Luke 4:1-13
“Even in the Desert”
March 6, 2022
How do we define wilderness?
For some it is the middle of endless woods where the inexperienced hiker without a compass might struggle to find their way back to familiar territory.
For others it might be in the middle of an ocean where, looking in any direction, only yields more water and more sky with nothing on the horizon.
I can remember when my husband and I were driving through parts of South Dakota in 2018 and all that was visible as far as the eye could see was miles and miles of flat land with few trees and lots of rocky surfaces.
When you see signs warning you to check your gas tank level before continuing because the next gas station, and for that matter any other service, was 80 miles away, you suddenly become conscious of a strong sense of isolation and potential desperation that we rarely experience here in the densely populated Northeast.
It was on those long stretches of road that the concept of wilderness finally became real.
Jesus in this wilderness experience that harkens back to the wilderness experiences of those prophets that went before him is by himself except he is not.
It was the Holy Spirit that led him into this desolate place, and it was the devil or tempter who meets him there.
This is such great timing for both Jesus and the devil because at this point Jesus hasn’t preached a single sermon or cast out even one demon or offered healing to a single sick person.
We see here that Jesus’ ministry will begin to take shape before he’s done even one remarkable act.
These three temptations present themselves in the form of a conversation just like it was with the serpent and Adam and Eve back in the garden.
Luke typically reserves mountains for times of prayer and revelation and there are no angels in Luke’s account which separates it from Matthew and Mark’s account where there are angels to offer relief.
What we do know is that the presence of the Holy Spirit, the one who got Jesus into this position in the first place, does not mean that there won’t also be temptation present.
In this first week of Lent when some of us adopt practices or restrict something we enjoy or seek out ways to beef up our relationship with God, temptation is so often viewed as that which is seeking out our weak spot.
Instead, what if we turned that around and viewed it from a different perspective.
We can see from these three temptations that Jesus is being offered one form of the kind of choices he will need to make when he gets down to the business of ministering on his way to Jerusalem.
Let’s look at the first temptation which has both social and personal implications for Jesus. When a famished Jesus is tempted with the option of using his identity to make a stone into bread he could be looking ahead and wondering will my ministry be all about eliminating all physical needs from people who are hungry?
His second temptation is all about the lure of power and Jesus has to figure out if instead of all that glory he would rather submit to God’s will in order to get what is good for God’s people.
Privilege is at the heart of the third temptation that tests his ability to save himself but what will happen when it comes to his death in Jerusalem?
If we allow ourselves, we can view temptation as a sign of strength not weakness.
Think about the fact that we are only tempted to do what is within our power to do.
It’s not a temptation if it’s not possible.
Wilderness and temptation are paired for Jesus, and we may experience them together also.
In the wilderness there can be the temptation to think we can make it all alone.
Tie this to the ideal many pride ourselves on our self-sufficiency and we can quickly lose sight of all the other people who modeled and supported and provided opportunities for us and who care about us and often are quietly there, maybe right by our side all the time.
When we think it is only up to us and us alone to fix this, that’s when we struggle most.
One translation of the word “wilderness” in Hebrew is “wordless place.”
To be so alone as to hear no other voices.
If self-sufficiency marks part of that sense of aloneness, then we can contrast that with the other part of the wilderness experience that says we are going through this all alone, the only ones.
To help ourselves and those we care about find their way out of the wilderness experience is to hold tight to the knowledge that we are not out there by ourselves.
We have this community of faith.
We also have God’s promise of presence and accompaniment – demonstrated first in our baptisms and then renewed every day in our connection with God through God’s creation – the people, places, and creatures that speak of God’s abiding love.
The devil here is trying to attack Jesus’ baptism that happened just before this part of the story.
The attack is on Jesus’ status as the beloved child of God who was created in life to humbly rely on God.
The tempter is questioning his very being as he prepares for the next chapter of his life of service to God through serving God’s people.
But Jesus holds onto God with all his might.
As we continue to think about these three temptations, let us consider the questions they evoke – maybe as food for thought to consider this Lent:
Whom do you trust for your nourishment?
Whom do you trust with your service?
Whom do you trust to love and care for you?
(saltproject.org)
Our wilderness times and our temptation times will continue amid God’s abiding love.
We, too, can offer to accompany others on their journey through the wilderness.
Seemingly, alone or accompanied, God, too will be there. Amen.