Temptations in the Wilderness

[ChrisTillinen]

The land of eternal promises in mind
The new Joshua has finally arrived
In accord with the will of the Father
In baptism crossing Jordan's water

All of God's people summed up to one
Heart weighing but not as stone
New Moses revisits the wilderness
Carrying heavy demand of righteousness

The tempter tries his worst to prevail
But one bringing salvation must not fail
When carrying the deliverance of those who did
In human vessel of clay the treasure is hid

Jebel Quruntul the Mount of Temptation
Brought adversary's counterfeit revelation
Disputing the mission to test commitment
On new Mount Sinai for law's fulfillment

Son of David faces the sinister glow
Where this world's Goliaths grow
Their roots spring from the gates of hell
But cornerstone crushes the place they dwell

No mountain is high enough to claim it shows
Fullness of glory of the everlasting kingdom
No hunger can sway the one who knows
True nourishment of God's word of wisdom

In few words he crumbled the facade
Of prince of darkness grim
"You shall worship the Lord your God
And serve only him"

 

[ChrisTillinen]

I guess it's clear enough to many or most people who might be reading this, but Matthew 3:13-4:11 (and some parallel passages) is the New Testament basis for this poem. So it starts from the baptism of Jesus in the river Jordan and continues with the devil trying to tempt Jesus in the wilderness. I try to highlight some connections to typological figures and patterns in the Old Testament.

Joshua and Jesus are basically different forms of what had basis in the same Hebrew name Yehoshua, and like Joshua in the Old Testament, Jesus leads us to the ultimate eternal promised land, also involving the waters of Jordan in the process. There's also a bit of a word play in the poem with regard to "crossing Jordan's waters" because one could think of it as Jesus "crossing" the water in the sense of associating his own coming death on the cross with the water of baptism (Romans 6:3 comes to mind).

Jesus fasted 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness, which may be connected to both Israel's 40 years in the desert and Moses being 40 days and 40 nights without food and water on Mount Sinai when he received the commandments from God. Jesus is the head of the new covenant and the fulfillment of the law. Also his temptations in the wilderness seem to have connections to what happened to Israel during their 40 years, but where they failed, Jesus is victorious. The mountain known as Jebel Quruntul or the Mount of Temptation is traditionally thought to be the mountain mentioned in Matthew 4.

 

[ebdesroches]

As with all of your poems …and explanations it will take more thinking. I appreciate you writing them