Mark 1:9-13

“And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’ And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.” vss. 11-12

According to Mark, Jesus’ ministry got off to a rocky start. It had started well enough. He had been baptized by John, and then as he came up out of the Jordan River he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descended upon him–and then came the voice, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Wow, what an affirming moment! He was the Chosen One! But before it could go to his head, Mark says that the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness for forty days. And this was no staycation! He was with the wild beasts and it was scary. Satan was there and the temptations never ended–it was like a presidential campaign on steroids, one false promise after another, and it seemed never ending. Why did Jesus need to be tested? We presume that it was so he would know what to do with his life. And it seems to have worked. Mark says that when he emerged from the wilderness he wasted no time in beginning his work. Some of us know what that’s like. We wonder about the direction of our lives and sometimes it takes some time in the wilderness to get things figured out. The testing can take many forms, as can Satan, but eventually clarity comes and we can get to work.

Thought for the Day: What shape has testing taken in my life?