“By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”  Genesis 3:19 ESV

“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” 

We are now nearly a full week into the season of Lent, and those words repeated so often on Ash Wednesday, still ring in my head.  Recently, while pondering my own mortality, I thought back to the ancient Roman event known as the triumph.  Both a civil ceremony and a religious rite, it was held publicly to celebrate and sanctify the success of a military commander who had led Roman forces to victory in the service of the state, or originally and traditionally, one who had successfully completed a foreign war.  It included a victory parade and could last for several days. Later, as Rome became a republic, the most ambitious and powerful people in Roman society all sought to have a triumph in their own honor, yet few ever achieved this incredible status. The honoree, dressed as the god, Jupiter (King of the gods and chief diety of Rome), would ride in a four-horse chariot through the streets of Rome to the Temple of Jupiter

Tradition holds that during the triumph parade, a slave, or doulos, would stand behind the honoree in his chariot holding a laurel crown over his head to symbolize his victory.  Periodically, the doulos would lean forward and whisper in the ear of the commander, “Memento mori,” which translated means, “Remember you are mortal” (literally “Remember that you must die”), a reminder of the transient nature of all earthly goods and pursuits. Amidst all the fanfare, adoration and publicity the honoree would be receiving, a lone voice would act as a steady reminder that mortality strikes everyone. 

These were the same words Adam heard from God after his disobedience and subsequent expulsion from the Garden of Eden.  God’s plan from the beginning was that mankind would be immortal and be in fellowship with his creator forever.  It was Adam’s sin which led to his—and our—subsequent mortality.  Free will, while a blessing, can be a dangerous thing.

This is all in stark contrast to the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness (See Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13) which we heard read last Sunday.  Because of his God-ness (See Philippians 2:5-11), Jesus could easily have held claim to his divinity more than any Roman conqueror ever could.  In the wilderness, instead of gorging on the finest foods and calling on the angels to tend to His needs, Jesus fasts.  When tempted by the devil, Jesus’ response is to remind him—and us—of His relationship with His Heavenly Father.  As long as that relationship is at the forefront of Jesus’ mind and approach, His purpose cannot be thwarted, nor can ours.

In my ministry, both in the church and as a hospital chaplain, I have been vividly reminded of our mortal nature and the finality of our physical bodies.  However, while each of us is indeed mortal, our spirits are eternal.  We have been created by God in His image to be in fellowship with Him and with one another.  God intends for that relationship to be eternal.  We are the only ones who can destroy that relationship, both through our sin and our unwillingness to repent and accept God’s forgiveness and reconciliation.  Jesus’ temptation was more than just a show of force or an intellectual battle with Satan, it was our assurance that we, too, can resist temptation by standing on God’s Word and remembering that, as Christians, we have the Holy Spirit within us (John 7:37-39) and that the Holy Spirit will be our Helper (John 14: 16-17, 26).  The Apostle James tells us to …resist the devil, and he will flee (James 4:7).  Our mortal lives are filled with temptations, spiritual battles, and heartaches, but one day our mortal nature will pass away, and we can be assured that our spirits, the essence of who we are, will live on and we will be with our Creator forever.  Hallelujah!

Prayer:  Almighty and most Merciful God, graciously hearken unto our prayers; and free our hearts from the temptations of evil thoughts; that we may worthily become a fit habitation for Thy Holy Spirit. Amen.

Fr. Steve+