Jesus In the Desert

Matthew 4:1-2

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry."

 

I'm not proud of this, but I often find myself reading the Bible so quickly and superficially that I miss the deeper meaning of the stories. The account of Jesus’ temptation in the desert is one of those stories for me. I’ve read it dozens of times, and my mind tends to jump straight to the conclusion, and the realization that in God's power we can resist temptation and it will eventually pass.  

While that conclusion is accurate and extremely helpful, it overlooks several important points.

Jesus' time alone in the desert was not an accident. He didn't just wander off by himself. The scripture says that The Holy Spirit led him there, and he was fully aware of why he was there. Fasting and prayer, then as now, were about preparation. Jesus was in the desert to prepare for his public ministry and His ultimate mission—death on a cross.

Also, the devil's temptations were not random. Jesus was fully divine, but also fully human, which means that he felt tempted like any human. The devil tempted him by appealing to his humanity: his physical needs, pride, and desire for recognition and material things, and that appeal directly called for Jesus to defy God.

As surely as the sun rises and sets, we can be sure that when we seek to have a deeper relationship with Jesus, we will be tempted, and it is not always due to our weaknesses. God does not lead us into sin, but He sometimes does allow us to be tested, and it seems that the more we desire a close relationship with God, the greater the temptation. Usually the temptation directly strikes at our human needs and desires, and the greater the temptation, the more we begin to rationalize giving in to it. We may even begin to doubt God and His word. It is not a sin to have human needs and desires, but our adversary, the same one Jesus had, will twist them and lie and use them to make us consider turning our backs on God or disregarding His commands and promises.

The season of Lent signifies the time Jesus spent in the desert preparing for ministry and enduring temptation. It is a time for repentance and fasting, meant to prepare our hearts for the coming of Easter. It is also a time of tempting. It will happen.

Jesus successfully resisted the devil's temptation by turning to God's word and His promises. He knew that the temptations were all lies, and God's word is true.

It is no less true now than it was then. As we look forward to celebrating Jesus' death and resurrection—the foundation for all our hope—let's follow Jesus' example and use those same promises and words to resist our adversaries' lies. Let's take comfort in the knowledge that Jesus' death and resurrection give us life, starting now and for all time, and no temptation can take that away.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for giving us life through the death and resurrection of your son. As we spend time seeking a closer relationship with you, let us not be surprised or alarmed by temptation. May we always remember your word and your promises and know that they are more powerful than the lies of our adversary. Amen.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

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First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.