The Temptation Of Jesus In The Wilderness
(By Fr. Dexter Brereton)
Every year on the first Sunday of Lent, reading from one of the synoptic gospels, the church reflects on the story of the “Temptation” of Jesus in the wilderness. As Luke says: “Full of the Holy Spirit, Jesus left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit through the wilderness, being tempted there by the devil for forty days.”
The word ‘wilderness’ (or desert) in the bible has always had deep religious meaning. It is the place where Israel wandered for forty years and was found wanting. It denotes the painful aspect of life, that period that people generally try to avoid; the desert is an uncluttered space where one can see clearly the struggle with evil- especially the evil which resides in ourselves- in its starkest form. It is quite an excruciating experience. I know from very painful personal experience, that it can be quite humiliating to be reminded of one’s insufficiency, neediness and lack of virtue all at once. Yet, the experience of the desert is also a temporary one and can also be a ‘growth-filled’ experience
Here is a story which I remembered in my bible reflection: In a distant village a long time ago, young men upon their initiation to manhood were given a sack with a few items of food, a jug of water and a walking stick and told to make a three day journey through an enchanted forest. If they made it through the frightening terrain then they would have proven their manhood. They were counseled however, that the forest was filled with strange voices and they were not to listen to any of them. On this given day, a young man, tall and strong and quick-witted began his journey, full of optimism. He breezed through the first two days. He was almost through. Towards the end of his final night, he heard a small, weak voice, almost child-like calling out for help. It was still dark and the sun was only just peeping above the horizon. In the gloom he could see a serpent stretched out on the ground. The serpent called him to his side. Reluctantly the youth agreed and the serpent begged him to put him in the sack he was carrying. ‘I was told not to listen to anyone’ he replied. The serpent argued back: ‘Look at my condition, I am stiff with cold, I am old and tired, what can a poor snake do to you with such injuries?’ Back and forth they went until, eventually, the boy placed the serpent in the sack but away from his body.
As he walked, very slowly, the sun rose, and as the sun rose, the warmth of its rays penetrated the sack and warmed the serpent’s body. It slowly began to uncoil itself. After about an hour or so it found itself coming back to life. On the final hill just before his village, the serpent suddenly reared its head out of the back and bit the boy in his back. As he dropped the bag, with tears in his eyes, he asked the serpent one question ‘Why? Why have you deceived me?’ To which the serpent replied, ‘You knew who and what I was! You know my nature, and yet in your pride you ignored advice and picked me up from the ground!’
The value of these stories of initiation is that they counsel us to enter the world with a sense of wonder mixed with prudence and discernment. This is closely connected to the lesson of Jesus’ temptations. Was he going to enter the world of ministry and do things his way, or was he going to do things God’s way? This is at the heart of the first temptation. This is the temptation facing all of Jesus’ followers: ‘If you are the son of God, tell this stone to turn into a loaf.’ To ‘turn the stone into a loaf’ is to reject his ‘creaturely’ status, to reject humility, to reject inconvenience, dependence and suffering. This Sunday, as I read the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness then, I am reminded of the insight that if one is to be a successful leader or even a successful human being in general, it is important to have a healthy respect for one’s limitations. For the Christian it also means to accept the fact that everything comes from God. “It is all God’s work.” As my friend the late Steve Solomon once said to me: “You are not wiser than Solomon, nor stronger than Samson.” To avoid this lesson is to run the risk of becoming dangerously narcissistic or delusional.
Lord God, We thank you even for those painful experiences of the wilderness when we found ourselves sorely tried and tested. We may not always have passed the test Lord, but we thank you for teaching us just how much we need you. Lord, we also express our sorrow for those among us, especially those among our leaders who have no ‘sense of need’, for those who would ‘turn the stone into a loaf.’ Forgive us Lord and teach us to follow your Son’s path of humility and obedience. Amen.
