Out of the Wilderness (Part 2)

The testing of Jesus-an example for living for us

As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.
Mk 1:11 and a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Mk 1:12 at once the Spirit sent him out into the desert,
Mk 1:13 and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

That's My Boy!

My son
1. Whom I love
a. Gods love for Jesus

Unconditional love

God's response fuses the concept of the messianic King of the coronation Psalm (2:7) and that of the Lord's Servant of Isaiah (42:1).

The main emphasis, however, is on the unique sonship of Jesus. Mark confesses Jesus as Son of God at the very outset of his gospel (1:1). Here God confesses Jesus as his Son and witnesses to his approval of his Son. He knows the unique mission he has given to his Son and states his confidence in him

b. Gods love for us

God loves each one of us
Jn 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

God has spoken to us in recent days of his love- in our times together.
In his word it says

1Jn 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we
should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
1Jn 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known! But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Our response
1Jn 3:3 Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

Ask God today for a fresh experience of his love

Into the arena

From his baptism Jesus goes "at once" to his temptation.
• The humbling of Jesus by his identification with the failure and sin of humankind at the Baptism-he didn’t need to repent- is continued by his subjection to the onslaughts of Satan.
• The same Holy Spirit who came on Jesus at his baptism drives him out into the desert. Jesus' temptation is narrated with astonishing bluntness in Mark.
• In Jesus’ temptation, He was being urged by Satan to turn aside from His divinely appointed pathway of service and ultimate suffering
• The essence of these temptations was
o an attempt to persuade Jesus to escape from the hard path of obedience & suffering that was appointed for him as the messiah
o this parallels the temptation of Adam & eve…..a test about obedience to God in the specific…not to eat …Jesus fasting in the desert
o Jesus had come to obey God perfectly in our place and to do so as a man…part of the process that had been taking place as Jesus grew up

o Lk 2:52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men.

o Heb 5:8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered

Jesus obeyed God in our place & as our representative, succeeding where Adam, Israel & we have failed!

Through these experiences, Jesus learnt what it was to be tempted….

Fight the good fight-
Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.

In every situation we find ourselves in-we should think about the life of Jesus, knowing that he knows the reality of earthly living

Testing –can bring strength-1st team/ 2nd team

Jas 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
Jas 1:3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Jas 1:4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

• Interestingly, Mark records no victory for Jesus or for Satan; this struggle will continue throughout Jesus' ministry. This emphasizes that Jesus' entire ministry was one continuous encounter with the devil and not limited to a few temptations in the desert. Indeed, in his gospel he vividly describes this continuing conflict.
• Aren’t we in that same conflict today? We may be living in a world surrounded by every good thing-but it can still be a wilderness…we need each other as the body of Christ…….it can still bring temptation

Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Jas 4:8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.


Recommended Reading
‘Mark for everyone’ By Tom Wright published by SPCK (2001)

Sue Blake April 2007