Arising from the waters of his baptism, Jesus hears a voice calling him "Beloved." Yet it is the Spirit of this same voice that drives him out into the wilderness for a rigorous 40-day initiation.
Haven’t we, too, sometimes sensed a clear calling, only to find ourselves thrust soon after into the desert of suffering? In Mark’s telling, much of Jesus’ experience is left to our imaginations. He is, we are told, “tempted by Satan.” He is “with the wild beasts.” The angels “wait on him.” The details are not given, thus inviting us to enter the story and contemplate it as our own.
It takes real commitment to lay down important plans and projects and withdraw into the wilderness. So much momentum can be lost in 40 days.
By the time Jesus is back, John has been arrested. The movement falters. So soon, Jesus must face the very real possibility that their dream of God’s realm being embodied on earth might be lost. Maybe it is already too late. What good has the wilderness been? Has it taught him defeat or determination, cowardice or courage?
When he hears of John’s peril, Jesus leaves—going to the very region where John was taken, right into the heart of danger. Wilderness has shown him what matters most, and what time it really is.
“The time is now,” he begins to preach in John’s stead. “The realm of God is very near.” For every busy one of us, facing our daily urgencies, Jesus sets a new order, follows a new master. Dare we join him?
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