I. Introduction

We all know about the importance of selfcare, how we need time for ourselves to relax, recuperate, and do things that we enjoy, and are good for us. For some it means going to the hairdresser, for a massage, and for those who can afford it, going away on a retreat, some place away from it all, for the purpose of self-care. Our home can serve as a space for self-care, allowing us to spend time alone reading a book, listening to music, or watching a movie. Churches and religious groups often organize spiritual retreats, where participants spend a day or weekend focused on prayer and fellowship. These retreats provide an opportunity to renew one's spiritual well-being and strengthen relationships with God and fellow members. I have personally benefited from these self-care and spiritual retreats through the years.

II. Jesus, our Steadfast Lord

We know that Jesus often took time to be away from his disciples and the crowds to spend time with God, to pray and recuperate. One can call those His spiritual retreats. We also know that He spent time with friends in their homes, sharing food, and being in conversations with them, enjoying their company. In our passage, Jesus is not on a peaceful retreat but in a hazardous area with venomous snakes and scorpions, as described in Deuteronomy 8:15. He did not go out of His own, but was led there after His baptism by the Holy Spirit and would stay there for 40 days and forty nights, without eating anything during that period. This would be a time to spend with God in prayer, and in preparation for His ministry. He would be tested by Satan and overcome the attractive offers he gave Him and instead remained steadfast in His faith and reliance on God for His sustenance and spiritual strength. No, He did not need to change the stones into bread, even though He could through the power of God, and no, He would not bow down to worship Satan and accept his offer to have authority over all the kingdoms of the world, and no, He would not throw Himself down the highest point of the temple in Jerusalem, because it was stated in the Torah that He would be protected by the angels of God. He knew who He was dealing with there at the end of His forty days in the wilderness, hungry and faint and weak perhaps, and though it would have been extremely difficult and lonely, to pass on those offers, He said no and spoke directly and clearly to His tempter to stop tempting Him. He knew He had to fulfill His mission to God, even though it would lead to suffering. He did not need all the earthly power in the world according to the values of this earthly Kingdom. His purpose was to bring peace and healing and reconciliation to an earthly kingdom that needs it. He declined the final offer, as it did not align with the true purpose of His coming into the world. We read that when the devil finished all his tempting, he left Him until another opportune time. Yes, this would not the end of Jesus' wrestling with Satan and His temptations.

Why was Jesus able to remain steadfast in these difficult circumstances? He was able, because He was filled with the Holy Spirit. David Garland and Clinton Arnold in their commentary on Luke remind us that from the beginning Jesus had a unique relationship with the Holy Spirit; that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, that the Holy Spirit came over Him at His baptism, that He was led by the Holy Spirit in the wilderness, and that He was filled by the Holy Spirit in Galilee at the beginning of His ministry, and it was through the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus healed the sick and drove out evil spirits.

III. Conclusion

Jesus was entirely dedicated to God, and He navigated His challenging journey with the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit in His life. This period of Lent speaks to us about the steadfastness of our Lord, who shows us a way that is not the way of the world. The world can offer beautiful things, and yes, we sometimes need selfcare to be restored and to recuperate from the stresses of life, but the most wholesome form of restoration and healing come from our Lord who wants to dwell within and among us, who shows us that we, His followers have found in Him the way of complete and true love to heal and be healed. May the Holy Spirit of God help us in our wilderness experiences in the same way the Spirit helped Jesus Christ in the wilderness of Judea. May the help from the Holy Spirit make us obedient and steadfast as we surrender our lives to God. Amen.