Wilderness Grace: Matthew 4:1-11 - First Sunday in Lent

¹Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ²He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. ³The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” ⁴But he answered, “It is written,
 ‘One does not live by bread alone,
  but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
  ⁵Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,
 ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
  and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
 so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
⁷Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
  ⁸Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; ⁹and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,
 ‘Worship the Lord your God,
  and serve only him.’ ”
¹¹Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him. (NRSV)

A feeling of dread comes over me any time the telephone rings between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m.…

At those hours, the news usually isn’t good.  Something’s happened that will change my life—or someone else’s—forever…

Israel, Judean Wilderness by Andrew Dowsett.  Creative commons image on flickr

You probably don’t need to imagine that phone call—when you found out your loved one suffered a medical emergency or terrible accident, or they died; you have cancer; your employment is terminated; you’re going to be evicted or foreclosed from your home…

From that point on, life will be completely different—and the future uncertain. I’ve heard people describe this as a wilderness experience, and rightly so when you compare it to what Jesus faces in today’s Gospel…

The Holy Spirit leads Jesus out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  This is what the wilderness would have been for him: nothing but dunes, danger, death, and the devil. 

It seems awfully cruel of God to do such a thing to Jesus—to take him to the precipice of death by starvation and exposure, and then let the devil tempt him when he is most vulnerable.

Notice how the devil aims straight at heart of Jesus’ trust in God.  The devil says: “you either take control of the situation, or die. God can’t be trusted.”

When you are in the wilderness, you will have no trouble hearing the devil's words.

Perhaps you’re in the wilderness because of what you’ve done: you’ve violated the trust of someone important to you, and no amount of apologizing can repair the damage…  Perhaps you’ve done something illegal and you’re facing the justice system…  You may have had a simple lapse in judgment that’s now shattered your life into pieces.  Now here you are, with no way out.

You may be in the wilderness because of what’s happened to you: you’re sick; you’re grieving; someone’s hurt you; you can’t pay the bills; you don't know what to do with your life. 

When I’m in the wilderness, I always want to know why.  Sometimes, it’s obvious—but much of the time, you can only speculate. 

Whatever the case, the devil knows how to use the wilderness to convince you that God isn’t real; or that God has incarcerated you in this wretched wilderness and it’s up to you to get yourself out.  The devil is an expert at exploiting your guilt, anxiety, and depression, for maximum effect. 

Make no mistake—a wilderness experience can destroy you.  This is what the devil wants to do.  You cannot underestimate the devastation that can be wrought by an unresolved crisis.

But here’s something to remember: God didn’t put Jesus in this situation to let the desert and the devil destroy him.  And God didn’t put Jesus in the wilderness because Jesus had to prove his worth.  When Jesus was baptized, God said, “this is my beloved Son.”  Out in the wilderness, God will prove faithful to Jesus—and the grace that sustains him and helps him fend off the devil’s lies will enable him to go the distance to the cross.

You can’t truly know why God put you in the wilderness—or even if God put you in the wilderness.  Whatever the case, God will prove faithful.  Christ is always standing by—to strengthen you in temptation, to heal your brokenness, and to forgive your sin.  Jesus is with you in the wilderness to show you that God’s love is always stronger than death, the devil, and the desert.  Jesus uses the wilderness to reveal his faithfulness.  Even if you die in the wilderness—Jesus will raise you up again. 

The most effective way that God arms you against the devil is through the Word.  Jesus knew God’s Word—so did the devil—but Jesus held fast to the truth God had revealed.  The heart of God's Word is this: you are a child of God.  God is faithful—even when you’re not. In the wilderness, Jesus will prove faithful.

There’s one thing Jesus surely did in the wilderness—he prayed.  This, too, will put the devil on the run. 

Today, you are invited to take up this great weapon of the Spirit.  Light a candle and know that as you do, Jesus will light your way.  Receive the laying on of hands as a blessed assurance that you belong to Jesus and Jesus belongs to you.