Wilderness conjures up a lot of ambivalent images for us who study scripture. God appeared to Moses through the burning bush in the wilderness. The Ancient Israelites wandered almost aimlessly in the wilderness for decades. Many of them died there, including Moses. John the Baptist was a "voice of one calling in the wilderness." The wilderness does not seem like a very hospitable place. Yet, God's surprises abound in the wilderness!
And then there is the number 40, a long time in scripture. It rained 40 days and nights during the time of Noah. Forty years separated the crossing of the Red Sea and the crossing of the Jordan River. Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us that Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness being tested. Matthew and Luke add that he fasted. This narrative is the basis for the 40 days of Lent. We might imagine that Jesus was alone in the wilderness during those 40 days of testing. He was not. Jesus had company. Wild beasts. Angels. And Satan. God's surprises do abound in the wilderness!
My friends, let us never forget. Satan did not betray Jesus. Judas did. Satan did not deny Jesus. Peter did. Satan did not plot to arrest and kill Jesus in secret. The chief priests and scribes did. Satan did not abduct, torture, abuse, and murder Jesus. The Romans did. Satan is not behind the War on Terror and the War on the Poor. Satan is not responsible for the economies of death that pervade our world. Nor is Satan responsible for the deaths brought about by COVID-19. We all know who are responsible and should be held accountable for all these.
Lent begins today, Ash Wednesday. Who among us wants to spend 40 days in the wilderness being tested by Satan? Jesus went. And he passed.
*art, "Jesus is Tempted," JESUS MAFA, 1973, from Cameroon (from the vanderbilt divinity library digital archives).
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