Daily Devotion for Lent - Day 6

Scripture Reading: Luke 4:1-30

Today, we have the forty day fast which ties Jesus to earlier religious figures.  Moses fasted for forty days on Mt Sinai as he inscribed the tablets with the 10 Commandments.  Elijah also fasts as he makes his way to Mt Horeb (which many equate with Mt Sinai).

Jesus keeps this fast following his baptism and he considers what his baptism is calling him to do.  Mark agrees that he was tempted but doesn't elaborate.  Matthew and Luke draw on other sources to expand his time away from civilization.  They largely agree on the details but trade the order of the second and third temptations.

The temptation for Jesus to feed himself may have been a temptation on a larger scale.  Would he have been tempted to just go from village to village feeding people as in the miraculous feeding of the 5,000?  He would have been popular, but his teaching has undoubtedly outlasted this temporary satisfaction to help feed our world today.  

How are we tempted today to give in to various wants rather than have difficult conversations about what is needed in the long-term?

The second temptation for Jesus in seeing all the kingdoms of the world may have been a temptation to be the kind of military leader that everyone expected.  He would have grown up hearing stories about Judas the Hammer (Maccabee) liberating Judah.  He obviously saw this as being at odds with who God was calling him to be, but I get the temptation.  

How are we tempted today to exercise power over the other?  

The third temptation for Jesus in throwing himself down from the pinnacle of the temple may have been a temptation to doubt God's love for him.  As a perceptive person, Jesus could likely foresee what happens to people who preach change.  He may have felt God calling him to this mission but would like to avoid the outcome (if possible, take this cup from me).  

How are we tempted today to doubt God's love for us?  This may come to us from time to time considering Covid and polarization and a world where we see Russia invading Ukraine.  

Jesus answers the temptations by leaning into his identity (the scriptures that formed him as he grew up).  We see him begin his mission and right off the bat, they want to throw him off the cliff!

How does our own sense of identity lift us up during troubled times?

Prayer for the day:

Gracious God, we ask you to "lead us not into temptation."  We may pray this because we know we find our way there on our own.  Give us resolve.  Help us understand who we are in Christ.  And may this allow us to know we are indeed loved.  Grant us insight that this is enough.  Amen.

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