Spiritual Goals and Values: Following Jesus in His Upside-Down KingdomSýnishorn

Jesus in the Wilderness (Part 2)

Yesterday, we examined the tie between temporary suffering on this earth and eternal joy and comfort in heaven. Today, we are going to look at this idea within the context of Matthew 4:1-11.

Within this passage, we can see that over forty days, the devil tempts Jesus in various ways. He never questions the fact that Jesus truly was the Son of God, but instead, he continually tempted Jesus to misuse this position and power.

First, he tempts Jesus to rely on His own self-provision instead of on God (verse 4). Secondly, he tempts Jesus to perform flashy miracles that would force God’s hand (verses 5 and 6). Finally and thirdly, the devil tempts Jesus with power over all the kingdoms of the world (verses 8 and 9). What is interesting about this particular temptation is that this was already Jesus’s inheritance. This was already the plan of God. But, the devil was offering it to Him without the element of suffering. It was all the good stuff, minus the bad stuff. At the heart of it, this temptation was that somebody could provide for Jesus better than God Himself.

Are you ever tempted to rely on your own self-provision instead of on God? Or, are you tempted to believe that you (or somebody else) can provide for you better than God can? Among others, these were the temptations that Jesus faced in the desert.

In our world and in our culture today, there is a huge emphasis on independence, happiness, comfort, and ease. We have A.I. to write our emails, credit cards to buy whatever we want, botox for our wrinkles, video doorbells to secure our perimeters, and Alexa and Siri (not to mention Google) to answer any of our questions. We live in a more comfortable society than at any other point in all of human history, and we are taught to avoid suffering and discomfort at all costs. We are coached into self-care and treating ourselves at every opportunity… but none of this is the way of Jesus. As we saw yesterday, there are lots of other verses about this truth. Here are a few more examples:

“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Romans 8: 16-17

“So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.” 2 Timothy 1:8

“You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” 2 Timothy 3: 10-13

In God’s Kingdom we are commanded to have joy in our suffering because the testing of our faith develops perseverance (James 1:2-4). Because our eternity is secure, and this life is not all that there is for us, we are able to not only endure the hardships that come our way but also welcome them, knowing full well that it is only through hardship and suffering that we grow and become more like Christ.

Romans 5:3-5 says this: “..but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

We can only develop our hope and character by the perseverance produced by suffering. It doesn’t get much more counter-cultural than that.

For so many in the world, the goal of life is ease and the highest value is comfort and personal happiness… but not so for the follower of Jesus. Instead, what should our value be? What is the goal of our lives - in good times, and in hard ones? What is Jesus speaking to your heart and your mind through this passage?

One other thing that is super interesting about this passage is that Jesus faced forty days of direct temptation from the one whom He came to destroy. In the midst of this suffering and hardship, both Jesus and the devil knew how the story was going to end: with Jesus being victorious and crushing Satan, sin, and death. This same truth is also what allows us to stand up under hardship and suffering because no matter what happens to us on this earth, we know that it is temporary and that, in the end, we have victory. We can endure temporary discomfort because our eternity is secure. Because of Christ, in the end, we win.

While meditating on these things, think about or journal the answer to the following questions:

Who is the boss of Jesus' life and decisions?

What were the goals and motivations of the devil in this passage?

How does Jesus challenge this motivation/value?

What core values was Jesus living out of in this passage?

How can I apply this to my life?