March 13, 2011 Romans 5:12-19 Matthew 4:1-11

“Tempted in the Wilderness”

Dr. Ted H. Sandberg

Matthew tells us that after Jesus was baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist, he “was led up by the
Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” The biblical scholar, William Barclay, tells us
that the wilderness was a terrible stretch of land, 35 by 15 miles, that was called Jeshimmon, which
means ‘The Devastation.’ “The hills were like dust heaps; the limestone looked blistered and peeling;
the rocks were bare and jagged; the ground sounded hollow to the horses’ hooves; it glowed with heat
like a vast furnace and ran out to the precipices, 1,200 feet high which swooped down to the Dead
Sea.” If there was a place that we’d expect to meet the Devil, a place like “The Devastation” would be
it. That’s the kind of place I think of when I picture desert wilderness.
In her book of sermons, Bread of Angels, Barbara Brown Taylor tells of going out into the desert once,
just to see what it was like. She tells about the quiet she encountered there and about the loneliness
that soon enveloped her. Then she tells about the flies. She writes, “[Matthew] never mentions the
flies, but based on my own experience I feel certain that if they didn’t constitute a fourth temptation
for Jesus then they at least made the other three harder for him to bear, because nothing can try your
spirit like a fly. There I was in the desert, trying to commune with Jesus, and all I could think about
was that #*@! fly – circling my head, buzzing in my ears, trying to crawl up my nose. Flies are
perfect tools of the devil: ‘So you think you’re pretty spiritual, huh? Well, try one of these on for
size.’”
When I read of Rev Taylor’s encounter with the flies, I was struck by the insightfulness of her
observation. Not only are flies irritating, but even more, flies are symbolic of the wildernesses we face
in our own lives. We don’t have to be in a place called “the Devastation” to be in wilderness, nor to be
tempted by Satan. We can face that kind of wilderness experience when we encounter something as
trivial as flies.
Now – compared to being tempted to turn stone into bread, to rule over all the world, or to prove to the
world that Jesus was the messiah, our being tempted by flies is rather petty, I know. The temptations
we face are minor in comparison to what Jesus faced. But realize that temptation is an indication of
strength, not weakness. The greater one’s strength, the greater the temptation. The saints of the world
are tempted by things much worse than the flies that buzzed around Barbara Taylor’s head, or
sometimes buss around me in my office when I’m trying to study. Even more so, the temptations that
Jesus faced were the greatest of all temptations because Jesus, God’s only Son, was being put to the
test. But even though Jesus faced temptations that were far more difficult than the temptations we
face, we can still learn a great deal from how Jesus handled the temptations Satan threw at him.
First, notice that Jesus was tempted after fasting for 40 days. He had to be tired and starving by then.
Even Jesus’ resistance would’ve been low after a 40 day fast. And that’s often when Satan comes,

Barclay, William, The Gospel of Luke, rev. ed., The Westminster Press, Philadelphia,
PA., 1975, p. 43.
Taylor, Barbara Brown, Bread of Angels, “The Wilderness Exam,” Cowley Publications,
Cambridge, MA, 1997, p. 37.

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when we’re tired, when we’re already out of sorts, when we’ve already handled about all we can
handle. When our patience is wearing thin, we meet that neighbor who just goes on and on and on and
on, and Satan tempts us to tell her to jump in the lake. When we’re already stressed out, the preacher
calls with one more job that needs to be done, and we’re tempted to not even think about what we’re
being asked to do. When we’re already tired, sure enough, it’s Sunday morning and it’s just sooooo
tempting to stay home and rest up for the next tiring week of work. The kids are worse when we’re
tired. The stop lights are against us when it’s late and we’re tired and just want to get home. Things
are most hectic when we’re the most tired. I don’t think that’s always a coincidence.
Notice too that Jesus wasn’t tempted to do something terribly wrong, at least not on the surface. Satan
doesn’t say to Jesus, “Why not have big party before you hit the road as a preacher? Have a few
drinks. Invite a few women in. Have a good time before you start preaching!” That may work with
ordinary people, but Satan knows that won’t work with Jesus. There’s nothing here of the debauchery
that so many of us in the church spend so much time worrying about. Satan doesn’t tempt Jesus with
dancing, movies and cards as Baptists historically have seemed to believe or the sex, drugs and rock ‘n
roll of the 60's.
Satan knows that Jesus isn’t going to fall for a temptation like that. Instead, Satan says, “Turn the
stones into bread. You and all the hungry, starving people of the world should be fed.” “Take
political control of the world. The governments of the world are too ineffective, too corrupt, and too
violent. The oppressed of the world are waiting for you to rule.” Never mind that so many in the
world are hungry because of Satan’s handy work. Never mind that hunger isn’t caused by a lack of
food, but by a lack of care and love and commitment that are caused by greed and the desire for power
– which are Satan’s tools. Satan tempted Jesus to solve the problem Satan himself/herself had created.
Satan offered Jesus what Jesus had in many ways come to do.
No self-respecting devil would approach a person with offers of personal, domestic, or social ruin.
The serpent in the Garden of Eden didn’t ask, “Do you wish to be the devil?” No. The serpent asked,
“Do you wish to be as God?” Jesus was being offered what he’d come to earth to accomplish.
The temptation for Jesus was to attain his life’s goals without going through the cross. Satan offered
him food, offered him the opportunity to rule all the nations, offered him the chance to prove to the
world that he was the Messiah. And all Jesus had to do was use the power that was his – Jesus’, not
Satan’s – to accomplish what he wanted to accomplish anyway. Jesus had the power to turn stone into
bread. Jesus had the power to rule the nations. Jesus could’ve shown the world that he was the
Messiah by doing wondrous miracles, or even by forcing humanity to worship Him. Jesus could’ve
done all that and more, but that wasn’t in God’s plan. That wasn’t how God wanted it. God’s plan
was for Jesus to go to the cross so that you and I could see God’s love for us, and freely choose to
obey God’s will.
Jesus saw through Satan’s game and refused to take any short cuts. Jesus saw the fine print at the
bottom of the contract that Satan was asking him to sign. “I’ll give you this,” Satan said. “I’ll make
you ruler. I’ll make you powerful. I’ll have people worship you. And all you need to do is say, ‘Yes’
to me.” But Jesus said, “No. No. I’m going to do it the hard way. I’m not going to take any short-
cuts that counter God’s will and end up doing just what Adam and Eve did. I’m not going to bow to
you Satan. I’m going to obey my heavenly Father instead.”

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This is often how Satan works with us, too. Satan doesn’t necessarily present us with the choice
between good and bad, but often times with the choice between “good” and “almost good.” Lot’s of
times, if the “almost as good” is easier, chances are we’ll take that choice. The Devil presents us with
the choice between church and family. How many of us regularly choose family over doing God’s
work, saying that, “After all, God loves the family”? If it’s a choice between taking the extra step to
make sure that the one we don’t know real well feels welcome, and just letting the preacher or those on
the membership/evangelism committee make sure they’re welcome, how many let the other’s do it –
that’s their job? If it’s a choice between going the mile or going the extra mile, between forgiving 7
times or forgiving 70 times 7 times, if it’s a choice between giving our coat or giving our coat and
shirt, how many of us choose the lesser, figuring we’ve given more than most people, and that’s
enough? If it’s a choice between living for Jesus, and kind of living for Jesus, how many of us settle
for going only part way?
Occasionally, we all choose the dark road. Occasionally, we simply do what we know we shouldn’t be
doing. We spread rumors, even though we know we aren’t to gossip, because this one about the
President, this one about the football player, this one about our neighbor, is just too good to keep from
telling. We simply say, “I’ve done my share. I’m not going to do any more” – even though God
continues to ask us to serve Him. Occasionally we say, “Let’s just bomb those terrorists into oblivion
for what they did,” rather than worrying about how to love an enemy who is unlovable from our
human perspective. Occasionally, the temptations we face, and the temptations we fail, are pretty bad,
and we know they’re pretty bad, but we do them anyway. There are those times when we’re just
totally distracted by those blankety-blank flies.
More often, however, especially for those who’ve been Christian for any number of years, more often
we’re tempted more subtly – as Jesus himself was tempted. We’re tempted to do second best, not best.
We’re tempted to go part way, not all the way. We’re tempted to give most of ourselves to God, but
not all of ourselves to God. That’s the wilderness for most of us. That’s the temptation we face, to
hold back, to settle for part, to not give everything to God.
Whatever temptation we face, know that through God’s Spirit, we can resist. When we’re overly tired,
God can give us the extra strength to be patient. When we’re stretched to the limit, God’s Spirit can
help us maintain for awhile longer. When we’re ready to give less than our best, God’s Spirit can give
us the boost to not settle for second best.
And when we fail to resist the temptations Satan places before us? Then we can thank God that Jesus
resisted the temptations that we do not resist. Then we can rejoice that because Jesus went all the way
to the cross, we can find forgiveness when we fail to make it out of the wilderness. We can thank God
that because Jesus turned Satan away, our own failures are forgiven when we confess Jesus as Lord.
We can only praise God that because Jesus said no to Satan, we can have forgiveness in our own lives
because too often, even temptations the size of flies cause us to falter.