Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. Matthew 4:1-2 New Living Translation
And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, where he was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him. Mark 1:11-13 NLT
Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, Luke 4:1 NLT
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Lent is a solemn religious observance in the Christian calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, before beginning his public ministry, during which he endured temptation by Satan. (Wikipedia)
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Lent was never part of my faith tradition. As a child I saw the ashes on schoolmates’ foreheads and felt a little envious – and a little left out – of this unknown, unexplained ritual. All I understood was “giving up something for Lent.” No one ever said what.
Now all believers can – and many do – “celebrate” Jesus’ experiences in the wilderness. Some concentrate on the “giving up.” In the past, I’ve “given up” eating meat and wearing any jewelry except a plain cross necklace and my wedding ring. I felt pretty proud of myself, which, of course, was not all what Lent is about.
So now, I prefer to “replace” something in order to gain something. For instance, if I give up meat, it would be so I could give that money to help feed the hungry.
There are many things in my life that could be replaced with something better. So why don’t I? Because change feels scary and hard, and staying the same feels comfortable. But I’m pretty sure God’s plan for me does not include keeping me comfortable.
If Jesus fasted in the wilderness for 40 days, I can certainly make some life changes for that amount of time. Over this Lenten season, though, I want to spend some time taking a close look at Jesus’ wilderness experience. There is a lot to learn in those verses that could help determine any changes I make.
Tomorrow will not be too soon to start.
