The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert,
and he remained in the desert for forty days,
tempted by Satan.
Jesus went out into the desert as the faithful representative of mankind. He was a new Adam who was tempted by Satan but who was, unlike Adam, steadfast in his obedience to God. Adam wickedly stretched out his hand to take the forbidden fruit. But Jesus rejected the temptation to turn rocks into bread, since man shall not live by bread alone. He was tested like ancient Israel while Moses spent forty days on the mountain with God. But unlike Israel he refused to bow down and worship that which was not God. His forty days were like the forty years Israel spent in the desert. But unlike the journey of the Exodus, Jesus did not grumble or disobey. He did not demand more than was allotted, and was satisfied with that which God himself provided. He was thus fed by angels, like Elijah. But unlike Elijah he never despaired. Rather he did that which he would later call his followers to imitate: He was not anxious about what he would eat or drink because he realized that his Father knew that he needed those things. He sought first the Kingdom, knowing that all else would be provided.
After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:
"This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel."
Lent is a call to repent, to take on a new and spiritual way of thinking, a mind renewed by the truth of Scripture and the power of the Holy Spirit. It is therefore also a call to turn aside from merely worldly ways of thinking and from belief in false promises of this world that cannot satisfy. We often consider only the negative aspects of Lent, those practices and penances we undertake, the things we forego, and the pleasures from which we abstain. But the point of all of our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving is not meant to be merely a negation. The point of Lent is that it is "the time of fulfillment". It is therefore the time to stop putting up with what can only promise fulfillment falsely and, by grace, to insist on that which alone can satisfy. Jesus is for us both the way, teaching us how to navigate the desert journey, and the goal, who alone can give rest to our souls.
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