Following Jesus through the Wilderness

David W Palmer

When Jesus submitted himself to John’s baptism, he experienced an open heaven, the Holy Spirit coming as a dove, and the voice of his Father affirming him. Jesus then yielded himself fully to the Holy Spirit in a close, personal, intimate relationship of love and submission. What did the wonderful Spirit of Holiness then do?

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

We see that the first priority of a Spirit who is absolutely holy was that he “drove” Jesus “into the wilderness”—a wild barren place. Matthew explains:

(Matthew 4:1–2 NKJV) Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. {2} And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.

Holiness compelled Jesus into a wilderness for forty days of fasting so he could be “tempted (or tested) by the devil.” God put Jesus there to be tested, scrutinized, and enticed by Satan. This is amazing. We don’t often think of holiness along these lines—especially that a holy God would lead us to Satan to test and entice us; but this is what he did with Jesus. As we follow Jesus through baptism and on into relationship with the Holy Spirit, this is where following him will take us too. So we would be wise to heed both Jesus’s preparation for this in the word, and his winning ways in the wilderness over the tempter:

(Matthew 4:3–4 NKJV) Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” {4} But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

This is the first of three specific and very real temptations that Jesus overcame. This one reveals not only his strategy for acing the inevitable tests, but how to prepare for them. Jesus’s immediate response was “Man shall … live by … every word … of God.” Yes, this revealed Jesus’s heart, his wisdom, and his life’s priority in preparation for that day. Our Lord later revealed that from the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks; so this statement clearly reveals the overflow of Jesus’s own heart—his life’s priority and focus to that time (See: Mat. 12:34, Luke 6:45).

Not only was Jesus the living Word, but he also lived in and by the word. We would be wise to follow his example in this lifestyle. Why? Because the wilderness and tests are real and unavoidable. (The unavoidable tests are the affliction and persecution that arises for the word’s sake; not the affliction felt by “fools” because of their “transgressions” and “iniquities.” (See: Mark 4:17, Psalm 107:17 NKJV))

Next we see that Jesus repelled the enemy’s attack of enticement and temptation with nothing but the word—the right word, at the right time, as led and empowered by the Holy Spirit. If we get the “holy” part of our relationship with the Holy Spirit right, then we can fully see his power, magnificence, and glory too. When he quickens a word to us, and when we speak it from the overflow of a faith-filled heart through unfeigned lips, “Glory” ensues. The power is infinite. Satan and his tests, temptations, and trials are no match for the omnipotent power of our close friend—the Holy Spirit.

Before the wilderness warfare, where the word won over the wimp, Jesus was “filled” with the Holy Spirit:

(Luke 4:1 NKJV) Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.

But after his total triumph over the testing trials by standing on the truth, Jesus returned “in” the “power” of the Spirit:

(Luke 4:14 NKJV) Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.

This was when the visible, outward action began for others to see: “news of him went out.” But we cannot follow Jesus in miracle ministry with crowds following, unless we follow him through preparation in the word, baptism, and protracted, isolated wilderness warfare. When we do, however, we too can follow the example of his return “in the power of the Spirit.” Then we can declare with Jesus:

(Luke 4:18–19 NKJV) “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; {19} To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”

Today, I encourage you to follow Jesus all the way—through his worshipful, submissive baptism, his tenderly yielded relationship of holiness with the Holy Spirit, his preparation in the word (until you fully resemble the living word), and into the wilderness for fasting and testing. Once you pass those tests, God will put you up a level; and then, like Jesus, you can enjoy the “power-clothing” of the Holy Spirit as you declare boldly and demonstrate authoritatively that Jesus is Lord.

(Luke 24:49 ESV) “And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”