March 2011

A slightly different version was posted at a2ObservesLent.com, a Lenten devotional site I’m editing for my church.

Lent originated as a time for believers to follow Christ in His wilderness experience—hence the 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. For many modern Christians, Lent as “wilderness experience” becomes what one of my kids described as “roughing it” when I asked what Lent was about. In the “roughing it” approach to Lent, we give up things we like in order to make ourselves suffer for a while. Jesus suffered; I should suffer. He gave up His life, so I should give up my iPad. Roughing it turns Lent into a really long, really unpleasant camping trip at a wilderness resort with no running water or bathrooms. You bear it because you have to, but you can’t wait to get back to all the comforts of real life.

I don’t think that’s what the early church had in mind when they set aside time to prepare for Easter. More importantly, I don’t think that Jesus went into the wilderness with the thought that He was “roughing it.” Yes, Matthew, Mark, and Luke all say that Jesus was led into the wilderness and that there He was tempted or tested. But was He gritting His teeth and wishing the angels would come and whisk Him back to Nazareth? I don’t think so.

Christians of the fourth century used Lent as a preparation for baptismal celebrations that were often associated with Easter; Lent was a spiritual journey. Similarly, Jesus was led (yes, led by the Spirit!) into the wilderness to be tested and to prepare for His ministry. He didn’t suffer for the sake of suffering; He had a purpose. We get a clue into Jesus’ perspective when we hear His response to Satan’s temptation to turn stones into bread so that He could eat:

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)

No doubt Jesus was seriously hungry, but in an important sense, He wasn’t starving. He had been feasting on something better than regular food—time with the Father. I can’t help but think Jesus had in mind David’s words:

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! (Psalm 34:8)

I’m excited by the prospect of Lent, by the opportunity to go on a journey of preparation, to answer the invitation to taste and see for myself that God is indeed good. Yes, I will be giving up some things along the way, but not so I can rough it. No, I choose to give up one thing in order to receive something—Someone—much better.

Do you celebrate Lent? How would you describe Lent to someone else? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Tagged as: Lent