Today's Reading: St. Matthew 4:1-11
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 4:1-26; Mark 2:18-28
“And then Jesus was taken up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” (St. Matthew 4:1)
Happy Lent! In the name of Jesus. Amen. “Are you a child of God? Does God count you as His own? Does He truly love you? Are you sure? How can you be?” That’s the devil’s game! He attempts to cause doubts about what the Lord says and how He is toward you.
You’ve heard him before, haven’t you? “Are you certain you are a child of God? Does your baptism really make you one? Are you sure?
You look inside yourself. Are you good enough? You have some success of beating back your sinful flesh, but have you stopped those annoying sins that just keep coming back?
The more you look at you, the more you see evidence that you must not be a child of God. You aren’t even worth saving. Not a bit of you, not any, none. And that makes for a pretty depressing Lent!
Jesus. Look at Jesus. Fix your eyes on what He does and how He handles the devil’s questions. Watch Him dragged by the Spirit in one verse from the voice of His Father at His Baptism, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased,” to be tempted by Satan himself in the very next verse.
“Aren’t you hungry? Eat a bit. You can do it. If you are God’s Son like He says, then turn stones into bread. You know you can do it. If you are God’s Son, hop off the top of the temple and the angels will catch you. And Power? What Son of Adam doesn’t want to be like God? Just take a knee to me, one little knee, and it will all be yours.”
Power, riches, glory, are all waved before His eyes. All He has to do is look out for Himself. Him before you. Looking out for number one—you do it all the time. Why wouldn’t He?
Because He’s the beloved Son of God. That’s why. His Father is pleased with Him. What was spoken of Him at His Baptism is true—no need to test or doubt it. He looks out for you. He does what He does to save you. He fights for you. He is faithful—even unto death on the Cross to save you.
Are you a child of God?. The answer is always “no” when you look at yourself. Don’t look there! Instead, eyes on Jesus! Is He the Son of God? Did He live His life for you? Did He die your death?
Today, He lets the devil and all creation know that what His Father said is true. God is His Father. He is the Son of God. In Him, you’re a child of God, too. It’s as certain as Jesus lives, was tempted, resisted, and died for you. Happy Lent! In the Name of Jesus. Amen.