I AM … the Alpha. The Beginning. It all starts here. With Me.
Today is the first day of Lent — beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Easter Sunday. Ash Wednesday commemorates the beginning of Jesus’ 40-day fasting and temptation in the desert, and Easter Sunday commemorates Jesus’ resurrection from the grave after his crucifixion. So the time is good for reflection and repentance, and preparing our hearts. I heard on Catholic radio last night that one of the points of Lent is to cause us to be more like Christ by being intentional in abstaining from things (fasting) that pull us away from holiness.
I think of Jesus as he was walking into the first day of his 40 days of isolation and fasting in the middle of nowhere. He was about to begin his public ministry and this was a fairly momentous thing to do – to go without food for 40 days and seek the heart of the Father. And then in a weakened state during this time, to be confronted by satan and tempted with all the desires of the flesh – riches, power, and fame. I don’t even think we can fully grasp the scope of what that must have felt like to be in that position.
So there He was — the king of the universe, the creator of time and space — voluntarily here on earth in a finite form walking into the desert by Himself. Essentially saying, I am going to seek the heart of God and commune with Him. I am going to give up the very thing that helps sustain my life – food – so that by denying my body, I will become more close to my Father because this small sacrifice is a picture of a greater sacrifice to come. And in the end, not only did He go on to begin his ministry on earth, but He was a testimony to the power of the Holy Scripture and the Holy Spirit to resist the enemy and walk in victory.
We celebrate this journey during the next 46 days until the day of resurrection when we can triumphantly say, Hosanna to God in the highest! Praise be to the Risen One! For He has triumphed over death and hell and because of His amazing sacrifice, He has given us the opportunity for life eternal!