First Sunday of Lent 2024 -

Let me start by reading the gospel lesson from the lutheran lectionary. This is the first Sunday of lent, we just observed ash Wednesday this past Wednesday and this is the recommend scripture reading in the lutheran church to preach on, so I thought we would go on this journey together.

The Gospel is from the book of Mark Chapter 1 verses 9 to 15

GOSPEL

Mark 1:9–15

9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

When I first read this passage, I didn’t think that there was a lot here given the brevity of the passage. studying this passage more, there is a lot of Old Testament references that Mark has laid out for the reader to aide in the identity of Jesus.

Prior to this passage is an introduction which has all starts of Old testament prophecy being fulfilled with John the baptist in the wilderness, preaching a message of repentance and all of Judean country side and and the people of jerusalem were coming to get baptized. People would have been thinking that John was the prophet Elijah based on the message he was preaching and being in the wilderness preaching this message.

Now we move into the time Jesus came onto the scene to be baptized by John.

Has anyone ever been baptized in fresh water like a lake or a river?

My wife and I were baptized together up in Schroon lake, I can tell you right now it was amazing to go under the water, my best friend Josiah did my baptism with his dad who was the pastor of our church at the time. It was a quick process, but it reminds me of times where I would swim in the lake and you would open your eyes under water and look up and see the sun through the water. I imagine thats what it was like, he didn’t close his eyes obviously when john baptized him. But when he was coming up to see the heavens opening up, and to see the visible manifestation of the holy Spirit descending like a dove. Then Hearing God’s voice say that to him. wow.

Another question for you, have you ever heard God’s voice audibly in your life? I know there are a lot of books and resources on hearing God’s voice. There are times where we need to discern whether that is God’s voice or if its my voice and then you take a step of faith and hope that you heard the Holy Spirit correctly.

There is one time in my life, where I have personally heard God’s voice audibly, and honestly it was one of the most frightening moments of my life. My wife and I were getting involved with this church plant in Albany, we were disgruntled with our current church because there were no young people, my wife was pregnant at the time with our oldest daughter and my really good friend Matt who i did worship with invited me to come and play guitar at their church. So we started attending their church which conveniently met on Sunday nights so we didn’t have to leave our church. We loved it, it was hip, it had loud music, the pastor wore skinny jeans and preaching like a southern baptist with the fire. Then we looked around and we see all these younger couples, for reference, I was 23 at the time my wife was 25. So you can imagine our delight when we see all these younger couples around us, it was amazing! The pastor ended up inviting us to his community group that was at his house. The community group was essentially a small group, get together, have some food, share some bible verses, sing a few songs. We were delighted, this was it, once we got involved with this community group, we were going to leave our church. We get to the pastor’s house, its amazing, 20-25 people, couples, all married, young kids, 4 different pregnant women including my wife and we thought, “this is amazing!” We continued through the night and everything was great. The night came to a close and the pastor asked if anyone had any prayer requests, some people did and then he said great “i want to pray for all the pregnant women in this room” his wife was one of the pregnant women, and went to high school with my wife, another reason we felt so comfortable there. Small world right? So we go through the prayer, Ill never forget where I was sitting, I was on the couch in the front living room, the window to my back that overlooked the busy road in Rennselear. The prayers were moving around the room and then the pastor began to pray for the pregnant women, and I heard God’s voice, thundering, louder than anything i’ve ever heard, it was like someone was right in my face and said very loud “do not let them pray for your daughter” my face went completely white, and I obeyed. The pastor had a passionate prayer that was really good in the moment sure, but i remember saying “I rebuke this prayer in the name of Jesus” over and over and over again.

After the prayer time was over, i was still white in the face and didn’t really talk to anyone. We left and we were walking down the street to our car and my wife was like “what is wrong with you!? Are you okay?!” I remember saying “shhhh we need to get into the car before I can talk.” we got in the car, i explained what happened and my wife was as dumbfounded as me in that moment. I don’t know why I heard God’s voice so loud, audibly. And I will never really know on this side of heaven, why he wanted me to not allow them to pray over my daughter. There are mysteries here on earth and I am okay with that being one of them.

Another time I felt like I heard God’s voice, though not as loud and thunderous as that, was when I walked into seminary for the first time in August, and I felt like the Lord said “Finally! You’re here!” And I knew this is what he called me to do.

The amazing thing about the baptism of Jesus, is that only he heard it in that moment. God’s voice when we hear it, is only for us in that moment I believe. If we hear it together it might be the end time.

The interesting thing about this point of view in the narrative that mark is introducing the reader to is that it enables us as the reader to recognize that Jesus is indeed the Lord whose coming was foretold by the prophet Isaiah.

I believe too that this baptism of Jesus gives us a glimpse into what happens in our own baptism. The Holy Spirt may or may not descend like a dove on us. But I firmly believe when everyone gets baptised God says over each of us, “You are my beloved Son or daughter, Whom I Love, With you, Peter, I am well Pleased” —-PAUSE

That is part of that covenant relationship that we enter in with God when we are baptized, that is a whole other sermon.

immediately, At once, the Spirit that just descended from heaven, then leads Jesus into the wilderness. An exodus, a ancient narrative played out, the testing of the Hero. Our Hero. So This encounter in the wilderness by Mark isn’t as long as other exchanges between Jesus and Satan found in both Matthew and Luke, Its just one verse.

There could be a reason that this story is broken into 2 clauses, he was tempted by satan, then he was with wild beasts, and angels ministered to him, or attended to him. This echos the testing of the Israelites in the wilderness after the Spirit led them from exile to exodus from the red sea in to the wilderness for 40 years.

But what if this goes even further back to the parallels to the old testament. This goes all the way back to Adam. We see Jesus in the wilderness with wild animals, the enmity that is between humans and wild animals is a direct consequence of Adam’s fall and does not apply to Jesus.

This temptation in the wilderness gives allusions to the Adam story and Israel’s wilderness experience show us that Jesus’ relationship to God demonstrates what would have been the case for humanity if Adam had not sinned. This passage doesn’t get into the specifics of the temptation from Satan to Jesus, rather Mark is using the references to the wild animals and the angels to highlight the characteristics of the new exodus.

But lets go back to the wilderness for just a second, and the temptation. The Israelites went into the wilderness, they saw the presence of God on the mountain of Sainai and they still worshiped a golden Calf! They constantly gave into temptation in the wilderness, 40 years, generations of temptation and screw ups. Moses, one of the heros of the faith couldn’t even hold it together to make it into the promise land! He struck a rock in his anger and forfeited the right to enter the promise land.

The other reading for today from the lectionary is from the book of James lets take a quick look.

James 1:12–18

12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created

Jesus is the only one who was willingly lead into the wilderness after receiving the Holy Spirit and resisted temptation. God doesn’t tempt Jesus, it is Satan. It is important that we know the difference as it says in James.

I know for me personally, I screw up and absolutely blame God for temptation, its easy to blame him! As i’m sure it was in the wilderness for the Israelites as well. We must resist and not get dragged away from our own evil desires.

Jesus comes out of the wilderness, and goes to the nearest Stewart’s for a coffee, a bottle of water and a hard roll with peanut butter.

No! He comes out and starts preaching the Good News! Jesus had to go into the wilderness to take his place as the Unique son of God, who will embody the Holy Spirit and reverse the story of Sinful humanity, now that he has done this, ministry can begin for him.

Jesus comes out swinging, “the time of has come” an incredible indication that Jesus’ ministry that he is setting out to do is going to bring the age of salvation which has been prophesied 400 years prior.

Then he lays down the hammer “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Repent echos the preaching that John was doing in the wilderness just a few verses prior here in mark. John was preaching a message of baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. So put yourselves in the shoes in ancient Galilee where you just had someone preaching that message and now enters Jesus who is preaching a different yet similar message.

John may have been preaching a 1970’s word of judgement, (kidding) but Jesus is preaching the approaching reign of the kingdom of God.

Repent! hear the good news, this man who is God’s begotten son, is here! little did they know what we know today, that he would die, conquer death, and rise from the dead, and take our sin and shame, our death, all on himself on a cross and forgive us our sins. Forgive us of our unrighteousness, and give us his perfect righteousness.

Jesus fulfilling the law and the covenant promise of God from Genesis and we see the start of the ministry here in the amazing story of his baptism, temptation, and then the beginning of his preaching of the Good news.