The Wilderness - Pt 1

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. (Matthew 3:13-4:4 ESV).

“Wilderness” seasons in our lives are bewildering and lonely. Sometimes it’s easy to identify how you arrived in a desolate place. Many of us have heard these words that introduce us to the wilderness. These are those words that describe the path with names like Diagnosis, or Loss, or Depression. Other times we find ourselves in a malaise or a spiritual wasteland seemingly out of nowhere. We were making progress, arranging our lives appropriately, and then, for some unexplained reason, we took a left turn at Lubbock and the landscape became inhospitable at best. It’s natural to want to avoid wilderness experiences. Yet the Scripture tells us that the wilderness is an expected and even necessary part of walking with God. Nowhere is this made clearer than in our reading today. Matthew’s Gospel lays out for us a vivid depiction of Jesus’ most prolonged wilderness season. First, Jesus’ public ministry is launched with a dramatic moment of affirmation in his baptism and the incredible affirmation from God. And, then he is directed to “the wilderness” where he will be spiritually, emotionally, and physically tried. If I were scripting the story, I’d move Jesus from that profound confirmation of his identity directly into his mission. But, instead, the plot takes a sharp twist. I remember a Theology professor of mine saying the phrase “led by the Spirit into the wilderness” reminded him of the day his parents led him by the hand into a hospital ward for a tonsillectomy. The kind of love that wants us to be well is not the kind of love that always leads us somewhere easy. In the coming days we’re going to look at some of the theories explain why we are often taken through these times in our lives. However, I want us to remember that regardless of “why” we know the “who.” It is the Spirit of God who leads us into these desolate, painful parts of our journey. He has not forgotten or forsaken us. And, He is in control of it all, working it for our good!