Word to the Wise
Sunday, February 26, 2023 - 1st Sunday of Lent - A
[Gen 2:7-9; 3:1-7; Rom 5:12-19 or 5:12, 17-19; Matt 4:1-11]But the serpent said to the woman: "You will certainly not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil." The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. [Genesis] At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.....[Matthew]
The great comedian, Flip Wilson, had a routine in which he impersonated a female character named Geraldine who had an angel on one shoulder and a demon on the other, giving her conflicting advice. The punch line was always, "The devil made me do that." If the first scripture and gospel scripture for today are any indicator, the devil doesn't make us do anything. Temptation is not external even if it might seem to be. It comes from within. Even if we avoid something outside of us, the temptation remains even in the absence of that object! We may even dream of the desired object!
If the "Spirit" led Jesus into the desert to be "tempted," the Spirit was probably pretty sure of the results to come! Jesus was to be tested then and in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is not as if there was some predetermination as it was a question of identity. "If you are the Son of God..." is the refrain. There was no "if" about it. Jesus was tested just as Job was. God was certain that Job would withstand his suffering. Jesus would pass the test.
In our own case, we have to ask who we want to be and whether or not a given option is compatible with that identity. Who do we "want" to be? Our baptism/confirmation marks us spiritually. Does a given choice lead us toward or away from that identity as a member of the Body of Christ? This is more than a 40 day test. It is a lifetime process. But Lent reminds us of the testing that Jesus endured at the beginning and end of his earthly ministry. Lent can do the same for us. It can remind us who we are and how we should act all year round! AMEN