First Sunday in Lent February 21, 2010
Scripture	Luke 3:1-13 4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’ ” 5 Then the devil a led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil b said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ ” 9 Then the devil c took him to Jerusalem , and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ 11 and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 12 Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
Devotional	We usually think of Lent as the season when we must give up something. Liturgical scholars, Hickman, Saliers, Stookey, and White in The New Handbook of the Christian Year write: “Lent is thus not giving up something but rather taking upon ourselves the intention and the receptivity to God’s grace so that we may worthily participate in the mystery of God-with-us.” How does the story of Jesus’ temptation prepare us to be more receptive to God’s grace? Luke Timothy Johnson says about the tests of Jesus. The tests would suggest to the Hellenistic reader the threefold categories of vice: love of pleasure, love of possessions, love of glory” 1 The story of the temptation of Jesus stresses the three temptations faced by every believer. Luke presents a portrait of Jesus facing his temptation using the same two resources available to every believer: the Spirit of God and the Word of God. In the temptation story, Jesus demonstrates how we as believers can overcome temptation and prepare ourselves to the receptivity of God’s grace and the mystery of God-with-us. Luke pictures Jesus as a paradigm of living faith. Here is an example for every believer to receive their basic guidance for their personal spiritual formation. There are two types of people seeking spiritual formation: those who want the church to do it for them and those who are seeking but do not have the resources. Luke has provided those who are seek the resources for personal spiritual development. The identical resources Jesus depended on are available to all Christian believers, the Spirit of God and the Word of God. We do not recognize our temptations as clearly because the devil does not transport us from one place to another. It would be much easier if it was just black or white. If the choices were between good and bad, life would be much easier. But the grey areas present choices between bad and worse or good and better. “Although the temptation story does not offer ethical instructions that cover every eventuality, it does describe the perennial ethical challenges that Christians face: the temptations to forget one’s baptismal identity, to attempt to use one’s religion for personal gain, to try to be successful rather than faithful, to be dazzled by riches of the world, to make compromises where one is called to stand firm, and to avoid the path of sacrifice and suffering.” 2 We must always remember that God not only leads us into the wilderness, but also leads through the wilderness. 1 Luke Timothy Johnson, The Gospel of Luke. Collegeville: The Liturgical Press 1991. p. 76 2R Alan Culpepper, Luke. In The New Interpreter’s Bible Vol. IX . p 101