Jesus as Israel

I'm always amazed at how Jesus acts as Israel for Israel. The wilderness temptations are a replay of Israel's wilderness wanderings after their flight from Egypt. Of course, the Israelites passed through the Red Sea into the Sinai desert. So it's really no surprise that Jesus would be sent into the wilderness by the Spirit after his baptism in the Jordan River. History is being repeated, but in a way that is redefined, redeemed and fulfilled. The parallels that could be drawn are endless, but let's just say, for the sake of brevity, that Christ gave Israel a brand new history. The same goes for us. Part of being a new creation through Baptism is going through a redefinition of who we are. Our personal and collective histories of sin and death are redeemed, transformed, and dare I say, replaced by Christ's history of perfection and holiness. This is solidified in us as we hear the spoken Word of God and sustained by the sacramental Word of God in Holy Communion. Never doubt God's provision for the Lenten journey!

Has anyone ever asked you this question: If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? I never like this question because my answer isn't what my inquistors were looking for. It's also an arrogant question, because the person asking it is setting himself up as my judge and jury (and I do that to myself very well on my own, thank you very much!). My answer is something like this-- oh, there's evidence, but it's not my evidence. I didn't create the evidence, and it wasn't my idea anyway. The evidence I can give is only what I have received through Word and Sacrament--God's grace and the merits of Christ.

See for yourself, judgey wudgey, and do as you will!