“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the Devil. Saint Matthew states it even more forcefully using language that gives the image of Jesus being thrown into the desert. The point is it wasn’t Jesus’ idea to go wandering off into the woods looking for trouble. It was God’s. All this right after Jesus came up from the waters of baptism and was proclaimed the beloved son in whom God was well pleased while the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove. No one is exempt from the wilderness it seems, not even Jesus. There in the desert Jesus encountered someone familiar to us all, the devil. Forty days he endured the evil one and when it was almost over the testing began. “You must be famished” the devil began. “What kind of God would send you out here in this god-forsaken place with nothing to eat, where there isn’t a Subway for miles?” “If/since you are the Son of God that rock right there looks like the perfect candidate to become a foot long Black Forest Ham and Turkey on wheat.” “God obviously can’t be trusted so forget him, place your order on that rock and watch what happens, you can do it.” Round two, “So you’ve come to establish God’s kingdom. Does it look something like this? See they’re all there, every kingdom of the world. No establishing needed. They’re yours if you’ll just forget about this God who is starving you. Since/if you are the Son of God do you really need the old man?” You can do it. Round three, “If you’re going to be a king, you need a gimmick, a show, so why not jump off this tower. Since/if you are the Son of God surely he wouldn’t let anything happen to you, would he? You can do it.” Forty days Jesus endured this banter. Forty days his experience and situation was ever before him. It was true that God had led him into the wilderness. It was true that he had nothing to eat. It was true that he was establishing the kingdom of God. It was true that the word needed to be spread so that everybody could hear the good news.
Yet in spite of his experience, in spite of common sense, in spite of everything seeming to be exactly as the evil one described, in spite of the fact the evil one’s suggested course of action seemed reasonable and good Jesus never bought the devil’s one lie. He never fell for the one lie that God is untrustworthy so you better take matters into your hands, do it yourself, and help God out. You see that is the original temptation and it has worked since the Garden of Eden.
The Evil one’s temptation always seems the reasonable course and makes God out to be the problem. The devil points out that God makes unfair, even extreme demands on us and leaves us to flap in the breeze. Who among us couldn’t talk for days about our experience in the wilderness? The wilderness of some guilt we carry around like an anchor. The wilderness of some diagnosis that clouds our minds and robs us of our peace.
The wilderness of the grey hair and sagging body parts that remind us we’ve got less to go then we’ve already come. The wilderness of life that we have to endure because we’ve been thrown into it the minute we left the birth canal. But the lie is that God hasn’t provided a salvation, that God hasn’t given us hope, that God needs our help. But God has in fact provided hope but this hope is only in one person and that is Jesus the Christ. Jesus and Jesus alone is the salvation and hope that God has provided.
Don’t you be seduced into thinking that there is real salvation and hope in any other person, place, or thing. Your experience, your feelings, your wishes, your good works, your common sense and reasonable plans or any other thing will not save. Our only hope is in the promise of the gospel, a promise I now give to you.
You are forgiven unconditionally by the Father for Jesus sake. Of course that promise doesn’t remove us from the wilderness. So whether you live or die, in sickness or in health, whether you’re rich or poor, in spite of every circumstance you find yourself in don’t you listen to the evil one but cling to the promise of the gospel. Eat it, drink it, listen to it, remind yourself of it with water on your face because your salvation, Jesus, has promised to meet you in those things. In bread and wine and water and words God has made his trustworthiness tangible.Because Jesus has come for you, you are not alone in the wilderness no matter what the devil says. Amen