Earlier in this first chapter of Mark we learn that John proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the holy Spirit.” After John the Baptist was arrested, Jesus began his earthly ministry. It seems that Jesus knew that John’s ministry is over and his must begin.
The three verses before today’s Gospel reading tells us about Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, the heavens opening and the Spirit descending as a dove upon Jesus. The Father speaks saying “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Then in today’s Gospel “The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan.” This Spirit so beautifully described as a white dove descending upon Jesus as a sign of his Father’s approval now drives Jesus into the desert to be tempted by Satan doesn’t seem like the same Spirit at all.
Why would the Spirit drive Jesus into the desert alone to be tempted by Satan. Peter Kreeft tells us “He was lead there by the Holy Spirit to toughen up his humanity, so to speak, like basic training in the Army; to prepare for his three years of spiritual warfare in his public ministry, which would culminate in his Passion and Death and Resurrection. He prepared for this for the first thirty years of his life, the silent years, but especially during these forty days.”
Peter Kreeft tells us “He fasted for forty days not only from food but also from human friendship, which is even more basic than food. …. Animals and angels are both good and important – in fact more important than we usually think – but even good friends above and below us are not human friends. We are neither animals nor angels. Animals have no spiritual souls, and angels have no mortal bodies.”
I could not imagine what that must have been like for Jesus. While Jesus was Divine, he was also Human. To be alone without any other person to pray for him, to encourage and comfort him in his temptations would be devastating and make Jesus more susceptible to yielding to the temptations that Satan would present to him.
Because Jesus was tempted by Satan in this manner, he can understand the temptations that we endure from Satan in our lives. The major difference is that Jesus was alone without any other contact with people. This is the first time that Jesus is abandoned and alone during his life on this earth. The second time is during his Passion and Crucifixion when everyone abandoned him.
We are blessed to have our family, our Church (which is our Family in Christ), and friends to pray for us, comfort, encourage and help us on our journey of life. Jesus had no one. Only wild beasts who wanted to devour him, angels and demons.
There is nothing that we must endure that our Lord has not already endured in this world. Sometimes our temptations seem so overwhelming that we can barely go on. Jesus has been there and understands, he offers help in our trials and temptations.
We can find comfort knowing that Jesus endured much more than we are going through. He stands ready to help if we only ask him.
In our busy lives it’s easy to forget that we too have angels and saints walking with us and ready to help us. We believe that angels and saints are all around us, walking with us, protecting us, guiding us and giving us strength the same as the angels ministered to Jesus.
When Jesus stared his ministry he said: “Repent, and believe in the gospel.” These are the same words we heard on Ash Wednesday when ashes were used to make the sign of the cross on our foreheads.
What is the Gospel message that Jesus taught? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself. This means keeping the Commandments given to us by Moses from God the Father. It means living the New Commandment that Jesus gave us; Love others as much as we love ourselves.
Loving others like we love ourselves is extremely hard for us. Our ego gets in the way. We are the only one who is important to us, sometimes even more important our family or God. Our ego, our False Self is more important than anything else in the world. It drives us to work longer hours to obtain more promotions at work, to make more money than our neighbors, and to live in the adoration of others wishing to be like us.
Jesus said “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” This Gospel was to love God by obeying his Commandments and to love our neighbor as ourselves. This means really caring about others; the lonely neighbor down the street who seems grouchy all the time, the family struggling to have food on the table to eat, the family being discriminated against because of their race, culture, religion, or marriage partner. It means respecting each human being as a Child of God.
It’s not about writing a check to give to a charity that helps others; it’s spending personal time listening to those who are struggling talk about their struggles, helping the neighbor with yard work who is unable to do it, and spending time fasting and praying for all of them as well as writing a check to a charity that helps them.
During his forty days in the desert, Jesus fasted and prayed. Jesus helps us the same as the angels ministered to him, but we must be receptive and let him into our hearts.
Jesus said “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” What is that Gospel? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself.
Do my actions show others that I really believe in the Gospel that Jesus taught?
