Mark, the writer of the Gospel we are using this year, is a man in a hurry. We know from Luke and Matthew a lot more detail of what went on in the wilderness between Jesus and Satan. Mark doesn’t have time for such details. He gives us the bare facts. Mark’s Gospel is a no-nonsense telling of Jesus’ ministry and death. It’s ideal for a Lent read, perhaps. Today’s reading from Mark begins with Jesus’ baptism by John and is told entirely from Jesus’ point of view. Jesus sees the heavens torn apart and the Holy Spirit appears to him in the form of a dove. He also hears God’s voice, acknowledging him as God’s Son, with whom God is well pleased. The second scene of this mini-drama takes place in the wilderness. Jesus is driven there by the Spirit. He is to spend 40 days there, with wild animals and attended by angels. The final scene has Jesus beginning his ministry in Galilee, calling people to repentance and to believe the good news he is bringing. The time in the desert reminds us of the Exodus. The Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness preparing to enter the Promised Land; Jesus spend 40 days in the wilderness preparing his ministry. This past year has felt very much like a ‘desert experience’ for most of us. There have been times when it has felt endless and with little to refresh us and give us hope of an end - and it has not ended yet, not by a long way. The wilderness is a powerful symbol if challenging times. Our only consolation at times is that Our Lord went through a similar experience and came out the other side, just as we will. We are not told what the temptations were that Satan offered Jesus, but we can imagine what they were. To start with at least, Jesus was alone in the desert. The desert is dry and sun-baked. Jesus has just been given the call as God’s Son. How is he to carry out a ministry to the world as God’s Son? We can imagine that the wild beasts (lions, jackals, wolves?) were a challenge and a temptation to give up. Our wilderness time has been fraught with difficulties and temptations. We cannot give up, however. Jesus was waited on by angels. So have we been and are continuing to be. In our ‘support bubbles’ and our ‘household bubbles’ we have been helped to go on. We owe a great debt of gratitude to all those who have brought us shopping or our repeat prescriptions from the surgery, or baked us cakes, or done a thousand things to make us feel that we are not alone, that God does know and care and love us. All these things are the work of angels - messengers of God - and we thank God for them all. Through the whole of the testing time, Jesus clearly kept his relationship with his Father strong. As soon as the testing time was over he began to preach, proclaiming the good news of God’s love. Our lives instantly bear witness to our commitment to God and our knowledge of God’s love working in our lives, however long our ‘wilderness time’ lasts. We have each other to support us. We stay positive and continue to believe the good news. Heavenly Father, Your Son battled with the powers of darkness, and grew closer to you in the desert: help us to use these days to grow in wisdom and prayer that we may witness to your saving love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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AuthorCanon John Green Archives
May 2021
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