Today we begin our Lenten journey with the story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.

Lent is a serious time in the church year. It invites contemplation of Christ’s great sacrifice. Each day, we move each day closer to the memory of that Friday when the very heavens turned black and were torn apart as Jesus died on the cross. We know that he lives again in the Easter morning, but right now -- in Lent – we ponder the journey to Jerusalem and the darkening of times as Jesus is near the end of his earthly ministry.

We go into the barrenness and solitude of the wilderness with him. The wilderness is a familiar place in Scripture. It was from the wilderness that John the Baptist came to proclaim the coming of the Messiah and to call the people to repent and it is in the wilderness that the devil tries to tempt Jesus to abandon God.

One might ask why – at this time in his life – the Spirit would lead Jesus into the desert to suffer and be tempted. After all, he has just been baptized by John. God spoke at his baptism, naming Jesus, "You are my Son, the beloved; with you I am well pleased." There is much to do. The triumphal note of his baptism should send him on his way to do his ministry.

Instead he goes to the wilderness where he fasts for forty days- a time reminiscent of the 40 years that the Hebrew people wandered in the desert before reaching the Promised Land Forty days of hunger, of sitting and praying, of contemplating the task before him. Forty days of solitude. But then temptation makes its appearance. And three times, the devil tries to turn Jesus away from God. He begins with the basic need of every human for food. "Turn this stone into bread." This Jesus could easily do. And he must have been very hungry and weakened by his fast. But he did not succumb. Instead he quoted Scripture to the devil, "It is written, "One does not live by bread alone."

To forsake God in order to satisfy his own needs would put an end to Jesus’ ministry before it even began. To put the physical before the spiritual would render him incapable of fulfilling his calling.

Failing in his first attempt the Devil tries again. Showing Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, he promises him authority over them if Jesus will only worship him. Jesus again responds with Scripture, It is written, "Worship the Lord your God and serve only him."

Wily creature that he is, the devil learns quickly from his two defeats and quotes Scripture back to Jesus on his next attempt. "Throw yourself off this high pinnacle. For it is written, (he uses Jesus’ own words) 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."

Jump down. God will save you.

But Jesus is no stunt performer. He answers one more time with Scripture, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test."

This exchange of Scripture has a two-fold meaning for us.

How many times has Scripture been used to justify one’s own personal agenda? Civilizations have been destroyed, countless lives lost, because people used Scripture as a weapon. Our Holy Scriptures are written in language that allows one to manipulate it to serve one’s own needs. We must be very careful with Scripture. It has a message for us, but we must discern its meaning prayerfully and without predetermination of its meaning.

This third temptation also shows us that we must not treat God’s love for us frivolously. Don’t put God to the test. Trust in God’s love but don’t ask God to prove it.

Jesus was tempted in the wilderness when he was at his most vulnerable, when he was at his weakest.

These are the times when we too are most susceptible to temptation – the times of our own wilderness - the times when we feel we are alone.

Temptation rarely expresses itself in a form that is obviously evil. If someone came to us saying, "Wouldn’t you like to make a wreck of your life and bring shame to everyone who know you by stealing, committing adultery or destroying your health with drugs?" we would say, "No thanks, I’m not interested." But temptation usually cloaks itself in something seemingly harmless, sometimes even virtuous, leaving the destructive consequences in the fine print that people don’t bother to read.

Remember the temptations of Jesus. To turn stones into bread. To leap from the temple roof. To bow down to the devil and in return to get the world.

Those would unlikely serve to tempt us. Not having the ability to turns stones into bread, nor the capacity for daredevil stunts, that’s not our problem. And as for controlling the world—we wouldn’t know what to do with it if we had it! Our battles are usually over more mundane, intimate, and personal issues. It’s in those times when we’re alone or feeling isolated, that we are tempted.

In a store you’re given the wrong change. The clerk has moved on to the next customer and you’re looking at an extra $20. bill. You've always believed that honesty is the best policy," but…….…..

There’s a surplus of materials at work, just the kind of thing you need for that job at home. It would probably be thrown out anyway, or spoiled in the weather. No one would care—everybody does it. Of course, you’re not a thief, but……………

In those solitary moments, when no one knows, and no one is likely to know, what do you do? That is the crux of the matter.

The test is not about how much you talk about faith, it’s how faithful you are when the going gets tough, because that’s when temptations make things hard. The real test for us, as it was for Jesus, comes not when we are part of the crowd, but when we stand alone.

It’s in the depths of our being, in those moments of temptation and isolation, that we are put to the test.

It’s not just about "doing" the right thing. It’s also very much about
believing" the right thing – about not losing faith in the tough times.

What would you do if your life or the life of someone you love was threatened?

I want to tell you about a man I know. If you were at Bible study last week, you’ve already heard this true story.

This man was a lifelong, faithful and hardworking member of the church. He had met his wife at YPU meetings (Young People’s Union) – where many church people of a certain generation seems to have met their spouse.

He is a schoolteacher and for years spent every summer serving as a lay preacher while ministers were on holiday. He and his wife and children were actively involved in their local congregation.

Then one day, when their youngest child was 18 months old and his wife only thirty-five, she received a cancer diagnosis. She had surgery and chemotherapy, but things didn’t go well. She died four years later leaving him to raise their two children on his own.

Why am I telling you about this man? Because when his wife died, he turned his back on God and the church. He ceased all involvement with the church and has never returned.

When the going got tough, he didn’t rely on God to sustain and support him. He turned away from God – as if his faith had been for him an insurance policy that hadn’t paid up when he needed it.

If someone you love gets a frightening diagnosis, what will you do? When you find yourself in the wilderness, when you feel as if you’re all alone, will you seek God’s guidance and comfort, or will you reject God for not preventing your entry into that wilderness?

It’s easy to sustain a relationship with God when things are going well. It’s when your world suddenly changes and life is far from rosy -- when you’re alone, tired, hungry and discouraged – that the temptation to forsake or turn away from God becomes stronger.

That’s when you need God the most and God is there. You may not get the answer you want from God – but you can be assured that e4very painful, heartbreaking moment will be experienced with God – God before you to lead you out of your pain, God at your side to accompany you through that pain, and God at your back to hold you up.

What will you do when the going gets tough?

Think carefully before you respond, because your very life depends on it.

Amen