Unlimited: Jesus in the Wilderness
Feb 6, 2024 2578
At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness,and he was in the wilderness forty days, being temptedby Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him (Mark 1:12–13, NIV).
In the book of Mark, everything about the life of Jesus is powerful and quick. For example, you see that everything happens “straight away” or “at once.” Jesus was just been dramatically baptised by John the Baptist and now He is being sent out.
One moment, Jesus is being baptised, hearing the voice of the Father affirming that He is His beloved Son. The next moment, Marks says, “at once” the Spirit sends him out into the wilderness. These two ideas don’t seem to go together.
Similarly, Mark tells us that while Jesus was in the wilderness, he was with the wild animals and with the angels.
What is Mark trying to tell us here?
He wants to tell us something about what it means to be a servant of God in this world.
Sometimes we think that when you choose to serve God, suddenly everything becomes easier and more pleasant. But Mark tells us that when Jesus was baptised, the Spirit sent him immediately into the wilderness.
He’s telling you that when you choose to serve God, the Spirit is going to send you into the wilderness to do battle on God’s behalf. You’ll be walking into trouble. You’ll be in the wilderness with the wild beasts.
But the up-side is that, like Jesus, you will also be walking with the angels.
The Christian life always has those two sides to it, the beasts and the angels, trouble and joy.
– Eliezer Gonzalez
Eli’s Reflection: Think about what you expect from your Christian walk. Our culture screams that life is about comfort and excess. Do your expectations match the experience of Jesus?
Ketchakah
Feb 6, 2024
This is a great perspective when applied to our lives. One i had not considered before and one that makes very good sense. Thank you Brother Eli.
David Sanderson
Oct 6, 2020
Thank you for the daily message which I read and reflect on. Life has its problems..... I fell off my bike a few weeks ago and currently, on Doctors orders, I cannot drive my car. Fortunately my eldest son lives few miles away so he is helping but he is also in full time employment so it's not easy for him either. I worship at Holy Trinity Church (at Highnam .... correct spelling!) which is about 2 miles from Gloucester in the UK. The Reverend Helen Sammon (that is also the correct spelling) is our vicar and my partner, Lorraine Hedges, is a tremendous help, she volunteers at the Gloucester Royal Hospital which is where she is this morning
Shabani Sefu
Oct 6, 2020
Hello, Eliézer González. I just wanna say thank you so much for the Word of God. And thank you for your effort and the time you put in to preach us the good news of God. God bless you eternally for his word that you're giving us. I'm from Democratic Republic of Congo.
OKURUT MARTIN
Feb 6, 2024
Thanks for encouraging us papa. Glory be to Almighty God