A New Kind of Success: A Lenten Reflection

A New Kind of Success: A Lenten Reflection
by, Charles W. Christian

The Season of Lent is meant to invoke images of Jesus’ wilderness temptation. The Gospels record that after Jesus’ baptism, in which the voice of God publicly recognized Jesus’ role as “Son of God” and Messiah thus inaugurating his public ministry, the Holy Spirit immediately leads Jesus into the wilderness. Here he is tempted for forty days by the devil. The Gospel of Mark uses vivid language here in the Greek. One can translated the passage in Mark 1 as Jesus being immediately “cast into the wilderness” by the Spirit of God upon coming out of the water. The imagery is of this One (Jesus) who has just become famous and even “successful” in the world’s eyes. Then, without standing around to answer questions, get publicity photos taken, or even announce a world tour or book signing, he drops out of sight for forty days!

For Phillip Yancey, in his book The Jesus I Never Knew, this scene paints a clear picture of what kind of Messiah Jesus chooses to be. The wilderness temptations themselves (recorded in Matthew and Luke) drive the point home that the use of worldly power or influence is not part of this Messiah’s agenda. The temptations in the wilderness are about self-reliance (“turn these stones to bread”), flashy displays of power (“jump off this high place and let God rescue you”), and compromising principles to achieve worldly power and influence (“bow down and worship me and receive these kingdoms”).

Jesus summarily rejects all of these approaches to Messiahship in the wilderness. But he actually rejects these even before he gets to the wilderness. He does so by allowing the Spirit to move him away from the awestruck crowd and the public endorsement of the then popular John the Baptist. I often tell students and church members that this is the first century equivalent of a singer getting a number one hit on the Billboard charts and then, instead of immediately going on tour and marketing T-shirts and other memorabilia, going into seclusion. Jesus’ approach is one that would give modern day publishes an ulcer! Yet in this unconventional move, Jesus reasserts what kind of Messiah he will be, how he and the Father measure success, and most importantly, what kind of followers best demonstrate the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Success is indeed measured differently in this Other Kingdom.