Theologian Anna Madsen points out that the key to understanding Jesus’ journey in the wilderness is that it immediately follows his baptism. “Baptism gives us freedom – not least of all, freedom to be who we are called to be,” she says.
Anna says: “The Jewish notion of Satan – at least pre-Babylonian captivity – was more of a ‘building inspector.’ The issue was whether or not the creature whom God built stood up to the standards God said he said.”
Jesus is out in the wilderness having his standards tested. Anything could happen out there, yet he is willing to go, to follow where he is led, to trust that he has chosen rightly and that seeking righteousness will lead him to where he needs to be.
And then, of course, he comes back. “He always came back from the wilderness,” Anna reminds me. The point, Anna says, is not getting away and escaping. The point is to live up to the commitment we’ve made with our lives.
This message is excerpted from “Into the wilderness for Lent” by Sarah Carson in the January/February 2022 Gather magazine. Today is the First Sunday in Lent.
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