Into the Wilderness

Mark 1:9-15

My favorite gospel is Mark because Mark keeps things simple. With Mark, there are not a lot of adjectives and adverbs. He doesn’t add a lot of details. There is almost an urgency to his stories. For Mark, it is all about proclaiming the good news of Jesus, the Son of God.

As Mark describes the baptism of Jesus in this scripture, we clearly hear the voice from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11). The Holy Spirit descends on Jesus, and all seems well as Jesus is launched into his ministry and mission. The baptism of Jesus is a public moment, a pinnacle experience. But the way Mark tells it, Jesus does not linger or ponder the moment. He does not spend time mingling with the crowd.

Instead, the Holy Spirit immediately drives him into the wilderness. The Spirit does not give Jesus a gentle nudge towards the wilderness, but instead, compels him. It is probably a jolt to realize the Spirit of God driving and pushing Jesus into a time of testing in the wilderness. Many times, we imagine God’s Spirit as gentle and encouraging.

We remember the 40 years that slaves spent in the wilderness following the exodus. Those forty years became formative and instrumental as they discovered new meanings for their identity as God’s people, chosen for purpose and blessing. It was a critical time of being tested and shaped by God. There is an obvious connection between those 40 days in the wilderness for Jesus. Jesus is also being formed and tested.

Mark does not elaborate on descriptions of the temptation stories like we see in Matthew’s and Luke’s gospels. It seems important to mention, but Mark does not spend time or energy on this part of the story. Perhaps he is just too eager to get on with the mission of Jesus.

Mark concludes verse 13 with “and the angels waited on him.” Mark is the only gospel to mention angels waiting on Jesus. It’s a precious vision to imagine. Not only do we observe the struggles and temptations of Jesus, but we also see the tenderness and care of the angels. Perhaps there is much to be learned from this passage.

What are some temptations that we all face? Are there things we face as adults that are different from a twelve- year old’s temptations? I can clearly remember thinking when I was young that I couldn’t wait to be like my grandmother who was my faith model. Her life seemed so much more serene, bereft of the things that tempted me, on a daily basis, in those teen aged years: not bothering to study, jealousy, gossip, cheating, acting mean, pretending I was better than the girl beside me in gym class. Somehow, I picture the temptations of today’s world even more intense with added peer pressure.

And those teen years, though difficult, are not the end of temptations. Temptations await us at every phase of life. A surprising feature in our scripture is the Spirit’s role in driving Jesus into the wilderness. It is the Spirit who sends Jesus into a time of temptation.

As we travel through 40 days of Lent, we have the opportunity for prayer and reflection. Do we have temptations that draw us away from God? God might lead us into the wilderness, but he never lets go of us. So often it is through our times of testing that we learn to follow Christ more closely.

There have certainly been days when I have contemplated and asked, “What is this world coming to?” There are many circumstances that I do not understand and personal situations that cause me to falter. It is then that God whispers the real question that we should be asking. Not “What is this world coming to?” but “Who came into the world for us?” Jesus with his proven love. Jesus who IS love.

With God abiding in us and Jesus walking every step with us, we can uncover the joy that is so often hidden deeply within our earthly struggles. We can understand that the evil wrapped up in our temptations has no final power over us. Jesus has already walked through our wilderness. He has walked in our shoes and he will tenderly care for us and lift us strongly into his arms.