The
Ministry Begins
Stephen
Terry
Commentary
for the April 9, 2016 Sabbath School Lesson
“Then
Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”
Matthew 4:1, NIV
Many years ago, while serving in the United States Army,
I was stationed in the far northern state of Alaska. I was in my early twenties.
For many people at that age, an Alaskan adventure can be an exciting
opportunity, especially if it comes all expenses paid, courtesy of the United
States government. I experienced the thrill of sub-zero, cross-country skiing
in the winter time. The sun went down very early during the winter months and
the cross-country ski trails were like jeweled wonderlands with moonlight
glistening as it reflected from ice drops that had condensed on the evergreens
along the trail. When the Northern Lights danced above the trail, the
experience was unforgettable. We also enjoyed several bivouacs while I was
there, both winter and summer. In the winter the major challenge was to keep
warm. In the summer, it was to not get eaten alive by the many mosquitoes that
lived and bred in the hundreds of square miles of muskeg. However, for many,
this was balanced out by the excellent hunting and fishing opportunities that
still existed in this frontier state.
While Alaska had its charms for the young soldiers and
airmen assigned to the bases there, my ability to enjoy them was hampered by one
of the very things that made it unique. As a Seventh-day Adventist, I observed
the Seventh-day Sabbath. As a result the time from sundown on Friday to sundown
on Saturday held a special sacred significance for me. Rather than working, I
rested according to the commandment.[i] This had not normally been
a problem no matter where I had been assigned. Even in Vietnam, during the war,
I was granted time off for Sabbath observance. But as I previously mentioned,
the sun went down very early on Friday afternoons in the winter time, sometimes
as early as 2:40 PM. Since this was well before the end of the duty day almost
two hours later, it became a source of friction with some commanders accommodating
my religious beliefs and some refusing to do so. During one particular trying
period, I was denied promotion to staff sergeant because of my faith, and then
I was reduced in rank a grade and ordered to never observe the Sabbath again or
face prison. God intervened with a somewhat miraculous deliverance as He often
does when we stand for Him in faith, but that is a story for another place and
time. I only share this background to illustrate another point.
I was not the only sergeant[ii] assigned to my platoon.
Another individual, Greg,[iii] had the same rank I held,
but had been more recently promoted so he lacked seniority. While off duty,
Greg liked to join with the privates in their rooms and smoke marijuana and
drink with them. As a result, he was popular but failed to provide proper
leadership. I was charged with enforcing regulations in the barracks and so was
less popular, especially since marijuana was, and I believe still is, illegal
at the federal level. This contrast in relations between Greg’s interaction
with the men and mine resulted in his often undermining unit discipline. I
began to understand how things must have been in heaven when Satan undermined
God’s authority by ingratiating himself with the other angels.
Eventually, when I was reduced in rank to corporal by
the battalion commander over the Sabbath issue, Greg saw his opportunity to
assume complete control over the men and their activities in the barracks,
since he now outranked me. He began deliberately provoking me, and I saw how it
might have been for Jesus when tempted in the wilderness. He had ruled in
heaven and had won the victory over Satan and his army of rebels.[iv] The Devil had been cast
to the Earth. Here he actively recruited followers from among mankind to swell
the ranks of his army. The war had not ended; it had only changed theatre,
moving from heaven to earth. How surprising then that after gaining such a
victory, Jesus consented to come here, to our planet, not as a conquering
warrior, but as a humble servant, subjecting Himself to the humiliation of
being human, in order to save those who would come to Him. How the Devil must
have gloated to find his Conqueror now subject to all the power he could bring
against Him. He was perhaps rubbing his hands together with glee when he
watched the Holy Spirit leading Jesus into the wilderness where He would be
subject to the mightiest temptations the Devil could muster. Like my “friend,”
Greg, he wasted no time in seeking to establish control over his former opponent.
Of course, Jesus stood firm throughout the temptation and was delivered from the
Devil’s power on that occasion, but eventually allowing Satan the power to nail
Him to the cross at Golgotha.
While the whole temptation experience that took place in
that arid place has been studied in minute detail over the intervening
centuries since then, some profound issues continue to tug at out shirt sleeves
begging for resolution. For instance, for some it may be troubling that the
Holy Spirit would lead anyone into temptation, into the Devil’s clutches as it
were. Isn’t the Holy Spirit supposed to lead us into truth?[v] Of course the case might
be made that adversity reveals the truth about ourselves in ways that we might
not otherwise see. But still, we perhaps have a picture of the Spirit leading
us along the glowing celestial pathway to heaven, not a morose, chuck-holed
trail of stumbling stones. Does the Holy Spirit really lead us into such
places?
Perhaps, in a way, the Lord’s Prayer provides confirmation
that He might. The Disciples were urged to pray “Lead us not into temptation.”[vi] Why would anyone pray to
God not to lead them into temptation if God were not inclined to do so? Some
might counter that James vehemently declares that God tempts no man.[vii] This may be explained
though through the example of Christ’s experience in the wilderness. While the
Spirit led Him there, that Spirit did not do the actual tempting. That work was
left to the nefarious skills of Satan. This is similar to the case in the book
of Job, where Satan is allowed to have his way with the title character. Indeed
Job was severely tested, but like Jesus, he did not succumb to the testing. Rather
he endured and also like Christ, his reward was greater than his suffering.
However, just as in Christ’s case, there may be many today who still struggle
with the idea that God would allow such a severe testing of someone apparently as
righteous as Job. Even Job’s wife apparently lost faith in the face of such
severe trials.[viii]
Of course, we also have the example of the Tree of the
Knowledge of Good and Evil that God placed in the midst of the Garden of Eden.[ix] While in that instance,
it does not say that God led them to the tree to be tempted. He did provide for
the opportunity for temptation to take place, however. Perhaps God is not averse
to leading us into some pretty dark places. The same God who made use of the
Babylonians to purify the Jewish people may still use similar methods to purify
us today. Purification is often done with fire.[x] Even Peter spoke of this
when he wrote, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has
come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But
rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you
may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.”[xi] Apparently, he also saw
the parallel between Christ’s experience in trial and our own.
One final reference we may wish to consider is found in
the well-known Twenty-third Psalm.[xii] Verse three says that He
guides us along right paths for His name’s sake. Most would have no trouble with
that idea. Many would probably have no problem with the idea of God being with
us in those dark valleys either. In fact, that can be a comforting thought. But
wait a minute. If I am following Jesus along right paths, how did I wind up in
the dark valley in the first place? Perhaps that is the reason Jesus is there with
me, because He led me there. In some respects that may be a little less
comforting that God might have led me there rather than popping in later like
Superman to save the day. But a faithful parent will provide a variety of
experiences to help his or her child grow and mature. One might even say that
without adequate trials, there can be no spiritual maturity. Does it not make
sense then that God, our heavenly Father, will lead us into sufficient challenges
to strengthen us that we can grow into the spiritual maturity that will fit us
for life in heavenly places? If we trust His word and His leading, we can grow
up in Christ, following the example Jesus provided, even if it means walking through
temptation in humility, below the position we might have otherwise enjoyed.
