Mark 1:9-15 Good News Translation
9 Not long afterward Jesus came from Nazareth in the province of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, he saw heaven opening and the Spirit coming down on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you.”
12 At once the Spirit made him go into the desert, 13 where he stayed forty days, being tempted by Satan. Wild animals were there also, but angels came and helped him.
14 After John had been put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee and preached the Good News from God. 15 “The right time has come,” he said, “and the Kingdom of God is near! Turn away from your sins and believe the Good News!”
9 Not long afterward Jesus came from Nazareth in the province of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, he saw heaven opening and the Spirit coming down on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you.”
12 At once the Spirit made him go into the desert, 13 where he stayed forty days, being tempted by Satan. Wild animals were there also, but angels came and helped him.
14 After John had been put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee and preached the Good News from God. 15 “The right time has come,” he said, “and the Kingdom of God is near! Turn away from your sins and believe the Good News!”
Reflection
Lent, what is it and where did it come from?
As we can see the number 40 is significant for both Jews and Christians. It is a time of preparation, of fasting, of prayer and reflection, a time of getting ready, a time of getting closer to God.
Well Jesus spent, 40 days in the desert discerning just what it was that Yahweh was calling him to do.
40 days of fasting and praying, wanting to draw ever closer to Yahweh, seeking answers to questions he never knew he would have to ask, being tempted to turn stone into bread and satisfy every physical longing, tempted to test Yahweh and his faith in the one God of Israel, tempted to honour and obey and worship another God who would grant him everything anyone could ever wish for: power! Jesus passes the test, and the angels take care of him and he leaves the desert behind to start his ministry in Galilee.
And before that we have 40 days and 40 nights when Noah and his ark survive in the flood ending with doves and a rainbow.
40 days and nights Moses fasts on Mt Sinai with Yahweh
in Exodus 34. Then, Moses comes down from Mt Sinai with the Ten Commandments on stone tablets and ..well let’s just say he was not amused to find the Israelites worshipping, of all things, a golden calf. OK, Moses was hopping mad and he throws down the tablets and breaks them.
But he relents and the next day he does it all over again, 40 more days and nights, up on the mountains in the presence of Yahweh, no eating or drinking, and he comes down with the tablets on which are written the words of the covenant; the Ten Commandments.
Then, of course, there is the famous 40 years of wandering in the desert. Forty years of eating quail and manna is a long time for Israel, to get it right before they can cross into the land of milk and honey.
We have a few more 40s that are in the Bible like Elijah walks on Mt Horeb for 40 days, Yahweh gives Ninevah 40 days to repent in the story of Jonah, and Jesus spends 40 days after the Resurrection appearing to his followers and the disciples in Acts 1. (There are other examples as well)
So, the history of Lent is not quite as exciting as is the number forty; which is found throughout the Bible. In fact, there is no Lent in either the Bible or in the early communities of Jesus followers. Jesus is Jewish, the disciples are Jewish, Jesus’ followers are Jewish, Paul is Jewish. They all adhere to and follow Jewish Holy days, rituals and practices.
So, Shabbot, the day of rest every week: Friday evening to Saturday evening), Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), Sukkot (Festival of Booths), Hanukkah (Festival of Lights), Purim (Feast of Lots), Pesach (Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread), Shavuot (Festival of Weeks or Pentecost) – fifty days after Passover.
Good Friday ; the story of Jesus’ death and Easter; the empty tomb, resurrection and subsequent meetings would only have been commemorated, stories told and retold, rather than being holy days in themselves in those fledging worship gatherings and communities. The common meal (communion) however was a feature of their gatherings.
But by the 2nd and 3rd century CE, things like setting the date on which the Resurrection of Jesus was to be observed and celebrated, was contentious and triggered a major dispute between the Eastern and Western (Roman Catholic) churches, known as the Paschal controversies, which was not resolved until the 8th century.
In Asia Minor, or the Eastern Orthodox Church, Christians observed the day of the Crucifixion on the same day that Jews celebrate the Passover offering—that is, on the 14th day of the first full moon of spring; 14 Nisan. The Resurrection was observed two days later, on 16 Nisan, regardless of the day of the week.
In the West, the Resurrection of Jesus was celebrated on the first day of the week, Sunday, when Jesus had risen from the dead. Consequently, Easter was always celebrated on the first Sunday after the 14th day of the month of Nisan. Increasingly, the churches opted for the Sunday celebration. The Council of Nicaea in 325 CE decreed that Easter should be observed on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox (March 21). Easter, therefore, can fall on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25.
Eastern Orthodox churches use a slightly different calculation based on the Julian rather than the Gregorian calendar (which is 13 days ahead of the former), with the result that the Orthodox Easter celebration usually occurs later than that celebrated by Protestants and Roman Catholics. Moreover, the Orthodox tradition prohibits Easter from being celebrated before or at the same time as Passover.
Getting back to Lent and early practices; until the fourth century, the fasting that came to characterize Easter was restricted to a day or two; it never exceeded a week. Lent originated as a way for candidates to prepare for baptism, which was to take place at Easter.
During the fourth century, this preparatory fasting was justified as a means for cleansing the body of impurities and atoning for sin. Soon, other members of the community began fasting in support of those preparing for baptism and to reaffirm their own faith. Thus becoming a communal or church practice.
So what may have started as a day or so (say 40 hours) as a fast and preparation time for the Easter celebration gets
transformed into 40 days shortly after the Council of Nicea in 325 CE based on the time Jesus spent in the desert.
But, not everyone followed the same rules. The fast, which allowed for one meal a day after 3 p.m. as long as it contained no meat, dairy or eggs, sometimes, in some places excluded Saturday and Sunday. By the 1400s, Christians had begun eating the one meal earlier in the day, and later began to add a smaller meal to keep up their strength. Eventually, the one-meal restriction was lifted altogether, and new practices emerged, like the idea of giving up some luxury or need as a personal sacrifice for the season. Over time, “giving something up” became the centerpiece of Lent.
By the time of the Reformation and a renewed emphasis on
righteousness by faith alone, some Protestant churches like the Calvinist – read Presbyterian, Congregational and Reformed Churches, as well as the later Evangelical movements, claimed there was no scriptural basis for the practice and so did not even institute the Lenten practices of Fasting, Prayer, and Good Works during the lead up to Easter. Other churches including the Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist continued the practice.
As we know things change and today fasting is no longer a prominent feature of Lent in the Western churches. Recent practices have included a disciplined approach to prayer, and devotional reading, giving up something or adding a spiritual practice, studies based on the Bible or other spiritual books are common in many churches.
However, Orthodox churches around the world still hold dozens of extra services during the Lenten period and Holy Week, just before Easter. Orthodox Christians fast from meat, dairy products, fish and olive oil during Lent, and make a special effort to care for the needy.
Although practices may vary, many churches, congregation and individuals understand Lent to be a time of preparation, a time of reflection, a time to open their hearts and minds and to come closer to God.
For 40 days, starting with Ash Wednesday, Christians live in anticipation of Holy Week. We prepare ourselves for sadness and sorrow of the harsh reality of Good Friday, even as we prepare ourselves for the celebration and hope we experience with the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.
May it be so Amen
Lent, what is it and where did it come from?
As we can see the number 40 is significant for both Jews and Christians. It is a time of preparation, of fasting, of prayer and reflection, a time of getting ready, a time of getting closer to God.
Well Jesus spent, 40 days in the desert discerning just what it was that Yahweh was calling him to do.
40 days of fasting and praying, wanting to draw ever closer to Yahweh, seeking answers to questions he never knew he would have to ask, being tempted to turn stone into bread and satisfy every physical longing, tempted to test Yahweh and his faith in the one God of Israel, tempted to honour and obey and worship another God who would grant him everything anyone could ever wish for: power! Jesus passes the test, and the angels take care of him and he leaves the desert behind to start his ministry in Galilee.
And before that we have 40 days and 40 nights when Noah and his ark survive in the flood ending with doves and a rainbow.
40 days and nights Moses fasts on Mt Sinai with Yahweh
in Exodus 34. Then, Moses comes down from Mt Sinai with the Ten Commandments on stone tablets and ..well let’s just say he was not amused to find the Israelites worshipping, of all things, a golden calf. OK, Moses was hopping mad and he throws down the tablets and breaks them.
But he relents and the next day he does it all over again, 40 more days and nights, up on the mountains in the presence of Yahweh, no eating or drinking, and he comes down with the tablets on which are written the words of the covenant; the Ten Commandments.
Then, of course, there is the famous 40 years of wandering in the desert. Forty years of eating quail and manna is a long time for Israel, to get it right before they can cross into the land of milk and honey.
We have a few more 40s that are in the Bible like Elijah walks on Mt Horeb for 40 days, Yahweh gives Ninevah 40 days to repent in the story of Jonah, and Jesus spends 40 days after the Resurrection appearing to his followers and the disciples in Acts 1. (There are other examples as well)
So, the history of Lent is not quite as exciting as is the number forty; which is found throughout the Bible. In fact, there is no Lent in either the Bible or in the early communities of Jesus followers. Jesus is Jewish, the disciples are Jewish, Jesus’ followers are Jewish, Paul is Jewish. They all adhere to and follow Jewish Holy days, rituals and practices.
So, Shabbot, the day of rest every week: Friday evening to Saturday evening), Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), Sukkot (Festival of Booths), Hanukkah (Festival of Lights), Purim (Feast of Lots), Pesach (Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread), Shavuot (Festival of Weeks or Pentecost) – fifty days after Passover.
Good Friday ; the story of Jesus’ death and Easter; the empty tomb, resurrection and subsequent meetings would only have been commemorated, stories told and retold, rather than being holy days in themselves in those fledging worship gatherings and communities. The common meal (communion) however was a feature of their gatherings.
But by the 2nd and 3rd century CE, things like setting the date on which the Resurrection of Jesus was to be observed and celebrated, was contentious and triggered a major dispute between the Eastern and Western (Roman Catholic) churches, known as the Paschal controversies, which was not resolved until the 8th century.
In Asia Minor, or the Eastern Orthodox Church, Christians observed the day of the Crucifixion on the same day that Jews celebrate the Passover offering—that is, on the 14th day of the first full moon of spring; 14 Nisan. The Resurrection was observed two days later, on 16 Nisan, regardless of the day of the week.
In the West, the Resurrection of Jesus was celebrated on the first day of the week, Sunday, when Jesus had risen from the dead. Consequently, Easter was always celebrated on the first Sunday after the 14th day of the month of Nisan. Increasingly, the churches opted for the Sunday celebration. The Council of Nicaea in 325 CE decreed that Easter should be observed on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox (March 21). Easter, therefore, can fall on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25.
Eastern Orthodox churches use a slightly different calculation based on the Julian rather than the Gregorian calendar (which is 13 days ahead of the former), with the result that the Orthodox Easter celebration usually occurs later than that celebrated by Protestants and Roman Catholics. Moreover, the Orthodox tradition prohibits Easter from being celebrated before or at the same time as Passover.
Getting back to Lent and early practices; until the fourth century, the fasting that came to characterize Easter was restricted to a day or two; it never exceeded a week. Lent originated as a way for candidates to prepare for baptism, which was to take place at Easter.
During the fourth century, this preparatory fasting was justified as a means for cleansing the body of impurities and atoning for sin. Soon, other members of the community began fasting in support of those preparing for baptism and to reaffirm their own faith. Thus becoming a communal or church practice.
So what may have started as a day or so (say 40 hours) as a fast and preparation time for the Easter celebration gets
transformed into 40 days shortly after the Council of Nicea in 325 CE based on the time Jesus spent in the desert.
But, not everyone followed the same rules. The fast, which allowed for one meal a day after 3 p.m. as long as it contained no meat, dairy or eggs, sometimes, in some places excluded Saturday and Sunday. By the 1400s, Christians had begun eating the one meal earlier in the day, and later began to add a smaller meal to keep up their strength. Eventually, the one-meal restriction was lifted altogether, and new practices emerged, like the idea of giving up some luxury or need as a personal sacrifice for the season. Over time, “giving something up” became the centerpiece of Lent.
By the time of the Reformation and a renewed emphasis on
righteousness by faith alone, some Protestant churches like the Calvinist – read Presbyterian, Congregational and Reformed Churches, as well as the later Evangelical movements, claimed there was no scriptural basis for the practice and so did not even institute the Lenten practices of Fasting, Prayer, and Good Works during the lead up to Easter. Other churches including the Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist continued the practice.
As we know things change and today fasting is no longer a prominent feature of Lent in the Western churches. Recent practices have included a disciplined approach to prayer, and devotional reading, giving up something or adding a spiritual practice, studies based on the Bible or other spiritual books are common in many churches.
However, Orthodox churches around the world still hold dozens of extra services during the Lenten period and Holy Week, just before Easter. Orthodox Christians fast from meat, dairy products, fish and olive oil during Lent, and make a special effort to care for the needy.
Although practices may vary, many churches, congregation and individuals understand Lent to be a time of preparation, a time of reflection, a time to open their hearts and minds and to come closer to God.
For 40 days, starting with Ash Wednesday, Christians live in anticipation of Holy Week. We prepare ourselves for sadness and sorrow of the harsh reality of Good Friday, even as we prepare ourselves for the celebration and hope we experience with the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.
May it be so Amen
