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.”^,

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Some thoughts on this scripture

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

Reflection
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.