Two Little Words
For me, Tim Keller might just be the GOAT of modern-day pastor-teachers and authors. Gone too soon, but still impacting many, Tim’s insights and reflections on scripture provide a master class in a faith life lived well.
In Keller’s book Encounters with Jesus, he observes something I had never seen before from Matthew 3 & 4, the scene of Jesus’ baptism and desert duel with the devil. First, here’s the text.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. A voice from heaven said, “This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Keller’s point in the passage looks to the small word then. Here are his thoughts.
…it is important to recognize how the baptism and temptation are connected tightly by the single word then. God spoke words of powerful assurance…then Jesus was led to the desert to be tempted by the devil.
…but what if you could have faith in God without wavering? What if your life were perfectly pleasing to God? Surely! God would protect you…and your life would always go well, right?
Wrong. Because here stands the one who did it…and then, into the wilderness….It’s almost like Matthew is trying to tell us, “Read my lips: No one is exempt from trials and tribulations. In fact, this is often what happens to people God loves very much, for it is part of God’s often mysterious and good plan for turning us into something great.
It is so attractive to slide into a belief that God will bless any believer with their desires if they perform like they feel God would want them to do. And then the unravelling. Families disappoint. Dreams evaporate like mist. Bodies break down. Life happens. The psalmists plead right along with us, “How long, LORD, how long?”
At this point another small word steps into the room: Until.
Several places in the newer testament the idea of until is expressed and always in the context of hanging in there during hard times as they provide the vehicle of transformation. The writings never sugarcoat suffering and trials but often refers to them as essential tools for training us up toward deeply knowing God. A good friend reminded me that Romans 5 has an example of this.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
Those first two sentences are like Jesus at his baptism. “Yahoo!! This is great news! I’m right with God!” The next words are a believer’s “then” like Christ in the wilderness.
The passage talks of believers being trained up for what lies ahead. But training well is never easy and it takes time and waits to prove its worth down the road. As we live in our “then” and wonder where God is, consider your “until” and the work being done in your heart that cannot be learned elsewhere.
By the way, I recently joined a cult. I resisted for several years but finally gave in to peer pressure. Swore I never would but I’ve started…playing pickleball. Two times now I’ve gone with friends only to be humiliated in a game that looks so simple and I’m like a hippo on skates. But the last time was better than the first. And the next will be better and so on. If I train I will improve and soon Andre Agassi will be looking over his shoulder.
Then…Until
Back to Jesus, here’s a ponder worth your time: Why were Jesus’ wilderness struggles and tempting by Satan needed at all?
Is this the slot canyon he must squeeze through to emerge on the other side ready to do the work?
Does he solidify his mind on core beliefs challenged at his physically most vulnerable point?
Are the increasingly difficult days as his body weakens just what he needs to understand our weaknesses and the necessity of dependence on God alone?
I’m not sure, but whatever the reasons, Jesus came back from the desert and stepped into drama, and he was trained up and ready for action. John, the baptizer, had been arrested, soon to be executed, and the pressure increased from the religious leaders so Jesus moved north to his homeland in Galilee, jumping right into preaching his message of the Kingdom of God and began gathering apprentices.
I like the picture at the top of this note. Jesus is alone, waiting. It had to be hard on him. The barrenness of the desert underscores his isolation. Hunger and exposure provide no comfort. The voice of the accuser tempts with logical escapes. Jesus was living his then.
But after the devil departed and the angels came to take care of him, Jesus lived his until. The three short years to come bear fruit from his then.
And so will you. Hang in there, today. And when tomorrow dawns, do it again, until.
Never doubt that the very things you dread today, the heartbreaks and questions lay the foundation for what he has in store for you in your next chapter. God wastes nothing in bringing Jesus to life in you. Believe it.
Music for the week…It’s throwback Tuesday!
Jokes? Sure, you betcha
Throughout our month long tour of Europe, my wife's only complaint was that there was never enough time for shopping.
Nearing the end of our trip, we stopped for lunch at a pub in a small town near London. We wrote postcards and my wife volunteered to take them to the nearest postbox while I made a long-distance phone call. The British long distance system defeated me until I was helped by an attractive girl who was standing at the bar.
Completing my call, I saw her with a suitcase standing at a bus stop. I found out she was going close to our destination so I offered her a lift and suggested she get in the back seat of the car.
There was still no sign of my wife, so I went to look for her. Ten minutes later, I found her in a store. She was bulging with parcels. Giving me a big grin, she said, "That'll teach you to leave me alone for a few minutes."
It was my turn to grin as I said, "Wait until you see what's in the back seat of the car."
***************
Husband's text message:
Honey, I was involved in a car accident. Paula brought me to the hospital.
They have been making tests and taking X-rays.
The blow to my head was pretty bad. Fortunately, but seems that it did not cause any serious injury.
But I do have three broken ribs, a compound fracture in the left leg, and they may have to amputate the right foot.
Wife's response:
And just who is Paula?