Recently, our church began small group studies for the church season of Lent. For those who may be unfamiliar with this tradition (as I was growing up), the word Lent is an evolution of the early English and German words for “Spring” and is a 40-day period leading up to Easter.
Generally speaking, the centuries-old Roman Catholic tradition of Lent involves prayer, confession, and fasting similar to Jesus’s journey into the wilderness, during which he was tempted by Satan. While some historical Bible scholars disagree about whether Satan is an actual fallen angel or if he is the personification of humanity’s most selfish, narcissistic, and power-hungry desires, there is still much to glean from examining this narrative. There are three slightly different accounts of this in the gospels, but I find the one in Matthew most interesting:
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Matthew 4: 1-11, New International Version
What I find fascinating about this passage is that Satan repeatedly tries to force Jesus’s hand as the Son of God. Oh, you say you are the Son of God? Prove it. Satan also knows the Scriptures through and through; the way he quotes Psalm 91: 10-11 directly at Jesus is snarky and demanding. There is a power dynamic at play here, and thankfully Jesus sees right through it.
While the context is completely different, the “feel” of this passage and the fight for dominance parallel the way many conservative American Christians often interact with LGBTQIA+ Christians. Oh, you say you are gay/trans/queer? Prove it. Oh, you say you are also Christian? Prove it. For it is written: [insert weaponized Bible passage here].
What most concerns me is the way in which many conservative American Christians enter dialogue about faith and sexuality without any existing intentional relationships with LGBTQIA+ Christians, instead voicing and then demanding unwavering allegiance to their own interpretations of Scripture. Why do we feel the need to divide and defend when we repeatedly read in the Scriptures about casting away fear and trusting God’s work through the Holy Spirit? Is our Christian faith really so fragile that it cannot withstand the challenges that diversity presents?
On the Wings of the Dawn 