Sometimes we think that when you choose to serve God, suddenly everything becomes easier and more pleasant. But Mark tells us that when Jesus was baptised, the Spirit sent him immediately into the wilderness. What do you expect from your Christian walk?
– – In the book of Mark, everything about the life of Jesus is powerful and quick. Everything happens straight away, at once. Jesus has just been dramatically baptised by John. Let’s see what happens next. – [Narrator] At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness 40 days being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals and angels attended him. – One moment Jesus is being baptised hearing the voice of the Father, affirming He is His beloved Son. The next moment, Mark says, “At once, the Spirit sends Him “out into the wilderness.” These two ideas don’t seem to go together. Similarly, Mark tells us that while Jesus is in the wilderness, He’s with the wild animals and with the angels. But that’s not what Mark wants us to focus on. So what is Mark trying to tell us here? Well, he wants to tell us something about what it means to be a servant of God in this world. Sometimes we think that when you choose to serve God, suddenly everything becomes easier and more pleasant. But Mark tells us that when Jesus was baptised, the Spirit sent him immediately into the wilderness. He’s telling you that when you choose to serve God the Spirit is going to send you into the wilderness to do battle on God’s behalf. You’ll be walking into trouble. You’ll be in the wilderness with the wild beasts, but the upside is that, like Jesus, you’ll be walking with the angels. The Christian life always has those two sides to it, the beasts and the angels, trouble and joy, conflict and peace. Think about what you expect from your Christian walk. Does it match the experience of Jesus?
