Forty
The period of Lent is based on the 40 days Jesus spent being tempted in the desert by Satan. One of the questions people as is "Why forty?"40 is a lovely number in the Bible - it's about preparation and letting God break through to/for us. Just some examples:
- Moses was on the mountain with God for 40 days
- It took the spies 40 days to search out the promised land
- The Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness
- Goliath taunted Israel for forty days before being killed by David
- Elijah walked for forty days to Mount Horeb
- Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness at the start of His ministry
Waiting is hard!
- We feel powerless and out of control
- We end up having to confront the worst in ourselves
- We often discover that our faith is shallower than we thought
Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness. Waiting.
After the waiting came temptation - but I think the waiting can be tempting too. You can watch a lovely video and song about Jesus' fast and temptation HERE.
As we prepare for Easter, there is waiting.
This waiting brings to mind the times we have waited outside an operating theater, waited for test-results, waited for a job-application to be responded to, waited for a lost child to come home, waited for forgiveness after an apology.
Waiting is hard - but Mark reminds us that Jesus waited too and was tempted face to face by Satan. He knows what we are going through. He waits with us.
At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, 13 and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. (Mark1:12-13)
