Lent - First Sunday of lent
Father, through our observance of Lent, help us to understand the meaning
of your Son's death and resurrection and teach us to reflect it in our lives.
The drawing by Cezar Barredo shows the temptations of tchnology in our world, while the lithograph by Otto Dix shows Jesus resiting what often seems, the overshelming power of temptation.
40 days in the wilderness means 40 days of Lent. 40 is a signifcant number in the Bible. When the Bible says 40 it means "along time". The Israelites spent 40 years waiting to enter the Promied land after the Exodus. That means "a lifetime". This 40 day season of Lent is intended to remind us that we have a lifetime of choice and temptation ahead of us. Knowing that Jesus teaches his followers to pray to God "deliver us from evil" | Temptation is the theme of the Gospel. Jesus, so we are told, went into the wilderness for 40 days. There he was tempted by the devil.
Normally we regard the temptations of Jesus happening over a 40 day period. It is more likely that he was tempted all the time - like we are. We are given three stories of temptations - and they illustrate three key areas where Jesus and ourselves are tempted.
Those temptations relate to wealth, power an status. We want to turn everything into bread/money. We want to be looked up to and get approval, and we would like to be able to be able to manipulate things and people for our own ends - or in our best moments we would. Giving in toany of these urges results in comprmiing ourselves. When the devil tempted Jesus he was trying tocompromise the mission of God's kingdom. What does the tempter look like? S/he isn't going to last long as a tempter ithout looking tempting. Seduction is the name of the game - so we shouldn't expect a gruesome loking devil, but a charming presenter of a choice which seems absolutely feasible.
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The Temptation of Christ by Otto Dix (1960)
Other links to Art images on the subject of Jesus' temptation are: http://www.biblical-art.com/biblicalsubject.asp?id_biblicalsubject=564&pagenum=1 The article for Parish Grapevine - March 2007 - explores the links between "giving up" something for Lent and Jesus' willing choice to "give up" his life for the word. |
The interviewer asked Dolly Parton "Where do you ever get such a strong character?" And Dolly told about her family and her Christian faith. "I quote the Bible real good!" she said. What about psychiatry, asked the interviewer. So many people find the need to get counseling, especially in the stresses of show business. "No," said Dolly, "I don't see a psychiatrist. I fast instead." You what? "I fast!" Is that like a diet?! "No!" said Dolly. "I do it to get in touch with God! Sometimes I'll fast seven, fourteen or twenty days? don't drink nothing but water and I don't ever say when I'm on a fast--Scripture says you're not supposed to." And then she went on to say that she's never made a major decision without fasting and prayer. The interviewer was astounded. So much so that she made a point of it in the article. (from People, Jan 19, 1981, as quoted in Dynamic Preaching(13):51, "Internal medicine," 1/Lent/98, Cycle C, March 1998.)