The Unknown Road Ahead

What wilderness do you find yourself in?

 Wilderness and 40 are design patterns of the Bible. We always see the number 40 equated with some kind of journey or cleaning, usually paired with wilderness. Our first example that might come to mind is the 40-year journey through the wilderness that the Israelites experienced as they made their way to the promised land. Without steady land to live in and call their own, the Israelite people were a pilgrim people, searching for a place to lay their heads for good. Instead of a short journey out of Egypt, it was a literal lifetime trek for the entire people. And through the whole trip, one of the main threads for the Israelites was turning from their idol worship, habits and culture picked up from other peoples around them, and bitter complaining. There is more to list, but this is simply one theme. It was in this wilderness that God’s chosen people were presented with opportunities to throw off everything that keeps them from God and to follow Him.

 We read that Jesus knows wilderness. He fasted for 40 days in the wilderness and as he was almost finished, he was tempted by the tempter. His denial to turn stones into bread has its roots in Deuteronomy 8:3, where Moses explains to the Israelite people that it cannot replace God with the material around them. Moses said “one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” to warn against the inclination to rely on themselves and their own industry and things rather than God. When the devil tells Jesus to jump off the top of the temple, Jesus responds again from Deuteronomy. When Jesus replies this time, he echoes Moses’ call to the Israelites to not test God like they did when they were thirsty in the desert, thinking God would not provide for them. When Jesus is tempted a third time to bow down to the tempter, he echoes Moses again saying that worship belongs to God alone.

 Lent is a 40-day journey for the follower of Jesus that brings us to an empty tomb. This has been a habit of the Church for centuries, well over a millennia. And the point of this journey is to prepare Jesus’ followers for Resurrection Sunday. It’s inspired by Jesus’ own journey through the wilderness, and in some sense inspired by Israel’s 40-year journey. But Jesus wasn’t the only biblical figure with a 40-day journey. As Moses journeyed to meet with God at Mt. Sinai, he fasted for 40-days. Elijah fasted for 40 days as he journeyed to meet with God at Mt. Horeb. In some way, even the flood that lasted 40 days lends itself to this. In these periods, there is a journey that takes place that leads to newness. From flood to Moses to Elijah to Jesus, these walks through any kind of unknown leads to something.

 I wonder if Jesus knew that the wilderness was next? Was he caught off guard? Scripture says that he was led out into the wilderness by the Spirit, but I wonder what that looked like? How might you and I respond to being flung out into a wilderness?

 I think we ought to look at how we respond to unforeseen situations. The COVID-19 pandemic has swept through much of the globe as I write this. And I observe how we have reacted to this threat. We have panicked. There are many who, in fear of not having enough, decided that it was best to buy all the grain, meat, and bread (and toilet paper for some reason) that they could fit in their cars. Some have brushed it off, not recognizing the threat and seeing coronavirus as nothing more than a nuisance, something trivial that they won’t get sick from.

 Whether we like it or not, we find ourselves on an unknown road. We are on this journey through a new wilderness that not even our elders have seen. What a perfect opportunity to learn something about the journey with Jesus.

 Perhaps some of us need to hear Jesus’ wisdom in the response to his first temptation. We’re not turning stones into bread, but it sure does seem like we have no issue finding food for the day ahead. I’ve seen the inside of quite a few grocery stores. Those that choose to hoard many of the essentials leave nothing left for those who may have more of a dire need. In panic and fear, we take matters into our own hands. We forget that we don’t live on bread alone. We are reminded in this season that perhaps now more than ever, we ought to see what we can live without and allow God to satisfy and sustain. Maybe some of us need to resist the temptation to play the strong man and act like we’ll pick ourselves up when we fall. It certainly is tempting to say that we’ll be fine. This is how many bad decisions begin. For us Christians, the humble response to a wilderness season is not to pull ourselves up by our boot straps, but rather to admit when we don’t know all the answers. Maybe some of us must resist the temptation to act in our own self-interest and yield to a God who does lead His people, no matter how perilous the journey seems.

 I found it ironic that Lent and the COVID pandemic aligned this year. In a moment where we find ourselves cooped up, shut away from people, we find ourselves in a new wilderness. And we have the chance to walk through and, being led by the Spirit, to find new life with Jesus on the other side of this. In a panicked moment where it feels we need much, perhaps we need less? In an ignorant moment where we feel powerful, perhaps we ought to practice meekness? In a lonely moment where we feel we must look out only for ourselves, perhaps we’re invited to love and seek understanding. No matter the invitation, we still found ourselves in a wilderness we did not choose, yet what a wonderful time to practice what the Spirit of God has been growing in His people.

 “All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.”

-Julian of Norwich