4/3/2023 0 Comments Led into the wilderness![]() ![]() ![]() Does Jesus use his own power to make his own way? Will he grasp for power through the means of the current system? Will his ministry be all about performance? So how do we begin the difficult work of self examination and repentance? Lent offers us the wilderness temptations to shed a light on where complicity in this world’s systems have blinded us.Įach one of Jesus’ temptations is about how his power and influence is gained or used. This work does not come naturally for white people because we often build our lives in such a way that racism’s impacts are invisible to us. If we want to move towards the kingdom Jesus declares in Luke 4:18-19, we must submit to the Spirit’s guidance through the wilderness of Luke 4:1-13. Instead of the ways of empire, his way will be good news for the poor, freedom for the oppressed, and the outpouring of God’s favor (Luke 4:18-19).Īs a privileged person in a society centering whiteness, the work towards solidarity and racial justice must begin with repentance – to not just recite our litanies, but to examine how we are complicit in racist systems in our everyday life and practice. In each temptation Jesus responds faithfully to his identity as the Son of God – not as someone seeking to claim power, but humbling himself in a path that ultimately leads him to the cross (Philippians 2:5-8).Īfter leaving the wilderness, Jesus says how his kingdom and ministry will be different. Finally, he is tempted to gain influence through performance, throwing himself off the temple in Jerusalem. Then he is tempted to seize the power of the kingdoms of the world. Will he be like Caesar and other rulers of the time or will he reign over a different kind of kingdom? Is he truly God’s Son here to usher in a new way?įirst he is tempted to use his power to provide for himself like the Caesars and rulers of the time could do. His temptations test what kind of king he will be. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished.Įach year on the first Sunday in Lent we follow Jesus’ Spirit-led journey into the wilderness. ![]() Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. ![]()
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