Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished.
The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then 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.’”
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 1Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only God.’”
Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
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I want you to do some imagining, and like a prayer I want you to close your eyes and just imagine…
Where is your wilderness? Where is the place that you long to be? Where can you stay for longer than you intended and never want to leave?
What happens when your there? Is there laughter or silence? Is there stillness or play? Is there joy or peace, peace, peace?
What does it smell like, fresh pine, the dirt of earth after a rain, wood shavings, or the smell of salt air and the touch of sea? Are there vast cloudscapes or a canopy of trees, or is your wilderness the place which most feel like home.
Are you there alone, like the mornings with the light reaching in before everyone has awoken, or is it in the evenings clicking off the music before bed and then turning off the lights and locking the front door after a good book on the couch.
Or you there with those you love, are you sitting in a hammock with an old friend, or watching children build a snow fort and slide down the hill until they pass out the greatest sense of tired on the way home?
What is your body doing, is it walking on the path, is it driving in the car on an open road with time to think? Is it the burn in your legs after a long hike or a good ski? Is it just being in water and moving through its current as your own? Or is it kids/grand kids, one on each leg as your arms surround them reading a story? Or is it your beloved and that nook you find just below their shoulder and the way their body snuggles in?
What does your wilderness lead you to believe about God? Do you have those moments where you remember why you are here, where you live into that purpose for which God created you? Do you remember who you are in those places? Do you remember whose you are?
These are the wildernesses to which God calls, and calls even Christ.
I invite you to open your eyes.
Jesus has just been baptized, the heavens opened up and the voice of God spoke you are my son with whom I am well pleased. After this point, he will start his ministry, healing and feeding, preaching and teaching, but before he goes the Spirit leads him out into the wilderness. For forty days and forty nights he goes to that wilderness place and leans into God.
Can you imagine all the things he noticed? If it were in Baker would he notice the tiniest alpine flower, or the stars of snowflakes landing on his arm? Would he have painted the slate-grey periwinkle of yesterday’s clouds? Would he watched the wind swirl over Anthony Lake and the snowstorm begin to pummel and find his place at home having water and lemonade in the evening light in the shelter of the storm.
I think Jesus needed this before he was tempted, before he started his ministry, and throughout his ministry, and I think these times away allowed him to be present and faithful when he was tested. In each of the devil’s questions you watch Jesus lean into God. ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only God.’” It seems to be Jesus is able to withstand these temptations because he has had time in the wilderness. He has been nurtured to the core. He is full.
And I think you and I First Presbyterian are two peas in a pod when it comes to this struggle of taking time to just spend time in our wilderness with God. We are a church of doers, and we have a hard time being. The other day Melissa Irvine led the Session Elders in a process to look at our church’s Mission and Vision Statements. She had us list the best things about our church. It took up two giant posters by the time we stopped for time, and I felt I could go on for days. High on the list were things like Open Door and Backpack and Youth Leadership and Buildings and Grounds and Vacation Bible School and Deacons and volunteering. The list was such that, when we boiled down who we were to its smallest form we came to the phrase, “Sharing God’s love.” As short as it was, just three words, it seemed to encompass it all, there was nothing we did that was outside it’s bounds.
In essence, “Sharing God’s love,” is why we at First Presbyterian do what we do. We welcome middle kids at Open Door in the morning, caring for them and feeding them, at Backpack where food goes home with students on weekends, as expressions of this love. Likewise, the church shares God’s love with youth and kids, and invites them both into participation and leadership, from things like ringing the church bell to serving on Deacons and Elders. Buildings and Grounds shares God’s love by constantly caring for the myriad of work that is done around the church, especially this winter, especially with our sewer, especially with our broiler, and some day, hopefully not soon, especially with our roof. Then there is the super tangible sharing of love that not only comes from the Deacons but everyone, from cards sent, meals delivered, prayers offered, and hugs and high fives given. Sarah Hall shared that her daughter Avery, who is often a hard critic felt God’s love in the welcome of our church. You are really good at sharing God’s love. Moreover, we are a church who shares God’s love by consistently volunteering both within our walls and out in the community, from hosting Youth Group Dinners, to your professions as teachers and farmers, and callings as grandparents and classmates. These are but a drop of how you share God’s love, but I want to think about that word, share.
Share is an action word. First Presbyterian we are church of doers. We are a people who set goals, agendas, tasks, and get things done, and rarely look back. And I have a feeling that forty days in the wilderness would quite possibly be our worst nightmare, but perhaps the best thing for us. We are really good at sharing God’s love but we aren’t so good at allowing ourselves to receive God’s love. So, maybe it is time to start looking into a time in the wilderness, to go to those places we imagined, to take the time to lean into God. If Jesus was allowed, so can we. If from this point Jesus found strength to pressure and continue his ministry, so can we. It is okay, it is encouraged, it is Biblical, it is the Spirit leading us into the wilderness to be with God
