From this Sunday’s Gospel (according to Luke):
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,
to be tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days,
and when they were over he was hungry.
So, if Jesus is God how could he have been tempted? We don’t think of Jesus being tempted – after all, he’s Jesus! But Jesus was human, and humans are tempted. Consider that scene described in the Gospel passage: The Son of God, poised to begin his earthly ministry is driven into the desert by the Holy Spirit (God) for more than a month, and who’s there? Satan, wild beasts, and angels. It sounds like an ordinary day in the life of a child of God, doesn’t it? Think about it – every day we are faced with temptations that are rooted in some form of evil: the temptation to be unfaithful, self-promoting, judgmental, dishonest, vain, — no need to extend the list of such unpleasant attributes; you get it.
There are forces out there that want us to fail at being faithful, humble, patient, understanding, truthful, and modest. Those forces include the “wild beasts” from the kingdom of “wanting more and wanting it better.” The good news is that we often have “angels” ministering to us to save us from the onslaught of the crazy ideas we have of reaching far beyond where God wants us to be. Those “angels” are the ones who love us and care for us so much that they bring us to the proper desert – the desert of our inner selves where God wraps his love around our restless hearts and calms us into living in Him.
The way to face temptation head on and win is to first spend time in the desert – alone with God who wants “just-you-and-me” time to say “I love you and I will guard you and guide you like the most loving father or mother you can imagine.” Nothing will seem more important if we do that. Nothing will tempt us away from being truly alive in Christ. No wild beast of false opportunity can overcome us!
Having spent our Lent in the desert with God – in prayer, in worship, and just being in one another’s presence – we will spend our Easter fully alive in the Risen Lord.
I’m praying that you have a good desert experience.
