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What do you think the Devil look like? The Bible doesn’t tell us very much, the Apostle Paul wrote "Satan disguises himself as an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14). The First Epistle of Peter warns: “Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the Devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour” (I Peter 5:8). The Devil was not shown in early Christian art, he starts to get more popularity in medieval art around the ninth century. He gets cloven hooves, an animal body with lots of hair, a pointy tail, pointed ears, and of course the horns! These images come from the world around Christianity as Christians rejected pagan gods of the Roman world. The Greek god Pan, the god of fertility, was half goat and half man with unbridled lust and carnal appetites. His goat horns and cloven hooves became easily associated with sin and made a great model for artists. In the same way the Devil's pitchfork appears to have been adapted from the trident wielded by the Greek god Poseidon.

In the painting today we see the Devil disguised as a monk carrying a rosary, obviously quoting scripture. We are not easily deceived, we know an impostor when we see one! We can see those horns and the pointy beard and when we look closely at his feet protruding from under his habit, they are webbed, he looks like a gargoyle! This combination of the body of an animal is typical to illustrate that Satan is beast not human. The feet were usually cloven hooves but a 15th century German wood cut of Saint Bernard Vanquishing the Devil also had the devil with webbed feet. In Paradise Lost, Milton would use the webbed footed toad as a symbol of evil pouring poison into the ear Satan. No wonder witches loved them. 

There were three temptations of course, in the picture you can see Satan with a large stone, clearly tempting the hungry Jesus to turn it into bread. Look closely and you can see the other two temptations as well. On the left of the picture the two are on top of the mountain where Jesus is shown all the kingdoms of the world and offered power, on the right you can see Jesus on a high tower where he is tempted to throw himself off and test God.

Of course the artist has not used a desert scene, like much of the art which we see the painters have tried to bring the biblical stories up to date and use the growing popularity of art to convey biblical truths making them relevant to theiraudience at the time. The challenge for us is how to do the same.

Meditation

This is the time of year when we remember the importance of forgiveness, seeking God's will in our lives and trusting him for the future. At this time many people will be encouraged by the words of scripture from the Psalms which reassure us that God really does forgive us and include us in his love. There are no sins which can separate us from God, we are already forgiven

Psalm 137:11

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

Commentary

Looking back, looking forward
Lent is a time of reflection, a time to look back on the journey we’ve been through over the past few months and years. A remembrance of the past. It’s absolutely an opportunity to look into ourselves and see the things which we’d like to change through the grace of God, but it’s also an opportunity to look into ourselves and see the glory that is within us, perhaps buried deeply, but there nonetheless. And as we see the things we’d like to change, and see, however dimly, the glory that is within us, we can perhaps begin to catch a clearer glimpse of what Christ has called us to be. Rather than be negative and see all the failings of our past, we should be positively encouraged and look forward with excitement to what might lie ahead on our journey with Christ. One of the reasons Jesus was able to resist temptation is because He was crystal clear about His purpose and destiny, His mission on earth and His desire to fulfil the Father’s will. Overcoming temptation for Jesus was not so much about knowing what not to do; it was about knowing what should be done. Jesus recognised His temptation as a distraction from trusting (and worshiping) the one true God. As Tom Wright writes,
‘He maintained a single minded devotion and His allegiance to the Father overrode immediate bodily desires; it ruled out the easy but costly short cut to vocation (to be the Lord of the world); it forbade him, by seeking ‘proof’ of His status, to challenge the word spoken at His baptism.’

Paul indicates in his passage in Romans that Christ had indeed become Lord of the whole world, but not by the tempter’s route but by living out the calling and ministry His Father had ordained for Him. We are regularly tempted, not merely to wrong belief or wrong actions or words, but to miss out on the best that God has for each one of us. Luke places the temptation of Jesus immediately after God’s words of affirmation to Jesus at His baptism and the description of the ancestry of Jesus which is traced back to God Himself. Jesus is part and parcel of God’s active engagement with our world and our salvation history. From this moment on it is clear that Jesus understands and accepts fully His calling as he rejects the false and seemingly easy paths offered to Him. From this moment on there can only be the path that leads to the pain and shame of the cross and ultimately the glory of the resurrection and ascension. From this moment on, the world will start the process of renewal and transformation which Jesus declares in the synagogue at Nazareth immediately after His temptation. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Good News will be preached to the poor and afflicted, liberty will be proclaimed to the captives, sight will be restored to the blind, the oppressed will be freed, and the year of the Lord’s favour (the time when possessions are restored to their rightful owners) will be proclaimed. The journey of salvation has truly begun.

One of the prayers we use on Ash Wednesday invites us to use the time of Lent as a time of holy observance, a time that is different from the rest of the Christian year, a time to reflect on the purpose of our own spiritual journey. It’s also a time which leads inexorably to the cross and the resurrection beyond, a time to look forward to an Easter which gives the ultimate meaning to our lives as the stone is rolled away and the world looks into an empty tomb. From Lent we look beyond to Easter. As we look into ourselves in Lent, we see the temptations we have succumbed to, we see the things in our lives which we need to repent of, see the things in our lives which we need to get sorted out, the things that need to be renewed, but beyond all those we are able to see the God who is in each one of us through the glory of a resurrected Christ. Sometimes we just don’t spend enough time looking, and stop before we see His glory in our inner selves. Sam Cappleman

Meditation

We often think of temptation as negative, things that we’ve succumbed to, rules we’ve broken. And if we do succumb to temptation we can think that God is going to punish us for it, make us pay in some way or other. But that’s probably not the right way to understand the concept of temptation. As Christians we’re called to the privilege of loving and worshiping God and reflecting His glory in the world through the glory that is in us, through our transformed lives in Him. That is, in part, the message of the Transfiguration we read in last week’s readings. God has called each one of us, and has a path and a destiny planned out for every individual in his care, the absolute best way for each one of us to be and live. When we fall into temptation and sin therefore it’s not that God is going to send down a thunderbolt to punish us, it’s more that we are settling for second best – something less than God has ordained for us. Falling short of the mark, missing the target - which also happens to be one way to translate the word sin. Rather than a punishment from God, it’s more like some self-inflicted punishment. And we’re often quite good at punishing ourselves when we think we have sinned. Sin is a part of all of our lives and none of us are strangers to temptation. Like Jesus, we are most vulnerable to the twisting, distorting forces of evil at those times where we are also most open to God. If Jesus had not been so consumed with passion for the hungry, the oppressed and those who have not experienced the transforming power of God, the devil's proposals to Him would not have been the least bit tempting. But He was, and the resources that He had in those stark wilderness days can be ours as well. Sam Cappleman

Commentary

Lent is the time in the church year where we are offered space for reflection and repentance. Sin is a part of all of our lives and none of us are strangers to temptation. Like Jesus, we are most vulnerable to the twisting, distorting forces of evil at those times where we are also most open to God. If Jesus had not been so consumed with passion for the hungry, the oppressed and those who have not experienced the power of God, the devil's proposals to Him would not have been the least bit tempting. But He was, and the resources that He had in those stark wilderness days can be ours as well.

The temptation of Jesus was for the sole purpose of distracting him from His ultimate goal and purpose in life, which was to die on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for humanity. As he tries to distract Christ from this goal Satan tempts Jesus in three different ways. He tempts Him to concentrate on His physical needs, he tempts Him to take moral shortcuts, and he tempts Him to focus on Himself rather than His Father God. Temptations which assail us all from one time or another.

Jesus was able to resist temptation because he was clear about His purpose and destiny and was able to focus on knowing and doing the will of the Father who had sent Him into the world. For Jesus and for every Christian, overcoming temptation is not just about knowing what not to do, it’s about knowing what we should be doing, about the fulfilling to the best of our human ability the purpose and destiny God has marked out for each one of us. Lent offers us a time reflection when we can draw near to God, through fasting, reading and prayer so that we can know more certainly what that purpose and will might be for our lives. One of the prayers we use on Ash Wednesday invites us to use the time of Lent as a time of holy observance, a time that is different from the rest of the Christian year, a time to reflect on the purpose of our own spiritual journey. It’s also a time which leads inexorably to the cross and the resurrection beyond, a time to look forward to an Easter which gives the ultimate meaning to our lives as the stone is rolled away and the world looks into an empty tomb. From Lent we look beyond to Easter. As we look into ourselves in Lent, we see the temptations we have succumbed to, we see the things in our lives which we need to repent of, see the things in our lives which we need to get sorted out, but beyond all those we are able to see the God who is in each one of us through the glory of a resurrected Christ. Sometimes we just don’t spend enough time looking and stop before we see His glory in our inner selves. Sam Cappleman 

Meditation

At sometime in our lives each one of us has probably had one or more desert experiences - times of loneliness, disillusionment, emptiness, and spiritual dryness; times of change, decision, transition, and struggle. Times when we wonder what God’s calling, and our faith, are all about. Times when we seemingly have no other option but to wait until God’s direction for us begins to unfold. Jesus begins his ministry with exactly this experience. A time of loneliness, reflection, discernment, transition and struggle. Thankfully, the Spirit of God that accompanied Jesus in the wilderness accompanies each of us in our desert experiences too. And just as for Jesus, our desert experiences, however painful, can be a time of discovery and growth. A time that draws us into God's presence, offering us an opportunity to discern once again what it is that God is asking of us each in this short, earthly journey. A time, as Evelyn Underhill writes, ‘ when we can have a secret correspondence of the soul.’ Sam Cappleman

Meditation

Abraham Lincoln was elected 16th President of the United States. On this day in 1861 he was sworn in as President, just as the American Civil War was about to begin. He is one of the most respected of American presidents, but he could have given up at the time of any one of his many failures and negative experiences: In 1832 he was defeated in state elections. In 1833 he failed as a shopkeeper and was in debt. 1836 saw him have a nervous breakdown. In 1849 he was disillusioned at not being offered a government post, and he left politics for a time. In 1855 and also in 1858 he was defeated in his wish to be elected for the U.S. Senate. He experienced personal tragedy as three of his four children died young. On finally becoming president, he was let down by some of those he had appointed to positions of trust.

Let us pray

Father, into your hands I place my successes. Into your hands I also place my failures, and I pray that, through your spirit, I may face the challenges of life with courage and determination. Help me to think anew and see things more broadly than in terms of “success” and “failure”. Lead me always to trust and place myself confidently in your hands. Amen.

Commentary

First Sunday of Lent. Deuteronomy 26: 1- 11; Romans 10: 8b – 13; Luke 4: 1-13
The passage from Deuteronomy, describes a harvest pilgrimage and serves to remind people of the exodus from Egypt as the event which turned the Israelites from being a collection of people, a series of tribal families, into a nation. ‘A wandering Aramaean’ stood at the centre of Israel’s confession of faith from the beginning, and this serves to invite us to trace our faith back to the experience of being foreigners in the desert. It is a creed which contains an important insight, and which is picked up again in Luke’s Gospel, that the wilderness is both a testing place and also a place for new beginnings. In our thankfulness for nourishment, we are reminded not to externalise evil, it exists within us. Everything is grounded in God’s love. God does not pull up evil by the roots, as we pull out a weed in our own garden, because the roots guarantee our own freedom as we make our own desert journey.

In Paul’s letters, Jesus is frequently referred to as ‘Lord’, and this is probably to distinguish him from the many gods of the pagan religions to be found in the Roman empire at that time. In the passage in Romans, God’s powers are exercised through Jesus as God’s representative and things which were quite traditionally said about God were quite properly said about Jesus. In Paul’s thinking, the focus is on Jesus’ stewardship of a ministry and mission delegated to him by God, and shown in his life and death. The confession ‘Jesus is Lord’ can be thought of as both an individual commitment and also a recognition of Jesus’ lordship over the Church membership as well. Christian discipleship has always lived ‘in the Lord’ and, in New Testament terms, shares the same conflict over which Jesus’ ultimate and universal lordship is assured.
The Gospel reading set for today really places Jesus’ earthly ministry in that universal context. Luke saw the whole life of Jesus as one of temptation, which comes to a head in the passion. In the Bible this is the 'testing' of Jesus, the Son of God, for his fidelity. The agent may be either God, as n the wilderness wanderings, or Satan, as in Job. The immediate background for Luke’s account is the wilderness temptation of Israel: Jesus succeeds where Israel fails, particularly in the supreme temptation of a testing God, and so fulfils Israel’s history. It is this larger picture in which following Jesus as a Christian has to be understood. The call to ‘embody Jesus’ comes to the Church in the ‘wilderness places’; but the final harvest is universal and cosmic. It offers us a vision which draws us towards a more humane world in which we endeavour to live and struggle against sin and evil in ourselves and in our communities. We are not ‘like God, knowing good and evil’ in any final or absolute sense. Rev Peter Littleford.

Prayers for Sunday

Loving God - when we get tired or hungry - when we feel angry or lonely - help us to stop and think a while - instead of getting nasty or mean - help us to think about - what Jesus would do - and to remember what you ask us to do - and that you can help us do it. - Help us to walk each day with you - and to make this world a better place - we ask this in the name of Jesus - Amen
Loving and Compassionate God, you know that the battle of good and evil rages within and around us, and that our ancient foe tempts us with his deceits and empty promises. We pray that you would keep us steadfast in your Word and, when we fall, raise us again and restore us through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was tempted as we are tempted - but resisted the wiles of the evil one
Father, in those moments when our weaknesses and our strengths are tested, fill us with your holy presence that we may always remember whose we are. Keep from us the temptation to give up on seeking to do your will, and shield us from the despair that doubts your goodness. Help us to remember that you are the one who is able to move the rock aside, the one who gives new life
O Lord our God, listen to the voice of your church, calling to you from the desert of this world. Protect us with your strong hand and outstretched arm, that, nourished by the bread of your word and fortified by your Spirit we may proclaim the good news of your love to all people in word and deed, even as Jesus showed us. We ask it in his name. Amen

Hymns for Sunday

(Hymns and Psalms)255 Crown him with many crowns, Colours of Day (On notices), 260 Jesus is Lord, 463 To God be the glory, I’ll go in the strength of the lord (On notices).

A modern parable.
A man fell into a pit and he couldn't get out.
Buddha said: "Your pit is only a state of mind."
A Hindu said: "This pit is for purging you and making you more perfect."
Confucius said: "If you would have listened to me, you would never have fallen into that pit."
A new ager said: "Maybe you should network with some other pit dwellers."
A self-pitying person said: "You haven't seen anything until you've seen my pit."
A reporter said: "Could I have the exclusive story on your pit?"
A Tax Inspector said "Have you paid your taxes on that pit?"
A Local Authority Officer said: "Do you have a permit for that pit?"
A realist said: "That's a pit."
An idealist said: "The world shouldn't have pits."
An optomist said: "Things could be worse."
A pessimist said: "Things will get worse."
Jesus seeing the man took him by the hand and lifted him out of the pit, because a pit is an awful place to be -particularly the pit of created by the power of sin and temptation. Jesus is one who has managed to avoid the pit and who seeks to help us out of the pit. Do not dwell in the pit - Do not accept the pit - Rather reach out your hand to the one who has stretched out his hands for you - and who still reaches out for you today. Reach out to Christ - and through Christ - reach out to others around you and let the know that there is a better life to be had - a life that is given freely to all who desire it.