There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven,” wrote the Teacher in Ecclesiastes. There is wisdom in that, for he reminds his listeners that there is “a time to be born and a time to die … a time to weep and a time to laugh … a time to keep and a time to throw away … a time to be silent and a time to speak …” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). Life’s journey takes us through different stages and ages, different circumstances and roles. In each of these there is an...

The other two satanic temptations also tested the identity of Jesus. “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from the pinnacle of the temple.” Satan assured Jesus that He would not be hurt (Matthew 4:6). Instead He would create a great spectacle and win instant popularity. But Jesus had no interest in pain-free magic, for He was the Suffering Servant, not a celebrity. Satan also attempted to distract Jesus with a false and glitzy image of the world in order to make Him worship Satan,...

The water from his baptism in the Jordan River evaporated quickly in the hot, dry Judean desert air. Jesus was not on his way to where the action was in crowded Jerusalem. Neither was He walking in the direction of the hills of Galilee where the sea and the familiar little towns were. Surprisingly, Jesus was heading out to the desert, a barren, wild place – for what purpose? There seemed to be a measure of compulsion in the way Jesus was directed towards the lonely hills in the desert....