The account of the baptism and the temptation of Jesus can be regarded as the two earliest and most momentous events in the life of Jesus as he embarks on his ministry in and around the towns and villages near to the sea of Galilee. We must remember that only two gospels give a narrative of the birth of Jesus, so, for all we can glean about this mysterious man from Nazareth, his baptism leading into his earthly ministry is the first real insight that we have of who he really was and under whose authority he carried out his earthly mission. Before his earthly ministry could begin though, all three synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, tell us about an event which we know as his temptation or testing in the wilderness for forty days and nights. The key thing here is to understand that although the word test and tempt are used in different bible versions the understanding of the term is really based on the source of the action and the motivation behind the act. So, God tests us not for us to fail but to strengthen our Christian faith, whereas the devil tempts us with the intention for us to fail. The actions or events might be similar but the motive behind the action is what distinguishes a test from a temptation. Having explained that theological principle let us look more closely at what happened to Jesus here in this well-known account and what it means for us Christians today. Jesus’ resistance to the devil is the perfect template for all Christians today.
- The Holy Spirit is our critical strength against the forces of evil.
We may notice that the Holy Spirit is critical to the entire account here as Luke tells it. It was the Holy Spirit that sent Jesus into the wilderness. He did not go off on his own merry way or in his own strength. The fact that he was led by the Holy Spirit meant that he was not going defenseless and vulnerable. Without the Holy Spirit as our guide and protector we cannot face the trials and temptations of the world and survive, much less be victorious against them. If you are a Christian, God’s Spirit within you is the only real armor, you must have to overcome what the world throws at you. What does having the Holy Spirit look like? How can you describe it? The Holy Spirit’s presence is real and present in the individual who has an unshakeable determination and commitment to following God’s will in his or her daily living, whether it is in their public life or private life. It is only a life that is fully committed to God that will be able to stand against the turbulence and testing in the world however they come at you.
- Our testing or temptation most often comes in our wilderness period.
After the Holy Spirit, the wilderness or desert features prominently in this account. After all, without it, you would have no need to be tempted. In the account, Jesus was sent into a lonely, harsh and barren place. It could even be regarded as a dangerous place to be as well because undoubtedly wild and dangerous animals lived in the wilderness too. In addition, when you consider that a physical desert or wilderness is not the place you will find an abundance of food that is fit for human consumption, you can see a picture of how desperate and seemingly hopeless it can be to be in the wilderness. Yet, this was exactly where Jesus was sent to be tempted. The wilderness or desert suggests by its very nature the place of extreme hardship, pain, struggle, disappointment and loss. It is a place that can lead to death. It is the place where one is at one’s lowest in every way possible and that is why it is easier to give in to the proposals or offers that come your way that will take you out of the desert. These proposals will seem extremely attractive and certainly the way out of the desert, so who would be such a fool as to not accept it when it is offered. Who wants to stay in the desert longer than usual if a good offer comes that will get you out of that desert in a very quick time? This is why the desert is the place where you are most vulnerable to temptations because you will grab hold of anything that can get you out as soon as possible. It is in the wilderness that you will find it much easier to compromise and as such do not stand strong for God when it really counts. What or where is your desert? Who is leading or sending you into the wilderness?
- The wilderness or desert is the place where the temptation is greatest or most forceful.
The wilderness is that place where you feel the greatest pain or pressure in your life. It usually is that time in your life when nothing seems to be going your way. The desert experience is when you are at your weakest and when it is easiest to deny Christ and run from the battle. It is not the place that most can stand strong in commitment to God. It is the point that you wonder if God is even with you because surely, he could not be allowing all the things to happen to you or that you are going through. What is your wilderness or desert? How many of us right now feel this overwhelming and persistent never-ending turmoil and pressure in our lives that will not end? How many of us have come close to giving up on God because the pressure was just too much to bear? I may surprise you by saying that the desert is not always a physically barren place. Sometimes your desert or wilderness is just at the time when all seems to be going physically well with you. You have a nice house, an excellent job, your family is doing well, and you are engaged in all kinds of charities and socially uplifting activities. You may even be on top of your game in your church and at your job, but you are still in the wilderness because everything looks good on the outside but inside you feel emotionally lonely, useless, overwhelmed and unworthy. Quite frankly you are lost. Temptations come at the point when you are most vulnerable and often that vulnerability is not caused by what you lack but by what you do have. You become complacent and trustingly dependent on material things so that the emotional and spiritual part of your self is left deprived of the nurture that it also needs. We take the best care of the physical and forget to nurture the spiritual. Remember what Jesus said when he asked, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world yet forfeit their soul?”. (St. Mark 8:36 NIV) There are many people in our world that are in the desert and are getting even more lost and confused because their lives are not connected to the source, the One who can lead them and us through the desert into fertile and healthy places. Many people are spiritually and psychologically going through the desert when everything around them exudes success and accomplishment. You see the point here, friends, is that if you do not have the Holy Spirit covering you in that desert you will not survive.
- Overcoming our innate selfish desires and interests is the way to resist temptations and save you from the desert.
We human beings are wired, so to speak, with a natural desire to look out for our own interests. On the face of it, nothing is wrong with that. That is how we survive. However, this innate desire can become so overwhelming that it impinges on others as well. Our innate desire to always achieve the best allows us to yearn for more than we need. What is even worse is that our natural instinct can morph into an uncontrollable desire to always be above everybody else, even to the point of taking from others their opportunities or other things that should rightfully be theirs. We want to dominate those who are weaker or who are easily manipulated. Jesus was presented with all these things as he was in the desert over those days. He was presented with food to satisfy his most urgent need. He was presented with power and authority to satisfy the desire to have power over others. Jesus recognized however, that it is only by putting his own needs or desires aside that he could truly overcome his desert experience. The same is true for all of us today. We must recognize that it is when we promote the interests and needs of others above ourselves that we can really understand what love is. It is in lifting others up, that we find our own healing and strength. It is this love which God’s Spirit puts into the heart of everyone who comes to Jesus and accepts him as Lord of their lives. How else can we remain firm and strong for God? To emphasize the point, Jesus said to his disciples, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (St. Mark 9:35 NIV) It is only when we understand how to place the interests of others above our own, especially those whom we think are undeserving and inferior to us, it is only then we can know and follow God’s will sincerely and faithfully. Some of us are in the desert to be strengthened, and some of us are in the desert to be humbled so that we can be better servants of God. Some are in the desert so that they can find what is truly all-important in life. May we make our own temptations the opportunity to stand even stronger for God who is with us even in the desert, and may God continue to strengthen us as we stand in His name alone. Amen.
