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Mark 1.9-12

Mark 1.9-12

Sunday, March 5, 2006

First Sunday of Lent

Shelton, WA

What’s It Going to Take?

Mark says that the Spirit sent Jesus out into the desert. Well, I suppose we should really say that, “the Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert.” The word that the NIV translates “sent,” really means to “drive” or to “cast away” or even “to expel”—it’s a strong word… a very strong word. As a matter of fact, it is the very same word Mark uses to describe Jesus driving out demons.

“The Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness.” Or, “the Spirit cast Jesus into the wilderness.” There’s an undeniable sense of urgency in those words. For Mark the fact that Jesus went into the wilderness was important. But it’s almost as if Mark wants that sense or urgency to carry the story.

You see there’s more going on here than we might expect. There’s something very important, very urgent happening, and Mark wants to draw us into it.

For Mark, the wilderness was more than simply a geographical location void of water and life. For Mark, the desert—the wilderness—was the place where Israel was tested and tried. And more times than not, they failed. I suppose if we want to get right down to it, the wilderness is the place of human sin and failure.

You see, it is here, in the very core of all of us that the greatest wilderness exists. There is in each one of us a dryness and a desolation that begs for water… a bareness that yearns to be filled… a desert longing to be quenched. The problem is, deep within that wilderness of human need and depravity, sin is hard at work.

That’s why the Spirit had to drive Jesus out into the wilderness. That’s the reason why he came. That was his mission: to confront sin… to confront human failure… and in that confrontation, to overcome it… and in overcoming it, to provide a means out of the wilderness.

The Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness of human sin and failure in order to make a way through the desert… in order to make a path out of the wilderness. But first… first he had to confront the very thing that made humanity a wilderness. He had to step from the safety of the Jordan River out into the untamed dangers of the desert. He had to face human sin and failure on its own terms. That’s why God took on flesh and blood. Hebrews tells us that Jesus sympathizes with our weakness because he was tempted like us in every way, yet without sin (Hebrews 4.15).

When Jesus went into the wilderness, he came face to face with the full forces of humanity’s sin. He faced the full furry of all the sins of the entire world—past, present, and future! That’s pretty intense. That’s pretty harsh. And, you know, that’s also when Satan makes his way on to the scene. Snaking his way into the middle of difficult situations, Satan tries to provide us with an alternative—he presents us with another way out.

If you think about it, that’s exactly what Satan always does. It’s who he is. He is the Opposer, the Adversary, the One-who-stands-against. Opposing God’s design, Satan stands against God’s plan. He comes to us offering a plan of his own. He tempts us by giving us a chance to get what we want; only his way is easier, and quicker, and less painful.

Oh, we see it going on in other places in Scripture. Remember right after Peter’s great confession that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God? Immediately after that moment of divine revelation, Jesus begins showing the disciples God’s plan for redemption. He begins to teach them that he must suffer many things and be rejected, and that ultimately he must be killed… crucified… nailed to a cross. Peter didn’t think that was such a good plan, and so he began to rebuke Jesus. Do you remember what Jesus said? “Get behind me, Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

That’s the problem isn’t it? When we have in mind the things of men instead of the things of God, we begin to wander. Slowly at first… just a little bit… but soon… soon we find ourselves hopelessly lost.

In John Bunyan’s book, Pilgrims Progress, the main character, Christian, and his traveling companions are following along the way. Soon it becomes very difficult; rocky and rutted, the road seems to be falling apart. It becomes almost impassible as the struggle and strain of each step begins to take its toll. That’s when they discover a small opening in the fence right next to the road. There was a field over there. There are no rocks, no ruts; it’s smooth and straight.

They figure if they could follow along in the same direction as the road, what would be the harm if they walked in the field. Well, if you’ve read the book you know that it wasn’t long before they became completely lost and eventually found themselves prisoners of Giant Despair, locked away in the dungeon of Doubting Castle. You see, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14.12).

Satan always tries to pull us from the way that God has called us to by whatever means he can. But the one method that seems to be the most effective for him is by offering an alternative solution—an easy way. By taking God’s truth, twisting it slightly, Satan makes us believe that there is another way, another choice—one that is considerably less difficult.

That’s why when God calls us to deny ourselves and take up our cross, Satan is right there telling us that, “self-denial is really more a matter of perspective.” After all, he assures us, it really shouldn’t make you feel too uncomfortable or be too inconvenienced, should it? It should never mean that you have to give up those things that are important to you or those things that you hold dear.

You see Satan doesn’t want us to feel too threatened. He wants to keep us feeling safe within the confines our self-made innocuous little world. There, he lulls us to sleep. He doesn’t want us to become too disturbed, too restless… too awake.

That’s why when God says, “The one who wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it,” Satan is right there to tell us that it’s not a matter of saving your life or loosing it; it’s really a matter of coming to the place of personal empowerment… personal satisfaction and gratification. As long as our needs are being met… as long as we’re being fed… as long as nothing rocks our little boat, everything is great… everything’s just fine... nothing to worry about.

You see Satan wants to keep us comfortable, complacent, and contained. If we’re comfortable, we tend to not look too deeply at things—especially not ourselves. And if all we see is what’s on the surface, well then… we tend to become complacent. And when we become complacent we find ourselves content within the confines of our nice little cloistered communities. And we’re contained. Game over!

That’s when God screams: “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” God’s great design—his ultimate goal—is not maintaining the status quo—new wine in old wineskins. It is transformation—new wine in new wineskins. It is to mold us, to shape us… to conform us into the image of Christ.

Sometimes that’s uncomfortable. Sometimes that’s painful. Sometimes God needs to dig deep into our hearts and our lives in order to transform us. Sometimes God may even need to take the whole lump of clay and smash it and crush it so that he can start fresh and new.

One of our favorite texts when things start to get difficult is Romans 8.28: “In all things God works for the good of those who love him.” But all too often we forget to read on to verse 29: “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.” The good God works into the lives of those who love him is not ease and comfort and security, it is conformity to the likeness of Christ. It is a cross. It is a wilderness. It is death to self.

“The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan.” You know, it’s kind of funny, but Mark records no victories like Mathew or Luke. Mark just gives us the story with no conclusion. And I think he does that on purpose. I think he does that because there is a sense in which it’s not completely over. There is still a wilderness to be faced. There is still a desert to be overcome.

Through the cross, Jesus provides the means. Through his victory, we can claim our victory. But there is no escaping the reality that it is a battle fought daily; it is a victory won or lost with each new encounter—with each new day, with each new decision.

You see, even today, even now, the Spirit drives us out into the wilderness. Even now the Spirit takes us out into the desert, into the wilderness, into that desolate place where we come face to face with human sin and failure. And even now, Satan comes to us with an easier way, with a less costly solution.

It’s almost as if we are standing on the banks of the Jordan River, our clothes still wet, our spirits still soaring from Christmas and Epiphany. It’s almost as if we have heard the voice from heaven assuring us of God’s love and God’s approval.

But then, in the back of our heads we hear another voice—the voice of the Spirit. He is calling us, not to linger on the banks of the Jordan, not to remain where we are, not to stay the same. But he is calling us into the wilderness, to that place of human sin and failure, to that place where the world’s brokenness is confronted the cross of love and grace.

And if we’re still enough, if we listen close enough, it’s almost as if we can hear the Spirit asking, “What is it going to take? What is it going to take for you to leave it all behind—forsake everything—and follow me? What is it going to take? And are you willing to do it?”

John GrantPage 15/28/2019