Readings
Genesis 9:8-17
Psalm 25:1-9
1 Peter 3:18-22
Mark 1:9-15
Today we hear once again on this first Sunday in Lent the story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. But in light of the way the story is told in the other Gospels, Mark’s version sounds more like a synopsis rather than a full telling.
The story starts with Jesus’ baptism, in which he receives the Holy Spirit and hears God proclaim him as his beloved son. And immediately following that we hear that Jesus is driven by the Spirit into the wilderness where he is tempted by Satan, is with the wild beasts, and is cared for by angels. Following that we are told that after John’s arrest Jesus goes about Galilee proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.
What are we to make of such a story? Are we simply to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that simply by resisting temptation he is then prepared to begin his public ministry? And if so, then what is there for us to learn? How does this apply to our lives in the here and now?
Well friends, this is a story of transition. It is a story about Jesus’ identity and how he lived into it. And while not denying his divinity, it is a very human story. One we can all relate to.
We cannot know for certain if Jesus knew who he was before his baptism, but afterwards there is no question of who and what he is. He is the Son of God, he is the incarnation of the Ground of our Being, he is the one sent to proclaim the good news of God’s Kingdom which is at hand.
But if we use just a little of our imagination we can gain some insight. How is it that the Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness? Can you imagine, even if you are aware, what such a revelation would do to you? We can imagine that Jesus suddenly is confronted with the reality that he is no longer who he was and must now be more than he has been up to this point. He must be more than an average person because he is more than an average person. He must wrestle with his new understanding of his innate power. He must come to a deeper understanding both of what it means to be human, as well as what it means to be divine. And he must wrestle with how to carry all of that within himself in an authentic way. No wonder Mark says that while he is in the wilderness he is tempted by Satan.
But let’s be clear about who Satan is and is not. Satan is not the cloven hoofed, pointy tailed, phantasmagoric figure of popular fiction. No, in this context at least, Satan is that small voice that comes and insinuates its way into our thoughts tempting us with what seems beneficial or benign but leads us to destruction. It is this voice that Jesus must wrestle with. In the other Gospels we hear specifically about what form those temptations take, but we do not hear them in Mark. Perhaps because for Mark the goal is to invite us to imagine what those temptations might be. Perhaps for Mark the temptations Jesus faces are the inherently human temptations we all face when we are confronted with the truth of our existence.
Jesus would have had to wrestle with his ego, with the use of power, with the place of material wealth, and with the truth of his own mortality as a human being. Even if he is the Son of God he is not exempt from all the dimensions of the human experience.
Who among us has not wrestled with temptation. Sometimes when we are tempted we know that what is calling us is not the best choice. Sometimes we know it to be destructive and choose it anyway because of the short term gain it provides. But what about those choices or temptations that seem good on the surface? What about those things that we only experience as destructive after the fact? This is what Mark is getting at when he talks about being tempted by Satan.
As an example. How many of us recognize that having food is a good thing? Without food we starve. And there is nothing wrong with food being pleasant and tasting good. So having enough food to be sustained is, in and of itself, a positive and life-giving thing, as is food being pleasant and appealing. But the temptation that comes on the heals of such a reality is the small voice that says that if it is good, if it tastes good, if it gives pleasure then more is even better. That’s the lie. That’s the movement toward destruction. We know through personal experience or through observation that too much food is not a good thing. At the very least, when we overindulge we make ourselves sick. But as we see in today’s society, the even larger truth, no pun intended, is that too much food can lead to obesity and disease.
No, like Jesus in the wilderness, the solution to such temptation comes from the source of life. The solution to such temptation is to listen for the voice within us that calls us towards that which builds up, sustains, and enlivens. It is a state marked by love, peace, and joy. In other words, the solution is what the ancients called the voice of God. This is what it means that Jesus was cared for by angels. Angel, in Greek, means “messenger.” Angels are those who speak on behalf of God.
And how did Jesus do it? By spending time in the wilderness. By being in a place of contemplation and discernment. He allowed himself to stay in the in-between space instead of rushing to one answer or another. He avoided the temptations by waiting and setting aside the voice that leads to destruction. He waited until he might embrace the voice that leads to life.
It can feel dangerous and uncomfortable to do so. That’s why the story today talks of wilderness and wild beasts. But if we are willing to do as Jesus did and lean into that in-between space, if we are willing to not rush to judgment, then the quiet voice of wholeness, life, and love will speak to us. It will take patience and it will take time, but it will happen.
The irony of the Christian life is that we are an Easter people who are called to live a Lenten life. We are called to embrace the Good News of God and the hope of resurrection all the while living in a world where we must regularly choose between the destructive temptations all around us and the wholeness that comes from the Kingdom of God.
May we not recoil from the wilderness spaces in our lives. May we resist the temptations set before us. May we have the patience to listen for the voice of God. And in doing so may our lives be marked by the life, joy, and love which is always at hand.