Daily Devotion for Lent 2019 - Day 5

Scripture Reading: Matthew 4:1-17 (NRSV)

The Gospel reading of the temptation of Jesus is always included on the first Sunday in Lent largely because of the connection of the length of the fast and the length of the season.

And so people have their own 40 day fasts that are milder than that of Jesus but each have their own level of difficulty for the individual.

My teenage son sarcastically told me that he was giving up chores for Lent.  Obviously, this is not the kind of fast that the church would say is ideal.  We are looking for something that requires a little more sacrifice from the individual rather than the community in which he or she resides!

It is interesting to note that Jesus was not the first person in the Bible to fast for forty days.

Moses fasted for forty days and forty nights while he was on Mount Sinai recording the law given by God.

Elijah fasted for forty days and nights while he traveled to Mount Horeb which may or may not have been a different name for Mount Sinai.

These are the two figures that Jesus will later encounter in the Transfiguration.

When choices are obvious,

temptation may not be so difficult.

As we interpret this particular passage, it is well-known that extreme fasting can produce visions.  Some look at the temptations that Jesus endured and see them as an actual encounter with Satan.  Others look at this as a spiritual experience where Jesus is actually fighting an inner battle over some of his own personal dilemmas.  Whether you interpret this as an actual encounter with the devil or not, it would make sense for Satan to attack what might be our own greatest struggle.

Maybe Jesus was tempted to feed the world through miraculous means.

Maybe Jesus was tempted to put his own Jewishness behind him.

Maybe Jesus was tempted to be the kind of military leader the people were seeking.

Temptation is something with which everyone struggles.  The worst kind of temptations are things that may not necessarily be wrong.

Jesus later feeds thousands at a time through miraculous means.

The Church does emerge from its own Jewishness as the two eventually separate as religious expressions.

Jesus could likely have used his charisma to start a military revolution and possibly have saved lives in the process.

Another importance in this passage is that we see a dialogue of scripture between Jesus and the devil.  We will see Jesus debate scripture with other religious leaders and it reminds us that scripture can be used to prop up a variety of things that may not be God's will for us.  Notice that Jesus answers each temptation with a focus on God.

When we are faced with our own temptations, this might be a good reminder for us to center our own responses in God.

Which temptations continue to arise for you in your life?


Prayer for the day:

God, guard my heart and mind against temptations that are obvious.

But moreover, help me to discern between choices that seem to follow your will.

Help me to act in ways that will bring the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

Keep me today.

Amen.


Photo by Debra via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.