1st Sunday of Lent — 21st February 2021 — Mk 1,12-15
God’s Protection and Provision
The Gospel of Mark devotes only two verses to Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, but we are familiar with the three tests the devil puts before Jesus in Matthew (4,1-11) and Luke (4,1-13). While Mark’s version remains striking for its brevity and mystery, he adds some vivid details that the others omit. Jesus here lives in a hostile environment with wild beasts, who symbolize the forces of evil and is tempted by Satan. It is a sign that the world Jesus inhabits is a dangerous place. It portrays that Jesus has come to combat and defeat forces determined to counteract God’s intentions for human well-being.
In Mark, it is the Holy Spirit who initiates the scene, placing Jesus into the wilderness setting where he must contend with Satan, for the final preparation for his mission. The Spirit forcefully compels Jesus there, which is indicated by the verb “drove out” (1,12). This is a strong word that Mark uses eleven times to describe Jesus casting out demons from harassed people. It is Mark’s way of showing the intensity of the experience. Indeed, Jesus possessed this Holy Spirit “into him” at his baptism (1,10). Strengthened by the Holy Spirit, He goes into the wilderness as a player in a larger drama. His role is to face Satan, the challenging adversary. Jesus was not unwilling or afraid to face Satan. For, He later worked against Satan’s kingdom and plundered Satan’s house (Mk 2,23-27). The conquest of temptation is the beginning of His many victories over Satan and forecast of His ultimate victory over sin and death in the triumph at the Cross and in the Resurrection.
Briefly Mark presents of Jesus with two symbolic pictures. Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness reminds of Israel’s forty years in the desert. Israel struggled against the temptations to go back to Egypt for its flesh and to give up the covenant God had established with them. Israel failed when they were tested, but Jesus succeeded victoriously. Having triumphed over the enemy, Jesus could now go forth and call a new people who would enter into their spiritual inheritance. The second picture is that of the “last Adam” (1 Cor 15,45). The first Adam was tested in a beautiful garden and failed, but Jesus was tempted in a dangerous wilderness and won the victory. Adam lost his “dominion” over creation because of his sin (Gen 1,28), but in Jesus, that dominion has been restored for all who trust in Him (Heb 2,6-8).
In the wilderness, Jesus was with the wild beasts and they did not harm Him. This gives a demonstration of that future time of peace and righteousness in His kingdom, which the Lord shall establish at His return (Is 11,6-9); promises no dangerous animals in the highway for God’s people to travel safely as they return from exile (Is 35,9); and recalls God pledging to make a covenant with “wild animals” (Hos 2,18). From another perspective Jesus enjoys God’s protection and provision through angels, which reassures that God will not leave His ‘Beloved Son’ entirely vulnerable to the ravages of the world. With his resolve tested, Jesus proves himself faithful in his trial and ready for ministry. Indeed, He becomes a servant with authority.
