Psalm 91: 1-2, 9-16; Luke 4: 1-13
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
March 10, 2019
First Sunday in Lent
You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.’
Because you have made the Lord your refuge,
the Most High your dwelling-place,
no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder,
the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those who know my name.
When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble,
I will rescue them and honour them.
With long life I will satisfy them,
and show them my salvation. - Psalm 91: 1-2, 9-16
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.” ’
Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written,
“Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.” ’
Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,
“He will command his angels concerning you,
to protect you”,
and
“On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” ’
Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” ’ When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time. - Luke 4: 1-13
The past five weeks we have been spending time in Luke’s Gospel to glean from Jesus’ teachings. According to Luke, Jesus’ public ministry began when he chose his disciples and then went up on the mountain top to pray. It was quite a moment for the disciples to be anointed by God’s presence in that thin space of the mountain top (Luke 6: 12-16). As they came down the mountain the disciples would be learning the ropes of Jesus’ ministry in order to carry on Jesus’ work as the early church.
Jesus was anointed for God’s purposes of salvation when he was baptized by John the Baptizer (Luke 3: 21-22). After Jesus was filled with the Spirit, it matters where Jesus took his next step. The gospels say that Jesus was led by the Spirit in the wilderness where for forty days he was tempted by the devil (Luke 4: 1-2; Matthew 4:1; Mark 1: 12-13).
The wilderness was the Judean Desert. For the first century hearers of the gospels, this desert was not just an empty and barren place, but it was also pregnant with meaning.
It is where Moses led the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage for forty years. That desert is an expanse of 580 square miles near the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Dead Sea. God’s people walked through a rugged terrain that was constantly changing with plateaus, chalk hills, mountains, and cliffs. Imagine forty years of living in scarcity; the desert has no water, no food, and no protection.
And yet the Judean wilderness is where God moved through the desert with the people. God’s people were not left to die of hardship like they complained (Exodus 17:3). God’s presence was revealed tangibly in the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21).
God created a space for the people to abide in the shadow of the Almighty as a refuge. God provided flowing water from a rock and manna (flaky bread) to fall daily from heaven (Exodus 17:6; 16:4). And God delivered God’s people; the Lord brought them through the desert to behold the Promised Land. With God nothing is impossible!
And so Jesus was led to walk the ancient desert paths too. On the one hand, Jesus’ 40 day fast in the desert wilderness was a spiritual test of wholly trusting God. Jesus was fully human and experienced temptation, pain, and suffering. Being filled with the Spirit, Jesus leaned into fully trusting God through every moment. God not only delivered Jesus through every test and temptation, but Jesus manifested God’s power and glory in the desert.
On the other hand, Jesus was fully divine. Therefore, God moved into the desert once again to reveal God’s faithfulness to live in full relationship with humanity through Jesus Christ. God’s presence was not hovering in some distant cloud or in a pillar of fire. God’s presence was in the flesh of Jesus Christ to fully experience the how vulnerable and exposed the desert makes us feel.
Ray Vander Laan brings the Bible to life by taking Christian study groups on walking tours of the Mediterranean towns and cities in which the Bible’s context is written. He took one group to the Judean Desert. Standing within that rocky landscape Ray VanderLaan says this:
The desert holds a bigger picture in the Bible. It holds beauty, glory, and danger, but it is also a metaphor for chaos, pain, and suffering. The desert symbolizes that things are not as they’re supposed to be. In the desert – in times of difficulty and hardship - God’s people learn to know God, to trust God, and to love God.
About four years ago in a yearly physical I was diagnosed with coronary artery disease. I went through surgery – maybe not as painful as some of the deserts that you have been in – but painful, nevertheless. As I wondered I cried out why do I need to be in this desert?
I realized that I could not provide what I needed. God was going to have to take over. And little by little, God taught me that in pain, in the unknown, and in the times of difficulty and struggle that God is always there and just enough.
I can’t honestly tell you that it made my desert any easier or less painful, but I can tell you it was an amazing discovery. As I came out of that desert, I am closer to God today. I am more aware of the Lord’s provision, and presence, and power than I ever have been.
You see, in the desert, God joins his people. For whatever reason we are there, God is there too. And as God is there the Lord always provides just enough as we need it. It makes going through the desert possible. And one can emerge on the other side of the desert closer and more intimately related to God than ever before.
As you and I walk through the life of faith the path is constantly changing. There is beauty all around us and yet pain, suffering, and hardship can meet us on any given twist or turn. The rugged parts of life are scary with uncertainty with elements that make us feel exposed and vulnerable.
The good news of Jesus Christ is that we do not walk through the desert times of life alone. The faithfulness of God, the grace of Jesus Christ, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit make it possible to navigate through the desert.
Are you walking through a desert time of life today? If your answer is “yes,” then you may never know why you are in the desert. But Scripture tells us that because our spiritual ancestors have been there, and because Jesus Christ has been there, and because God chooses to move into the desert with us, then we can learn something from our desert experiences.
We learn about who we belong to, who we are, and in who we are to place our absolute trust. We learn that nothing is impossible with God because it is the Lord Almighty who goes before us. God will be with us because we are precious to the Lord. God’s faithfulness will not fail us or forsake us. So, do not fear or be dismayed (Luke 1:37; Deuteronomy 31:8; Zephaniah 3:17).
If you have not walked through a desert time of life, that’s ok because you will in time. God’s saving grace does not protect us from hardship, rather God’s grace empowers us to face hardship with hope through the power of Jesus Christ. The love of Christ will always lead us to the other side of hardship to behold God’s promises.
Today we begin the season of Lent. Many have described these 40 days as a journey through a spiritual wilderness. We are taking steps one day at a time towards the cross of Good Friday and the empty tomb of Easter Sunday.
Be intentional these 40 days to explore where your faith is dry and parched like a desert. What burden are you carrying that you need let go and let God take over? With what situation are you hungry for God’s reconciliation and renewal? What habit might you give up or cultivate that may draw you closer to God?
Know that God’s greatest desire is to lead you through the wilderness of Lent so that you may be moved by God’s assured presence and see God’s salvation in the present.
May the bread of life and the cup of salvation strengthen our faith today for the journey of these next 40 days. May these 40 days open our spiritual eyes to be more aware of the Lord’s provision, and presence, and power than we ever have been. And, may you know that God chooses to move into the desert to deliver you and me by the great faithfulness of God’s love.
In the name of God our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.
Sources Referenced:
Sermon Theme and Title "God on the Move: God Moves into the Desert" adapted from "A Preacher's Guide to Lectionary Sermon Series: Thematic Plans for Years A, B, and C (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2016), p. 192.
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