1 Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. 2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you. (Deuteronomy 8:1 – 5, New International Version)
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” 7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” 11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. (Matthew 4:1 – 11, New International Version)
Theme: The Wisdom of Discipline
Title: Discipline in the Desert
Reflection:
In Scripture, the desert is often a place of physical and spiritual testing. Ecologically, the desert environment is harsh. Metaphorically, the desert tests our trust in God.
In our Scripture passages today, we observe two contrasting desert stories. In the first passage, the Children of Israel are reminded about their experience in the desert where they were tested for forty years. Unfortunately, the Israelites failed on multiple occasions. They grumbled about the supply of food (Exodus 16) and water (Exodus 17), longed for food from Egypt (Numbers 11), worshipped idols (Exodus 32), and failed to trust God in general (Numbers 14). The indiscipline of the Children of Israel was consistent with their inability to take God at His word.
In our second Scripture passage, Jesus was tested after 40 days and 40 nights of fasting. Unlike the Children of Israel, Jesus honors “every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Jesus rebuffs the tempter with what “is written” in Scripture, even quoting directly from Deuteronomy.
Conclusion:
Jesus demonstrates that it is possible to be disciplined in the desert. Jesus is the perfect model for being victorious even under the harshest conditions. There is so much we can learn from Jesus in the desert. What stands out to you? I would love to hear your thoughts.
Contributor: Norman Christie