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You know, the last time we talked about the Gospel of Matthew in Cup of Joseph, Jesus had just been baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Why don’t we pick up with his story? Here is what Matthew says:
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the Tempter came … (Matthew 4.1-3a).
The story goes on from there, as you may know, to detail three temptations that “the Tempter” sets before the fatigued and famished Jesus. We can get into the nuts and bolts of those temptations in the coming weeks, but here is the thing I hope we can all appreciate this week. The temptation of Jesus happens after the baptism of Jesus.
Why does this matter?
Well look. Most of us think that difficult things are signs of God’s displeasure or punishment just to the same extent that good things (or things that feel good, at the very least) are God’s blessing. And if God loves us, I mean really loves us, then why would God be displeased enough to send those difficult things – loss and grief and depression – our way? Why would God take from us, seem to strand us if God really loved us?
You know, I’m not entirely sure I’ve got an answer to that question other than to say this. God really loved Jesus, but the Spirit still led him into the wilderness to meet the Accuser. The very last thing that happened, again, was Jesus’ baptism where God, in His boundless, graciousness yelled from the heavens “THIS IS MY SON! THE BELOVED! LISTEN TO HIM!” It is hard to recall a more public declaration of the unmerited grace and love of God than Jesus’ baptism. But not ten verses later, that Beloved Son is led up into the wilderness to meet the Devil.
So, it is with us.
God loves us. I mean, really loves us. Every one of us who believes in Jesus is going to spend our entire lives learning and re-learning the truth of that.
And maybe one of the hardest parts of that lifelong lesson is this: God’s love does not mean that the Spirit will never take us to the dry and dangerous places, to the presence of dark and dangerous powers.
So, if you’re reading this and you might say that you’re in the desert these days – well maybe it helps to know that your desert days do not mean that God does not love you.
What good is God’s love in the dessert, though? Well, come back next week for a Cup of Joseph and let’s talk.
If you need some words of prayer today, you might try this:
Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weakness of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Lastly, I want to make sure that all of you reading this know that you are warmly invited on January 28th to the service in which I will be ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons in the Episcopal Church.
