Matthew 4:1-11 (NLT)
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.
During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,
‘He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”
Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”
Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
“Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,
‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”
Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.
Lonely. Desolate. Harsh. Unforgiving.
The wilderness brings a variety of emotions to mind. Anybody who has spent any time there- whether in a literal, physical area or in a metaphorical, spiritual place can attest to the gut-wrenching difficulties. It breaks most people, paralyzing them with doubt and fear until they fold, pack up camp, and return to the comfort of their former life. For us, recovery is a type of wilderness. The withdrawals and our issues are the lack of water and overwhelming heat. But we don’t have to see the desert that way. When we change our perception of the wilderness, our lives will change also.
The Scripture uses the images of a literal and symbolic wilderness numerous times. Perhaps none so powerful as the Gospel account of Jesus and his time there. Allow me to put the story into perspective briefly. Jesus had just come off a spiritual high. He had been announced as the Savior by John the Baptist, humbled himself in baptism, and been affirmed by God the Father. Refusing to be content with the one experience, he focused further through 40 days of prayer and fasting. Then came the wilderness.
Little, if any water. Heat. Sweat. Uncomfort. Tricks of the mind. Wild animals. Satan shows up with easy ways out. Does all this sound familiar?
We tend to be our weakest in this environment. Vulnerable to relapse. Jesus was no different from us- except that he refused to sacrifice a pure life for one marked by bondage. He refused to be bound by chains. In his weakness, he reverted back to what he had put in his heart. The Word of God. When he was unable to fight on his own, he allowed God to fight on his behalf. And he emerged from wilderness stronger than ever before.
We, on the other hand, tend to be more like Bob. Unlike Christ, Bob entered his wilderness (the program) by indulging not in a spiritual high, but in a chemical one. He then spent 90 days smoking cigarettes at the smoke shed, sitting silently during meetings, and it was no surprise that shortly after his graduation, he relapsed. You, like Bob, can go through the wilderness and come out unchanged. And go right back to the vomit of the world. Or you can be like the Savior, Jesus Christ, who held the faith and used the wilderness experience as a time of incomparable growth. The choice is yours.
Discussion Questions
1. Have you had a “wilderness” experience? Are you currently in one? Explain.
2. Did your perception of God and your circumstances change during this time?
3. What are some of the lessons you can learn from the wilderness?
