Take some time right now to list the temptations that you face throughout your daily life. Really do it. Take out a piece of paper and write them down.
Consider this: Lent is not about who you are, rather it is about to whom you belong.
In the same way that Jesus faces temptations in the desert, we also face temptations during Lent. Jesus faces the temptation to turn stones into bread in order to ease his hunger, and we face the temptation to turn Lent into a diet scheme in which we overcome our addiction to chocolate in a single-handed way.
The temptation here, for both Jesus and us, is to give into a temptation that makes everything about ourselves rather than God.
There are millions starving in the world, and Jesus is tempted to use his power to feed himself. There are millions starving in the world, and we are tempted to ignore that reality and, instead, worry about how our figure looks in the mirror.
The temptation is to make our entire spiritual life about our own, personal walk. The temptation is for us to focus on Jesus’ ability to overcome temptations, and to gauge whether or not we are able to accomplish a similar act of self-salvation.
But, I remind you that Lent is not about who you are, rather it is about to whom you belong.
We are tempted by stuff every single day. It is such a regular occurrence that we probably do not even realize it is happening anymore. With that reality in mind, the whole point of focusing on temptations through Lent is not to create a test so that we can prove our worth in overcoming the temptations, but to focus on the temptations themselves; so that we might recognize them when they come.
I invite you to not choose giving up chocolate for a Lenten discipline. When we do so, it ends up being a test on whether or not we were able to save ourselves from its evil, creamy and succulent ravages. Such a Lenten discipline focuses on over-indulgence of a treat and completely misses the reality that our neighbor does not even have bread.
The disciplines of Lent are not about proving ourselves worthy of God’s love and attention.
Notice that Jesus does not need to prove himself in order to be worthy of the title, "Son of God." God had torn open the heavens and declared Jesus as the beloved before he even set out in his ministry.
And, we too, have already been declared a child of God in the waters of our baptism. Jesus had nothing to prove here, and neither do we. Temptations are not about proving our worth.
However, the thing for which we do need training through the desert time of Lent is recognizing the kind of temptations that are coming our way.
“And, what are these temptations?” Biblical scholar Karoline Lewis in her February 26th, 2017 www.workingpreacher.org article answers: “To satisfy your own hungers when millions go hungry.” (Turning the stones into bread.) “To insist that God’s loyalty and promises need to be tested on a regular basis.” (Testing whether or not God cares and will send angels to save from a fall.) “To choose the power that the world values over obedience to God.” (The temptation to be ruler of the kingdom and make the world work your way.)
In other words, temptations seek to make you focus on yourself. The temptation is to worry about who you are, rather than to whom you belong.
The tempter would love us to focus only on ourselves and completely ignore our neighbor.
The tempter would love us to ignore the love of Jesus on the cross and have us question constantly whether or not God loves us.
The tempter would love us to seek to make the world in our own image rather than in God’s image.
And, the tempter would love it if we ignored all who seek to do these very things themselves and refused to hold them accountable.
But, Jesus knows to whom he belongs. Jesus sees these temptations coming and feeds the 5000 when temptation tells the disciples that the hungry people should just go feed themselves. God cares for the poor and the hungry.
Jesus knows to whom he belongs. Jesus sees the these temptations coming and he trusts what God is doing as he hangs on the cross for living a life of radical love. He hears, and ignores the tempting taunts of the people who would convince him that God does not care. God does care and raises him on the third day.
Jesus knows to whom he belongs. Jesus sees the temptations coming when he is given the opportunity to rule the world anyway that he sees fit, but instead chooses to follow the ways of God the Father. God cares that God’s kingdom come and that God’s will is done for the sake of the neighbor. God cares about all who live in the kingdom.
Lent is not about who you are, nor is it about how great you are or how you are able or not able to overcome temptation. Lent is about to whom you belong. Lent is about God, and those God cares about: your neighbors. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Therefore, do not make this Lent about what you will give up. Rather, make this Lent about who you will live for. May this Lent be the time that you strive to care for God and all that God loves.
But, you can only focus on this love of God and love of neighbor if you are able to recognize the temptations that might get in the way.
Given all of this, I ask you to again list the temptations that come your way. List the ones that block you from caring about your neighbor. Really do it. Your second list will probably look different from your first list now that you know the nature of temptation.
Recognize these temptations so that they may not block your view of Jesus and his love for others. Just as Jesus loves us, no matter what, may Jesus lead you in ways of love this Lent and always.
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