Pastor Tom Johnson, February 21, 2021
Mark says “the Spirit drove [Jesus] out into the wilderness.” It could be translated as “the Spirit threw Jesus out toward the wilderness” or “was cast into the wilderness.” It’s different from Luke and Matthew who both say “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.” The contrast is between a shepherd who leads his sheep and willingly follow, on the one hand, and a shepherd who must motivate his sheep to go where they don’t want to go, on the other—they are driven. Jesus will again “be driven by the Spirit” to the garden before his betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion. He prays, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I will, but what you will.”
Mark, as he often does, speeds the story of Jesus along. He rapidly moves from scene to scene. And here, he chooses to tell the story of how Jesus enters into his temptation with an emphasis on Jesus’ humanity. Yes, Jesus faithfully follows the Spirit’s leading as God’s faithful and divine Son. Mark reminds us he also has the Spirit’s urging and push because he is also human. Just before this, God the Father identifies Jesus as his beloved Son and says he is well-pleased with him. The Spirit who just descended as a dove now drives him from the water to the wilderness. It’s a coordinated plan and mission flowing out of his Baptism. Mark wants us to feel the tension now that we are also Jesus’ disciples. Jesus does not eat or drink for forty days. He is in uninhabitable territory. He is among wild animals. He is tempted by the adversary and the accuser. We remember that, like Jesus, the Israelites spent not 40 days but 40 years in the wilderness. They were also hungry and thirsty but they did not keep their oaths. They also lived in inhospitable land but they accused God of abandonment. They also were tempted in the wild, but they fell into sin over and over again.
This is the tension of all the baptized. God washes our sin away in his Triune Name. In Baptism, we are united with Jesus. He adopts us his children. He claims us as his own. We are now clothed with the righteousness of Jesus. We are his beloved children. And we too leave the font and enter the wilderness of this world. The Holy Spirit and the Good Shepherd lead us. And like Jesus in his humanity, we also need some prodding and urging to get through dangerous and difficult territory. Like Jesus, we don’t enjoy the pressures and temptations of this world that drag us down. Like Jesus, we don’t want to live under the threat of death.
We share our humanity with Jesus. Or perhaps more accurately, Jesus shows us what it means to be human. Jesus is not punished or abandoned when he is driven out into the wilderness. And just because the Spirit prompts him to head toward a difficult experience also does not mean that Jesus is opposed to God’s plan. He himself taught us to pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
It is also encouraging because he does not end up in the wilderness by accident. He is exactly where God wants him to be. He is not forsaken. The Father has a plan for Jesus in the wilderness, through the wilderness, and beyond the wilderness. The Holy Spirit partners with the Father and Jesus to fulfill that plan. And so we can be assured of God’s presence with us in our very human struggle. If we find ourselves in difficultly, we are not here by accident. We have the comfort of knowing that God has not momentarily lost sight of us. As Jesus himself said, “I will never forsake you. I will not abandon you as orphans.”
Jesus was not alone. The Holy Spirit drove him and led him. Our text says that angels also waited on him. The angels are also led and driven by the Spirit to strengthen, encourage, and serve Jesus. It’s a remarkable thing: Jesus humbles himself not yet to the point of the Cross but reveals our humanity when he benefits from the presence of angels. Was it their words? Was it their touch? Was it merely their companionship? Were the angels strangers that showed him kindness after 40 excruciating days? Did they feed him? Give him drink? Remind him of God’s Word, his promises, the assurance of God’s plan for him?
In the Bible, there are often blurred lines between showing hospitality to strangers and entertaining angels unawares. The word “angel” simply means “messenger.” Were these supernatural creatures or also people serving Jesus in his bodily needs? Jesus himself says that when we serve one another, we are serving him. We serve the body of Christ when we give each other a cold cup of water, break bread together, and speak words of encouragement and wisdom. I believe this is important for us to think about—especially during times of shared trial and temptation like we’ve seen in the wilderness of this last year. How can we be driven and led by the Spirit to be each other’s angels—messengers of comfort, companionship, and strengthen one another by the Word and Spirit of God—while at the same time validating our shared humanity?
We should be encouraged by Jesus’ experience in the wilderness. When we are in difficult chapters in our lives, we can draw comfort knowing that the Spirit drives and leads us. We may not be where we want to be. But we can surrender ourselves to God’s care with his prayer, “Thy will be done on earth as it done in heaven.” There may not be a whole lot of things around us to give us the assurance that God is with us. The landscape may seem waterless and barren and harsh. The untamed threaten us. The adversary accuses and tempts us. But we have the assurance, promise, and example of Jesus. He will bring us safely through to the other side.
Though devils all the world should fill,
All eager to devour us.
We tremble not, we fear no ill;
They shall not overpow’r us.
This world’s prince may still
Scowl fierce as he will,
He can harm us none.
He’s judged; the deed is done;
One little word can fell him.
(“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” LSB 656, v. 3)
No comments:
Post a Comment