The Wilderness: Preparation for the Cross

A couple weeks ago a friend came to me saying she was tempted to quit her current course of study. She said there were several who have quit and she is envious of their stress-free life now that they are no longer in that intensive course while she has no life slaving away in the books.

I remembered something that a professor told me while I was going through school. I was in a two year intensive Bible course. We were told that this is our wilderness. That always stuck with me. Before any sort of activity there must be a time of training. If we are going to be any good at what we do, that training is going to be intense. A sort of wilderness.

Jesus went through the wilderness as well. In fact, it was The Holy Spirit who led Him there. Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness without food and being tempted. Doctors say that 40 days is the approximate limit one can go without food before death. So, was Jesus close to death (It wasn't humans who attended to Him, but angels)? This period of time was Jesus' training to be able to resist the flesh, even to the point of death.

If Jesus didn't go through that time of fasting in the wilderness, He very may not have been able to resist the people's trying to make Him king by force. He may not have been the spotless lamb offered for us. He may not have been able to endure the cross like a lamb before his shearers is silent (Is 53).

This time is essential to Christ going to the cross. How easy would it be to lash out at those who are hitting Him, to those who are spitting on Him, to those who are nailing Him? How easy would it be to give up in the garden? The Spirit leads Jesus to a place and a time where He can suffer to make Him stronger.

My friend was not going to quit her course, but it didn't make it much easier for her. I told her that these couple of years are her wilderness and it will make her better at her job and in life after she finishes. She walked away encouraged by the thought just as I was. Jesus did something very similar to what we are going through.

We go through times in the wilderness. The Holy Spirit leads us there to make us stronger. Jesus understands the wilderness because He was there. Because of the wilderness, He took up His cross. Because of the wilderness we can take up our crosses and follow Him.