lent 1- jesus in the wilderness

8/2/2019 Lent 1- Jesus in the Wilderness

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Jesus Comes Into Our Wilderness

Lent 1 - February 26, 2012

Old North Abbey

The lenten journey is underway, and this year popular culture is joining the pilgrims. The

Independent reports that Lent will be observed by more than one in five people in the U.K.1

Inthe United States, more than 70 Episcopal parishes in 18 states will offer “Ashes to Go” in train

stations, on street corners, coffee shops and other public areas.2 Huffington Post is running a

special lenten blogging section throughout the season.3 For those who like social media, the Popeis twittering lent ( @Pope2YouVatican). Some priests have decided to add a little excitement to

lenten observations by running a Lent Madness brackets based on saints instead of basketball

teams.4 Even the atheists are lining up for lent, so far, I’ve read at least four different articles

about lent from a secular perspective.5

Once atheist caught my attention with her sardonic observations about lenten observers. Shannon

Burgdorf suggests, that Lent seems to be a “PR routine wherein those who practice go around

touting what they are “giving up” for Lent.” She compares Lent commitments to New Year’sResolutions with one major difference, Lent is “giving something up for Jesus.” Shannon

continues, “Lent gives you 40 days and then says, ‘Now you can go back to partaking in that vice because Jesus is risen.’” I confess that I literally laughed out loud when I read that.

She thinks many lenten sacrifices are really just refraining from bad habits. “It seems so odd to

liken “giving up junk food for 40 days” to the “systematic public brutal torture and execution” of that the man they believe is their god went through. If I were Jesus, I’d be offended. Heck, if I

were Jim Caveziel, I’d be offended!” In the end, Shannon offers her own list of

recommendations for gestures of kindness that could actually make the world a better place.I actually celebrate this cultural embrace of Lent. Even if people don’t connect with the source of

the observances now, they may wake up and suddenly discover that Source.

6

At the same time, Isense there may be some confusion as to the focus of Lent. It appears the focus is on us, our willpower, our service, our faith. I would like to suggest that the focus of Lent is actually upon

1 Martha Linden. “Lent to be observed by more than one in five in UK adults.” The Independent, Tuesday, February

21, 2012 <http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/faith/lent-to-be-observed-by-more-than-one-in-five-uk-adults-

7237528.html>.

2 Cathy Lynn Grossman. “Episcopal priests offers ‘Ashes to Go’ as Lent begins.” USA Today, February 21, 2012

<http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/story/2012-02-21/lent-ash-wednesday-ashes-to-go/53195664/1>.

3 See http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/lent

4 Staff reports. “Join Lent Madness.” Democrat and Chronicle, February 19, 2012

<http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20120219/LIVING/302190013/Join-Lent-Madness->.

5 See “Tim Grobaty: Lent as a concept appeals to nonbelievers as well”<http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_20014513>; Andrew Sullivan. “Why Atheists Should Observe Lent.”

February 26, 2012, <http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/02/why-atheists-should-observe-lent.html>;

Shannon Burgdorf. “Lent: New Year’s Resolutions for Jesus.” February 23, 2012,

<http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2012/02/23/lent-new-years-resolutions-for-jesus/>; Leah Bresco.

“‘Atheist Lent’ and False Unity.” February 26, 2012<http://www.patheos.com/blogs/unequallyyoked/2012/02/atheist-lent-and-false-unity.html>.

6 G.K. Chesterton. “The great majority of people will go on observing forms that cannot be explained; they will

keep Christmas Day with Christmas gifts and Christmas benedictions; they will continue to do it; and some day

suddenly wake up and discover why.” – On Christmas, Generally Speaking

https://twitter.com/#!/Pope2YouVatican

https://twitter.com/#!/Pope2YouVatican



Jesus, his calling, his obedience, his faithfulness. Our participation in Lent is actually a response

to his action in history and his action in our lives.

Lent emerges as a time of fasting for catechumens prior to baptism sometime in the early fourth

century. Catechumens where those preparing to enter into the church. They went through a time

of catechism under the teaching of the priests and bishops and a time of personal repentance andreflection that preceded their baptism during Pascha (Easter Day).

Catechism is the teaching of the faith. To catechize literally means to sound down into the heart.7

The truths of our faith must penetrate deeper than the mind to the heart over time by rehearsing,

remembering, reflecting on God’s redeeming action in history. Thus catechism was not simply

for new converts, but the rest of the church as well. Many older believers joined the catechumens

and sat under the teaching and entered into a time a personal reflection and repentance. Thisyearly journey became a time for returning to the source of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ and

his redeeming action in our lives rooted in the work of the cross.

Today we follow this ancient practice by returning to the source of our faith, the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. In today’s reading from Mark, we encounter Jesus being baptized and then

immediately sent into the wilderness for forty days, facing temptations by Satan, living amongwild animals and being ministered to by angels. To enter into Mark’s witness of the Gospel, let’s

briefly revisit his opening words.

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,

who will prepare your way,3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord,make his paths straight,’ ”4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for

the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out tohim and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John

was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts

and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I,the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I have baptized you

with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (ESV)

Mark opens his account of the Gospel in the wilderness. He starts with the prophecy of Isaiah

about a voice of one crying in the wilderness, then he introduces us to John the Baptist in thewilderness, wearing camel’s hair and eating locusts. “ And all the country of Judea and all

Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” Before Jesus appears, Israel is in a time of renewal.

7 This word comes from an ancient Greek term, katēcheō, meaning “to sound from above”(Theological Dictionary

of the New Testament, Vol. 3, Page 637) or to “teach by word of mouth” (Encyclopedia of Christianity, Vol 1, p

360). Two Greek words from this word, “kata” meaning according to, after, against, in, down (Strongs, 2596) and

“echos” meaning sound and sometimes used to speak about the roar of the waves (Strongs, 2279).



There are at least four renewal movements at work in Judaism: the Jews who observe Temple

sacrifices and worship (Sadducees); those who study the Torah and seek to live by the way of the

Law (Pharisees); those who have withdrawn into communities in the wilderness awaiting aspiritual renewal (Essences); and those who seek to restore the land by revolting against Rome

(Zealots). Each of these distinctive movements are seeking some form of renewal.

Mark’s opening indicates the hope of transition. All Judea and Jerusalem are coming to

wilderness, confessing their sins and being baptized in hopes of God’s restoration. Israel is under

Roman occupation. Herod is a false king sitting on the throne. Since the fall of Jerusalem, Godhas not re-established a king on the throne. So a usurper sits on the throne.

At the time of Christ’s coming, the wealthy in Israel have known a time of prosperity. It looks

good on one level, but Mark reveals a wilderness where people are truly longing for a change,for the true king, for a new time of God’s favor to commence.

Jesus joins the people of Judea and Jerusalem in the wilderness with Mark. He comes to Mark to

be baptized, and when he comes up out of the water, Jesus sees the heavens open, hears theFather speak, and is anointed by the Spirit for service. The crowds do not see or hear. They are

still blind and deaf in the wilderness.

Jesus hears the Father say, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” R.T. France

emphasizes that though the allusions are important to explore, we as the reader must first hear

the Father acknowledging Jesus’ identity as His Son.8 Then we can proceed to explore the threeessential references connected to this announcement:

“Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to lthe land of Moriah, and

offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

(Genesis 22:2 ESV)

“You are my Son; today I have begotten you.” (Psalm 2:7 ESV)

“Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my

Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” (Isaiah 42:1 ESV)

According to France, the Genesis reference is closer in manuscript to the Mark 1:11 verse.9 But

this verse about Isaac seems the least related. The Isaac story culminates the story of Abraham

8 “God’s voice declares that Jesus is his son. There is a danger, in the complex scholarly debates over the scriptural

background and the precise connotations of the words used, that we fail to hear what the voice actually says. There

are intriguing (if sometimes speculative) implications for the parameters of Jesus’ mission to be drawn from theanalysis of these ten pregnant words, but one thing is clear beyond doubt: Jesus is here explicitly identified in the

terms used in Mark’s heading, υ ς θεο . In the narrative that follows there will be secrecy and paradox, but here inἱὸ ῦ

the prologue there is open declaration. The reader need be in no doubt, whatever the reactions of the actors in the

story.” France, R. T. (2002). The Gospel of Mark : A commentary on the Greek text (79). Grand Rapids, Mich.;

Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.

9 “The wording of Gn. 22:2 LXX taken on its own is, as we have noted, closer to that of Mk. 1:11 than the LXX of

either of the other two passages cited, but whereas they were both clearly understood as messianic prophecies, the

story of Isaac is at first sight less obviously relevant.” France, R. T. (2002). The Gospel of Mark : A commentary on

the Greek text (81). Grand Rapids, Mich.; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.

http://www.esvbible.org/2Ch3.1/

http://www.esvbible.org/2Ch3.1/



who in Genesis 12 is called by the Lord to leave the land of his family and go to the place where

God calls him. Through Abraham, the Lord promises to bless all families of the earth.

This blessing is dependent on a the coming of the “son of promise,” but Abraham and Sarah are

barren. They cannot produce this son of promise by their own strength. It requires the grace of

God. When the Lord finally blesses them with child, Abraham is told to offer the child insacrifice.

We know the story. The Lord ultimately takes a ram instead, and Isaac is spared. This son of

promise gets to live again. Now if we think of that story in relation to Mark 1:11, we see that

Jesus comes as the long awaited “son of promise.” He will ultimately fulfill the promise given to

Abraham in Genesis 12. Through Jesus all families on the earth will be blessed. Unlike Isaac,

Jesus will offer his life as a sacrifice, and through his self-offering on the cross, the power of sin

and evil will be broken and all families in the earth will be blessed.

With an allusion to Genesis 22:2 at the baptism of Jesus, we see both a promise of blessing and

the ultimate direction of his ministry: a path to the cross.

Psalm 2 is a psalm about the coronation of the king. Pope Benedict XVI suggests that the

language of verse 7 (You are my Son; today I have begotten you) is a distinct transformation of

the eastern notion of kingship. In “Jesus of Nazareth,” Benedict explains that when a king rose to

the throne in Egypt and Babylon, he became the “begotten son of god.” 10 In Egyptian, he is

begotten in a mystical way and actually becomes the son of god. In Babylon, he is legally adopted

as the son of god.

When God calls Moses to confront Pharaoh, he shifts the idea of son from king to people.

22

Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son,23

and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’ ” (Exodus 4:22-23 ESV)

The family of Israel is declared to be the firstborn or begotten of God. Through Moses, the idea

of the son of god is connected to election. Israel is elect by God to be the firstborn son, and

through Israel, God will reveal Himself to the nations, and through Israel, God will realize his

redemptive plan for all nations. When Israel eventually has kings, the king is not a separate son

of god from the people, but rather he is the embodiment of the nation.

The King of Israel stands on behalf of all the people. In fact, Deuteronomy warns Israel that

when they get a king he must submit to Torah and not be exalted above his brothers.11

Theconnection between the king and the people might be likened to the tale of the Fisher King.

When the king is sick and dying, the land is sick and dying because the king and land are one.12

In Israel, the king and the people are one. The king embodies Israel. So Psalm 2 is a coronation

10 Jospeh Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), translated by Adrian J. Walker. Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in

the Jordan to the Transfiguration. Ignatius Press: San Francisco, 2007, pp. 335-338.

11See Deuteronomy 17:14-20

12See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher_King



psalm focused on the king/Israel as son of God. The king is anointed by God to go and fight the

enemies of God.

The Psalm 2 reference implies that Jesus is being coronated as king. He is the long awaited

Messiah come to defeat the enemies of Israel, heal the people restore the land, and purify the

Temple of God.

Finally we come to the passage in Isaiah. The Isaiah passage refers to the servant of the Lord. He

is raised up to bring justice to the nations. Now if we follow the rhythm of Isaiah, the first 39

chapters focus on judgment. Israel and the surrounding nations are all judged and found wanting.

They are exposed for idolatry, corruption, oppression and all manner of dehumanizing activity. In

chapter 40, Isaiah begins to offer a picture of restoration.

There are a series of songs the focus on God’s servant being raised up to restore, comfort, heal,

and bring justice to the nations. The promise of redemption is not limited to Israel, but to all

nations. In chapter 49, we hear the song opening God’s salvation to the nations:

And now the LORD says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring

Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him—for I am honored in the

eyes of the LORD, and my God has become my strength—he says: “It is too light a thing

that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the

preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may

reach to the end of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:5-6 ESV)

Jesus is the servant of the Lord who has come to restore not only Israel but all the nations. Nowwe have three similar images bound together in one proclamation. The Father proclaims that

Jesus is His Beloved Son in Whom He is well pleased. This Beloved Son fulfills the promise of

given to Abraham. This Beloved Son will lay down His life as a sacrifice. In His self-offering,He will rule as the true King gone to war with the evil one. He will defeat evil, bring healing to

the nations and restore the entire cosmos.

With that picture in mind, we return to Mark. Immediately after the Father speaks, the Spirit

drives Jesus into the wilderness.

The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness

forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angelswere ministering to him. (Mark 1:12-13 ESV)

Jesus begins his ministry by entering into a wilderness where he will be tempted by Satan, livewith the wild animals, and be ministered to be angels. In one sense, Mark’s story of the

temptation gives a glimpse of Jesus’ whole ministry.

He comes to the world that the Father created in and through him to redeem this same world in

and through him by the power of the Spirit. Some of the Church Fathers see this entrance into thewilderness as a return to the Garden of Eden. But the garden is now a wilderness. The animals

are no longer in submission to man but are wild animals. And demons inhabit the waste places.



This picture makes me think of C.S. Lewis’s novel, “Prince Caspian.” In the opening pages,

Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy return to Narnia. They only been away one year. When they left,they had established Cair Paravel as the glorious palace that ruled this wondrous kingdom of

peace. They return a year later, but something is wrong.

Centuries have passed in Narnia. Cair Paravel is no longer a glorious palace but a wasteland. An

invading force called the Telmarines now rules the land. The talking animals have been banished.

Darkness covers the land. The children must unite the animals, defeat the Telmarines and restorethe land.

It is this image that may now help us begin to think properly about Lent. Instead of starting with

a focus on our self-discipline or on fasting or penance, we start with a focus on Jesus who hascome to the wilderness of His creation. His good and wonderful Garden of Eden is now a

wasteland. The enemy gained a foothold through sin and now the true children of God are

banished, enslaved by false and evil powers.

Jesus comes as the anointed of God to defeat the power of evil and restore the wasteland. But I

would suggest that He doesn’t simply enter a wasteland outside of Judea. He comes to thewasteland of the human heart. During Lent, we celebrate our Savior who did not abandon us in

our own wilderness. For we ourselves have known the wasting impact of sin. We ourselves have

been attacked by wild animals and demons. We ourselves need redemption.

Fasting helps to strip away the illusions of our false paradises. Just as Mark peels back the veneer

of Herod’s kingdom to reveal a wilderness, the Spirit reveals the emptiness of our empty hopes

outside of Christ.

During Lent, we meet Christ in the wilderness as He leads us to the cross, our hope of death and

resurrection. We follow Jesus as He retraces Adam’s steps back to the Garden and defeats theserpent. We follow Jesus as He meet Abraham, fulfilling the promise to bless all nations through

him. We follow Jesus as He fulfills the call of Israel to be the firstborn of God, the kingdom of

priests. We follow Jesus as He brings justice to the nations. We follow Jesus into the wildernessof our own hearts as He exposes, heals and redeems our broken places, waste places, hidden

places.

During Lent, we return. We come back to our catechism. We relearn who we are in Christ. Werediscover what is means to be human. We reconnect with the heart of our faith hidden in the

cross. Our Lenten meditations, fasting or other practices our simply ways of listening, of waiting,

of hearing the Word of God echoed deep into our hearts.

For those who want to practice a way of Lent, I would suggest you think of fasting as feeding on

His faithfulness. For man does not live by bread alone but by every word the proceeds from themouth of God.13 I would suggest watching and waiting upon Jesus. Listen and respond.

13And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers

know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes

from the mouth of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV)



Let Him lead you inward and outward. Let His light reveal the waste places in your own heart

that need His healing touch. As He convicts, yield to His Spirit of repentance. For repentance istruly a work of His grace.

At the same time, let Him lead you in the wilderness places around you. Our workplaces, our communities, and our world are filled with dark places, waste places, hopeless places. Jesus is

present in these places and He may be calling you to join Him. Let Him lead you into the places

and among the people who need you to reveal His lovingkindess through your action and your embrace.

As we follow, He will lead us by way of the cross into life more abundant.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Spirit, Amen.

lent 1- jesus in the wilderness

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