Mark 1:12-15
12 At once the Spirit drove him [Jesus] out into the desert, 13 and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.
14 After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: 15 "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."
Background:
Mark’s account of the temptation of Jesus follows right after Jesus is baptized by John in the Jordan. The descriptions of both events are very sparse. A natural tendency would be to fill in the missing details from Mark’s description with descriptions from other gospel accounts. But giving into that temptation prevents the reader from really exploring the text that Mark provides and seeking the wisdom it contains.
In the opening verse of the gospel text, Mark states that the Spirit drove Jesus into the desert. Mark’s community would be aware that “the Spirit” was the expression of the great power of God through out their religious tradition. Some examples include the Spirit that enabled Othniel who helped the Jews defeat their enemies:
“Because the Israelites had offended the LORD by forgetting the LORD, their God, and serving the Baals and the Asherahs (foreign gods), the anger of the LORD flared up against them, and he allowed them to fall into the power of Cushan-risha-thaim, king of Aram Naharaim, whom they served for eight years. But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a savior, Othniel, son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz, who rescued them. The spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. When he went out to war, the LORD delivered Cushan-risha-thaim, king of Aram, into his power, so that he made him subject.” (Judges 3:7-10)
When Samuel anointed the young shepherd, David, as the next King, the Spirit came upon him to guide him.
“Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them. He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold and making a splendid appearance. The LORD said, ‘There -anoint him, for this is he!’ Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.” (1Samuel 16:12-13b)
It was also that same spirit who came upon ordinary people and led them to be great prophets of God. The same spirit, who animated so many people throughout their history, was now acting once again to drive Jesus into the desert.
The first verse of the text states Jesus was tempted by Satan, a term that means adversary. Perhaps what was of concern for Mark’s community was not the kind of temptation that Jesus faced, but that he faced those temptations alone. Mark’s community would expect that Jesus face some kind of period of testing. Statements that attributed great honor to a person did not go without challenge in this culture. Immediately preceding this gospel text Mark recounts Jesus’ baptism by John. In that account, as Jesus is coming out of the water, a voice from heaven says: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:13) But Mark’s community was a culture where daily survival and meaning depended on one’s family and relations within the larger community. But Jesus was not quite alone, for the opening verse also states that the angels waited on him. Jesus has a different set of relationships that come to his aid and help him to defend his honor and the claim that he is God’s beloved son.
Reflection Questions:
1. What experiences, images or associations come to mind when you think of the word desert?
2. What do you recall about the role of the desert when God is forming God’s relationship with God’s people?
3. When you think of being tested, what experiences come to mind?
4. What do you think are the reasons Mark chose to tell his readers that Jesus was tempted by Satan but did not tell what the temptations were?
5. Are the details of the nature of Jesus being tested important to you? Why?
6. Have you ever considered that Jesus was not alone when he was tempted in the desert, that he really had angels to minister to his needs during this period? Does that change your image of Jesus? Does it change your image of God’s relationship to Jesus even while he was on earth?
7. Does this image of angels’ ministry to Jesus while he was being tempted give you any insights into how to handle those times when you feel tested?
8. Where do you see the action of the spirit operating in your life? In the life of your faith community? Are you fighting or cooperating with the movement of the Spirit?
9. Does this gospel lead you to see a way that you might cooperate with the spirit of God in your life during these forty days of Lent?
Reflection questions are written by Fr. Paul Gallagher, OFM
They are edited by Sister Anne Marie Lom, OSF
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