I. Theme – Developing strength and hope in the face of temptation and evil
“ Christ in the Desert ” – Nikolas Kramskoy (1872)
“After his baptism, Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. ” –Luke 4:1
The lectionary readings are here or individually:
Old Testament – Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Psalm – Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
Epistle – Romans 10:8b-13
Gospel – Luke 4:1-13
Today’s readings offer strength and hope in the face of temptation and evil. Deuteronomy recalls God’s great deliverance and encourages Israel to depend solely on God. Paul declares that salvation comes to those who call on Jesus as lord. In today’s gospel, Jesus trusts solely in God and thus defeats the temptations presented by the devil
Lent begins as a journey to the cross, a journey of repentance and self-denial, a journey of serving others. We are also reminded that our ancestors were sojourners, that we are called not only to seek forgiveness but to forgive and reconcile with others, and that we have faith in the same God, the same Christ, and when we are seeking God, we are seeking relationship with each other. The journey reminds us that we are in this together, pilgrims to the cross, where we put to death what has separated us from God and live in the hope of resurrection.
The journey begins with where we are now and that we are the beloved of God. This week, focus on our most basic routines: eating, drinking, and washing. Try a new pattern of life for a day, a week, or the whole Lenten season. For example, adopt a vegetarian or vegan diet, with every bite reducing suffering and caring for creation. Or, whenever you wash your face, your body, the dishes – whenever you encounter water, intentionally recall the waters of baptism. Remember Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan, and hear again God’s voice proclaiming the truth of the Gospel to you: “You are my beloved, in whom I am well pleased.”
We are not alone in facing life’s challenges as Jesus was in Luke. Although we might raise the question about how the indigenous Canaanites felt about the coming of the Hebrews, the key element of this passage is its affirmation that God hears, responds, and acts. God is influenced by our cries of anguish – God hears the cries of the poor, oppressed, and vulnerable. God is present in the soup kitchen, the unemployment line, and the bedside. God does not control the outcome of our quests for wholeness, but is a factor in bringing about moments of comfort, possibilities of change, and the movements of liberation and affirmation.
Jesus Christ, our Champion against the devil, endures and overcomes “every temptation” (Luke 4:13) on our behalf. He worships the Lord, His God, and serves Him only by trusting the Word of His Father: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). Jesus’ victory is now ours through His gracious Word, which is not far away but near us — in our mouth and in our heart, in the proclamation of repentance and faith
II. Summary
Old Testament – Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Today’s reading describes the liturgy for the offering of the Israelites’ first fruits. The reading occurs in the context of Moses’ address to the people before they enter the promised land. They are to recall regularly and ritually their dependence upon God for the land and for its harvest.
Verses 5-10 have been described as a narrative creed expressing the Israelites’ understanding of God’s action in their history. Remembering such a creed is not just reminiscing, but makes it an effectual part of their lives (just as the exodus is relived in the Passover ritual). The nomadic past of the Israelites is incorporated into their agricultural present and future. Their present identity is inseparable from their experiences of God’s presence, which have shaped them. The focus is on God’s deliverance of and provision for the people throughout history.
As we begin Lent, we are reminded of the signs of God’s promises to the people. In Deuteronomy 26:1-11, we remember God’s promise to the people, that one day they would enter the Promised Land, and that they would celebrate by giving back of the first fruits of the land. That it was a “borrowed” ceremony from the Canaanite barley harvest is not the point. As they settled into their new home, they would also remember that their history was of being a wandering people, from their ancestor Abraham, a wandering Aramean, to having themselves wandered in the desert. Deuteronomy also has a call to show compassion to those aliens who live among the people, for all those who wander, and to give back to God from the place they now call home. The journey of Lent begins with a reminder that our ancestors were wanderers, and we, too, are on a journey of faith for which we need to give thanks.
Though it describes events set in the time of Moses, Deuteronomy was written much later, during the Exile, 587-539 B.C.E. (also known as the Babylonian Captivity). Internal corruption and external pressures had brought the people to the brink of extinction. Kings, priests, prophets, and temple had all failed to hold them together. The writers responded to this crisis by re-interpreting ancient legal traditions, putting them in the mouth of the great lawgiver Moses, in the hope of setting the Jews on a viable course for their future. On the surface, it’s a story of origins. In its real purpose, Deuteronomy is about starting over, hoping to get it right and keep it going this time, where "it" is national identity expressed through loyalty to God’s law.
The ancient reciter of this even more ancient history knew this story was his own, so he can only speak in the first person. It’s "my" father, it’s "we" who grew numerous, it’s "us" whom the Egyptians oppressed, it’s "our" cry that God heard, it’s "us" to whom God gave this land, etc
Psalm – Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
Psalm 91, a wisdom psalm of torah or instruction, describes God as protector of the faithful from natural and supernatural foes. Against fear is set the belief in guardian angels (vv. 11-12), quoted by the devil in today’s gospel. The psalm closes with divine promises (vv. 14-16).
This psalm brought assurance of God’s deliverance and protection to the people to those who trust in God. For the people whose ancestors had wandered, shelter of the Most High was an assurance of God’s presence, a safe haven, an understanding that they were protected. For those who are faithful, they will find shelter, security and safety in God.
The psalmist describes the difficulty of a journey in the Levant – the unpaved roads (“lest your foot be bruised by a stone”) and other dangers (“young lion,” and “serpent). The final three verses have God as the speaker who announces the protections that are to be offered.
Many of us are familiar with Psalm 91 as a result of the popular song, “On Eagle’s Wings.” God is our refuge and fortress, the Psalm asserts, and because of that, “no evil shall befall you.” No evil shall befall you!
Epistle – Romans 10:8b-13
In this section, Paul continues his argument about God’s plan for salvation and how it is in synchrony with God’s promises to Israel (see the reading from Deuteronomy). Indeed, the opening quotation is from Deuteronomy 30:14
In Romans as a whole, Paul asks how we are justified in our relationship with God. Here "justified" means made right with God. Among the early Christians, many converts from Judaism insisted that Gentile [Paul calls them "Greek"] converts to Christ had to, in effect, become Jews first and keep the whole Jewish law, and this would make them right with God. . It never justified him before God, and his conversion to Christ taught him that none of us can achieve righteousness on our own, now matter how well we keep God’s laws, or how much we pray, etc. The letter to the Romans contains a long argument about why Christians do not need to keep the Law of Moses, since God has chosen to save us in Christ by grace. This short passage explains how to avail ourselves of that gift.
Here, Paul compares the right relationship to God (“righteousness”) that comes through a strict adherence to the Mosaic law to that which comes by faith. In contrast to the futile adherence to this law, the righteousness that comes by faith is entirely attainable. It requires no superhuman effort such as ascending into heaven or descending into the abyss. Such feats have already been accomplished by God in Jesus’ incarnation and resurrection.
People need to accept the “word of faith” (v. 8) proclaimed by the apostle and then express their belief both through inner conviction and outer profession. These signs of faith are rooted in the work of God, affirming that Jesus is divine and that Jesus now lives.
The first of these professions of faith, “Jesus is lord,” was particularly central for the early Church in areas where the people believed in “many gods and many lords” (1 Corinthians 8:5-6). It is the earliest and simplest creed of the Church. .” Here it begins for Paul that plan of salvation. These distinctions, however, are not to be seen as dividing humankind, and Paul follows with his famous phrase about Jew and Greek
Roman 10:8b-13 is often taken out of context as a “formula” by which one is saved, but when read in full context, we see that Paul is dismantling the concepts that both Jew and Greek Christians held, in that Jesus is the same Christ to both—there is no requirement of circumcision or of special proof, there is no special status to those grafted in (chapter 11) or those who were part of the branches, all believe in the same Jesus the Christ. On this journey of faith, there is a danger of saying some are in and some are out, some are not worthy, or have a lesser place. But even among the Israelites who entered the Promised Land, there were resident aliens, and God reminded them to welcome the strangers and the aliens just as they were welcomed as strangers. So too, followers of Jesus need to welcome others, recognizing that we believe in the same Jesus the Christ.
Gospel – Luke 4:1-13
Following his baptism and confirmation of his vocation as God’s beloved messenger, Jesus is led into the wilderness by the Spirit. Filled with energy and possibility, Jesus must now discern the shape of his vocation. Temptations are many and whether they come from the devil, Jesus’ unconscious mind, or the entertainment of an array of possible uses of his power and giftedness, Jesus is challenged to choose his life path.
Luke has a program here. Earlier in his genealogy of Jesus and in the scene at his baptism, Jesus is pictured as the One that God has chosen, the Son of God, and the messiah. However, in the Temptation, we see a human Jesus – and the author of the Hebrews (4:15) describes it best: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. Placed in the wilderness, Jesus now relives the wanderings and temptations of Israel. This is not an easy place within which to live life. The problem is not the temptations themselves but the possibility that they will divert Jesus from his calling. This is our problem, too.
Jesus has a key weapon – Jesus is “full of the Spirit”, and is “led by the Spirit.” . Jesus refused each of the three temptations by quoting scripture from the book of Deuteronomy thus making clear his obedience to God
In Luke’s account of Jesus’ temptation, the devil tempts Jesus to deny his baptismal Sonship by not trusting in his Father’s providence and care. Jesus is faced with the temptation to surrender his submission to God to serve the devil. Luke makes explicit the devil’s power over the present world, setting against this both the messiahship of Jesus and the scriptures as the revelation of God’s will.
Jesus fasts for 40 days, as did Moses and Elijah. As the representative of Israel, he relives the testing of the people of Israel for 40 years in the wilderness. All his replies come from Deuteronomy (8:3; 6:13; 6:16). Where the people of Israel failed in giving complete loyalty and obedience to God, Jesus succeeds. The victory won here anticipates the consummation of his triumph in Jerusalem over the realm of evil. Jesus thus becomes a model for all Christians in times of trial, for he has endured every temptation.
Luke frames Jesus’ three temptations within two parallel kingdoms. Knowing that Jesus would be hungry, the devil tempted him to turn a stone into bread. It would be a cheap trick to meet his own need. In rejecting the idea, he submits to the limitations of the human condition. Furthermore, as Luke Johnson points out in The Gospel of Luke, he did so in the wilderness where no one could observe and where his inner dispositions were laid bare by hunger.
When Jesus did not, the devil in the second temptation showed him all the kingdoms of the earth, promising Jesus all the glory and power of them if Jesus would worship the devil. Again Jesus refused. In the second temptation, Jesus demonstrates clearly that the world is God’s. Not for a minute does he believe that Satan has ultimate power. When we are tempted to despair, convinced that we have blown it for the last time, his words come ringing back: despite the appearance that evil reigns, we owe homage to God alone, whose answer to our prayers may seem like denial, but may be only delay.
Finally, Satan took Jesus to the top of the temple in Jerusalem and told him to jump because God’s angels would save him. Faith does require a blind leap, and later Jesus would hang from a high cross on Calvary, crying out, “Into your hands…” The difference is that Jesus chose the crucifix over the temple roof, the path of peace and the way of simple service over the flash and glitz.
The last line is a final indication of Jesus’ humanity: after “every test, [the devil] departed from him until an opportune time.” It starts again for him as it does for us. We are constantly in process, never arriving. Just when we think we’ve conquered that demon, put to rest that particular addiction, it surfaces in another form. Around the next dim corner, whom should we meet but our old enemy, that obnoxious habit we thought we’d vanquished? Yet our confidence is renewed by Jesus’ victory. He won the fundamental battle of the heart through acceptance of human limitations.
Luke has his temptation sequence end in Jerusalem (Matthew ends in on the high mountain), where the final “show down” will actually occur. In doing this, Luke ties the temptation to the entire ministry of Jesus, and does not see it as an initial victory, but rather as a moment in time, to be followed by a more decisive moment in time. Nor does it seem that these were only three occurrences of testing, “When the devil had finished every test.” Jesus’ ministry will not be free of other tests and other obstacles. This is something to think about on our own journey.
III. Articles for this week in WorkingPreacher:
Old Testament – Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Psalm – Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
Epistle – Romans 10:8b-13
Gospel – Luke 4:1-13