Immediately following his baptism-- where Jesus received the names "Son," "Beloved," and "God's Pleasure"-- the Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness, where Jesus dwelt for forty days.
It was a time of clarification. The names he was given are wonderful, but what would they mean?In other words, what kind of person would Jesus really be?
In the wilderness he was emptied; he had nothing that he was used to relying on, other than God's loving power. After forty days without food Jesus was "famished" ( a great word meaning "really, really hungry!"--ask people who did the Thirty Hour Famine what it was like after only 24 hours). The story is asking us to consider what the different ways are that we are nourished in our lives: with food, obviously; but what about with love; knowledge; life experience; friendship; encouragement; community; purpose; direction; the promises of God? Isn't each of those things critical to our well-being and growth? What else can you think of?
In the story, a character called "the devil" embodies the ways that Jesus will be tempted to deny who he truly is. First of all, Jesus is challenged to prove himself. "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." Have you ever been challenged to "prove yourself" in some way? Jesus refuses: When we know who we are, we don't need to prove ourselves to other people; we just need to be who God made us to be! On top of that, why would Jesus waste time trying to turn stone into bread? You and I couldn't turn stone into bread any more than he did, because God never intended us to. We can, however, be the people of integrity that Jesus shows us how to be. We don't just live for ourselves. When Jesus quotes the Book of Deuteronomy (8:3), "Man does not live by bread alone," it is a way of remembering that God sustained the people of Israel by providing manna in the wilderness.
In the second temptation, the Tempter offers to give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and authority over them, if Jesus will only worship him. But the world doesn't belong to anyone but God! Such authority is not the tempter's to give. God never meant us to control the world and have authority over it. When we worship God, we live humbly, empowered by the Spirit to love as Jesus has loved. Other people are our brothers and sisters, not objects to dominate so we can get what we want. And God gives the world's resources so that all God's children may have enough to meet their need (but not our greed!). We learn ways of dedicating and sharing blessings so that all may have daily bread. We serve only God.
In the last temptation, Jesus is challenged to demonstrate his invulnerability. But God made us to be vulnerable; it is in our blessed but fragile humanity that we love the best and look out for the common good.
The one picture above represents the kinds of things that might tempt us in our lives: power, riches, desire, applause. But they are false blessings. When we make our lives about those things, we lose sight of the blessings that are most precious and God-given. When we join Jesus in his integrity, we realize the great blessings of love,self-giving, knowledge, divine purpose, direction, community, friendship, encouragement, interdependence, wholeness, among others.
Jesus helps us to realize that we are God's children; that we are beloved; and that communion with us is God's delight. And we don't need to prove any of those things. Be-ing is blessing enough. When we are "emptied" of some of life's illusions, we get to celebrate the best of what is God-given.
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