Lent 1: Not Today, Satan
Matthew 4
Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Matthew 4:1–11
Where Lent Begins
- Alone in the wilderness
- Right after his baptism
- Right after “This is my beloved Son.”
- Being loved by God does not keep us from struggle
- Sometimes it’s what leads us straight into it
- The Spirit doesn’t lead Jesus away from difficulty—
- The Spirit leads him into it.
The Wilderness Isn’t a Failure
wilderness is not punishment, it’s a place of formation
- Israel learned to trust God there
- Prophets were shaped there
- Jesus faced temptation there
The wilderness strips away distraction and exposes deeper questions:
efficiency or intimacy?
Jesus’ Temptations—and Ours
- We can’t turn stones into bread
- we can prioritize our own needs
- we can prioritize efficiency over relationship
- We can’t survive a fall from atop the temple
- but we can chase impressive outcomes instead of intimate faithfulness
- We can’t rule the nations
- but we can reach for power through shortcuts
Temptation #1: Solve It Quickly
Jesus is hungry
“Turn these stones into bread.”
The temptation isn’t bread—it’s efficiency.
- Don’t wait
- Don’t depend
- Don’t stay vulnerable longer than necessary
Jesus responds with Scripture:
“One does not live by bread alone.”
This isn’t a rejection of physical needs.
It’s a refusal to let efficiency replace intimacy with God.
Practical Response:
- When you feel anxious, resist immediately distracting yourself
- Deny yourself your crutches and pacifiers and collapse completely upon Christ
- Listen without offering advice
Temptation #2: Demand Proof
Jesus atop the temple.
“Throw yourself down. God will catch you.”
This is the temptation to force certainty.
- Make faith undeniable
- Eliminate risk
- Turn trust into a transaction
Jesus refuses to test the relationship:
“Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
Intimacy doesn’t require spectacle.
Trust grows by staying present, not by demanding proof.
Practical Response:
- Pray in faith believing
- Serve without expectations
- Keep showing up
Temptation #3: Take the Shortcut
Finally, Jesus is offered power and authority.
“All this can be yours—if you bow.”
This is the temptation to achieve the right outcome the wrong way.
- Change without patience
- Power without vulnerability
- Results without relationship
Jesus answers clearly:
“Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”
How we get there matters.
Efficiency cannot replace intimacy without costing us something essential.
Practical Response:
- Have the harder conversation
- Apologize instead of defending yourself
- Patience rather than forcing resolution
The Question Beneath Every Temptation
Each temptation begins the same way:
“If you are the Son of God…”
The real question is about identity and trust.
Who are you?
Who defines you?
Who do you trust enough to stay with?
Practicing Lent
Lent isn’t about trying harder.
It’s about staying longer.
Efficiency promises speed and control.
Intimacy asks for presence and trust.
Sometimes faith looks dramatic.
Sometimes it looks like a quiet refusal.
Not today.
- Not today will efficiency determine my faith
- Not today will certainty replace trust
- Not today will shortcuts cost me intimacy
Lent gives us space to practice that choice.
Not to earn God’s love—
but because we already live within it.
A Lenten Litany of Trust
Leader:
God of love,
you meet us in the wilderness and call us your own.
People:
We trust your love.
We will stay present to the needs of others.
We will notice what we might usually pass by.
Leader:
When questions rise and answers are unclear,
People:
We trust your love.
We will pause before rushing to solutions.
We will pray and listen before acting.
Leader:
When following Jesus asks us to take risks,
People:
We trust your love.
We will speak the hard truth with care.
We will choose integrity over convenience.
Leader:
When we are seen more clearly than we expected,
People:
We trust your love.
We will bring our full selves honestly to God and others.
We will resist hiding behind excuses or masks.
Leader:
When our vision is limited and our faith feels fragile,
People:
We trust your love.
We will keep showing up, even in small ways.
We will practice patience with ourselves and others.
Leader:
When grief lingers and hope feels delayed,
People:
We trust your love.
We will stay with those who mourn.
We will care without needing immediate results.
Leader:
When Jesus is not what we expected,
People:
We trust your love.
We will follow without insisting on comfort or control.
We will look for him in surprising places and people.
Leader:
When temptation whispers that love is not enough,
People:
We trust your love.
We will resist shortcuts that harm relationships.
We will act with honesty and patience.
Leader:
Shape in us a holiness
that is not about rules,
but about loving in practical ways, day by day.
People:
We trust your love.
And we will walk in this way.
Amen.
Questions to Consider:
- Have you ever chosen efficiency over intimacy?
- How is God asking you to trust in this season?
- What are you avoiding because it would 'slow you down'?
- Where are you seeking certainty instead of exercising trust?
- What might being present and trusting God cost you—and what kind of intimacy might it create?
