A Hungry Test

Before he began his ministry, Jesus went into the desert to be tempted by the satan. He had been fasting for 40 days when the tests began. Jesus had must have felt, let's say, uncomfortable. But he had been praying for 40 days, so he was spiritually prepared.

The satan's first temptation came like this: "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Surely Jesus had the power to do so. His 40 day fast was almost over. Matthew (4:2) tells us that indeed he was hungry. 

This is a powerful temptation for a hungry man. He could satisfy his physical desire, and he could also prove to himself and the satan that he truly was the Son of God.

But he could also use this power to feed the world. Jesus would return to villages full of hungry people, those on the margins who suffered want because of unfair circumstances. What better way to announce the kingdom of God than to offer free bread, supernatural bread, bread from heaven? Jesus would immediately have a following who would stand with him against corrupt Temple leadership and against Roman oppression. 

But Jesus declined. "It is written, 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Jesus would provide bread in his ministry, but not to satisfy his own hunger or to buy the support of a mob. 

Every day we are tempted to take short-cuts. We can get what we want and look like we are helping people in the process. We can gain popularity or power. But Jesus knew the power of self-denial. When we practice self-denial, we open ourselves to the real power of God.

Fast Ideas

What should I give up for Lent? If you haven't yet chosen something to give up for Lent, it's not too late! The whole point of the Lenten fast is to draw closer to the Lord. It's never too late for that. Remember, self denial makes us more sensitive to the truths Jesus would reveal to us.

So here are some suggestions of things to give up for Lent. You could give them up entirely, or give them up in certain circumstances. For example, I am giving up Facebook on my phone, but I am checking it with my computer occasionally.

• Social media
• Some type of meat
• Coffee
• Alcohol
• A selected TV streaming service
• Online shopping
• Snacking between meals
• Ice cream
• The shortest line at the grocery store (choose the longest one)
• Video games
• Hitting the snooze button
• Processed food
• Swearing
• Makeup
• News consumption
• Binge watching
• Taking the closest parking place
• Using AI
• Looking at every mirror
• Obsessing over weight
• Removing certain apps from your phone
• Ear buds

Why do Christians need a calendar?

The Christian tradition includes a pattern for teaching important events in the life of Jesus every year. The year begins with Advent, the season of anticipating Jesus' birth. It concludes (usually late November) with Christ the King Sunday. One of the seasons in the life of Jesus is Lent, which ushers in the celebration of Easter.

Long ago church leaders wanted to make sure that their teachings covered all the important stories. They devised a calendar, prescribing certain Bible passages and stories that should be taught. You can find the current church calendar here. 

I have to admit that I don't know a lot about the calendar, but I do know that I need regular reminders. In the season of Lent, I need to remember my own mortality, need for the grace of God, and the great sacrificial love that Jesus gives to me.

Why Fast?

One of the traditions of the Lenten season is fasting. Back in the early days of the Church, believers decided that preparation for Easter should include fasting. One could fast on Ash Wednesday, on Good Friday, and abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent. If you wanted to have one last fling before Lent, you could overindulge on the day before Ash Wednesday. We call that day as Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras.

But fasting is a form of self denial. It is a way of acknowledging that life is not all about meeting our every desire. We can gain greater perspective from unsatisfied hunger pangs. And those pangs serve as reminders that Jesus endured indescribable pain as he approached the cross. His pain was emotional, as his friends deserted him; it was physical as he was beaten, nailed to the cross, and left to bleed until he suffocated; it was spiritual as he bore the guilt of the world's sin. He suffered because of his love for us, and his suffering defeated the power of sin and death over us.

Many Christians are fasting now, and that fasting can take many different forms. Some are avoiding certain foods, some taking a vacation from social media, some abstaining from alcohol. Tradition says that you can take a break from your fast on Sundays during Lent. So the 40 days do not include the six Sundays in the season, and the whole season is 46 days.

But when we deny ourselves, we find freedom from things that demand our attention. Even those good things (that we may resume after Easter) no longer have such a strangle hold on us. We have perspective. We have choice. We have freedom. We also have greater intimacy with the One who really suffered.

Ash Wednesday

On the Christian calendar, today is Ash Wednesday. It is the first day of the season Christians call Lent. We get the word lent from the Old English word lencten which simply means spring season. We all know what Easter is about, and early Christians realized the value of preparation for it. They chose to set aside a period of 40 days of preparation (or 46, if you include the Sundays). On Easter we celebrate the resurrection, Jesus's defeat of death. But to appreciate the joy of Easter, we need to remember the suffering and pain that put Jesus in the tomb. In his suffering, Jesus took on the world's sin. That means he took on my sin. For me to appreciate the depth of Jesus's love for me, I need to take a sober look at my own sin. That's what the season of Lent is all about.

This season begins with Ash Wednesday. Many Christians attend church services today in which they receive a cross-shaped smudge of ashes on their foreheads. The cross shape obviously reminds us of the Lord's death for us. But the ashes remind us of our limitations and mortality. 

After Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God told Adam, 

By the sweat of your face

You shall eat bread,
Until you return to the ground,
Because from it you were taken;
For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return.”

God made humanity from the dust. At the end of our days, we all return to dust. There are limitations that no one can overcome. Our time on earth is limited by death. So during the season of Lent we make a special effort to remember our limitations. 

There's a lot to learn about ourselves and our Lord this season. Happy Ash Wednesday!