Mark 1:9-15 (NRSV)
Read Mark 1:9-15 on biblegateway.com
Verse 9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Verse 10And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. Verse 11And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." Verse 12And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. Verse 13He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
Verse 14Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, Verse 15and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news."
Devotion
One of the things that I love about the Gospel according to Mark is its straightforwardness. It is both disturbing and inviting. It is disturbing because we want more information. And it is inviting because it allows us to spend time wondering and questioning. Mark 1:13 sums up in one sentence that Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness for 40 days and the angels waited on him.
We don't know what happened during that time. And yet, what the author is telling us is that Jesus was tempted just as we are today. Jesus knows exactly what we experience in our human lives. We have a God who gets real with us. God in Jesus chooses to dwell with us in the humanity of wilderness and temptation.
Prayer
Gracious Lord, disturb and invite us to see you in the wilderness of our lives. Amen.