Tag Archives: wilderness

Journey On

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The gospel for today includes the well known passage from John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.” It also includes a perhaps not as well known passage: “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up” I think folks quickly get “Son of Man…lifted up” as a reference to Jesus’ crucifixion and death on Good Friday. But the part, “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert…” is perhaps unfamiliar and is easy to get lost in the fame of John 3:16.

The first reading today is from The Book of Numbers, the fourth book of the Old Testament. Numbers is the title of the book in English, but the Hebrew title is Bemiḏbar, “in the wilderness” which is a better description as the whole book recounts a large part of the 40 years in the wilderness between Israel’s enslavement in Egypt and reaching the Promised Land. It has not been an easy journey and the people have complained about… well, about everything. It is an ongoing litany of “what have you done for us lately.” The people even go so far as to complain to Moses:  “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!” These are not happy campers on this wilderness trek.

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Three Lessons for Lent

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The very first liturgical action in the Rite of Baptism isn’t pouring water – it is marking the one to recieve baptism with the sign of the cross – traced on the forehead. At the same time speaking the words, “I claim you for Christ…” They are powerful words, words of life and death. Words that mark a new beginning. “I claim you for Christ…” This is who you are and whose you are. Similar words mark the public ministry of the Messiah, “This is my beloved Son…”

Then off all go into the world, into the wilderness that can be this life.

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The Wilderness

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This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent in Lectionary Cycle B. As noted in a previous commentary, the gospels of the Season of Advent follow a particular pattern.  For the Second Sunday of Advent the Gospel readings focus on the preaching and ministry of John the Baptist as the precursor or forerunner of Jesus, the one who came to “Prepare the Way of the Lord,” by calling the people to turn back to God. The readings often include passages from the Old Testament, particularly from the book of Isaiah. This Sunday the first reading is taken from Isaiah 40 and succinctly proclaims: “A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the LORD! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!” All of these first reading OT prophecies are associated with John the Baptist, and his role as the one who fulfills these prophecies is emphasized. Like Isaiah, John the Baptist’s message was one of repentance and conversion, a fitting Advent theme. Continue reading →

The third test

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This coming Sunday is the first Sunday in Lent and the gospel is the temptation/testing of Jesus in the desert. The climactic scene occurs in Jerusalem, where the devil takes Jesus to the “parapet” of the Temple.

 9 Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet 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 guard you,’ 11 and: ‘With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” 12 Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’” 13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.

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The second test

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This coming Sunday is the first Sunday in Lent and the gospel is the temptation/testing of Jesus in the desert. From the mundane of concerns about daily bread, we are taken to the lofty heights.

5 Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. 6 The devil said to him, “I shall give to you all this power and their glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. 7 All this will be yours, if you worship me.” 8 Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.’”

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The first test

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This coming Sunday is the first Sunday in Lent and the gospel is the temptation/testing of Jesus in the desert.  Jesus has been fasting for forty days. He is hungry and vulnerable – and in a weakened physical and mental state.

1 Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert 2 for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”

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The background of Jesus’ temptations

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This coming Sunday is the first Sunday in Lent and the gospel is the temptation/testing of Jesus in the desert.  Before immersing ourselves in the details of the three temptations, perhaps an overview of their OT background would help locate our gospel in context.

The First Temptation (4:3-4): If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.  The response is from Deuteronomy 8:3: “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”  The context in Deuteronomy is that Moses reminds the people of Israel that God tested them in the wilderness by hunger, but he fed them with manna in order to make them understand that one does not live by bread alone. Continue reading →

The nature of temptation

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This coming Sunday is the first Sunday in Lent and the gospel is the temptation/testing of Jesus in the desert. An earlier post today addressed the background of testing/temptation in a broad Scriptural way. This second post narrows that thread to consider the NT witness to the temptation from the four gospels. As well there is short section on temptation and the human will. Continue reading →

Testing and temptation

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This coming Sunday is the first Sunday in Lent and the gospel is the temptation/testing of Jesus in the desert. As often noted, Luke writes with a narrative intent. This is true also for the account of the temptations. Luke 4:1–13 presents a number of key elements linking it to surrounding material, helping to ensure its interpretation as a bridge scene moving Jesus from his reception of the Spirit at his baptism to his public ministry. The most obvious such bridges include references to the other worldly (3:21–22; 4:5), the setting of the wilderness in the vicinity of the Jordan (3:2–3, 4, 21; 4:1, 14), the Holy Spirit (3:22; 4:1, 1, 14, 16), Jesus’ sonship (3:22, 38; 4:3, 9, 41 – If you are the Son of God), the attention to the meaning of Jesus’ mission, and Jesus’ encounter with hostile forces – human and spiritual (4:2–13, 22–30, 33–36). Continue reading →

In the wilderness

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This coming Sunday is the first Sunday in Lent, Lectionary Cycle C. The season of Lent has its own end and purpose, so we should not expect continuity from the previous week that was part of Ordinary Time. Last Sunday the gospel was part of Lukan “Sermon on the Plain.” Depending on the calendar year and the celebration of Easter we might have an early or late start to Lent.  We’ll hear the opening verses of the “Sermon” on the sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time, but it is not unusual to not celebrate the 7th and 8th Sundays which carry lots of the details. This year (2022) we did celebrate those two Sundays. (Note: in 2016 we had a very early Easter and so even the 6th Sunday was not celebrated.) Continue reading →