09 March 2025 - Lent 1, Year C

Theme

The readings for this week may seem a bit disjointed at first glance. The OT reading speaks about tithing; the Psalm speaks about taking refuge in the Lord; Paul talks about salvation in Romans; and Jesus faces and resists temptation in the desert. But all of the texts come together as we consider how to live out our faith in the world. It is not enough to merely have faith. Our faith needs to be lived out as we became faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to us; as we seek refuge in the Lord; as we declare our faith in word and action; and as we face temptation in the world.

Scriptures

Deuteronomy 26:1-11 - An instruction to the Israelites on how to distribute their harvest. First, a portion must go to the priest at the place of worship. Then the people should celebrate what God has given them. The instruction makes special note to include the foreigners in their celebrations.

Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16 - A psalm declaring that refuge in God will provide safety and protection. God will rescue God’s people and provide them with life and salvation. 

Romans 10:8b-13 - Paul declares that anyone who calls on God’s name and believes that Jesus is Lord will be saved. He references the Psalm that “anyone who trusts in God will not be disgraced” and emphasizes that Jews and gentiles have the same Lord. 

Luke 4:1-13 - Jesus retreats into the wilderness to fast. While there, he is tempted by the devil. First, he is tempted with food to satisfy his hunger. Second, he is tempted with power and the authority over kingdoms. Third, he is tempted to reveal his power. On each occasion, Jesus uses Scripture to resist the temptation and reveal the true heart of God.

The Context

Many, if not most, of the Psalms were poems and songs written to express deep, inner emotions of the authors. They are not necessarily meant to be taken literally and great harm is often caused when they are. For example, this week’s psalm says that “those who make God their refuge will be able to trample lions and cobras.” Many Christian leaders who have falsely taken these types of passages as literal, have forced people to confront lions and snakes, drink poisons and test their faith in various means. Jesus clearly shows us in our Gospel reading that God is not to be tested in these ways.

Personal Application

This Romans passage is one of the primary passages that is used by certain Christians to support the notion that all one needs to do to be saved is to declare their faith in Jesus, say “the sinners prayer” and be baptised. This is why many Christians and churches glorify the altar call, or the person who finally commits their life to Jesus the moment before they take their last breath (see the movie God’s not Dead for a perfect example). 

While these are not bad things in and of themselves, when we base our understanding of salvation on individual verses such as these, we miss the bigger picture of what the bible teaches about true salvation. 

Jesus, and others, often taught that salvation brings about a change. Those who are saved repent from their old ways of destruction, oppression and exclusion, and begin living new lives of love, justice and compassion. As John Wesley put it, once we are justified, we then begin the journey of sanctification, or Christian Perfection. Even here in this Romans passage, Paul says that “it is by declaring your faith that you are saved.” Perhaps Paul was implying that as we are being saved, we need to declare our faith through the way that we love each other and treat those poor, lowly folk that Christ himself came to serve. This understanding is certainly in line with Jesus’ teachings on salvation and eternal life (see Matthew 25).

Communal Application

Another important aspect of these passages deals with how we face temptations in the world. In our Gospel reading, the devil tries to use logical reasoning and even Scripture to tempt Jesus into doing certain things. Each of the temptations might not be seen as bad things necessarily. Jesus turned water into wine, so what would have been bad about turning a rock into bread? Jesus could be argued to be the rightful Lord of all kingdoms, so what if he took that authority for himself? Jesus performed many miracles, so what if he saved himself from a great fall? And yet Jesus resisted these temptations and denied the devil’s advances. 

Jesus knew that these signs and wonders were not what was truly important. Rather, humbling oneself in fasting, trusting and honouring God; these were important to him. How different is much of the world of Christianity today? Pastors from all over are basking in their power, feasting in their wealth, and enacting signs and wonders to prove that God is on their side. Where is our focus as a Church in the world today? Are we humbling ourselves before God’s mercy as Jesus and the Psalmist did, or are we pursuing glory and power, signs and wonders? 

Furthermore, are we still trying to live by the teachings in Deuteronomy, that our first offerings should go to God and the church, then we should celebrate and be thankful to God for what we have reaped? Let us not hoard what God has given us. Let us give freely and generously, sharing even with the foreigners and the outcasts as much as possible.