Revoke the Contract - Reject the Inheritance

 + Thoughts on the 1^st Sunday of Lent (22.02.26) +

Genesis 2.15–17, 3.1–7; Psalm 32; Romans 5.12–19; Matthew 4.1–11

I’ve been in lots of conversations about inheritance recently.

My mother is getting on, and my two brothers and I are trying to go about preparing for the inevitable as tax-efficiently as we can.

I hope that doesn’t give you the impression that Mrs Clark-Senior is not involved in the process; she is, at every turn and down to every last detail. She’s anxious to see as much of what she has as possible going to us.

Actually, I don’t think that’s quite right - I think she just sees us as a holding account, so that her money can end up with the people she’s really besotted with – her grandchildren (also 3 sons).

So today’s readings got me thinking about inheritance, but an inheritance of a different kind.

We are presented today with 2 hugely significant characters: Adam and Jesus (although to call Jesus ‘significant’ is an understatement – he’s the One from whom everything draws its significance, but let’s not get bogged down…)

Both those characters left us with an inheritance and we are invited, on this 1^st Sunday of Lent, to reflect on what we have in our accounts, so to speak.

Our first inheritance comes from Adam, and this is an inheritance we share with the entire human race.

To be born a human being is to be born into a particular story.

It’s a wonderful story in many ways because human beings are often remarkable. Look back over the vast sweep of human history and the story tells itself.

But being born a human – being descended from Adam, as the Bible puts it – has a ‘shadow side’. An inheritance from Adam is also a very tragic story, because it’s the story of rebellion against God and wilfulness, and rebellion and wilfulness lead to death, both in a physical sense, and in a spiritual sense.

The story of Adam, which we are born into and inherit, is the story of estrangement from God and alienation from our selves and from each other.

Our second inheritance comes from Jesus, and this is an inheritance we share with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

To be born-again as a Christian is also to be born into a particular story.

This story can also be a tragic story because suffering is ever present in human life, and the architect of the Christian life, Christ Jesus himself, gave birth (figuratively) to the Christian community (that’s us) by undergoing an excruciating ‘labour’ on the Cross.

But this story also has a ‘shadow side’, only this story’s shadow side is the proverbial ‘silver lining’, because the suffering in this inheritance doesn’t lead to death, as Adam’s does. The suffering in the inheritance left to us by Jesus leads us, step by step, to everlasting life.

To be born into Adam is to be born into a tragic story, that ultimately ends in defeat, despair and everlasting death. To be born again into Christ is to be born into a tragic story that ultimately ends in triumph, unspeakable joy and everlasting life.

Here’s how St Paul puts it in his Letter to the Romans (2^nd Reading): Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous (Romans 5:18-19).

In our Gospel reading about Jesus being tempted as he fasted in the wilderness, we witness the beginning of the process by which Jesus revokes Adam’s ancient contract with evil.

This is Him, undoing the legacy of Adam’s disobedience in the Garden with three refusals to eat the fruit the devil offers; the fruit that always turns to dust in our mouths once we’ve eaten it. This is Him resisting temptation.

This is also Jesus teaching us that by our own self-denial, and our own obedience to the Commandments and to the Gospel, we too are called to battle temptation, and begin our own process of revoking the ancient contract with evil as it plays out in our own lives.

When Jesus said his threefold ‘NO!’ to the devil we are told that, the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him (Matthew 4:11)

There’s a consolation waiting for us when we resist temptation. If we double down and fight the good fight against our appetites, for whatever it is they crave, the devil leaves and angels attend. Anyone who has had a taste of that sweet experience knows it’s worth fighting for.

Let’s encourage one another to fight that good fight this Lent. God bless you all.

NB: The image depicts the 12th-century mosaic of the Crucifixion located in the apse of the Basilica of San Clemente in Rome. The central figure is Jesus on the cross, which is artistically transformed into the "Tree of Life" with flowing vine tendrils. Mary and Saint John the Evangelist stand at the base of the cross. The cross is adorned with twelve white doves, which symbolize the twelve apostles.