September 10 (Mark 1:12-15)

  📍 Good morning, Christ Center. It's Wednesday, September 10th , and we are just beginning our walk through the Book of Mark. Today we're going to be looking at Mark one verses twelve through fifteen . But before we begin, let's take a moment to quiet our hearts and invite the Holy Spirit to join us.

This is Sharon Marty. Today we're reading from Mark one verses 12 through 15, Christian Standard Bible. Immediately the spirit drove him into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness 40 days being tempted by Satan.

He was with the wild animals and the angels were serving him. After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. The time was fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near, repent and believed the good news.

This is Joshua and I'm here with Pastor Jason and we are going to talk about this section of Scripture. And the first thing that pops out to me is the word drove. Yes. Yes. We talk about the Holy Spirit leading. We talk about like the gentle ways the Holy Spirit works, but this.

This word, this Greek word isn't a gentle word, it's an active word. Like sometimes it's translated as like cast out. It's this is, this is a push. It's almost like the spirit is pushing him into the wilderness for something really important.

And that's something that was, that was standing out to me as well, the dynamic nature of the relationship that Jesus has with the Holy Spirit. So, although I love the fact that the Holy Spirit's gentle when he is gentle and so inviting as he is, and. Incredible at boundaries because God is love and love involves boundaries, but also this is a real God and Jesus is there and this is a dynamic relationship that this big deal is necessitating, that the spirit of God is going, no, we're doing this now and we're gonna go face off with the adversary.

Yeah, like you can tell something, something important must be happening here. For the Holy Spirit to do this. This is the mystery of the Trinity at work, isn't it? It's like the relationship, this diverse, unified relationship, but the spirit is saying, we're doing this thing now. So they go to the wilderness for, for 40 days.

Now, Joshua, some of the, the other parallel passages here are much longer. Then this one, this is really, really short. Yeah, as you mentioned earlier in your, in your preach, this is the action packed, uh, account of Mark, right? Moving from like one big moment to the next big moment.

Um. I think what I love about this, just for a moment to go back to the, the power of the Holy Spirit. I'm glad that we have a God who is equal to each situation. So I love the fact that here's this, this push from the Lord to go and do something major in the wilderness so let's unpack some of that.

What's going on in the wilderness? One, he resists what the devil is doing, trying to tempt him, right? To do the opposite of what God would have. So Jesus is, is finding himself triumphant under the power and unction of the Holy Spirit to resist the devil completely. Right? Right. There's also the sense.

That because the Holy Spirit is driving, there's a confrontation that needs to happen. Yeah. So there is a temptation, but I think it's also a test and a mirroring of the children of Israel going to the wilderness for 40 years.

So Jesus is going to the wilderness for 40 days. And just like the Israelites were tested and tempted, so was Jesus. And so it, it's, it's an unmissable parallel there. Like here at the beginning, it's really important that, that Jesus passed this test, almost like it's a similar test that Israel themselves had.

Like, here, you're gonna represent God. And, and they, they didn't, it didn't work. They didn't, they didn't, they didn't pass it. But here's Jesus and he resists the enemy. And he comes out immediately right after this announcing that the kingdom of God is here. And I, I think it's, this happens so quickly. I think it's, it would be easy to miss, but to have these things back to back Jesus against Satan, and then Jesus instantly going, Hey, I'm here.

The kingdom is here. Let's do this thing. I think it's incredible to think about too, that this was all a private battle. Yeah. Jesus is alone in the wilderness. There's, we have the reference to, there's no one out there, but Satan and the wild beasts and Jesus. Armed with the Holy Spirit overcomes the enemy before he launches into his public ministry.

Yeah. And I think there's definitely something for each of us there to go, okay, am I taking seriously the Holy Spirit in my life? Am I letting the Holy Spirit drive me into those private places? And, and, and letting those battles be won and then coming into the public? And I think right now, that's such a good word.

I mean. There are so many things that have been hidden that are coming to light in the world right now, people's lives. And I wonder how much of that would have to happen if we were following Christ's lead of letting the Holy Spirit bring us into those places to win those private battles that then equal breakthrough in all the other areas, And the, and the Holy Spirit was with him. I, I even like Mark is the only one that mentions the wild animals. You know, which is so interesting, like what animals, was there a lemur there? Like, what? What's going on? Um, but you know, Craig Keener in the Bible background to commentary. He, he says, safety among beast signified God's protection.

Uh, so you have Jesus by himself, even almost shades of Daniel in the lions stand there, you know, of like, I was thinking, oh, sorry. Yeah, go ahead. Well, I was thinking too of when, when God, uh, finally brings the Israelites into the promised land, he says, I'm gonna give it to you little by little, lest the wild beast overtake you.

So it's like. That, that, but then Jesus goes in and he, you know, he, he, he wins the whole thing, but in the same way of like, taking that land. Yeah. Um, but there is resistance though. There, there are those things that are in that land. Yeah. I love that this is right at the, right at the beginning, Jesus comes out of the water and he faces the enemy and he beats him.

And it's almost like, okay guys. Let's do this now. You know, let's do this now, and I think let's remember, Jesus defeated the enemy. The kingdom was born out of, not just out of the cross, but out of this battle. He defeated the enemy, and we can continue to walk with him as a conqueror. I love that. I love that.

I think for me personally, , I want to take that as a personal charge and I, and I encourage everyone else to let the spirit of God drive us into those places where God wants to bring victory and it's only with his help. But may we win those private victories, and may we then continue to share light in public as well.

Well, let's pray. We thank you, Lord for this testimony. We thank you, Jesus for winning that battle on our behalf, and we ask that you continue to fight for us. In Jesus name, amen. Amen. We'll see you guys tomorrow.