Few there must be in the Christian world who have not studied at some time or other the Scriptural account of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, and it is cause for gratitude that we are able, through the discovery of the Science of Christ by Mary Baker Eddy, to realize the great importance of this experience and the lesson which it holds for mankind.
The word "wilderness" generally indicates a waste and dreary place, devoid of cultivation. Christian Science, however, throws a new light upon it. In the textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 597), Mrs. Eddy defines "wilderness" thus: "Loneliness; doubt; darkness. Spontaneity of thought and idea; the vestibule in which a material sense of things disappears, and spiritual sense unfolds the great facts of existence."
How different from the general human concept is this enlightening definition! If we should at any time find ourselves in the wilderness, we need no longer be afraid or despondent, since at this very point the glorious facts of existence may be unfolded to us. This was the experience of Christ Jesus, who, after his baptism by John, was "led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." We may pause and ask ourselves, Why, after his baptism, when "the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," should he have been subjected to temptation of any sort? In considering the scientific meaning of baptism with the wilderness experience—and we cannot well separate the one from the other—we see that Jesus must have recognized the necessity for this event in order to show others the need for purification of thought and spiritual dominion over evil, which must precede the discernment and destruction of all error. In the "vestibule" of "loneliness; doubt; darkness," Jesus was able to denounce evil, silence it, and dismiss it from his presence. Immediately afterwards, we read, "angels came and ministered unto him." In the third and last temptation, when the devil not only showed but offered Jesus "all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them," if he would but fall down and worship him, we gain a glimpse of the power, strength, and majesty of Jesus' triumphal overcoming.
