Mark’s gospel is even more blunt than Matthew’s. Mark says that after Jesus’ baptism “the
Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.” (Mark 1:12) A truer translation of the Greek
would read, “the Spirit kicked him out.”
Jesus was kicked out of a comfortable place into the wilderness. The Spirit drove him out into
the wilderness. God led him into the wilderness. God led him into temptation. God led Jesus into a
place Jesus would not wish on any of us.
We may well imagine that Jesus would have preferred not to spend 40 days and 40 nights in the
wilderness, but Jesus would not be untested. Throughout the stories of Scripture we see that those who
were great in their faith had trial periods that challenged their faith. They were tested for their obedience
to God.
Abraham, Noah, Joseph, Job, and Daniel had periods of testing, opportunities for them to
prevail. Ultimately, these men emerged even stronger in the faith. So it was natural that Jesus, a Son of
God, be tested, as well.
Realize that the options placed before Jesus in the wilderness were viable choices. They were
not simple choices between self-indulgence and personal discipline. They were real options.
When he returned from the wilderness to launch his ministry, Jesus would have to decide how to
spend his days as God’s beloved child. How would he fulfill his mission? How would Jesus minister in
God’s name? Where should he begin? He had to answer for himself, “What would Jesus do?”
The first temptation of Jesus offers a starting place for his mission.
If you are the Son of God, command these stones to
become loaves of bread.
This temptation grew out of a genuine human need. Jesus was hungry. For 40 days and 40 nights he
had not eaten. Furthermore, all of Palestine was hungry. Bread was a basic need, necessary for life.
Why not turn those stones into bread? Jesus could fortify his physical strength for his ministry.
The hunger of the people could be alleviated.
When Moses was in the wilderness, God had given a sign to the people through the manna they
received. What was it about this thought that made it a temptation? Why would working such a miracle
divert Jesus from his mission?
Jesus provides us the answer by quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3, “Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
This expression comes from God reminding the people of Israel that they had experienced
hunger in the wilderness and it was God who fed them manna. It was God who provided for the needs
of the people.
Jesus had come to fulfill the deepest hunger of the people which cannot be satisfied by material
goods. Jesus had come to feed the spiritual lives of the people.
The temptation was to choose between the kingdom of bread and the kingdom of God. Jesus
responds to the first temptation by refusing to submit to the material world at the expense of the spiritual.
And so the question remained: How should Jesus proceed with his calling?
The second temptation was yet another possible path for Jesus to follow. Jesus was challenged
to jump off the pinnacle of the temple to let the angels save him. Why not? Such an amazing display of
power should draw an audience. This could be a spectacular way of drawing masses of people into the
kingdom of God.
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