Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards, he was famished.
Matthew 4:1-2
Grace and Peace to you, in the name of Christ Jesus!
Life is a spiritual struggle. There is no way around it. Our struggle does not necessarily mean we are not where God wants us to be, or doing what God wants us to do. Instead, the struggle tests the way we are living our lives, prompts us to question our path, and sometimes make appropriate changes. Perhaps that is why Jesus taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation.” We already know the way there far too well!
Our Christian faith does not take us out of the spiritual struggle, but rather places us squarely in the center of it. During Lent, we remember how Jesus struggled in the wilderness. We imagine him, hungry and tired, yearning for a good meal and comfortable place to rest. Then the devil shows up, promising to fill all of his emptiness. Yet, Jesus remains faithful to his call, to his path, and to God.
Could we do the same? Do we have a sense of purpose that could defy the temptations set before us?
Jesus’ wilderness journey often clarifies our struggles. I believe two observations are worth noting.
First, once we have determined our call or mission, a powerful force will attempt to distract or derail our best efforts to accomplish it. Only after Jesus receives his baptism and God’s claim on his life, just before he begins his public ministry, the Spirit leads him into the wilderness. Why would the Spirit do such a thing? Perhaps testing and temptation are not always negative. Rather, they are powerful signs that we are doing something right. If we did not care about God, if we were not driven to serve Christ, if we had no interest in life in the Spirit, there would be no test, no temptation, and no struggle. Only when we have a clear path are we tempted to veer off the road and into the bramble.
Second, spiritual growth cannot happen without a wilderness, or desert, experience. Henri Nouwen calls the desert “the furnace of transformation.” The rabbis of ancient Israel called it “the school of the soul.” Through the wilderness struggle, we grow spiritually. It may not be immediately apparent to us; nevertheless, we are changed forever.
Lent is our journey into the wilderness. It is the journey of Moses to the Promised Land. It is Jesus’ journey to the cross. May the days of March, and the last days of Lent, be for us the furnace of transformation and the school of the soul, preparing us for the power of Easter and Resurrection.
In Grace and Peace,
Pastor Leigh
|
