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Resolutions:
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Lectionary Reflection
Year C, Lent 1
Standard (Episcopal) Lectionary
Revised Common Lectionary
Gospel Lesson
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Luke 4: 1-13
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Jesus,
full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and
was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty
days he was tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they
were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, "If
you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a
loaf of bread." Jesus answered him, "It is written,
'One does not live by bread alone.'"
Then
the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all
the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him,
"To you I will give their glory and all this authority;
for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone
I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all
be yours." Jesus answered him, "It is written,
'Worship the Lord your
God,
and serve only him.'"
Then
the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the
pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you
are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for
it is written,
'He will command his angels
concerning you,
to protect you,'
and
'On their hands they will
bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'"
Jesus
answered him, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord
your God to the test.'" When the devil had finished
every test, he departed from him until an opportune
time.
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Reflection on Luke
4: 1-13
by Nan Stokes
It is easy to remember times when there has been
a "mountain-top experience" followed by a hard time when the
temptations of our world seem so present, surrounding us on
every side, and so blatant that we recognize them at once as
"temptations." Does that make it easier to resist? Jesus answered
the devil's tempting offers by quoting from Deuteronomy, and
the explicit instructions concerning the LORD your God in the
Old Testament lesson are examples of Deuteronomy's clarity and
guidance. Having scripture quotations committed to memory and
at your fingertips is to be prepared for whatever the devil
has in store for you. How appropriate that Jesus went from the
cool green of the Jordan River environs into the barren heat
of the desert where there was no place to hide from his tempter.
Ancient people believed that evil spirits went to dwell in the
desert and they were afraid to tread where the winds and the
wild beasts howled. Now many religious persons believe that
time alone in the desert is necessary to focus on what is important,
and the loneliness of the desert experience makes that focus
possible. As Lent begins for us, we can look to Jesus and his
temptation experience to help us see how we can resist the temptations
that come upon us, even when we aren't in the desert. We are
blessed to have Jesus as our example.
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Reflections on other Readings for Year C, Lent
1:
| Reflections available at the
active links |
Standard (Episcopal) Lectionary
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Revised Common Lectionary
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| Old Testament (Hebrew Scripture) Reading: |
Deuteronomy
26: 1-11
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Deuteronomy 26: 1-11
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| Psalm |
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| New Testament Reading |
Romans 10: 5-13
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Romans 10:8b-13
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| Gospel |
Luke 4: 1-13
(this page)
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Luke 4: 1-13
(this page)
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Nan
Stokes (1929-2010) is a past co-chair of MEESC (2002-2006).
She resided in Duluth, MN, when she originally wrote these reflections
in 1998. We welcome your comments. Please address your comments
or additional reflections to our WebVerger
or any MEESC
member, or mail them to:
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MEESC
c/o C. Morello
4451 Lakeside Drive
Eveleth, MN 55743-4400 USA |
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The MEESC assumes that all correspondence
received is for publication on this web site. If your comments
are not for publication, please so note on your correspondence.
The MEESC reserves the right to decide which items are included
on the website.
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This page last updated
2013-02-14.
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