Why did Jesus go into the desert?

When you stop and think about it without the proper context, it is a little weird. Here's Jesus after being baptized, filled with the Holy Spirit. But instead of celebrating with His family and friends, like we probably would, what does He do? Jesus goes into the desert, fasting for 40 days straight, to ultimately be tempted by Satan while He's physically at his weakest. What's going on here?

To really understand, we need to first understand the term "Messiah" as the Jews did. For the Jews, the word "Messiah" literally meant "Anointed One". It referred to a warrior king from the line of David who would come, overthrow the ruling powers, and save the Jews.

With that in mind, we can now see that Christ's actions in today's Gospel are neither celebratory or frivolous. These are acts of war. Christ's baptism marked the beginning of a three year campaign to defeat sin and death. His journey into the desert is the first offensive. He fasts for 40 days and then resists Satan's temptations when He is physically at his weakest, showcasing His immense power and authority as the Messiah. In resisting temptation, He also accomplishes what Adam could not in the garden of Eden, and fully becomes the new Adam for mankind.

Instead of dreading the season of Lent, let's be inspired by our Messiah and journey into this desert with purpose, armed with the Word of God.

How do you arm yourself to be successful in the spiritual battle? Do you think about Jesus as the Messiah, the warrior king who has defeated death and sin?

Lord, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.