God of love and mercy, bless and protect the life and needs of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Matthew 4: 1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." 4 But he answered, "It is written, "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 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.' " 7 Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' " 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9 and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." 10 Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! for it is written, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.' " 11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
When we know something major is coming in our lives we prepare for it. If we know we're having houseguests we clean the house. If we know we need to get our taxes (ugh) ready, we prepare for it. If we are presenting a speech or presentation, we get ready. And it was no different for Jesus. At the start of His public ministry, Our Lord went into the desert to prepare for the three years of ministry that He would share with the world. Matthew in his gospel says that his purpose was to be tempted by the devil; that is more of what happened during Jesus' time of prayer and preparation. Jesus followed an ancient model of fasting, setting aside a physical nourishment to fully be blessed and nourished spiritually. It is our belief that for forty days and forty nights, Jesus did not eat a single thing. At the end of that time of preparation was when the tempter paid Jesus a visit. The tempter hits Jesus in the most vulnerable spots at this point in his life, namely physical hunger. The area where Jesus was is surrounded with rocks that look like the bread of that place and time. "Turn these rocks into bread to prove you are the son of God," came the temptation. The tempter knew the power that Jesus had, but he did not know that Jesus was ready for him and anything. "One does not live by bread alone, but by the very words of God," comes Our Lord's reply for that was precisely what Jesus had done in that time of preparation; setting aside food for the stomach and replacing it with food for His soul. The second temptation was to test His trust of God. "If you are really the Son of God throw yourself down from this high place, for you know the scriptures say that God's angels will protect you." This second temptation is one that comes more frequently to us all, our asking, where is God while I'm facing this? Can I really trust God? Jesus replies,"You shouldn't put God to the test," meaning that faith is not about proving what we believe, but going forward with that belief knowing that God is with us. The third test was that of acceptance, "If you will bow down and worship me, all these kingdoms and splendors will be yours." It's our being asked, what would you do to receive acceptance or power or money? Would you sell out your soul for these things, by renouncing God and accepting in God's place, the devil? Jesus replies again that our worship should be only directed towards God.
This coming Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. Most churches will observe this day with a special worship and will invite people to begin a 40-day journey of spiritual preparation in order to more deeply understand and appreciate Easter and what that day means to the Christian faith. Many will "fast" in some way. Some will not give up entire meals, but will give up something special or meaningful to them, such as chocolate, candy, sodas, meat, television, etc. What is also expected is that instead of those things "given up," one would "take up" a spiritual replacement for them. If you skip a meal, spent the same amount of time reading the Bible or a Christian book so that what was given up physically is met with a spiritual thing. That's true fasting. It's never easy to go through this time of Lent, which is what the 40 days are called, but God is with us and helps us in our journey. Make this time be all about God.
PRAYER: Loving God, as I go through this day, keep me mindful of the things that truly matter for me in my daily and spiritual walk with You. Let me not give in easily to the temptations of this life; keep me on the right path. I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
