Imagine, for a moment, yourself standing on the banks of the Jordan River, having yourself been called out into the desert borderlands by the voice of a prophet; caught by the intrigue of this new baptism that he preached; promising salvation through repentance and the forgiveness of sins.  Then, from the midst of the crowd, one man begins drawing attention as he approaches John the Baptist.  Behold, the lamb of God.  Here is the One who will show you the way.  Here is the One who is the arrival of the Kingdom of God.  But rather than himself turning around to make a grand speech or rally followers to support his claim to David’s throne, He turns and goes into the desert, alone.

It is an extraordinary thing that Jesus’ first act of public ministry is to go into the desert, to fast and suffer from the elements of such a harsh environment, and to confront the author of sin and lies, denying all of the treasures, comforts and accolades of the world.  He is showing us what it means to be the Lamb of God, how salvation is won and how we find the Kingdom.  And even more amazingly, He invites to come and follow Him.

Going into the desert is the way to salvation and the revelation of what this salvation means.  We are first set on the road through baptism, being initiated as sons and daughters of our heavenly Father.  The next step is that we choose to enter.  That is, we have the choice of remaining in the world and amidst ordinary things, or of choosing to leave those things behind to follow Christ into the desert.  

We continue by way of fasting, and we are hungry.  That is, salvation is found through denial of our desires and overcoming the pangs of hunger.  In following Christ, we are no longer subject to momentary feelings, but become free to pursue what is truly good.  He guides us to take on a heart of penance, again, an action that frees us from the bondage of the past, but not only for ourselves.  We see in His confrontation with the devil, that it is not His salvation that He is working for, but for the salvation of others.

In those very temptations, He shows us that food (and material things), are passing and sustain for only a time, but eternal life and the true food is found by doing God’s Will.  In the midst of a world and kingdoms that profess to be the strongest, offering protection and prosperity for their people, there is but one who offers protection and true prosperity—there is only One Way.  And finally, salvation does not mean that one will never suffer any injury, harm or discomfort.  Jesus shows no concern over whether He “dashes his foot against a stone.”  Rather at the end of the journey, one becomes a son or daughter of God and is able to fend off the attacks of the enemy.