The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert,
and he remained in the desert for forty days,
tempted by Satan.
He was among wild beasts,
and the angels ministered to him.
After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:
“This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
Mark 1:12-15 Gospel for 1st Sunday of Lent
Lent, for us, is like Jesus’ forty days in the desert. So, where are our angels?
Let’s back up a step.
If we read our Bibles from God’s call to Abraham and on up through all Israelite history—tribesmen, slavery in Egypt, conquering their promised land, being conquered and often exiled by Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans—it is clear God is dealing with a wayward, fickle, and sometimes hard-hearted people. People like me and you. Then God comes in the person of Jesus. Truly God/truly man, Jesus surprises by identifying himself completely with the Jews in their sinfulness and crooked history when he chooses to be publicly baptized with repentant sinners by John the Baptist.
The cleansing of a repentant heart opens the way for the Holy Spirit to begin God’s transforming work, and, though he is guiltless and needs no cleansing, what happens to Jesus next illustrates a key fact of spiritual growth. Repentance lets in the light and the force of the Holy Spirit. Thus, Jesus finds himself “driven” by the Spirit into the desert for 40 days of testing.
Forty days in the desert where distractions fall away. Where possibilities and choices can be seen with stark clarity. Benefits, costs, and sources can be sorted out. Remember, “angel” means “messenger” and Mark tells us angelic messengers ministered to Jesus through this time. The ministering the angels do not bring food to Jesus, but help him, in his humanity, reject false ways of proceeding in his public ministry. In the bright clarity of the desert Jesus considers directions he might go—the comfortable life and riches suggested by focusing on ‘bread’ for himself, or the acclaim and popularity he could bask in after spectacular stunts before huge crowds, or the vast riches, worldly power, and human glory he could enjoy as a conqueror… . The “messengers” help bring to mind Scriptures that lay out a harder way of self-sacrifice, a way that stays loyal to his Father’s will for him.
And, so with us. These messengers are still at work today as we go through our 40-day Lent. They rarely appear in bodily form, and that is likely for the best—Gabriel has to tell both Zechariah and the Blessed Virgin Mary not to be afraid when he appears! They work quietly with us as we go about our daily life and church-going, nudging us towards this, away from that. Underlining something we hear or read. Helping us receive a flash of insight or direction. Our part: pray; read Scripture slowly and thoughtfully; take to heart what we hear and see and do in worship; specifically ask to connect with Christ; lay down the project that is “me, myself” and offer to walk in his way. Pray for help to do that—accept it when it comes.
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For reflection: what am I reconsidering about my life during this Lent? How do I think it needs to change?
Bonus: Why “40”? We usually think of Israel’s 40 years in the desert, a nation’s time of penance and re-formation in light of the Torah. That does match our 40 days of Lent. Another, closer parallel is that both Moses and Elijah were known for 40 day fasts in the desert.
Moses fasted 40 days on Mt. Sinai as he received the Commandments (Exodus 34:28) and Elijah fasted 40 days as he walked from Israel to Mt. Horeb (another name for the same Mt. Sinai) to listen for guidance from God about the next actions he should take (1 Kings 19:8). They represent the Law and the Prophets and will later be seen with Jesus at the Transfiguration witnessed by Peter, James, and John.
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Why track 40th days?
It is most remarkable that each passing solar year can very effectively (even perfectly!) be metered by keeping track of every 40th day. Essentially, the annual transit which completes every 365.24219 days can just about EXACTLY be measured (on the average) via a simple method of scribing each 40th day!