Maurice bought a classic convertible, an Alfa Romero Spider. He wanted to put it through its paces so he went to Pike’s Peak to drive up the mountain. Top down, sun shining, wind in his hair, wheels squealing at each hair pin curve, vroom, vroom – all was great until it wasn’t. He lost control, crashed through the guard rail and he was flung out of the car as it sailed down into the canyon below. Maurice managed to grab onto an overhanging branch before he joined the car on the canyon floor. Struggle as he would, he could not lift himself and was left hanging with both hands clinging to the branch. He started yelling: is there anyone out there? After a few minutes he heard a voice, “I’m here.” Hooray, who’s there. “It’s God.” “Thank goodness, save me God.” God answered, “Okay, I’ll catch you. Just let go of the branch.” After a long pause looking at the drop below Maurice yelled, “Is there anyone else out there?”
Jesus goes into the desert to find the God who was out there, to seek God, to belong to God before anything else. Jesus goes into the desert to see that God alone is enough. Before he has preached a sermon, before he has worked a miracle, before he has called disciples, before he has forgiven sinners, Jesus grounded himself in his relationship with God. Before involving himself in the lives of people he deepens his intimate connection with the one he called Father. So he fasts. He gives up any attempt to satisfy himself, to find his own fulfillment, to create his own happiness so that he will rely completely on what God gives to him. By experiencing the empty feeling in his belly he learned that God would fill the hole in his soul.
Then the devil shows up. Isn’t that always the way? Just when you are trying your darndest to do something good the obstacle arises, the worm turns, the trouble develops. The devil knows the vulnerable point, just where to twist the knife. “If you are the son of God…” The devil wants Jesus to doubt himself and to doubt God. If you are the son of God why are you feeling this emptiness, this loss, this hunger? Shouldn’t the son of God be filled, be sated, be satisfied. If you are the son of God why is the world in such terrible shape? Couldn’t you do a better job if you just took charge and started running things? If you are the son of God why all this turmoil about religion, about belief? Why not simply show everyone that your way is the right way so y’all get on board?
We recognize these temptations because they are similar to the way that we are tempted. As a matter of fact, they are the pattern of all temptations. The devil has no imagination and simply repeats the same temptation that worked on Adam and Eve. “If you eat this you will be like God.” You claim to be a child of God. As such why can’t you eat what you want, drink what you want, do what you want, see who you want, act how you want? You claim to be a child of God. Shouldn’t a child of God be in control of his life, have her plans come to fruition, have other people do what you want when you want it. You claim to be a child of God. You shouldn’t have to listen to all those rules and commandments that tell you what to do! You should be free to act as you desire and not be bound by old time-y practices.
Jesus was not tricked out of his identity as the son of God by the wiles of the devil. The way that he resisted temptation can be instructive in how we can resist temptation. First of all, he looked to the Bible, to the traditions that made him who he was. Knowing the story of God’s dealing with human beings equipped Jesus to see the devil’s tricks for what they were. Second, Jesus did not try to explain himself or justify himself but referred everything to God. God is the one who satisfied the hungry heart, reverencing God is how to make sense of the world, God is the one who is in charge of all things. Jesus shifted the focus off himself and onto God. Third, Jesus hung in there, he persevered. How easy it would have been to succumb to his hunger and look for an easy out. He endured whatever discomfort he was experiencing because of the connection that he had developed with God, the Father, in the prayer of the desert.
All of this Jesus went though not only for himself but to show us the way. Since Jesus is like us in all things but sin he models a way for us to follow when we feel tempted. Jesus knows human life can feel like one long desert — what it’s like to be hungry, to be tired, to be overworked, to be misunderstood, to be upset, to be lonely, to be unappreciated, to be taken for granted, to be looked down upon, to be hurting, to be weak, to be overwhelmed, to be frightened. Jesus knows that at times like that we want to fix it, to make that feeling go way, to make it stop. We are tempted at those times to do something, anything to feel better. The temptations of Jesus teach us that it is exactly at that moment when we must remember the story of the people of God and of our story as well. God can make a way out of no way. The God who’s brought us this far by faith is not about to leave us now. We join our prayer to that of Jesus in Gethsemane and say, not my will but thine be done. Really, there isn’t anyone or anything else out there who loves us, cares for us, and satisfies us more than the grace and mercy of God. What’s the old expression: let go and let God.
