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A look at the appointed gospel from the Revised Common Lectionary for the first Sunday in Lent, March 1, 2020.
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.”
My Two Cents….
Conversations about temptations make me uncomfortable. I switch between paranoia, guilt, and a defensive self-righteousness. Unless we are talking about overeating chocolate, when I hear the word “temptation," I cringe. I prepare myself for someone’s judgment.
One of the critiques of those who don’t go to church is that the church is all about judgment. There is validity to the view of the church being judgmental. For years, people were excluded from participation in the church because of their gender, orientation, identity, marital status, etc. Abominations were declared from the pulpit and cold stares from the pews.
Sadly, this remains true over much of Christianity. We will say that everyone is welcome, that everyone is a sinner, and that Jesus loves all. BUT, we temper that welcome when someone is “different.” We rank sins and quote scriptural prohibitions on the ‘nasty ones.’ Although we maintain that Jesus loves all, we require repentance to access the forgiveness of Christ. So ingrained are these patterns among good church folk that most of the time, we aren’t even aware that we are following them.
It is a tradition on the First Sunday in Lent to read the temptation story of Jesus. Jesus battles the devil in the wilderness and resists all temptation. Yay Jesus! We knew you would! You set the bar pretty high, but we are up for the challenge… a temptation-free Lent, here we come!
Sarcasm aside, instead of focusing on temptation as we start Lent, what if we looked at our judgment? In what ways do we judge others? How do we judge ourselves?
What would it look like for us to suspend ‘judgment’ for the season of Lent - as individuals and as a church? Can we find the courage to trust in Christ’s endless mercy and forgiveness that is true for all? What if instead of judging others (and ourselves) as unworthy or less, we welcome them with the love, compassion, and kindness of Christ? What kinds of new relationships would emerge?
How might such an approach allow us to strike a blow to satan’s divisiveness and unending efforts to separate and isolate?
In Christ's Light,
Walt
Permission granted to share today's content with family and friends. Copyrighted 2020. Walt Lichtenberger
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