Mark 1 (NRSV)
12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
The wilderness is not a final destination.
Here are some questions for reflection:
1. What might the wilderness represent spiritually? How have you experienced “wilderness” seasons in your own life? What or who ministered to you during those moments?
2. Why do you think Jesus was tempted at the very start of His ministry?
3. Can suffering or isolation ever be a necessary part of spiritual growth? Why or why not?
4. The angels cared for Jesus in his time of need in the wilderness. What does it say about our God and God’s kingdom that God’s forethought included the placement of tangible ministering during the time of testing and trial? How might this speak into the call of followers to be ministers of mutual aid and communal care during societies’ times of trial and wilderness?
5. Compare and contrast the temptations of both Adam and Jesus. What is the significance of their different settings? What strategies did Satan use? How did each of them respond? What were the ultimate consequences of their obedience/disobedience?
6. Even the wilderness is part of the creation that our loving Father called good, how can we be sure to find the good in the wilderness of our lives?
7. In what ways are our lives often like a metaphorical wilderness? How often is this an isolation of our own making?
8. In what ways have you experienced unexpected help from God in the wilderness seasons you’ve encountered?
If you’d like to dig a little deeper, consider the following:
1. The Hebrew words most often translated as “wilderness” include midbar, which is an isolated place inhabited by nomads. We might be in a season of our life where we are the wandering nomads living in this desolate place, if that be the case what word from or provision of God will you be looking for to find a way out of the wilderness?
2. Perhaps you have traveled to the midbar to minister to the needs of the nomads that are living in the journey and never finding the destination. What can we do to help guide the wandering to a place of security and permanence in relationship with God?
3. Last week a member of our community suggested there is a similarity or connection to the idea of the wilderness and fasting. This week we see the similarity between the forty days in the wilderness and the forty days of Lent. How does the uncultivated wilderness help realign our lives spiritually?