Training Jesus
If I had been in charge of Jesus, I certainly wouldn’t have done it that way. Jesus had just had the “mountain top” experience of being Baptized by John in the Jordan and the Father declaring “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22b) This would be the time to get Him out preaching and healing!
But no. Instead the Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan for 40 days. Mountain top to the pit. (Click here to read Luke’s account.) Why?
The Bible doesn’t tell us why God did it this way. Just that He did. I can see several possibilities. Perhaps it was an opportunity to show Satan that Jesus couldn’t be tempted away from His mission? I doubt that was it. After all, at the end of the temptations, we are told that Satan departed from him until an opportune time. (Luke 4:13)
Perhaps God needed to test Jesus to be sure he could handle the challenge? I doubt that was it either. God already knew Jesus thoroughly and, in fact, knew what Jesus would face and how he would respond. No, I don’t think Jesus was being “tested” in the sense of seeing whether he was up to the task.
Or perhaps, Jesus needed the wilderness? Perhaps Jesus needed to get to the place where he had been tested and knew he could handle it? Perhaps he still needed to grow in his understanding of what it is to be the Son of God? I know, we tend to assume that Jesus always knew everything (in fact, Scripture is clear that he did not) and that he was sinless and perfect. But remember that Jesus had to grow from a baby to a man, no doubt with much learning along the way. Jesus did not come out of the womb a mature man. He needed to grow!
And if Jesus needed to grow through facing temptations and trials, do you actually think you can skip that step? But it is not that God wants to see if you are good enough and is just trying to trip you up. No, God wants you to see that he has made you good enough! You are already capable of what He calls you to, but you may not believe it.
So when the struggles come, when Lent brings you face to face with challenges and temptations and difficult truths about yourself, know that God has already made you good enough to do what He calls you to. You are the one who needs to learn it.
More on Sunday!
This column appeared in the March 6, 2022 edition of St. John’s eNews. Click here for the complete issue.
If you are reading this at a different time, you may click here for the current eNews.
