Trials and Temptation: It Is Never Too Late
 
“In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts, and the angels waited on him.”
Mark 1:9-13, NRSV
 
In the daily readings for today, we read this passage from Mark’s Gospel that tells of Jesus’ baptism, His identification as God’s son and His time in the wilderness. Mark, the fast Gospel, removes all the details about that time in the wilderness, giving us only the bare skeleton of the story: Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness tempted by Satan, and stayed with the wild beasts while the angels waited on Him. Both Matthew and Luke take the time to fill in more details about the baptism and the ways Jesus was tempted during those 40 days, but in five short verses in the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus was baptized, identified as God’s son, tempted by Satan in the wilderness, and then moved on to His ministry of casting out demons and healing people. It is important that after being identified as divine, Jesus went through a time of trial, a time of temptation, before beginning His ministry serving God the Father.
 
That is the model for how we spend our 40 in Lent. During Lent, we prepare ourselves for the celebration of the Resurrection. This is a time of focusing on what is important and true; discerning how we will live out our faith even when presented with temptations that draw us away from God. The exact detail of how we accomplish that focus is part of the work that we must do. Even if you have not committed to take on a Lenten discipline yet during this season, there is still time. It is never too late to focus on your relationship with God, to identify what gets in the way of that relationship and discover what you can to do draw closer to God.
 
A Prayer:
Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to thee, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly Thine, utterly dedicated unto Thee; and then use us, we pray Thee, as Thou wilt, and always to Thy glory and the welfare of Thy people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
"The Book of Common Prayer," p. 832
The Rev. Lisa R. Neilson
Associate for Pastoral Care and Women's Ministries
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