Advent 2025: Sat 6 Dec
Mark 1.12-13 Jesus moves out
12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
Two verses cover forty days. Mark has a Gospel to proclaim, and it seems that the sooner he can get it written, the better! No time for anything but the essentials. Jesus was sent out into the wild places for almost 6 weeks. It’s an odd way to start your ministry – get ordained and then have a retreat! It’s done the other way round in the Church of England.
Jesus did not need to go on retreat when his whole life to this point was a holy preparation for his ministry. He started his ministry at his baptism where he received his commission from God.
Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness were not a preparation retreat – he went there with the purpose of doing battle with Satan, his non-mortal (not immortal – he will be destroyed at the end of time) enemy. It wasn’t an ordeal that Jesus went through – an ordeal is a test of strength, willpower, resolve against something invincible. Still, Jesus had to do it, and he showed himself to be stronger than Satan.
I happen to be writing this section on the last night in October, the Eve of All Hallows. It’s not my favourite night of the year, the culmination of a month of commerce in tat and unpleasantness. Children may enjoy frights and spooky stuff (I’m surprised that some adults, too, seem to be attracted to this sort of thing), but there’s an unhealthy spiritual side to Halloween that can have negative effects if we indulge in it or if we do not safeguard impressionable minds.
Mark is thin on detail – there are no instances of encounters with Satan (how did the other Gospel-writers know what went on in this desolate place, anyway?!) but Mark acknowledges that Jesus was in a spiritual battle, that he was being kept safe from wild animals, and that angels were on hand to attend to him. We should not assume, however, that Jesus was assisted in any way by those angelic forces in his encounter with Satan – he had to do it alone.
Is the modern Halloween no more than a bit of fun?
How do you deal with temptation? How do you deal with temptations that you can’t seem to beat?
Father God, the world seems besotted with the occult and dark forces. Deliver me from evil and give me wisdom and understanding in dealing with people who are influenced by horoscopes and things not of you. Amen.
Mary spent many months wondering who this “Emmanuel” child growing inside her was destined to be. In this song Mary speaks to Eve, linking God’s promises from the beginning of Creation to the coming Incarnation.
Paul