William Mitchell PhD

Finding God in the Wilderness William Mitchell PhD

Immediately after his baptism by John, Jesus went into the wilderness to encounter the temptations he would face in his ministry. Notice that Jesus is led into this encounter by the Spirit. It is the devil who will tempt him, but it is Jesus himself who will confront the temptations, and it is the purpose of God, as he is led by the Spirit to ponder it, that sustains and steadies him in the storm. He must confront his temptations, and prepare. And so must we. We must know Jesus, not just as a beautiful ethical idea, not either just as a fetish that will work magic, but by his own living presence within us, by the flesh and blood that have become our own life and nature. He must abide within us. When the devil looks us in the face, he must see Jesus. If we want to resist the devil instead of betraying Jesus, we must rise above the cheap motivations that derive from fear of punishment and from the clutch at security. The devil who confronts us will offer the same temptations Jesus faced, though watered down to our own paltry circumstances. Instead of urging us to turn stones into bread, he will urge us to play the market to make gain out of others' ruin. Instead of the amazement of the crowd at our deliverance from self-ruin by divine intervention, he will suggest the envy evoked by our Rolex or Cadillac. Instead of mastery of all kingdoms, he will show how to connive to cut other heirs out of the will, or evade the IRS, or successfully cheat partner or spouse. Supply your own revisions here; the temptations will at their core be the same timeworn temptations. God can work in your wilderness, if you are aware and take action.