First Sunday of Lent

Title and Theme

Baptism and Testing

Outline and Body

There are two related topics in our readings

The first is baptism and covenant

The second is testing (or temptation)

And they are indeed related

Baptism is the initiation of those trusting God into covenant relationship with him

Peter notes its elements:

It is outwardly a washing in water, parallel to the salvation of Noah through water

It is effective if there is a “pledge to God from a clear conscience”

That is, if one sincerely means what one pledges in baptism

And it ties one covenantally to the risen Christ, which is why it comes in after the death of Jesus and his proclamation of victory to the fallen angels (perhaps in the second heaven) and his competed ascension and reign, for we are pledged to the reigning Christ

Testing is the attack of Satan on those who are baptized, trying to make them turn back on their pledge to God/Christ

Mark puts it tersely

The Spirit puts Jesus in the vulnerable position, where the demons were

He like Moses and Elijah was in the wilderness 40 days, a time of testing and prayer

And he won: Testament of Naphtali tells us that if one is faithful to God, then the wild beasts will not harm one and the angels will cleave to one (and vice versa). Note the number of stories of saints living in peace with wild beasts.

Then, tested and victorious, Jesus starts to proclaim with integrity “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.”

What might that mean for us?

Expect new commitments, whether baptism or vows or major steps forward in spirituality and ministry to be tested.

The devil tries our mettle to see if we are serious about our commitment

Expect battles with the devil (e.g. 40 day battles as in a Lent we take seriously) to precede ministry advances

Understand that God wants trained and tried warriors advancing his kingdom - he has enough who have been tested and have failed or were put in the ranks before being tested

Sisters, testing is not comfortable, but it is confirming: the devil takes our commitment seriously and he is testing it, trying to bring us down, so that we cannot go on to announce the good news of commitment to the risen Lord of the Kingdom with integrity

If the devil takes it seriously, so should we

Readings

Old Testament

Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition Chapter 9

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark.l 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

Epistle

Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition Chapter 3

18 For Christ also diedh for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit; 19 in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 ¶ who formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.

Gospel

Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition Chapter 1

12 ¶ The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to him.

Jesus Preaches the Gospel in Galilee

14 ¶ Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Notes

The interpretation of 1 Peter 3 is taken from my commentaries, which in turn rely on the volume in Analecta Biblica and the thesis of Robert L Webb.