Jesus vs Satan: The Duel in the Desert
and he remained in the desert for forty days,
tempted by Satan.
He was among wild beasts,
and the angels ministered to him.
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.”
- Mark 1:12-15
Welcome to the battle of all battles: Jesus versus Satan! In the desert! Wild beasts and angels! For forty days! Who wouldn't want to miss this?! It's the greatest pay-per-view of all time!
If you're watching through Matthew or Luke's Gospel account, you'll get the full HD 1080p play by play of the epic spiritual back and forth between Satan's offense and Jesus's defense against temptation. Three punches and three parries later and the Duel in the Desert is over...for now. But if you're watching through Mark's account found in today's Gospel reading, the fight is over as soon as it begins. There is no play by play or back and forth. With little to no detail, I believe Mark's account is meant to be short and straight to the point: This is who Jesus is. This is what Jesus does. Repent and believe in the Gospel.
I do not mean to reduce this event to mere spectacle. We're not called to be spectators but full and active participants. Every Lent, we journey with Christ into the desert for forty days, sharing in the same spiritual battle. Like Jesus, we come out of the desert ready and renewed to proclaim the Gospel.
But how can I go out into the desert for Lent 2021 when it feels like I've never left the desert of Lent 2020? How can I even begin to Lent again when I never really Eastered?
I will be honest - my trust in God is fragile right now, especially with the overwhelming multitude of distressing events of the past year. Oh, and let's not forget the stress, anxiety, and challenge of teaching our students effectively through a hybrid and/or virtual classroom. What, if anything, is left to sacrifice this Lent when we have sacrificed so much already?
The temptation to lose faith and hope because of the many circumstances outside of my control (the wild beasts) is always there. But there are also the angels constantly ministering to me - family, friends, colleagues, students - feeding and nourishing me with exactly what I need during this time in the desert.
I find consolation in knowing that I am not trapped in the desert nor in the never ending events of 2020-2021. I am also not alone. Jesus is here with me in the desert, whether it takes 40 days or longer. Jesus is with me throughout all of this and that is more than enough for me because Jesus is everything.
After this time of purification in the desert, I pray that we all come closer to Jesus with a renewed faith and hope. May we see past the lies that Satan tempts us with, past the spectacle, and come to pray and proclaim through our words and actions what we know is true: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
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