We are tempted, so is Jesus.

First Sunday of Lent

Reading 1 DeuTeronomy 26:4-10

Moses spoke to the people, saying: 
"The priest shall receive the basket from you 
and shall set it in front of the altar of the LORD, your God.
Then you shall declare before the Lord, your God, 
'My father was a wandering Aramean 
who went down to Egypt with a small household 
and lived there as an alien.
But there he became a nation 
great, strong, and numerous.
When the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us, 
imposing hard labor upon us, 
we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, 
and he heard our cry
and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.
He brought us out of Egypt
with his strong hand and outstretched arm,
with terrifying power, with signs and wonders;
and bringing us into this country,
he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey.
Therefore, I have now brought you the firstfruits
of the products of the soil 
which you, O LORD, have given me.'
And having set them before the Lord, your God, 
you shall bow down in his presence."

Today’s first reading from Deuteronomy is a reading that we often have on Thanksgiving Day, it is about giving thanks to God for the first fruits of the earth. It seems strange to have the reading here, this the first Sunday of Lent what could possible be the connection between the blessing of first fruits of the earth and Jesus’ temptation in the desert. It would seem that there is no connection, that it is just a coincidence that these two readings are together. Obviously this is no coincidence; there is a profound connection.

Imagine that you are a farmer. I know that many of you came from farms around here so it should be easy to do. It is the fall and the harvest is completed. It has been a good year, everything is in the barn and you reflect on the year. You think it has been a good year, it has been a good harvest because you have worked hard but more importantly because God is good. God is the one who has blessed you, so you take a bushel basket of whatever it is that you harvested, corn or wheat, barley or tomatoes or squash. You take the basket to the Church and you give it to the priest. Not just to share them with the priest but to offer them to God. As you offer the first fruits you say the words of Deuteronomy 26, 3 which is the part just before we begin today’s first reading, you say, “I acknowledge to the Lord my God that I have come to the land that God promised to our ancestors.”

The pray is an acknowledgement that the very soil that you farm is a gift from God. You acknowledge that God is the creator of all, the soil, the seeds, the water and the air. But the prayer is more than that. You are also acknowledging that God gave you that land as part of your freedom. I was thinking of Gil Webber and how he told me that when his grandfather came from Germany and settled a farm just west of Rogers. His family still farms that piece of land today, probably the last farm in Hennepin County.

 Gil’s family is able to remember how they left the poverty of Germany generations ago and recieved the rich Minnesota soil. For the Israelites they also remember the freedom that came from being freed from slavery in Egypt.  The prayer then is a three fold acknowledgement: first that God is the creator of the earth, God is the one who sustains the power of the earth to sustain its power to produce food from plants; second that God is the Lord of History, it is God who liberated and sustained you and your people against all of your enemies and brought you to this land. Finally, you acknowledge the blessing of God in your life today. As your offer the first fruits you recognize that it is God who is feeding you today.

We have begun our journey of lent: 40 days in the desert. We join Jesus who spent 40 days in the desert and we remember that our Jewish Ancestors in the faith were in the desert for 40 years. Jesus’ responses to the devil are all based in the prayer that is made in offering the first fruits of the earth to God who created them.

The devil challenges Jesus to show his divine sonship by commanding him to turn stones into bread. Jesus says, “one does live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (DT 8,3) The devil offers Jesus all of the Kingdoms of the world and Jesus says, “you shall worship God alone.” (DT 6,13) Finally the devil tempts Jesus to be arrogant, throw yourself down from here, if you are the son of God, God will protect you. And Jesus says, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” (DT 8,5)

We have come together this morning to celebrate the Eucharist. In the offetory you will bring to the priest the bread  and wine. Since none of us works in the fields we will also bring our monetary offering, a symbol of the work of our hands. The gifts that you offer will become the body and blood of Jesus, the Son who has given his life so that we might have life. Our celebration of the Eucharist unites us with our Jewish Ancestors who recognized God’s goodness in the fruits of the earth. It connects us to Jesus who was tempted in the desert.

The Gospel ends with the words, “the Devil departed from him for a time.” The words should be, “the devil departed until the opportune time.” We do believe in the power of evil. We believe that just as Jesus was tempted in the desert we are many times tempted as well. How do we overcome temptation? By doing what we are doing here, by celebrating the Eucharist. The offering of the bread and wine, the consecration of the Eucharist, our participation in this meal is once again threefold repudiation over the devil. With Jesus we rebuke the power of the evil one and we profess our belief in one who is more powerful than he: Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Dennis Hamm, SJ’s reflection The Testing of Jesus (and Israel and Us) Helped me in this reflection. http://liturgy.slu.edu/1LentC031019/theword.html