Face to Face with the Devil

By Colly Caldwell

   “Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him” (Mark 1:12-13).

   Jesus began his adult journey to accomplish God’s will in his ministry in the wilderness. Perhaps Jesus was seeking a time of self-examination. Perhaps He wanted time to reflect on the work he was about to begin. Perhaps He knew this would be the last opportunity He would have to truly be alone. Certainly, whatever Jesus might have added as a personal human motivation, it was part of His Divine mission to confront the devil and face him down.

   All Must Confront Satan. Jesus went face-to-face with the devil, one-on-one. I believe we all have to do that almost every day…perhaps not with the same intensity each time, but every now and then even to the gut-wrenching level of feeling major sacrifice and/or pain for the Lord we trust and adore.  Of course, some of us are tempted more than others, or at least in other ways than others. For example, I read about a Bible study in which the leader asked, “Have any of you been faced with temptation and with Jesus’ help resisted?” One woman said, “Yes, I walked out of the store last week and realized that I was not charged for a loaf of bread. I went back in and paid for it.” “That’s good,” the leader asked, “Any of you others?” To the surprise of all, a new convert raised her hand and said, “A few months ago, I was into cocaine really big. My boyfriend tried to make me go with him to rob a convenience store; but I was trying to quit and I said that was wrong. He beat me up when I wouldn’t go. So I left and my friend brought me here.” Some of the temptations of others make our giving in to ours seem small, don’t they? And yet the small ones can be very telling.

   We Become Stronger When We Resist.  It seems that the early temptations of Jesus helped prepare Him for the great tests of His mission. We need to be strong in our faith, and that often comes through trials. Trials often involve temptation to go the wrong way or do the wrong things. James said, “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4). It may be painful, but its rewards will be great.

   In C. S. Lewis’ book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the wicked queen entices Edmund with a box of enchanted Turkish Delight. Each piece is sweet and delicious. Edmund never tasted anything better. There is only one problem. The more he eats, the more he wants. That, of course, was the wicked queen’s plan. He will eat until it kills him! It would not satisfy his hunger because it was wrong. It would never fill him up. It would destroy him. Lewis is giving a metaphor for sin, that which is wrong for us. It only enslaves. Dag Hammarskjold, former Secretary-General of the United Nations once said, “You cannot play with the animal in you without becoming an animal, play with falsehood without forfeiting your right to truth, play with evil without losing your sensitivity of mind.”

   We are not Alone in Our Struggle. Perhaps the greatest message for us in the story of Jesus’ trials is that we are not alone. Our Lord “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” Therefore, “Let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:15-16). Paul said, “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Cor. 10:13). David said, “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2).

   There is a story which came out of the 1989 earthquake that almost flattened Armenia. It killed more than 30,000 people in less than four minutes. Millions of lives were changed. In the midst of the confusion, a father rushed to his son’s school. The building was absolutely destroyed. The father remembered that his son’s classroom was at the back right corner of the building. He had promised to always be there for him, so he rushed to that area. Others were standing by grieving, but he began to dig. For thirty-eight hours, he pulled away scrap until finally he heard a voice. When others had given up, he was there for his son who cried below the rubble, “I knew you would save me, Dad. I knew you would be there for me.” Isn’t that like our God, even in our worst of times?