1st Sunday in Lent

Is Lent about temptation?  The Bible passage this week is the account of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.  However, perhaps ‘temptation’ is the wrong word.  The Greek word used in the New Testament is peirazein.  A better translation of this word is ‘test’ rather than ‘tempt’ which has connotations of seducing someone into evil.  When God told Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, this should not be seen as God seducing Abraham into evil.  It would be unthinkable for God to be like that.  A better understanding of Lent is that God is growing our faith through testing.  In the wilderness Jesus was learning how to conquer sin.  In the wilderness, between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, Jesus was alone.  Sometimes, God calls us to be alone so that we can grow in our faith.  It is only in the process of doing tests that we can get better at exams.  It is only when God, who will never test us beyond our limit, gives us tests that we can develop into the image of Christ.  Therefore, the season of Lent is not to be feared but rather to be embraced as a time where we can grow more into the likeness of the one who overcame all sin and reigns with God on high.