Among the Wild Beasts: A Reflection on the First Sunday of Lent (Year B)
It is difficult to look at the flood and see God’s mercy. Even the First Reading we have from Genesis on this First Sunday of Lent in Year B is the promise of the Father that He will never again send water to “… devastate the earth.”[1]
And yet, St. Peter in his First Letter very clearly states that Noah and his family were “… saved through water.”[2]
Saved through water? But how can these waters, this same flood, be both devastation and salvation? When we look closely, however, we see that it was not actually the flood that devastated the earth. It was sin. It was the ‘wild beast’ of our sin that had ripped through creation and devoured the souls of all but eight people. When we understand this truth, we realize that the waters were not our greatest peril – for though water can kill the body, sin without redemption corrupts the soul forever. The flood, then, was the very thing that saved Noah and his family from this beast and, through the Ark, God worked to great extremes to preserve those that had not yet been overcome.
It was not for destruction that God sent the waters, but for salvation.
It is clear, though, that God desired a better way. That is why he swore to Noah that He would send no more floods. Now that man had seen what his sin could yield, God knew it was possible for him to enter into that better way, the way of His promise. And while His promise was a rainbow, it was really a covenant, and ultimately, it was the Redeemer – Our Lord, Jesus Christ and the waters of His Baptism.
To deal with the root danger, God had to deal with the sin in our souls, and He knew that the only way to accomplish this would be for Him to face sin Himself. So, we read in today’s Gospel that “[t]he Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts…”[3] Vulnerable, hungry, and alone, Jesus allowed Himself to be surrounded by the same ‘wild beasts’ that threatened Noah, he exposed Himself to the dangers of temptation and sin that so overwhelm us, and He triumphed over them.
Likewise, He calls us to triumph, and St. Peter notes that the path He marks out for us is “… a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…” [4] In Him, we can stand in the desert among all the wild beasts that challenge us, because all “angels, authorities, and powers [are] subject to him.”[5] By living in union with Him, by taking up our crosses and following Him, we can walk through the valley of the shadow of Death, because “He guides the humble to justice, and he teaches the humble his way.”[6]
Ultimately, Lent is about the saving mercy that Jesus presents to us in His very person, and in His commandments and counsels. By turning back to receive Him with all our hearts, and follow His way, we board the ark that will carry us through destruction to eternal life. So, while saying ‘no’ to that steak on Friday night may feel like the end of the world, it is really a small gift of mercy to us, aiding us against much greater dangers. I don’t need to tell you what incredible beasts we are facing right now, both in the world and in our hearts, but they are all as nothing compared to the love of the Father and the saving mercy of Jesus Christ. For this reason, Jesus declares that“‘[t]his is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’”[7]
[1] Genesis 9:11 (New American Bible - First Sunday of Lent, Year B – Lectionary: 23)
[2] 1 Peter 3:20
[3] Mark 1:12-13
[4] Ibid, 3:21
[5] Ibid, 3:22
[6] Psalm 25:9
[7] Ibid, 1:15
