In my post yesterday I mentioned a three day solo backpacking trip I'd like to some day be able to take each year. And in all reality this trip would provide almost all of the blessings of the wilderness (it's a bit hard to regroup on your own). I have thought about going with a friend but intentionally spending most of the day apart, in which case all of them would be obtained.
And while rest, regrouping, receiving, refocusing, and revival are important, part of getting to all of them is reflection. Part of life is reflection. And the wilderness provides a great time and place for reflection. There, alone with your thoughts, the results, and God, is time to simply take it all in. There in the wilderness, with no cell phones, no internet, no one else, is time of silence to focus on what has taken place and what is to come. And as we look at the Bible, I think Jesus is the one we look to for this.
At age thirty Jesus left the carpenter's shop, headed to the Jordan River, was baptized by his cousin, John, affirmed by God the Father, and then led by the Spirit into the wilderness. We know very little about it, but the facts we do have can be found in the Synoptic Gospels. We are told that Jesus was led and filled by the Holy Spirit to go into the wilderness. We are told that He fasted for forty days, and at the end of them became hungry. And we know that during His time in the wilderness He was tempted by the devil.
The Gospel of Matthew tells us that Satan came to Him after his forty day fast. What happened up to that point? I think there was a lot of reflection. Jesus has just been baptized, and Matthew 3.16-17 tells us, "After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.'"
This is the first recorded time that God the Father speaks audibly to Jesus. This statement is a confirmation of who Jesus is, His identity. We see that the Holy Spirit descends upon Him, Luke's Gospel says that Jesus is full of the Spirit. He is empowered to do what God has sent Him to do. And with that He is led into the wilderness, I think in part for reflection.
When He leaves the wilderness Jesus will begin His final three years on earth, His most intense three years on earth. During this time He's going to face His greatest trials and adversity, He's going to fight His biggest battle, and win His greatest victory. But in preparation for that there is some time of reflection.
I think, (key word think, this isn't found in the Bible and I'm not saying this is fact), there alone in the wilderness Jesus reflected on the words He heard directly from the Father. His identity as God's beloved Son is what is going to get Him through the hardships that are waiting for Him.
I think, there in the solitude of the Judean desert, Jesus reflected on the power that was in His hands. John tells us that it is through Jesus, The Word, that all things were created. And it is that power that is about to begin recreating. He will open the eyes of the blind, make the lame walk, raise the dead, but most importantly live a perfect life, pay for sin, and pave the road back to God for all to walk upon.
Jesus has a mission, an identity to endure the resistance that will try to prevent it, and the power to overcome the obstacles that will stand in His way. I think there, alone in the wilderness, Jesus reflected on all that was in store. On the role He would play in the turning point of History and the redemption of creation. It would be a hard road, a costly road, but it would all be worth it.
He, the Son of God, would do all that was necessary. It was for this that He came to earth. It was for this that all of creation had been waiting. The moment was fast approaching. There in the wilderness Jesus reflected, and He emerged ready for all that was ahead.
The wilderness is a place for reflection. It is time to discover who we are, what we are called to do, and prepare for all that is in store.
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
No comments:
Post a Comment