The Rev. Dr. Brandon Perrine
Lent 1A
Matthew 4:1-11
February 22, 2026
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘God will command the angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is 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 glory, and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only God.’” Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
~o~
A little girl asked her father, “How did the human race start?” Her father answered, “God made Adam and Eve, they had children, and so all humankind was made.” Later, the girl asked her mother the same question and her mother answered: “Like the great apes, humans evolved from an ancient primate over millions of years.” The confused girl returned to her father and said, “Dad, how is it possible that you told me the human race was created by God, and Mum said they evolved from ancient monkeys?” Her father answered, “It is very simple. I told you about my side of the family and your mother told you about hers.”
It’s not very often that we get to hear about Adam and Eve on Sunday mornings. Only about once per year does the lectionary give us a snippet of the creation story. Year A, though, is special because on the first Sunday in Lent, we hear this reading about Adam and Eve and a certain serpent.
This story belongs to a genre of literature known as Primeval History— what we might simply call foundational stories. Stories first told around campfires and dinner tables, passed down for generations, helping people make sense of themselves and the world. They weren’t written to explain science so much as to explain us.
To my ears, the story of the man, the woman, and the apple sounds almost like a coming-of-age tale. The divine parent had put boundaries in place and the still-developing children were prone to push those boundaries— with a little extra help from that friend mother always says is a bad influence. The result was both a gift and a curse—loss of innocence, expulsion from the safety and security of a childhood paradise, the disappointment (but not surprise) of a parent. But also knowledge. Good and evil. Consequences. Growing up.
It’s a good story because it’s a true story, relived in every generation since the beginning of time. We’ve all been in the garden. We’ve all tasted the apple. We’ve all had our eyes opened. It’s part of growing up. This story is about the maturation of our species. And if that’s true, then Matthew’s wilderness story starts to sound familiar. Temptation shows up again. Only this time, not in a garden—but in a desert.
While it took centuries for interpreters to identify the serpent with the devil, by Jesus’ time this understanding of the Tempter had begun to take shape. Unlike the story of the primordial couple in the garden, though, Jesus appears to face his temptation fully grown and grounded in the identity and work he was about to step into. A hungry Jesus was tempted with bread. A prophet Jesus was tempted with a shortcut to fame. A messiah Jesus was tempted with power over kingdoms and empires. But instead of grasping, he trusts. He doesn’t perform or panic. He simply remembers who he is and what he’s about. And from that place of clarity, he stays true to himself, true to his faith, and true to his mission. And on the other side of the wilderness, he steps forward ready to begin his work in earnest.
Taken together, these stories offer perspective and hope for us as we too face the challenges and temptations of life. On the one hand, sometimes we, like the man and woman in the garden, will fail. And the truth is, that’s part of growing, part of learning, part of maturing. It can be painful, but it’s also universally human. There is no growth without struggle.
And on the other hand, the example of Jesus reminds us that another way is possible—that with time and wisdom we can grow up and into ourselves, embody our convictions, and live with greater clarity and purpose. We don’t meet Jesus until he’s thirty years of age. Chances are good that he faced other temptations and learned valuable lessons along the way. We should give ourselves and others the grace to evolve too.
We regularly pray, “Lead us not into temptation.” A modern translation puts it, “Save us from the time of trial.” Because, as these stories remind us, it isn’t God doing the testing—but life will test us all the same. We’ll all have our gardens. We’ll all have our wildernesses. We’ll all have moments when we grab… and moments when we trust.
Lent isn’t about proving anything or punishing ourselves. Lent, like life, is simply about growing up—learning, slowly, to trust that we are already held, already loved, already enough. And when the next wilderness comes, may we remember who we are. Beloved.
May it be so. Amen.
