times entered
a desert in our lives. A time of hunger, thirst, dryness. We may choose to fast
and pray to give us a clarity. You may choose to go into a desert or be driven
there. For many people in our society there is no choice. They are in a
wilderness. Its a common experience not just something that happened 2000 years
ago. When things go wrong, sickness, worries, the loneliness of wilderness is
close to us. We sense beasts. It is a time of polarisation. In the desert we
will experience the devil. Doubt about who we are and what we are doing. The
powers of darkness will test our faith. But we are not alone. Angels will
be with us and the wilderness time will pass.
1. Opening prayer
You draw us forward in faith
Like a pillar of fire across desert waste
A rock of assurance
As we journey this Lenten time
Speak to us with your words of comfort and wisdom.
Amen.
2. Read Luke 4v1-13. Talk about the passage.
3. Have you ever had a wilderness time? Talk to one another about it.
4. Have you ever been tempted? Do we admit it!!!!
5. Features of the desert. What is a desert really like?
6. What are the features of wilderness experiences?
7. What tools can help us in difficult testing times?
8. Closing Prayer
Servant Christ help us to follow you
Into that place of quietness,
Where we face beasts and wildness
But we know the presence of angels
Even in the desert wastes. Amen.
