Discipleship in the Wilderness: The Three Archetypal ‘Temptations’ Then and Now (Mt 4:1-12)

Feb 17-21, 2014. Bartimaeus Kinsler Institute

As a preparation for Lent, we carefully read the story of Jesus’ “Vision Quest” and testing in Mt 4:1-12. We saw how each of the three temptations represent archetypal expressions of the economic, political and theological seductions through which empire seeks to shape our hearts, minds and practices. We explored how each of Jesus’ responses represent narrative cues to the “big story” of liberation in the Bible. And through this process we looked at the challenges facing us today, reflecting on some of the themes articulated in Ched’s book Who Will Roll Away the Stone? Discipleship Queries for First World Christians (Orbis), in celebration of its 20 anniversary. A photo essay can be viewed here. (863KB PDF)