The Temptations
Why would the gospel writers, who wanted so desperately to show the glory of Jesus, put in what can only be described as his weaknesses? They must have had a good reason. To find a possible answer we must let the past call to us once more. So, into the first century, to the edge of the River Jordan we head. Jesus has been baptized by his cousin John, the strident, apocalyptic prophet. John is soon to be arrested by Herod and then executed. John’s followers, as well as his cousin Jesus are devastated by the news. Jesus is recorded as emotionally describing John as the highest and the best, clearly feels the loss of his cousin.
As we tip toe behind Jesus, we can only guess that Jesus must be feeling his own calling stirring and grabbing him by the front of his tunic, dragging him forward. His world has turned upside down. He realizes he must be the one to continue what his cousin began. Plus, John’s disciples are ready to follow John’s cousin. Jesus seemed to them to be the obvious next prophet.
Get your cameras quietly ready. This is the moment we have been waiting for. Jesus feels something that wells upward from the deepest, most emotional center of his self. His own intentions must be set. He will go his own way, though John’s followers will tag along not yet understanding this will be a new direction. And so, Jesus feels the need for solitude and deep reflection. Let us quietly follow him into the wilderness.
Historically, the idea of Jesus heading into a wilderness for 40 days is one of those lovely fictives that bible writers enjoy adding, laced with the poetic picture of the devil and angels. We can correctly assume, though, that Jesus shared with his disciples the struggle he did face in coming to grips with his newborn ministry. The gospel writers made sure their readers got this message loud and clear, right from the beginning: Jesus struggled with this new role. What did God want him to do and say? How did God want him to use the obvious metaphysical powers he already had manifested? Could he use his brains, his energy, his understanding of scripture, his spiritual radiance only for God’s work? Was he truly up to the task? These are the types of questions that he clearly needed to contemplate and pray for guidance on.
And so the gospels tell us that Jesus had a deep need to pray for insight and strength. Again and again, the writers show Jesus heading out alone for long periods of time. In fact, the writers also show that the disciples were rarely sensitive to Jesus’ need and intruded when they shouldn’t, and then weren’ t there when he asked them to be. (More on that fiasco when we take some snapshots in the Garden of Gethsemane.) But, for now we leave Jesus pondering his future and struggling to listen carefully to God’s divine guidance. His time had come.
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