And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him

 

 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As it is written in the Prophets:  

    "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,

    Who will prepare Your way before You."

    "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

    'Prepare the way of the LORD;

    Make His paths straight.' "

John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.  Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.  

Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.  I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." 

It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.  Then a voice came  from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 

Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.  And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him. 

 

- Mark 1:1–13 

 

Over the final three readings of last week (the first week of Lent in Western churches, and also for the Armenian Apostolic Oriental Orthodox church), we were given Christ's High Priestly Prayer, which Jesus prayed at the Last Supper.  See the first two parts of this prayer here and here.  On Saturday, we read the final portion, in which Jesus prayed, "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

 

 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As it is written in the Prophets:  "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You." "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.' "  John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.  Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.  My study Bible explains that gospel (Greek εὐαγγέλιον/evangelion) literally means "good news" or "good tidings" (it was the common name for missives and announcements from the Roman Emperor).  Here it doesn't refer to Mark's writings per se, but rather to the story of the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is the good news of our salvation.  Beginning here points to the opening evens of Christ's public ministry with which St. Mark opens His gospel; this is the preparation by Jesus' forerunner, St. John the Baptist, and Christ's encounter with him.   John gives quotations which explain his own ministry and identity from Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3.  We are also to notice the widespread popularity of St. John the Baptist's ministry, as all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.  John the Baptist is considered to be the last and greatest prophet of the Old Testament period.  My study Bible says that he fulfills prophecy and prepares the people of God for the coming of the Messiah.  Part of this preparation is a baptism for remission (Greek ἄφεσις, "letting go") of sins.  This is the same word Jesus gives us in the Lord's Prayer, when we pray that our sins are "let go" as we "let go" of the sins of others.  In Christian baptism, we are not only forgiven our sins -- letting them go -- but God also brings us into union with Christ (see Romans 6:5).

Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.   John's clothing and lifestyle bear resemblance to that of Elijah the prophet (2 Kings 1:8).  Here, we can read it as a sign that he fulfills the prophecy of the return of Elijah (Malachi 4:5-6; Matthew 11:14, 17:12). 

And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.  I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."  My study Bible comments that to be baptized with the Holy Spirit means that only Christ, the Son of God, fully possesses and gives the Spirit.  To receive the Spirit we must be baptized in Christ and adopted as children of God (Galatians 3:27; Ephesians 1:5).  By this adoption, we become anointed ones, of whom God said, "Do not touch My anointed ones" (Psalm 105:15). 

 

 It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.  Then a voice came  from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."   My study Bible comments here that Christ's rising from the water (Jesus came up from the water) is suggestive of His Ascension; it is the same Greek verb used to refer to that event (John 3:13; Acts 2:34; Ephesians 4:8-10).  And as He came up from the water, it is maintained in the theology of the early Church, so the whole world is lifted up with Him.  The Spirit descending upon Him is a foreshadowing of the descent of the Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).  Like a dove describes the descent of the Spirit (not a physical dove), but also as a special sign showing the presence of the Spirit.  My study Bible adds that a dove symbolizes purity, peace, and wisdom. We note importantly that this is a Theophany; that is, an appearance or "showing forth" of God the Trinity.  Jesus is declared the beloved Son in the voice of the Father, together with the presence of the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. 

 

Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.  And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.  For more details of Christ's time in the wilderness and temptation for forty days, see Matthew 4:1-10; Luke 4:1-13.  

 

My study Bible comments that, as the baptism of Jesus is the first revelation of His divinity, so this temptation is the beginning of His role as "Lamb of God" (John 1:29, 36), the One who will suffer on our behalf, the beloved Son whose destiny is the Cross.  Moreover, my study Bible adds, forty days echoes the forty years of the temptation of Israel in the Old Testament, and beyond that, the basis for our forty-day period of Lent into which we have recently entered.  (For the Eastern Orthodox, Lent begins in approximately one month.)  My study Bible also notes that Christ being with the wild beasts, and served by the angels suggests a relationship between Christ and Adam, Himself being the "New Adam."  Even if we are subjected to evil, it says  (such as the demons and possibly beasts)  God doesn't desert us as we struggle toward God.  In patristic understanding, meditative seclusion is considered to be conducive to freer commuion with God, and also effective preparation for great tasks ahead of us.  Clearly, Jesus sets us this example.  The temptation of Christ in the wilderness (see more details at Matthew 4:1-10; Luke 4:1-13) is the model for the period of Lent, traditionally observed through the practices of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving.  Let us remember that each of these practices can take on many forms.  If we examine the details of Jesus' time in the wilderness, we'll see that there were specific temptations that He said "No" to, and this is what we remember in the traditional practices of Lent.  It's a time to remember that we need to draw boundaries in life for our own good, and for the good of those around ourselves.  Discernment is important, and being capable of saying No to temptation is also important.  Without it, we sorely lack the discipline necessary in life for having a healthy outlook, and a way to function in the world that is at peace with our souls.  Fasting is a way of building up the understanding of discipline, the capability of saying No to things that are harmful.  We may fast from gossiping and backbiting, we may seek simply to be more aware of the times we lose our temper, or indulge in unhealthful envy, or other ways in which we break communion and harm ourselves, our relationship to the world around us, and our relationship to God.  In an atmosphere where discipline may be looked at askance, seeming to repress or conceal, what is important is to understand the therapeutic value of finding ourselves set on a good path in life, where our relatedness to the world, to God, and even to all the parts of ourselves are able to thrive.  A good garden needs tending, and so it is also with human beings, for this is how to care for ourselves and our world.  Let us take seriously the discipline of fasting in its many potential forms, giving of ourselves charitably (also in myriad forms of kindness and care), and prayer -- itself a many-layered and subtle practice.  These are the tools of Lent, of responding to an imperfect world in need of care.  For in so doing, the angels will also minister to us.