“He was with wild beasts; and the
angels ministered to Him.”
--Mark 1:12-15
The spirit drove Him into the wilderness
where He was tempted by Satan and He dwelt among wild beasts; and the angels
ministered to Him. Think about this:
immediately after He is confirmed as the beloved Son of God, one upon whom God’s
favor rests, Jesus is driven by “the spirit” into the wilderness away from His
friends and family, His support network, and where he is surrounded by wild
beasts and tempted by Satan. Is that the
vision we have of one who is beloved by God and upon whom God’s favor rests? What
if Joel Osteen were suddenly found homeless, abandoned by his ministry team,
and living on the streets of Houston? Would we say to ourselves: See! There
goes a man who is beloved by God. There is someone upon whom God’s favor rests!?
But here is
Jesus, driven into the wilderness almost as a confirmation of His status as the
beloved Son of God. And as I read it, I
am reminded of Abraham who is chosen by God to be the father of His people, and
to confirm his importance and his place in God’s plan, Abraham is immediately sent away from his people and his
family, his support network, his security blanket, to a foreign land where he
will be vulnerable and dependent –in need of aid, of ministry. He will be a
blessing to those who bless him (angels) and a curse to those who curse him
(wild beasts). (cf Gen. 12:1-3)
It must be
some kind of sign: God wants us out of our safety zone. He will even drive us away
–into the wilderness—to a place where we feel vulnerable and helpless, a place
where we may even feel desperate (despairing), and it is there that His angels
will minister to us. And I wonder, is it
only there that God’s angels will minister to us? Or is it only there that we
will receive them?
Are we not
open or receptive to the angelic presence that is all around us constantly
because most of the time we are too focused on our own achievements, our own
efforts, our own glories and failures; our resources, our private gifts and
treasures? Do we need to find ourselves
in a wilderness surrounded by wild beasts before we can realize we don’t have
all the answers. We are not sufficient to all the challenges we face. I can’t do it all by myself!
And only
then, we become aware of the angels around us who come with their hands open
and held out, offering help, offering aid, offering comfort –ministering to us
in our hour of need.
Is it
possible that to be beloved by God means one will be driven into the
wilderness, among the wild beasts, and tempted, and that is where and how God
prepares us to be minstered by His angels?
Only then are we ready; tried in the fire of need and weakness and
vulnerability, tempted; and only then are we ready to receive His angels and
only then are we ready to go out and proclaim with authority:
The time is fulfilled. The Kingdom of God is
at hand… (Mk 1:15)
Because only then will we speak from experience.
