Reflecting on Mark's Gospel - Mark 1:12-13

The high point is followed by the low point. We now come to what we tend to call the “temptations” of Jesus. This might be better termed a time of testing. The idea of temptation is slightly more suggestive of an attempt to trip us up than might be strictly appropriate. As William Barclay (Daily Bible Readings – The Gospel of Mark) explains it – “Temptations are not sent to us to make us fall; they are sent to us to strengthen the nerve and the sinew of our minds and hearts and spirits. They are not meant for our ruin, but for our good.”

If that is so, we might wonder why they occur at all. Yet, thinking about it, such experiences clearly help us navigate a tricky and messy world.

Mark’s account of the temptations is remarkably brief. John does not mention them at all, but we get far more detail from Matthew and Luke, who both identify the three temptations. Mark simply says that this was a time in the wilderness, though, interestingly, begins by saying that the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness. I wonder how often, whether for good or difficult experiences, we have allowed ourselves to be “driven” by the Spirit. Mark specifies the length of time as forty days, though that is not necessarily to be taken literally, as it would have been the usual expression for a reasonable amount of time. He identifies Satan as the tempter, and heightens the feeling of danger by mentioning the presence of wild beasts.

However, Barclay suggests, with regard to the presence of the wild beasts, that – “Perhaps this was a lovely thing, for perhaps it means that the beasts were Jesus’ friends. Amidst the dreams of the golden age when the Messiah would come, the Jews dreamed of a day when the enmity between (humankind) and the beasts would no longer exist. Might we possibly hear have echoes of the likes of Daniel in the lions’ den and the prophetic picture of the wolf lying down with the lamb (Isaiah 11:6). If so, it introduces a very positive note to the moment of struggle.

The other positive element is that the angels waited on him. Life does sometimes have desolate moments, and there is no promise from God that we can avoid those. But there is a very clear promise that God is with us – and that God understands the moment of anguished isolation.