Christ in the Desert
Romans 10:8-13
8 But what does it say?
“The word is near you,
in your mouth and in your heart”
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim), 9 because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe[b] in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For one believes[c] with the heart, leading to righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, leading to salvation. 11 The scripture says, “No one who believes[d] in him will be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Luke 4:1-13
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 tested 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 led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, 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 led him to Jerusalem and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple and said 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.
Christ in the Desert
Christ in the Desert is the name of a Benedictine monastery in New Mexico’s Chama River Canyon Wilderness area. Thomas Merton lived there for one year just before he left for his tour of Asia. I have included a link to their website in the written text.
That such a place is named Christ in the Desert is significant because it speaks to the importance of this image. Christ going into the desert is a model for the prayer life, the interior life, the life of the contemplative. And Christ in the desert is the example on which the spiritual practices of Lent are based.
This morning on the first Sunday in Lent, our readings usher us into Lent. In the reading from Romans, we have a well-known statement defining the Christian faith, the message of salvation. And in the reading from Luke, we have the story of Christ’s temptation in the desert.
Recall that a few weeks ago, during all of our snowstorms, we were studying Luke chapter four, and I said that we would skip the temptation story and return to it at the beginning of Lent. So here we are. This reading is our entry into Lent.
Christ goes into the desert, praying and fasting for forty days. It is a time of inner preparation for him. Just after his Baptism, and before his ministry begins, he goes into the desert alone, to prepare for the beginning of his ministry. During this time, set aside in solitude, prayer and fasting, his resolve is tested. And he returns from the desert experience grounded and solid. He is bombproof. Nothing will phase him; nothing will deter him. He knows who he is and what his purpose is. And so, the temptations in solitude are Christ’s last test before he began teaching. The three temptations are like a credentialing exam. They temper him, like steel is tempered to make it stronger. The image of Christ in the desert offers us an unending stream of spiritual inspiration.
Final Exams
Remember final exams in school? Talk about anxiety! I remember being extremely anxious about final exams. Sitting down for a final exam seemed like such a matter of life or death. So much was at stake. Your entire life was at stake. Your entire future, whether or not you would be successful in life, and moreover, whether or not you were a valid human being, whether you had any worth at all, was all wrapped up in your performance on that final exam! Of course, this was an exaggeration. But anxiety is caused by exaggerated thinking. Even so, at the time, it sure felt like a life or death situation!
I used to have a recurring nightmare about this. In the nightmare, I walk into my classroom and sit down, get out my notebook, and get ready to take notes, thinking it’s just another regular day of class. But then, the teacher says, “All right, now, clear your desks except for a pen and a pencil, and I will hand out the Final Exam!” What? Final exam? Today is the final exam? I totally forgot about it! I’m completely unprepared! And then, I would wake up and realize I had been dreaming!
The Three Temptations
But you know, Jesus is not nervous about this final exam in the desert. He is not worried at all about the three temptations, because he is already prepared. He knows the answers already. He knows what his commitments are. He knows what his purpose and his mission is. And he knows who he is in relation to God’s plan.
What are these three temptations? In general, the devil is trying to undermine Jesus, to discredit him, to make him break his vows, cause him to make a mistake, get him to deny God, and to deny his mission. The devil is trying to get power over him, and to take control of him, and to get him to doubt himself. So the devil finds him in the desert and asks him three questions. These three questions and Christ’s responses give us some very practical material for examining our own lives; practical instructions for ways to improve our lives, following Christ’s example.
- First Temptation: Break your vow.
After forty days and nights of prayer and fasting, Jesus is hungry. And so the devil tempts him with food. But Jesus has already made a commitment to fasting. This test is about commitment. In a commitment, you do what you say you’re going to do. So, Jesus refuses the temptation. He does not break his vow. He makes a commitment and then follows through.
When I lived in Italy, I had a friend who was trying to quit smoking. For ten years, he was trying to quit smoking. One morning, we got together for coffee at the local bar, and he said to me, “Edoardo, finally, I quit smoking. See, I’m throwing away my cigarettes right now.” And he threw them in the garbage. I congratulated him, and we talked for a while about other things. And then, he turned to the man on the other side of him and said, “Excuse me sir, would you kindly do me a favor and lend me a cigarette?”
My friend was kidding himself. He was fooling himself. He wanted to quit smoking. But he didn’t really want to quit smoking. He wanted to want to quit. But there were too many loop-holes in his commitment. It was no commitment at all. It was an open-ended commitment!
On the other hand, I’ve talked with plenty of people who simply decided to quit smoking and just do it. They make a commitment, and then, it’s done. They never smoke again. It’s that simple.
Sometimes for Lent, people like to give up chocolate, or give up sugar, or something like that. And that’s fine. But the point is more generally about keeping your commitments. If you make a commitment, then keep it. If you decide to read a book, then do it. Set a timer and read one hour a day until the book is finished.
This is especially important these days, in our environment of constant distractions. If you are going to have a conversation with your partner, then do it. Commit to actually being present with that person, even if it’s only for five minutes. Turn off your phone and be completely THERE with that person. Make practical and achievable commitments to your life and your relationships, and watch how your life and your relationships get better.
- Second Temptation: to Sell Out. To Give up your Purpose. Make a deal with the devil for power or greed. To Sell your soul to the devil.
The second temptation is about selling your soul, making a deal with the devil. The devil takes Jesus up to a mountain top, shows him the whole world, and says, “I’ll give you power and authority over all this world. All you have to do is bow down and worship me.” But Jesus already knows what his purpose and his mission is. And so there is no question of selling out, no question of selling his soul or making a deal with the devil for some personal gain, personal power, personal ego enhancement. Jesus cannot be sidetracked from his purpose. So he easily passes this second test. Again, he already knows the answer.
Here we have the original Faustian bargain, in which something of great spiritual and moral value is traded for power or riches, or youth, or pleasure. The story of Faust comes from an old German folktale. It’s been retold in many different versions, but the main idea is that the character named Faust makes a deal with the devil. He sells his soul to the devil in return for worldly power and ambition. So the teaching here is to watch out. Be aware of the ways we sell our souls to the devil, and lose our way, lose our purpose.
- The Third Temptation: Reveal your true identity to prove something.
This one is more subtle and more devious. The devil takes Jesus to Jerusalem, to the Jerusalem Temple, and they go to a place way up high, like a tower or the roof of the Temple. And the devil says, “If you really are the Son of God, if you really are so great, then why don’t you prove it? Just jump off of this tower and let the angels catch you. Then you can show everyone how great you are! Go ahead! Jump!” And here, the devil even quotes scripture to Jesus, to try to convince him to jump.
The devil tries to appeal to Jesus’ ego. Prove who you really are, come on, let’s see it. This is a kind of taunting. But Jesus already knows who he is. He doesn’t need to prove it to anyone. He doesn’t need to reveal his hand. He already knows three things: He knows what his commitments are. He knows what his purpose and his mission is. And finally, he knows who he is in relation to God’s plan. So there is no need to prove anything.
This third challenge is also about knowing God’s ways: “If you are the Son of God, then you can just do whatever you want to do. Go ahead. Why not?” But Jesus responds, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” This is an instruction for us to accept God’s ways, to accept the will of God. Each week we pray, “Thy will be done.” Not my will, but Thy will.
So the lesson here in this last temptation is more subtle and more difficult to understand, but it’s about humility, and knowing our place, knowing who we are, knowing why we are here, knowing what we are doing. The devil is very tricky, very conniving. He tries to persuade Jesus with flattery and lies, even quoting scripture! But again, Jesus already knows his purpose and his mission, so this is an easy exam question for him. He doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone.
In conclusion, we are, each one of us, Christ in the desert. We struggle in our prayer life. We struggle with the everyday, ordinary need to survive on this planet. We struggle with temptation. We are tested in our faith. We continue to learn and grow, as we find out who we are and how we are meant to live as followers of Christ. So here are three takeaway points for us. Let’s keep our commitments to ourselves and to one another. Let’s fulfill our purpose and mission. And let’s know who we are in relation to God.
Now this doesn’t have to be anything fancy. The prayer life is not fancy. It’s modest and ordinary. The prayer life could look like something very simple and practical, for example, just eating Monday night dinner and going to bed. If there is ice on the parking lot, throw salt on it. Nothing fancy. Just living a simple and modest life. Taking care of yourself as best you can. Going to your doctor appointments. Buying groceries. Washing your clothes. Putting gas in your car. Talking with a friend. Going for a walk. Singing a song. Christ in the desert is simple and ordinary. And so, being satisfied and grateful for the life God has given us, we walk together into Lent. Amen? Amen.