Lessons from the
Wilderness – Matthew 4:1-11
Part One
Opening Prayer
Humbly, we approach Thy presence and ask for Your
favor. Open the eyes and ears of our hearts and reveal unto us Your “good,
pleasing and perfect will” for our lives. O most gracious and benevolent
Master, give us knowledge of Your will for us and the mental willingness and
spiritual power to carry it out. May the words of our mouths and the
meditations of our hearts be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our strength and
redeemer. Amen.
Introduction
Historians characterize certain years in the lives
of past prominent people as their “wilderness years.” This period of life is a
time of loss, separation, reconsideration, reflection, preparation and renewal.
These popular and powerful people fall from grace, suffer defeat, experience
tragedy or otherwise face unimagined adversity. A confluence of unfortunate
circumstances appears to extinguish their flames. The glee of opponents drowns
out any positive thoughts or affirmative meditations. These years eclipse
heretofore magnanimous ambitions and personalities.
A few obvious and potent historical examples come
to mind. Winston S. Churchill lost his power in the British Parliament and
politics after the “First World War.” His wilderness years occurred prior to
the Second World War. During that time, he and his wife, Clementine, lost a
daughter. He retreated to painting as a creative and productive means of
recovering from bereavement. Former political colleagues did not call nor did
they visit. It was as if his prior service were an enigma. Interestingly, amid
the grief, isolation and disillusionment, Churchill discovered an intestinal
fortitude, mental clarity and inner resolve that equipped him to lead Great
Britain through the Second World War. His wilderness years prepared him to
rebuff the rising tide of fascism and antisemitism within the aristocracy and
upper echelon of the British government. Countering internal and external
opponents, Churchill fiercely fought the dark forces of Nazism which sought to
subjugate Great Britian and the European continent. Nevertheless, those
wilderness years of preparation, self-realization and definition of destiny
were vitally necessary.
The impressive, controversial, prosperous and
socially progressive administration of the forty-second President of the United
States, William J. “Bill” Clinton, was nearly aborted following his defeat for
re-election as the Governor of Arkansas. Political commentators attribute
Clinton’s loss to his perceived arrogance borne of his personal intensity,
unbridled ambition and unquestioned intelligence which offended his supporters
and opponents alike. He maintained a clear vision of changes in society that he
sought. He was impatient with others who failed to see his vision with equal
precision. Assuming a utilitarian stance, he inadvertently steamrolled other
politicians and citizens whose grasp of his vision was glacial. They rebuffed
his haughtiness by voting him out of office. Clinton was catapulted into his
wilderness years. In that existential space, he reflected upon his purpose and
methods. He realized his need to modify his approach and relationships. He had
to modulate his intense ambition. He had to learn how to respect people and
effectively communicate with them. He needed to acquire a team of loyalists who
shared his vision for a progressive American political landscape. He refined
the grand goals he would seek to achieve. Lest he permanently derail his
political career and diminish his objectives for helping average Americans, he
had to recalibrate his aspirations and the means he would utilize to realize
them. Arguably, as Clinton plotted his return to the governor’s mansion in
Arkansas, he simultaneously laid the foundation for his forthcoming successful
run for the presidency. He prepared himself for the debate about the proper
role and reach of government in the lives of common citizens, healthcare,
possibility of Middle East peace accords, fair tax rates and juxtaposing the
war on drugs and concomitant crime with a fundamentally fair criminal justice
system during his wilderness years.
His seven years of imprisonment in a Massachusetts
state facility equated with Malcolm X’s wilderness period. In that time of
incarceration, he realized that he embodied one of the biggest threats to the
people whom he loved and for whom he would defend during the balance of his
life. He appreciated that his involvement in organized crime made him an
instrument of the oppressive system that he would combat. Rather than skimming off
Black, poor and oppressed people’s incomes and livelihoods by running numbers,
gambling, prostitution and other unsavory enterprises, he would become a herald
of the truth of Islam and global human rights. Malcolm X saw that he had become
the biggest example of everything that he opposed. That epiphany enabled his
conversion to Islam. He prepared himself for life after incarceration by
reading the entire dictionary. His later eloquence, sharp and laser-like wit
and fierce polemical debating skills developed from his self-study and
preparation. His prison years laid the foundation for the pivotal contribution
that he would make to the expansion of global human rights. Challenging
residents of the African Diaspora to achieve decolonization of “the Black mind”
and international governmental powers, generally, and the United States,
specifically, to relent in oppressing, exploiting and subjugating poor and
marginalized people, Malcolm X was one of the most formidable spokespersons for
a just global community, system and market that offers dignity to all people.
In today’s text, Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit
into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Biblical scholars ask students
of the scriptures to forego Hollywood’s conceptualization of the wilderness.
The special features and effects of Universal studios do not equate with the
natural setting of the Ancient Near East. A wilderness that Jesus might have
entered would have been an arid, wild and undeveloped area where berries and
other fruit grew, water flowed in limited amounts and wild animals roamed. The
Hollywood images of refined shelter, oases and manicured lawns after a brief
period of settlement simply did not occur. Its austerity made the wilderness an
attractive retreat for several biblical characters as they discerned God’s
will.
The opening verse contains a fascinating detail.
The Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness to face a tri-fold temptation
of the devil. The Heavenly Father deems this test is necessary to qualify Jesus
for His public ministry of preaching, teaching and healing. The translation of
test in this instance means to probe or investigate. The Spirit utilizes Jesus’
time in the wilderness to conduct a thorough examination of His character. Does
Jesus possess requisite attributes to enable Him to conduct His public
ministry, travel to Jerusalem, face betrayal, humiliation, crucifixion and
death? Does he have intrinsic qualities and abilities to endure despite any
adversity he encounters? The devil’s temptations expose Jesus’ character. God
uses the wilderness to separate disciples from their cushy and comforting
settings. In this terrain of testing, He determines whether disciples have
begun to rely genuinely upon Him for their provision. Unwavering faith and
steadfast reliance upon God’s faithfulness are empowering gifts that disciples
receive if they embrace time and space of withdrawal in the wilderness.
