Luke 4:1-13

Lent 1 - Year C

Luke 4:1-13

Guarantee: Get Spirit: Get Tempted.

If there is one thing that the Spirit of Life is not, it is not a guarantee of anything. It blows where it will and in its wake come all the Pandoran temptations to turn from life to death. Somehow or other Spirit, in all its ecstasy, leaves hope behind.

Without hope still remaining, Spirit feels like an answer to prayer and arrives with great transformative power. Imagine the Transfiguration scene from last week and everything works out well — Jesus floats away. Rather death was an intimate part of that event, including the conversation with Moses and Elijah and Jesus’ announcement on the way down the mountain and more?
 
The spirit comes, belovedness arrives and is tempted away from being a grounded self to an elevated sense of self. Why not turn stones to bread or the other way around? Why not use this new charisma to develop a political following? Why not test the boundaries of miracle?

Do note that the temptations will continue to follow any who dare pay attention to the spiritual part of their life. So rejoice in the temptations and learn from them. This removes their power from them and transfers it to you. There is another temptation on its way, are you ready to rejoice and learn? If not, what is Lent for?