Mark 1:12-13
And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
Identity comes before mission. It’s hard, that is, to do much of anything lasting or significant – and sometimes it’s hard to do anything at all – without a sense of who you are. And so Jesus hears the voice of God naming and claiming him and, coming to know who he is in relation to whose he is, he is ready to commence his mission.
But the other way around is true as well. Once you have a sense of who you are, look out: your mission can’t be too far behind. Notice that the same Spirit who descended on him in the shape of a dove is also the one who now drives him into the wilderness. Identity not only leads to mission, its purpose is mission.
So also with us. Once you discover, or come to know, or even fall into, a strong sense of your identity as a child of God, it’s hard to sit tight, content with the ways of the world. Being claimed by God is inherently to be commissioned into the work and ministry of God. Once drawn into a sense of just how much God has and offers and wants for God’s beloved world, it’s hard not to commit yourself to that very vision, to helping those in need, to befriending those who are alone, to whispering words of encouragement to those discouraged. It’s just hard not to.
Which of course is where temptation comes in. Because it’s just plain easier to sit back, to savor a sense of blessedness, to rest content with our newfound identity and hope others find the same.
Mark doesn’t tell us the precise nature of Jesus’ temptations. While Matthew and Luke go into some detail, Mark simply notes that he was tempted. Actually, that he was tempted by Satan, the deceiver, the one who from the beginning not just tempts but seduces and sows mistrust between God’s children and God. When you don’t trust, you see, it’s hard to take risks, to extend yourself, to put what you already have on the line for what you might have and, even more, what others may have if you’re successful. Because of course you might not be able to pull it off. You might risk and fail, and lose it all, and be worse off, and…. Perish the thought. Better to stay safe and sound and content at home. Better to hoard what we have. And so Satan tempts and seduces and misleads.
Mark tells us two other things. Jesus is with the wild beasts. Wilderness in the ancient world, and certainly in the Old Testament, is often a place of temptation, of struggle. It is a place where the order that God’s law provides is absent; hence, wild beasts, with all the connotations of danger that we still connect to such a phrase: “lions and tigers and bears, oh my!” But it might also mean that this isn’t just a solitary temptation and mission at all. That all elements of God’s creation are at risk and therefore have something at stake in Jesus’ mission. Could the beasts of the air, field, and sea also be hanging in the balance? Perhaps Jesus presence with them, neither harmed nor harming, signals the inbreaking of God’s kingdom when, indeed, the lion will lie down with the lamb.
And Mark shares that the angels ministered to him. While it’s tempting to imagine the angels as divine waiters, bringing Jesus’ food and drink, I think that it’s more likely that they are doing just what their name suggests – delivering a message, reminding Jesus of his identity, purpose, and mission. Considered that way, there are many angels available to us during our periods of temptation as well, if we just look for them.
Prayer: Dear God, lead us not into temptation by reminding us of who we are – your children – and why we are here – to extend your love and care to all we meet. And help us sense the angels you have sent to encourage us along the way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Post image: Christ in the Wilderness, Moretto da Brescia
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