Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness. There is a direct parallel between this prayerful, transformative time in the life of Jesus and the prayerful, transformative journey of the Israelites who travelled through the wilderness for forty years. In both situations this was a time of trial and testing. In both situations the journey became an opportunity for growth and renewal. These moments were a chance to build on their relationships with God.
As they journeyed from slavery in Egypt, the Israelites complained that they were sent into the wilderness to die of hunger (Ex 16:1-3). In response, the Lord rained bread from heaven. The tempter knew Jesus would be hungry too and used this knowledge to tempt Jesus to give into that hunger and use his power to satisfy himself. Jesus resisted, knowing that his intention was to use this time to grow closer to God. He was denying himself to better listen to God’s word: “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
After bargaining with God and defeating the Canaanites, the Israelites started whining wanting more and more from God. Then people started dying from serpent bites and the Israelites realised that they shouldn’t take God for granted. The devil likewise tried to get Jesus to test God’s protection and throw himself from the temple. Jesus didn’t need such proof and responded: ‘Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’
While Moses was on Mount Sinai learning the commandments of God, the Israelites got tired of waiting and fashioned a golden calf that they chose to worship. This calf became a distraction that would undermine their relationship God and result in the original tablets of the Ten Commandments being destroyed. Wanting to distract Jesus from his mission, the devil likewise offered Jesus power and glory if he would turn from worshipping God. Jesus was not so easily distracted. He told the devil to leave and proclaimed: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only God.”
In the end, the Israelites’ journey through wilderness was hard. They succumbed to temptation and needed redirection many times. Eventually the process transformed them, creating space for them to become the children of God they were being called to be. The journey of Jesus in the wilderness was also hard. He faced temptations, and yet, his faith provided ways for him to hold fast to his purpose. In the end, he found himself closer to God and ready to engage in what would happen next in his ministry as God with us.
The Israelites wandered the wilderness for 40 years. Jesus fasted and wandered the desert for 40 days. We honour these journeys through our own 40-day Lenten journey. This is our opportunity to walk as the Israelites and Jesus once did in an effort to further explore our relationship with God and create space for prayer and renewal. On Ash Wednesday we are invited to observe a holy Lent by self-examination, penitence, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and by reading and meditating on the word of God. This is our time to open our hearts to the Word of God made flesh in Jesus. It is our time to let go of the ways we may take God’s presence in our lives for granted. It is our opportunity to refocus away from those things that continually distract us and keep us from the possibilities of prayer and transformation.
What we choose to do as part of our Lenten discipline is up to us. For what will we allow ourselves to hunger so that we may be more in tune with God’s word? What do we need to trust God’s presence in our lives and in our world so that we can continually share our gifts, knowing that God has provided enough to sustain and support us? How can we better acknowledge the distractions that draw us from the love of God while focusing our energy on how we might best serve God?
The choice is ours to make! The 40 days of our journey provides an intentional space for us to engage in prayer, and transformation as Jesus and the Israelites did before us. This is not a self-help moment, it is a chance for us to intentionally seek ways to move our hearts closer to God as we continually seek to learn what God has in store for us in the time to come. Whatever we choose to give up or do this Lent, it should be done through fervent prayer, listening for the ways in which God will use this time for our benefit and invite us to use our gifts for the benefit of God’s creation.
Lent has begun. May we observe a holy Lent by self-examination, penitence, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and by reading and meditating on the word of God so that this time becomes an opportunity for our own renewal and transformation. This we pray as we sing: (VT) 306 I Want Jesus to Walk with Me