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Home Mark 1:12-15 NRSVue

Mark 1:12-15 NRSVue

12And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13He was in the wilderness forty days, tested by Satan, and he was with the wild beasts, and the angels waited on him.

14Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the good news of God 15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”,

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

“Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.”

Reflection on Mark 1:12-15

Inspiration from 2024-02-18 Daily Prayer

Immediately after his baptism and the affirmation of his mission, ‘the Spirit drove Jesus’ into the wilderness. It was seen as a place of testing, but it was also where God could be found. Lord, give us the Spirit to help us to recognise the challenging aspects of living out our baptism, so that we are not complacent and not afraid to go where you lead.

From the beginning, we are alerted to the choices we are to make. Jesus was in the wilderness with the wild beasts, but angels waited on him. Lord, help us to tame the wild beasts that we carry within and to resist the temptations that we encounter. May we trust you, for you assure us that we are not tempted beyond our strength (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Further reflection

I too have known times of temptation when I felt on my own except for the wild beasts, the irrational forces that were messing up my life. Lord, you felt the influence of evil, and were tested. You were purified as you came through a difficult time. When I was in the middle of such a time, it did not feel like God's hand, but like desolation and despair. When I look back, I can see how God was shaping me

The wilderness is the place of destruction and danger, of being tempted off one's path and also of meeting God. Jesus finds God's path for him in the wilderness. Prayer is a wilderness time. It can be dangerous for it brings us in touch with the evil as well as with the good in ourselves. With practice, it introduces us to the peace of God in Christ - the harmony of the desert of Jesus. It is also the place of rededication to God and of finding the strength of God.