For forty days Jesus fasted in the desert and wrestled with the devil, then He returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. But the devil was no quitter, he also left the desert continuing to scheme and contrive ways of tempting Jesus. In the desert the devil had given temptation his best shot, for the ultimate test of an individual’s moral character occurs when no one else is looking. Jesus had been alone in that barren desert, isolated from human view, and yet He resisted every temptation of the devil.
The real problem with temptation is not the temptation as such. Temptations are a normal experience in our lives and not a day passes in which we don’t face many temptations. Sometimes these may take the form of seductive opportunities for self-gratification, at other times they may lurk on the prideful fringe of good accomplishments, and at other times they may simply cater to our inclinations toward self-preservation. Only a few of the temptations we face are of an all or nothing magnitude – God or the devil. For the most part, temptation involves the inconspicuously familiar stuff of daily life – integrity, self-control, and relationships.
Perhaps that is why John the Baptizer caused such a commotion in the desert. Though he reproached people for their personal, private sins and railed against their public hypocrisy they flocked to him. “Repent, and mend your ways!” cried the Baptizer, daring to call those things sin that we in our day more comfortably identify as weaknesses, mistakes, indiscretions, deviances, offences, rule-breaking, and giving in to temptation. Whatever became of sin? John’s answer to this unsettling question caused much commotion in the desert as he courageously exposed sin for what it is, a choice against God.
In His own face-to-face encounters with the devil in the desert, Jesus resisted and overcame temptations to turn His face away from God. Temptation always involves a face to face encounter with the devil, even though he may be disguised as an “angel of light” or a “friendly face.” From his desert pulpit, John the Baptizer dared to challenge people to confess their private sins and publicly return to the Lord by baptism. Personal sin is never private, for it always involves inclining ourselves toward God or toward the devil in ways that have public consequences.
For me, Lent is a “desert” time, a time of simple solitude and reflection in preparation for Easter. During this Lenten desert sojourn I am reflecting on the character and course of my journey toward Christ. In setting time aside from the noise and preoccupations of daily life I am able to become more aware of the realities and subtleties of the temptations I face. It also gives me the space I need to examine my conscience and to understand how I have responded to those temptations as evidenced in my attitudes, thoughts, words and actions. It is frightening to see how much I have swept under the carpet of deliberate forgetfulness and habitual rationalization.
Pope Pius XII observed that, “the sin of the century is the loss of the sense of sin.” He was probably right because sin has indeed become the dirty word of faith, something we don’t want to deal with. Talk of sin causes a great commotion in the desert and the marketplace of life. For me the examination of conscience is a very painful process because I don’t like thinking about my mistakes and misdeeds and weaknesses as sin. Sin is such a judgmental, harsh, and ugly concept.
However, the apostles and the early church fathers were not as afraid of sin as we are, and at the same time they took sin very seriously. They fought against sin and its consequences in the life of the church. Confession and penance were integral to the life of the community of faith, and the naming of sins fostered a sensitivity of conscience and a sense of discipline. As early as the third century after Christ the church identified a list of “seven deadly sins” as a means of helping believers understand the nature and expressions of sin. For me this list (to which I have added various synonyms) has come to serve as a useful guide in the periodic examination of my life and conduct, but it is an examination that causes commotion in the desert! The end of it all is not to look into the mire and the muck of our shortcomings, to grovel in guilt but to repent and turn our faces back to the Lord who has forgiven us.
PRIDE: self at the centre; ego centrism; arrogance; pride of power, knowledge, virtue, competence; ethno-centrism
ENVY: cheating; stealing; covetousness
ANGER: violence; rudeness; aggression; harsh criticism; cruelty
SLOTH: negligence; unresponsiveness; indifference; laziness
AVARICE: greed; self-serving; taking advantage of others
GLUTTONY: addiction to food, sex, drugs; preoccupation with possession
LUST: adultery; sexual fantasizing
“. . . a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him’. And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.”
(St. Mark 1:3-5)
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)
Ronald W. Nikkel is the president and CEO of Prison Fellowship International (PFI). For more information, visit the PFI web site.