February 21 - What Are You Hungry For?

An empty pot is an invitation to make a stew...of your choice.

By Magdalena I. García

It’s bad style to end a sentence with a preposition, but that was the title of my sermon for today, based on the Gospel reading from the Revised Common Lectionary. It’s the first Sunday in Lent, and we got to wrestle with the devil. Now, every week we face demons in church, like gossip, backbiting, and meanness. They are always the first to claim a pew. And they often speak up disguised as prayer concerns. But today was different because we joined Jesus on the mat, and struggled with the devil himself (or herself).

Luke 4 and Mark 1 both tell us that, after being baptized, Jesus went to the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. And the verbs used by the Gospel writers are interesting. While Luke says that Jesus “was led” (egeto), Mark says that Jesus was “driven out” (ekballei). Either way, you get the picture: the Spirit here was not a gentle breeze, but a mighty wind; and the Spirit did not give Jesus a gentle nudge but a mighty push. When was the last time you thought of the Spirit as a force shoving you around, and leading you not to “still waters,” but to parched wilderness? We make too much of the Spirit as God’s pampering agent.

Then the devil assumes that Jesus must be hungry for certain things, so Mr. Diablo presents a menu with highly desirable entrees: immediate satisfaction, endless glory, and unlimited power. But Jesus refuses all three offers because, as we learn just a few verses later in Luke 4:14-18, he has a different diet in mind: equitable sharing, humble service, and selfless surrender.

It’s a fascinating encounter, and you don’t necessarily have to be a Christian to appreciate its therapeutic value. This story—like a good fable or myth—invites us to think about who is really in charge of our lives. It’s like a mirror where we can contemplate our inner struggle with making choices. Forget worldly kingdoms; we give in for so much less! Like when we fall prey to other people’s whims or craziness! Why is it that we find cuteness and madness so irresistible? So much of life seems to be about avoiding the loaded hooks and lures that are held out in front of us.

But the story also invites us to take time to ponder what we are hungry for. And for this we need some wilderness or desert time in our lives every day, and not just after baptism or during Lent. Until we can answer that question, we might not be able to overcome temptation, refusing what is harmful and choosing what is helpful. Until we discern what we are hungry for, we might go through life like a big, empty pot, where others drop their recipes for disaster and cook up a sour stew.