DAY
4

A CHOICE OF REALMS

MATTHEW 4:1-4

Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.

MATTHEW 4:1-2

JESUS HAD JUST BEEN dramatically affirmed at his baptism by open heavens, the descent of the dove, and a voice from heaven. “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy,” the voice said (Matthew 3:17), affirming Jesus’ true identity and announcing his unique nature to all who heard. It was a glorious moment, full of God’s presence and assurance.

The very next verse tells us that the Spirit sent Jesus into a harsh wilderness where he would be tempted, as he fasted for forty days. That’s a remarkably grim assignment for a Son who has delighted the Father, but it was necessary. Jesus came not only to redeem us from the fallenness of the world but to overcome it. He could not be Lord and Master if the world’s impulses and pleasures or the enemy’s tempting voice had mastered him. So he went, he endured, and he overcame. He demonstrated decisively that he was rooted not in a fading world but in another realm.

The season of Lent echoes this call to forsake impulses and fleeting desires because we, as followers of Jesus, must also demonstrate that we are rooted in another realm. The flesh itself is not evil. God created it and declared it good, and he promised a bodily resurrection. This material world and our physical bodies exist by God’s design. But the body does need to be reminded that it is not our essence. Fasting makes a statement to the flesh, along with all its distorted cravings, that it does not rule us and cannot hold us forever. Self-denial says no to something material in order to say yes to something much deeper and long-lasting.

We don’t earn spiritual points for self-denial; in fact, some people focus so intently on denying the flesh that they actually affirm its power. But fasting in its various forms does remind us which Kingdom sustains us. It turns our attention to the deeper realities of our lives and the Father who breathes into us. It’s a statement of allegiance to the realm of the Spirit, an effective exercise in saying no to the immediate for the sake of the eternal.

Many people make that statement in one form or another during the forty days of Lent, and it can have a profound spiritual impact. It is worth our unyielding persistence. The more we become aware that we are rooted in another realm, the more we begin to experience it.

PRAYER

Father, help me to know my roots—my citizenship in your Kingdom and my dependence on your Spirit. Lead me not into temptation, but grant me the strength to overcome it, with Jesus, in every form I encounter it. Amen.

REFLECTION

In what ways does giving something up for Lent direct our attention to the spiritual realm? Why is it valuable to be reminded of our “temptability”? How does temptation—and overcoming it—help us identify with Jesus and bond with him relationally?

DAY 4

DAY
4