Letting Go of the Road Not Taken

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, ²where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. ³The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ ⁴Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.” ’
5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶And the devil said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. ⁷If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ ⁸Jesus answered him, ‘It is written,
“Worship the Lord your God,
   and serve only him.” ’
9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, ¹⁰for it is written,
“He will command his angels concerning you,
   to protect you”,
¹¹and
“On their hands they will bear you up,
   so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” ’
¹²Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” ’ ¹³When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.          Luke 4: 1-13

     I have to admit I am not a big fan of this version of the temptation of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke. I much prefer Mark's short and sweet -

 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. ¹³He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.Mark 1:12-13

We don't know what Jesus was tempted by. We just know he was in the wilderness and the Accuser  places temptations before him and that he hung with the wilderness beasts and ate with the angels.
    I always like to think of this time as you got to get it all out. You have to rage against what will not be, the possibilities that will be shut off, the roads that won't be taken. Without that time to be in the wild, to wrestle with temptation you can't enter fully into the new life you are called to. Jesus needed a moment away. He had just been baptized. He had been inspired by the teaching of John and sought the repentance and forgiveness he offered. He washed in the water shedding his sin, but the moment in the water was God touched. For he experienced God saying he belonged to God's family and that God was pleased with him.
   What do you do when you encounter the holy. Do you just justify the vision or explain it away as lack of sleep, dreams, a little too much alcohol? Do you keep the experience to yourself, ponder it inside, see it as a refuge, a comfort for dark moments? Do you let the experience of the Holy  continue to draw you, to change you.
     Jesus allowed the encounter with the Holy to push him, pull him into a time of reflection and struggle. Jesus allowed the Holy to draw him away from others. Out there by himself he wrestled with his new calling, his new identity. Jesus struggled with the what ifs... What if this call leads me into conflict with the power's that be - will I challenge them, engage them, confront them? What if this call means that I will always have to rely on the angels for food. My pantry will never be stuffed and there will be times when I don't have a roof let alone a pantry. The desire to take the easy life, just work for my dad and not worry about this call is beckoning. I also have to give up that dream of fame and fortune. The one of being a world famous ... writer, actor, athlete, musician, poet. That dream will be released if I follow God. Jesus needed time to say goodbye to the other roads, the other possibilities. Jesus needed time to embrace God and what this new identity as beloved means.
   

There is a path before you. The Spirit has anointed you. Which path will you take? Will you let the Spirit pull you to people and places where you can make a difference?  Will you embrace you role as beloved?