After His baptism and before the start of His ministry on earth, the incarnate Son of God walked into the wilderness, no food or drink in hand. He fasted forty days and forty nights, Scripture tells us, and then “the tempter approached him” (Matthew 4:3). Hungry and thirsty and holding no tangible thing of value, Jesus was tempted to take hold of power, to test the Father’s love for Him, to make for Himself a feast of bread to satiate His languishing body. When His human weakness was met with temptation, how did He respond? Using the words of Scripture, He turned to the Father.
Instead of reaching out for what the world would say He needed, Jesus clung to what He couldn’t live without: “He answered, ‘It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4). Rather than yielding to the devil’s enticements, Jesus yielded Himself to the Father and glorified Him: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him” (v.10).
Our culture views empty-handedness as the lowliest of conditions. We are trained to find our worth in usefulness and status, and to seek joy in our possessions. On the off chance we look down to find our hands empty, we quickly scoop up something to hold on to—some bit of work or wealth, some duty or distraction to busy our bodies and entertain our minds. But this hands-full gospel is not the message of Jesus.
Lent is a season where we once again remember that our hope and strength are found in nothing but the cross of Christ. By engaging in daily Scripture reading, prayer, confession, and repentance in these weeks leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, we retrain our hearts to embrace the salvation we cannot earn. We came empty-handed when we first gave our lives to Him, and we have nothing of our own as we return to Him now—only what He has freely and graciously given us.
This forty-day walk into the wilderness will bring us face to face with the depth of our lack, our human frailty, and our sin. But it will bring us to the cross, where our High Priest, who modeled perfect dependence on the Father, will show us the cost of our forgiveness in the marks on His body, even as He invites us to receive mercy.
Lent is an invitation to put down everything we have picked up in order to take hold of the only One who can truly satisfy our heart’s deepest longings. It is a call to turn back, and experience a season of refreshing for our souls (Acts 3:19). Come with open hands, and freely receive (Isaiah 55).
Fist time doing lent. I’m soo excited to experience joy and God in this season.
Wow the Acts passage really stuck out to me…
19Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.
“Repent…that times of refreshing may come from presence of the Lord…”
I am so excited! This was so thoughtful, poignant and powerful!
What a beautiful explanation
What is the name of the playlist on Spotify? Trying to find it.
As I was reading through the temptation of Christ in Matt 4 it just leaped out of the pages to me this time that Satan was questioning the covenant God made with His people- His son. With the bread, He challenged Jesus’ belief that God would provide. With throwing himself over the cliff he was challenging God’s ability to protect Jesus and with offering Him dominion of the kingdoms through bowing to him Satan was challenging God’s loyalty to His son and each time Jesus responded from a place of knowing who he was and of a place of trust in God – his provision and timing – even His method. I think so many of us face these same challenges in different ways every day. I love how Hebrews 4 goes on to say that Jesus is our high priest who empathizes and understands and then in Isa. how God reiterates His covenant to His people. so good! I’m looking forward to this!
So true!! Love this
Thanks- really helpful and so true. I was struck by the need to come empty handed to God. All my days are filled with trying to be more productive’ and ‘effective’ – but with the One who really counts, we must be humble and empty. May God help us to come to Him as we should.
so good❣️
His love for us has always been display by his amazing sacrifice. Now we must show the Love of God to others, make a sacrifice this lent season.