Sunday of the First Week of Lent - February 17, 2013
Sunday of the First Week of Lent
Luke 4:1 – 13
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘People do not live on bread alone.’”
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”
The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;
they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
H.A.L.T.
Hungry – Angry – Lonely – Tired
As those in recovery know, these four states represent positions of vulnerability. The various forms of fasting are liable to put us in these states intentionally, where we are particularly vulnerable and more aware of our own inner landscape. For in this place of vulnerability, we are more likely to reach and grab for something that will bring us comfort . . . our favorite food, a chemical that numbs us, a dangerous internet journey, a drinking binge, a shopping-for-the-sake-of-shopping trip.
When we fast, we see more clearly. That’s why generations of spiritually-inclined persons have encouraged fasting along with prayer as a tool for discernment. Without the clutter of those things we use to mask our interior, we are more aware of both the outer world and our own inner world.
It is no insignificant thing to see ourselves clearer. The food or media or shopping or chemicals on which we ordinarily depend for comfort are withdrawn, and the true shape of our interior often pops up to the surface.
The temptation, offered to Jesus as he was in this vulnerable state, was to trade in his understanding of his identity as the Son of God/Son of Humanity . . . a temptation to compromise while weak. The temptations were tough and ruthless. Jesus held strong.
Fasting is not bliss. It is not a magic carpet ride to holiness. Fasting is struggle. It is seeing the difficult truth about our own interior. It is the stripping away of crutches – for a period of time – in order to develop spiritual muscle.
Luke 4:1 – 13
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘People do not live on bread alone.’”
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”
The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;
they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
H.A.L.T.
Hungry – Angry – Lonely – Tired
As those in recovery know, these four states represent positions of vulnerability. The various forms of fasting are liable to put us in these states intentionally, where we are particularly vulnerable and more aware of our own inner landscape. For in this place of vulnerability, we are more likely to reach and grab for something that will bring us comfort . . . our favorite food, a chemical that numbs us, a dangerous internet journey, a drinking binge, a shopping-for-the-sake-of-shopping trip.
When we fast, we see more clearly. That’s why generations of spiritually-inclined persons have encouraged fasting along with prayer as a tool for discernment. Without the clutter of those things we use to mask our interior, we are more aware of both the outer world and our own inner world.
It is no insignificant thing to see ourselves clearer. The food or media or shopping or chemicals on which we ordinarily depend for comfort are withdrawn, and the true shape of our interior often pops up to the surface.
The temptation, offered to Jesus as he was in this vulnerable state, was to trade in his understanding of his identity as the Son of God/Son of Humanity . . . a temptation to compromise while weak. The temptations were tough and ruthless. Jesus held strong.
Fasting is not bliss. It is not a magic carpet ride to holiness. Fasting is struggle. It is seeing the difficult truth about our own interior. It is the stripping away of crutches – for a period of time – in order to develop spiritual muscle.
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