Alone Time
Would Jesus have been tempted if he wasn't alone?
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted 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 splendor; 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. - Matt. 4:1-11
The Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness for a reason.
For thirty years, Jesus had been surrounded by people. He had a family which could have been quite large.
He lived and worked in a community and people knew each other.
He traveled with his extended family and their friends to Jerusalem when he was a child, and while there, he sat with the elders and studied their words.
He grew up with people and now was becoming a celebrity. People would come from miles around just to hear him speak.
What he didn't have any experience in was being alone.
If he was going to know what it means to be human, he would have to know what it means to be alone.
Matthew personifies the temptations Jesus experienced. He says the devil tempted him.
But the devil doesn't necessarily show himself. He could be in our thoughts, and even though the Holy Spirit was with Jesus, Jesus had these thoughts.
Forty days is a long time to be alone with one's thoughts, but it is not as unusual.as it sounds. Time goes on.
People who are alone may find it easier to stay alone than to seek out friends or respond to their attempts to connect with them.
When I was young, I enjoyed being alone. I would go to my room, shut the door and listen to records.
It was an escape, but I knew I wasn't really alone. Family was nearby. It was a break, not a change of state.
Losing a loved one is a change of state. You can only pretend your loved one is nearby so long, before you want to reach out and grab hold of him or her.
I cherish the notes and texts and calls and invitations to get out from people who care, and I can see how easy it is to say no to them.
When Jesus returned from the wilderness, he had to have gained something. He knew what loneliness felt like. I think it helped him reach out to those who were ignored and forgotten.
Maybe we all need time in the wilderness to see the invisible among us. They may be right in our own family, listening to music behind a shut door.
More to come...