Based in Matthew 4: 1 – 11
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ But he answered, ‘It is written,
“One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” ’
Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, “He will command his angels concerning you,” and “On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” ’
Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” ’
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour; and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’
Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” ’
Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.”
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Cultivating our faith is critical. Spending time listening, praying, serving others, studying the scriptures, worshipping, and practicing the fruits of the Spirit in the relationships of community are all vital aspects of nurturing our discipleship. Faith is not something we can just choose to show up for once in awhile; it must be practiced. It is through the deliberate rhythms of spiritual formation that we are shaped, molded, prepared and deepened in our journey of faith.
Jesus was able to face his temptations because he was grounded in another reality. We often imagine that this scene is just a caricature sketch, that because Jesus was, well, Jesus that he couldn’t possibly have actually been tempted. Yet we have to remember that Jesus was still human, that he was a young man who was still trying to figure out his purpose in the world, and it seems like he had many possible routes before him which he could take. We are not tempted by things that are unappealing to us, but rather find ourselves drawn to and weakened in our resistance by things which are attractive to our particular situation. This was the place that Jesus found himself in.
The first temptation seems pretty obvious. Verse 2 says that Jesus is “famished,” so the desire to eat is the natural starting point. The real temptation, though, is not to have his needs met, but to be the one who provides for those needs. After all, if the power to turn stones into bread is his, what harm could there be in doing so? But Jesus draws on the rich experience of the Jewish people in affirming that God always provides. From the Exodus to Elijah, from Rahab and Ruth to Nehemiah, the testimony has been that God always provides, even when it seems there is no possibility. Thus Jesus can quote scripture when he refuses to place his trust in himself, and instead places it entirely in God as he says that one must not rely solely on the temporal things of this world, but live, eat, and breathe total reliance on the strength that comes only from God.
The second temptation seeks to twist this faith in God. “Alright,” the reasoning goes, “prove that you really trust God to provide. Throw yourself off the top of a high building and test the words of the prophets. If God really provides, then you won’t be killed.” We face this temptation all the time! We set God up in “if, then” situations, such as “God, if you’ll only cure my loved one, then I’ll dedicate my life to you,” or “God, if you want me to do this, then give me a sign,” or, even worse, “God, if you’ll only help me pass this test, I’ll start going to church again.” 
The problem is, though, that God is not an “if, then” being — God is a God of relationship. We don’t place conditions upon God, demanding that God meet our expectations in a certain way. Once again, though, Jesus turns to his foundation in the tradition to resist such manipulations. He does not put God up to some cosmic test, but affirms that, though God’s ways may sometimes be mysterious, God is faithful and never fails.
The last temptation must have been the most difficult. Jesus has just come from being baptized, and understands that he has a unique calling and purpose, but I doubt he fully understood just exactly what that was yet. What was he to do? Who was he supposed to be? How was he supposed to best serve God? Surely if he could rule over all the kingdoms of the earth, he could bring them to know God. Surely he could exhibit what a good king would look like, could stand up for the poor and decree that life would be centered in the Zionic ideal. But once again, his knowledge of the scriptures and of God’s desires for the world gave him the strength to resist. He knew that the true kingdom of God would not be ushered in by power or control, but by sacrifice and weakness, by love, mercy and in peace, not through war, strength and domination. His choice to worship God alone, and not himself or another source of power, emerges from a life spent in preparation and formation.
Jesus didn’t just arrive at this moment out of the blue. He spent years learning the scriptures, discussing them with others, praying and listening, observing God’s work in and through communities of faith. His whole life, ethos, and praxis was steeped in the alternative reality that God invites all of us into, a reality where our assumptions about power, prestige, success and provision are turned upside-down. His choice to follow this path was deliberate, as evidenced by his decision to fast. He did not approach his vocation lightly or on a whim, but rather developed a rich reservoir from which he could draw in times of doubt and struggle, a well which guided his actions and responses. He practiced the rhythms of his faith, cultivating deep within him a new person who was attuned to the desires and purposes of God.
It was this practice of spiritual formation which allowed him to hear the Spirit’s call and let him follow its leadings. It was his reliance on the Spirit which led him through those very real temptations. And it was the Spirit which sustained him in the days and years to follow as he sought to better comprehend his purpose in ministry. When we dedicate ourselves to the practices of spiritual formation, grasp the hand of the Spirit and allow ourselves to be led, we grow in our journey of faith as disciples of this Jesus, the one who trusted always in God and who invites us now to live as he did: led by the Spirit.
