1st Sunday of Lent
On
this first Sunday of Lent, we find Jesus entering into his own time of
preparation
He
knows that it is now the time that he has to begin his public ministry
But
he isn’t quite ready yet
So
he goes into the desert to get away from the world
To
get away from distractions and temptations
Only…
he does encounter a big distraction
And
he is tempted
Somewhat
midway through his time in the desert, Jesus encounters Satan
Satan
believes that he can get Jesus to fall into temptation because he is vulnerable
He’s
hungry and tired
So
the first temptation here is a temptation of the flesh
Food
was something that his body was telling him he wanted
Yet
the food that Jesus sought in the desert was not physical in origin
He
wanted to gain spiritual strength
He
had been training his will
When
Jesus declines this, Satan tempts Jesus with power
Promising
to give him all that he sees from the high mountain
But
Jesus knows that wealth and popularity are not going to make him happy
He
went into the desert to get away from all of that after all
So
finally Satan tempts Jesus with Pride
Basically
tells him that he should be the one in control of his own life
It
is a temptation to self-glorification and ego
But
Jesus came to be one of us
He
realizes that he already emptied himself to become a lowly human being
Not
one born to royalty, but born simply
