Victory
in the Wilderness
Stephen
Terry
Commentary
for the February 6, 2016 Sabbath School Lesson
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“Then
Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After
fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and
said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’” Matthew
4:1-3, NIV
The story of Jesus being led into the wilderness to be
tempted is perhaps as well known as the Sermon on the Mount. Since Jesus was
alone in the desert, He must have recounted the events to the disciples, and it
impressed them enough that it is repeated in each of the three Synoptic Gospels
with only slight variation. Mark’s account, which may be the earliest, is the
only one that frets about the wild beasts that may be encountered in such a
place. One might wonder whether or not Mark was a city boy, not used to being
around animals. In any event, none of the Gospel writers indicates that he
encountered any threats from animals.
Instead we are faced with somewhat of an enigma. How can
the Holy Spirit, the One leading us into all truth, lead someone directly into
temptation? Does a good God lead us into trouble? Maybe that is the meaning of
the request in the Lord’s Prayer, “Lead us not into temptation.”[i] It may seem scary to some
that God would purposely lead us into a bad situation, yet that is the
overriding theme of the entire book of Job. Of course, God did not create the
trouble for Job, Satan did. But that book tells us that God allowed it to
happen, and when He was questioned about it, He challenged Job’s right to even
question Him.[ii]
This might imply that God leading us into or even allowing temptation is how it
is supposed to work.
If we consider the well-known 23rd Psalm, the
psalmist writes that God leads us in the path of righteousness, yet in the very
next sentence, the writer finds himself in a dark valley. The logical
conclusion might be that if God is leading him, and he is in that dark valley,
God must have led him there. Having arrived there, he discovers that God is
right there with him. Perhaps that is to be expected if he is following God
down the path. But for some, it may be disconcerting that God would lead us
into a dark place instead of into the light in the first place.
However, this may be an essential part of the Christian
experience if even Jesus was brought into a desolate place to suffer
temptation. The Holy Spirit would not lead Him there by accident or on a whim
would He? Since Jesus did not apparently seek to avoid the Spirit’s leading but
faced the temptation head on might also endorse the view that this was
necessary. It was so necessary that He endured forty days of hunger before the
temptation began. How many of us might have turned back to the well-stocked
pantries of home long before that? At least the long walk might have deterred
us a little from doing that, but for Jesus, how much stronger was the
temptation, knowing that He could make bread if he wanted to. This he
demonstrated on more than one occasion by making it for thousands. It is at
this point, when He is suffering hunger, that the Devil arrives to test Him.
Satan also knows the power that Jesus possesses. He
knows the very point to attack each of us on as well. Knowing that Jesus had
not eaten and must be famished he approached Him with the idea that often is
the downfall of so many of us. He essentially asked, "Why are you doing
this to yourself when you don’t really have to? “Every dieter knows that siren
song that speaks to our desires without any consideration of what is right for
us, and this happens when we have only eaten slightly less than we might
normally have eaten in a single day. Appetite can be a strong persuader.
Nonetheless, Jesus did not yield on this point. He stated that man’s sustenance
comes ultimately from God. Following the counsel of Satan would sever that
sustaining chord and would place everything else that might be looked to for
support in jeopardy.
In the Garden of Eden, desire to satisfy appetite was said
to be the path to the fall and a shattered relationship with the Creator. The
fruit on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was not only desirable, but
was pleasing to the eye.[iii] Perhaps appetite is
easier to resist if the temptation looks unappetizing. Maybe that is why there
is a whole nutritional science developed around the necessity for proper food
presentation. I cannot count the number of times I have succumbed to appetite
based on an attractive presentation designed to lure me and others in. We are
all witnesses to the effect when we see a mouth-watering meal presented on
television only to see the reality in the unappetizing lump handed to us at a
fast-food restaurant. Perhaps the disappointment we feel with such deception is
a faint echo of that first deception suffered so long ago.
Christ seems to have spotted the proverbial “worm in the
apple,” for He did not follow up on Satan’s encouraging of His appetite. He not
only answered the Devil from the Word of God, but directed him to that very source
as the answer for every desire. To this the Devil had no reply. He was forced
to consider another avenue to the end he sought. Since Jesus did not make the
bread as requested, he enlarged on a different point he had insinuated with the
first temptation.
The Devil sought to instill doubt in Jesus’ mind, stating
“if he was the Son of God…”[iv] The Devil well knew what
Jesus could do, otherwise the temptation would have no validity. Such a
temptation would not affect us much as we do not have the creative ability that
Jesus has. But I have often heard it phrased slightly differently. “If you were
a Christian you would…” Always the implication is that the one making the
statement should be the one calling the shots and not the one being challenged.
This was likely the insinuation the Devil was making as well. He continued that
insinuation with a challenge to Jesus’ safety when he dared Him to throw
Himself down from on high. But Jesus possibly knew the Devil had no power to
harm Him until the appointed time. In any event, He knew who He was, and the Devil
verified that for once again the temptation would have little meaning if He
were not the Son of God.
Doubt had worked well for Adam and Eve, for the Devil
was able to bring them to doubt what God had told them. But here was Someone
that could not work with because he was divine and well knew who He was and why
He was here. Failing miserably at getting Jesus to doubt Himself, the Devil
pulled aside all subterfuge and made a direct appeal. That appeal revealed that
he knew why Jesus was here. He was here to reclaim the Earth and its
inhabitants, to resume rulership over the Earth. The Devil had seized the Earth
as his domain when he convinced Adam and Eve to follow him rather than God. Therefore,
he may have reasoned he could somehow give Jesus what He wanted and at the same
time retain what he wanted. He therefore offered to Jesus the entire world. He
would not have to walk the path of suffering that opposition to the Devil would
bring him. He could “have His cake and eat it too.” If He came to reclaim the
Earth, then the Devil would give it to Him. Only one small detail would make it
all possible. All He needed to do was to transfer His allegiance from God to
Satan, just as Adam and Eve had done. But that sorry tale revealed the depths
of evil that such a choice brought mankind. The greed and selfishness that characterize
Satan’s rule are destructive, favoring those that have the power to take over
those who are unable to resist them. We see the damage wrought by such citizens
everyday on the news.
Jesus possessed the self-awareness and the power to
resist succumbing to temptation, and passed His wilderness test. However, we do
not, of ourselves, have such power. We have only the same power that Adam and
Eve had. That is the power to choose whom we wish to be surrendered to. If we
surrender to the selfishness the Devil would have us to, he will enable that
selfishness to its full extent, perhaps even eventually to our own destruction
and the destruction of those we exercise power over. So many homes, so many
families have suffered from this. On the other hand, if we choose to surrender
ourselves to God, selfishness will progressively be set aside. Concern for the welfare
of others will take its place. Compassionate love comes to replace self-centered
greed. This is because the character of whomever we choose to rule over us is
reflected in our hearts and minds. We make that choice when we awake each day
and also myriad times throughout the day. If we ask Him to, God will guide us
as we make those choices. In His strength we can find the strength to resist
the tempter when he comes. Won’t you join me in choosing God and His way of
love and compassion?
