I’ve always been intrigued by the sequences of events at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. It begins with his baptism, then sent into the wilderness, tempted by the devil, among the wild beasts and then ministered to by the angels. I’ve always thought of the wilderness as a time of testing for Jesus with the devil using that time of testing to tempt him. But I’ve thought about a different view of the desert wilderness. The wilderness has been a special place where God’s people came to know God’s love, forgiveness, and daily care during their 40 years in the desert. There they were called out of Egypt as God’s children and when they sinned they were reborn as God’s people. In their desert wanderings they met God. When they were thirsty God gave them water from the rock. God could change a dry arid place to a watering one. When they were hungry God fed them manna, just one day at a time. They were not to go out and store food for themselves and thereby feeling they had provided for themselves. This built up their faith in God to provide the next day rather than provide for themselves. Just one day at a time except for the Sabbath where the day before they would gather 2 days off food so they could rest.
What a thoughtful God concerned about their rest even though they grumbled and chased other Gods. So we can actually learn from the wilderness to trust God, day by day. So often we look at day 40 rather than day one. How are we going to get through this rather than taking it one step at a time with Jesus. Isn’t that what Jesus taught in the Lord’s Prayer – give us today our daily bread? We don’t pray – ensure we have enough bread for the rest of our life. One day at a time. Isn’t that what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the mount –
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Or in Luke’s sermon the plain – Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
Noah had no idea for how long it would rain. He had no idea for how long it would take for the waters to recede. He simply listened to God and had faith. I would think that Jesus didn’t know how long he would in in the wilderness but simply trusted his Father who had just affirmed his love for him in his Baptism. It’s not always easy when we face an uncertain future or if we have determined what the future is going to be. The Old Testament is filled with examples of God’s people sent into the wilderness. We have Abraham sent from his hometown and family to a land that God would show him – he had no idea at the time. We’ve had Jacob sent from his home to escape death from his brother and along the way was blessed by God where he saw angels ascending and descending. We see Israel journeying the wilderness 40 years – Elijah fleeing Jezebel and feeling he was all alone – all the prophets – Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel – all who lived shunned by the people they were sent to speak God’s judgement against. We see God’s favoured King – the Shepherd David – fleeing the murderous King Saul. And there are more – and in each case we see people abundantly blessed by God. It’s almost like the wilderness is God’s secret plan for us and it is Satan who doesn’t want us to enter it.
But look at what happens to Noah at the end of his wilderness experience. God makes a covenant with Noah and the entire world: I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And notice something incredible about this covenant: When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth. There seems to be something missing.
God will see the rainbow and remember his everlasting covenant – but there is no demand made on Noah or future generations. This is a one-way covenant that God places upon himself. There is no “now you do this and I will do that”. And likewise, in Peter’s letter, he speaks about the New Covenant that God has made with us:
Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. There are no demands or expectations on the unrighteous for the righteous. It’s similar to what we heard on Ash Wednesday – God made him who had no sin to become sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God. The sweet exchange – well for us.
In times of wilderness we might feel like we are alone and abandoned but as we see with Jesus he was ministered to by angels. Let us remember that when we talk about angels that they were messengers – which is what the word angels mean. So in times of wilderness we can take advantage of feeling closer to God by God coming near to us. Like Paul did in 2nd Corinthians – when I am weak then I am strong because the power of Christ rests on me. God is the active force in all these covenant actions. We are the recipients. But you don’t have to go seeking wilderness – the wilderness will find you – as it did for Israel, for Noah, for Jesus. We just need to be open to the experiences which we sometimes reject and look to avoid.
They can be times of suffering.
They can be times of frustrations.
They can be times of loneliness.
They can be times of grief.
They can be times of uncertainty.
They can be times of sensing betrayal from family and friends – and maybe the church.
The wilderness experience is different for each of us. and often unexpected. So often we try to avoid or end times of wilderness prematurely. It’s like when the doctor prescribes you with medication and advise to keep taking it till it’s finished not when you’re feeling better. It needs the full course.
So as we begin our Lenten journey perhaps reflect on those times you’ve been in times of wilderness. Or maybe you feel you’re in one now. Instead of fighting it perhaps listen to it – see if you can hear that small sound of God speaking to you like he did with Elijah. The Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice, or in some translations – the sound of sheer silence.
So may God bless you on this 40 day journey and experience again the one who suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God.
