Why Are You in the Wilderness?

wil·der·ness ˈwildərnəs/ noun

an uncultivated, uninhabited, and inhospitable region.

a neglected or abandoned area of a garden or town.

a position of disfavor.

Is it because of the weakness of humanity?

Is it inevitable or can it be avoided?

Does it indicate a lack of spirituality?

Did I sin?

How did I get here and is there a way out?

Why am I here?

Who is to blame?

Questions, so many questions, because there can be so much pain . . .

In a way, we walk where angels fear to tread by the discussion that follows. It contains wisdom yet is void of complete answers to life’s deepest questions. Following God will always requires faith. We only know in part until we shall see Jesus face to face and know in full.

Our approach to answering life's darkest questions will always be one-sided, for we see and understand as we are, not as it fully is.

There are times in life when we all find ourselves in a wilderness: a place that is uninhabited, uncultivated, abandoned, and void of favor. We are alone in our souls, seemingly trapped in sadness and disappointment, which may be completely evident or in full disguise to those around us.

Jesus was no different. While on earth he experienced pain, ridicule, suffering, betrayal, beatings, and ultimately death by crucifixion. Surely we can learn from Him about suffering; surely His life is our ultimate case in point for our questions about pain. His earthly ministry started out with a wilderness experience at the age of thirty. It was a deliberate occurrence for him to be tempted by Satan.

Why did the Holy Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness with the humiliation of being tempted by Satan? He was God—fully God and fully man—the Son of Man wrapped in earthly flesh.

Why?

Was Jesus lead to the wilderness to the benefit of God, Jesus, Satan, or man?

Was it for God’s sake? No and yes.

No, for God is sovereign and all knowing, in need of nothing, and impossible to be surprised.

Nothing is hidden from His eyes. It was not for God’s sake in the sense that He needed anything. He needs nothing, He is all and in all, the Beginning and the End. God did not have to test Jesus to be sure He would survive His mission. He already knew. God is not a tormenter finding pleasure in the suffering of others. He gave His own blood, His own Son, because He loves humanity.

Yes, it surely was for God’s purposes to fulfill His master plan.

Jesus was intentionally lead to the wilderness to be tempted by Satan, since He is the First Fruit, the Way Maker, and had to experience humanity to redeem us from it. The footsteps of Jesus had to lead through the wilderness so that we have a trail to follow and permission in the heavenlies to overcome evil in it.

Any wilderness experience can cause bitterness, because we don’t understand the purpose of the pain. But there are many reasons for pain, including the deep awareness of God’s presence and power that can never be experienced any other way. God wants to reveal Himself in our pain, drawing us closer to Him in preparation for eternity.

Was it for Jesus’ sake? No and yes.

No, Jesus was fully God.

Jesus was, is, and always will be the Son of God. He did not become God’s Son the day He was born on earth; He is God and always has been with God. But deity was wrapped in flesh, distorted in a way, by earthly dust. The Godhead in Jesus was in full control and knowledge yet submitted to the sinful, temporary, deceitful, carnal flesh from which mankind needed saving. Jesus as the Christ did not have to learn anything, prove anything, or submit Himself to questioning by Satan to obtain rank, position of superiority, or victory. God is above all and the great I Am.

Yes, it was for Jesus in that He was in the form and nature of man at the same time He was God.

The wilderness had everything to do with the humanity of Jesus, because it is in the wilderness that the flesh dies. It is there where everything that can be shaken is shaken so that only that which can’t be shaken remains. Jesus was fully man, so He was fully shaken in His earthly existence and fully tempted to identify with mankind.

The 40-day fast was for that very reason, the weakening of the flesh, so that He could be prepared for spiritual ministry on earth. He had to minister as a man; for during His earth time He was fully man. The wilderness inflicted pain on everything physical and all things tied to this world so that it would not hinder the Spirit in fulfilling His ministry and purpose.

Was it for Satan’s sake? No, and yes.

No, God is not obligated to do anything for the sake of Satan alone or anyting outside His will.

God already dealt with Satan when he was kicked out of heaven. The Lamb of God was slain before the foundation of the earth to purchase man’s redemption from Satan’s power. So no, God does not have to do anything else since He has already overcome evil. Satan is judged, his fate sealed, with no opportunity for redemption. He is doomed for the pit of hell that was created for him and his demons. In our current dispensation, Satan has been given the title deed of earth because of sin, with power to deceive and lead people to hell with him. God owes him nothing.

Yes, it could have been for Satan’s sake in that he had to see his temptations have no power even over the fleshly body of Jesus.

Otherwise, can you just hear him say, “Jesus could not withstand my temptation. Why do you think you could?” Satan knew Jesus was God’s Son by what the demons said before Jesus drove them out of people. They called Him the Son of God. Did he have full knowledge of the plan of redemption or the power of the blood that had to be carried from earth to the mercy seat in heaven? He is not God, so he does not know everything. He knows a lot but is not all knowing. He does not possess all wisdom and knowledge since he was compromised through pride. He only knows what God allows him to know. Did God allow him to know the full mystery of salvation through Christ? 1 Corinthians says that if the princes of this earth knew, they would not have killed Jesus. According to this Scripture, the plan of the blood of Jesus must have been a mystery to Satan. Besides, Satan is deceived through pride and sin, unable to judge all things. He is blinded by the same pride as at the time of his fall.

Was it for our sake? Yes!

Not only did we need a way back to God to live in His presence for eternity, but we also needed a way through temptation here on earth.

We are redeemed and heaven bound but still need a way to live above temptation that leads to death and separation from God. Jesus’ mission on earth was all about us. It was all about God since He first loved us, but sin broke the relationship with him that we were created for. God made a way to get us reconciled with Him. Jesus in the flesh was the plan.

We messed up in the garden. We succumbed to Satan’s lies. We now live in a dispensation where Satan is the prince of the power of the air. Our flesh that was created to live forever turned to dust after sin came into the world. All the anti-aging agents in the world will never negate the result of what happened in the garden. It resulted in physical aging and death. Now we get to live in a vapor of time, only to prepare for eternity with God through the redemption of the blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

If Jesus went through the wilderness for us, why do we still go through it? If Jesus died for us, why then do we have to die to so many things here on earth?

Jesus is the Way Maker, the Mediator, and the First Fruit of our salvation. He does not live our lives for us but lives in us so we can live Him out. Even though He died physically, we still have to die physically. The Bible calls death our final enemy. Jesus went before us so that we can follow Him through it. We have to walk through painful things here on earth and eventually death. We don’t get transposed to heaven the moment we become God’s children through Jesus Christ. We still have our feet on earth where we have to walk things out. But through the power of Christ in us, we walk in victory here on earth and all the way to eternity with God.

We die physically, yet we don’t die spiritually. We walk in life even when death looms. We walk in victory even when we feel pain. We walk in the flesh yet not by the flesh. We walk in the Spirit where we have total freedom through Christ. We purchased a ticket to the valley of death when we sinned; God purchased our ticket out of the valley of death when Jesus died. We still have to walk through it in order to get to the other side where God is preparing a place and feast for His children.

There is much more to suffering than what meets the eye. We are weak when we suffer; therefore, we’re sometimes blind to the greater reality that our enemies cannot take our spirit. Satan can torment our flesh and soul, but they are going to go back to dust anyway when we get a new body! We walk in the flesh, yet live in the spirit that is eternal and will never die.

So we know that the wilderness—

Kills the flesh, which is a good thing since it is what keeps us in sin

Shakes what can be shaken, so we get rid of fleshly earth-ties

Reveals what is hidden, the good and the bad

Strengthens the eternal and unshakable, so we can grow and mature

Reveals the power of God in a redeemed life for others to see and believe

Illuminates the footsteps of Christ that lead to real life

Becomes our salvation from this world since it cuts away earthly values

Serves to strengthen us and enable us to experience God in might and power

Is where we leave behind what needs to die, so we can be free to follow Christ

Jesus was lead by God to the wilderness but also said that no one could take His life from Him. He freely gave it. No one pushed Him into the wilderness, but He was lead like a sheep to the slaughter.

Willingly He walked into the place of temptation all the way to the bloody cross. He willingly bore our sorrows and carried our pain!

Surely He has borne our griefs

And carried our sorrows;

Yet we esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten by God, and afflicted.

But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

And by His stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;

We have turned, every one, to his own way;

And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He opened not His mouth;

He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,

And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,

So He opened not His mouth.

Isaiah 53:4-7 (NKJV)

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Photo: Craggy Gardens, Mt Michell, Blue Ridge Mountains, SC