Scripture:“The Temptation of Jesus”‘Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God…..’’ (Matthew 4:1-3)Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’ (Matthew 17 1-5)Reflection:We are now in Lent. Ash Wednesday, the Wednesday just gone, marked the beginning of the period of Lent. Forty days of reflection, thinking about how we live our lives trying to follow God’s code for life. All the time, knowing that we are tempted and we fail. All of us, all the time, we get things wrong by how God would like us to live. No exceptions…..well except one….. Jesus. There is our role model.In this scripture (and the following eight verses) we read about Jesus being attacked by the tempter. And it is subtle. The tempter waits until Jesus is weak – forty days of fasting – then he attacks….but gently: “If you are the Son of God….” Sowing seeds of doubt – “IF you are…” Three times Jesus is attacked in this way.How does he resist? Every time Jesus responds, “It is written….” His defence is in the scriptures; in the Torah – what for us is the Old Testament. Our defence is the same….in the scriptures; in the Bible. Rather than giving something up this Lent, why not take something up instead….read some of the Bible every day.Revd David Lyn Hayes ALM
Scripture:Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’ (Matthew 17 1-5)Reflection: Have you ever been in a situation where you felt unsure of what to do or what to say and find yourself covering up for your awkwardness with an outburst of words or activity? I imagine that this is how the disciples felt when they witnessed Jesus’ transfiguration and the appearance of Moses and Elijah. It is hardly surprising that they were utterly bewildered and, to fill the silence, they dash about wanting to build shelters. God then steps in and interrupts their busyness by proclaiming that ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased.’ Words of love and affection, and a reminder that the most important thing about Jesus’ ministry was not all the activity but the relationship with his father. It is perhaps the greatest gift yet the hardest to receive - to know that you are a beloved child of God, to feel at the core of your being that this is what gives you value, over and above all your busyness, achievements and successes. ‘Be still and know that I am God’ Lyn Hayes ALM
