Jesus is now about 30 years old. He has never sinned. Why send him out into the desert to be tempted?
I find myself wondering this morning why Jesus had to be tempted. Certainly by this point in his life he has already experienced every temptation possible, and was victorious. I notice that his public ministry didn’t begin until after the temptation. Neither did the miracles, or the selection of the disciples. So I know one thing for sure, Jesus came out of the wilderness different than when he went in. I notice that the Spirit led Jesus to the desert, he didn’t just decide to fast for 40 days in order to “force” an experience with God. At the end of the period of testing, angels attended him. I wonder what that means? Did they bring food? Whatever they did, it seems that Jesus was taken to a new level of relationship after that. He was one with the Father, and knew exactly what was going to happen. After his time in the desert, He was filled with power and wisdom.
Since we don’t have any records of what Jesus did as a teenager, I am going to speculate that this was something new in His relationship with God. Jesus in human form, and because of that, limited in His ability to see and know spiritual realities, was given new abilities as he left the desert. Here’s why I say that: The only way we would know what happened in the desert, and how He was tempted, is if Jesus told the disciples himself. No one was there, so he must have told them the story later. If something similar to this had happened earlier, Jesus would have used that account as well. Since this is the only thing He mentions, it must be the watershed event. And if it happened for Jesus, then the same thing can happen for us.
The whole event causes me to think about where the Spirit leads me.
God could very well lead me (and my family, I guess) into a time of lack, a time where many everyday comforts are not available. During that period could be a time of testing. Often, losing material things makes us rely on God even more, so we become stronger as we have “less”, not the other way around. I believe Jesus was at a new deeper level of devotion by the time the devil showed up to tempt him. From that perspective, the 40 days would be a time of preparation for the test. When I look at it in that way, I’m not as tempted to avoid the desert. If the Spirit leads me there, then I want to go. What I really want is the closer relationship that will be provided at the end of the test. I’m not looking for the desert experience, I’m looking for the blessing at the end. If the desert is the only way to receive the blessing, then bring on the desert.
Jesus lived his life this way. When He was in Gethsemane he prayed that the upcoming experience would be taken away, but not at the expense of being out of God’s perfect will. He went on to pray that if this was what God really wanted, then that’s what he would do.
I’m so glad that Jesus rose to the occasion and endured the difficult times, because the whole world is blessed because of it.
I wonder who might be blessed if you and I endure our difficult times as well? What level of relationship could we have with God if we followed the Spirit wherever He led us?
Thinking aloud,
Pastor Rick