The Temptation of Jesus

The Servant: Mk. 1:12

A. Immediately

Firstly, it is important to put into perspective the utility of the Gospel of Mark. Records indicate it to be the earliest written gospel. It was written by John Mark, a disciple of Peter. The manner of its brevity is tactful in bringing emphasis to its topic, much like the short story form or a poem—each word must count. The theme, therefore, in Mark, can be deduced as: Jesus, the suffering servant; Matthew shows Christ to be Israel’s awaited King, and Luke has him to be Jesus, the Man, and John as Jesus, second person of our Triune God. Every word weighs heavily upon the way in which this passage is interpreted; paired with a contrast of Matthew and Luke, we might recognize those places which the Holy Spirit deemed it pertinent to reveal or conceal so as to best display Christ’s servanthood.

Directly proceeding this passage is Jesus’ baptism. His baptism by John in the Jordan served to a) fulfill prophecy, b) align Jesus with Righteousness, and c) to demonstrate his position as God through the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Him and God’s blessing of Him. Then, immediately the Spirit drove Him out and into the wilderness. He records that it was immediate. There was no dilly-dallying. When the Spirit led Him, he was obedient to be about His Father’s business. This and the Spirit’s more forceful driving of Christ into that wilderness clearly illustrates His servanthood.

B. the Spirit impelled Him

This is the only Gospel which record’s the Holy Spirit as having driven (the NASB has it recorded *impelled) Him out. G C Morgan adds that the verb used here is the same verb in Greek used later on in the gospel when Jesus casts out demons. We get the impression that there was force, or a sort of urgency behind this. Contrarily, Matthew and Luke say that the Lord was led by the Spirit. This is not a contradiction; the Holy Spirit is the communicator of these gospels—the fountain of information which chose to flow forth through chosen men—he simply chose to highlight a different aspect for Christ’s departure from the Jordan, that of the servanthood of Christ.

C. to go out into the wilderness

Just as Christ’s baptism aligned Him to His own message, and the message of the prophets, so his temptation in the wilderness demonstrates His qualification for this job he has taken to do on earth. Mark had no need to specify the temptations as Matthew and Luke endeavor to do. The way in which Satan tempted Jesus is important, but not for the message which is here provided by the Holy Spirit.

The Savior: Mk. 1:13

A. And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan

The scene here is pivotal. Jesus, the servant, came to offer salvation to a lost people—but why were they lost? Because Eve was tempted and deceived, and Adam sinned willingly. At that point, mankind ruptured communion with God, defiled God’s perfect creation and brought a judgement of death upon themselves[1]. Jesus came to correct that wrong. Just as through Adam, sin entered the world, so through Jesus there is salvation. Jesus, then, must succeed in every way which Adam failed. In proving His incapacity for sin (being that it was completely contrary to His nature), Christ qualified himself for the job of Savior.

B. And He was with the wild beasts

The wild beasts could not have been ferocious toward Christ. The purpose of this passage was not to express danger which might have faced Jesus. Not only because this clause is grammatically post-temptation and in temporal alignment with the ministry of Angels, but also because these animals could not have harmed, nor even thought to harm but a hair on his head. Understandably, this is why Mark includes that strange little clause: Jesus came to correct Adam’s wrong. Because of Adam, man no longer has a purely amicable relationship with animals. This must also be corrected in Jesus. Jesus, in his hunger, was amongst the animals, not feasting upon them as Noah did after the fall. A result of Adam’s fall was to wear skins of animals and to eat their meat when cast from the garden; animals would fear man. The result of Christ’s correction of that was that the animals were about Him and rather than the animals providing for His needs, the angel’s themselves ministered to Him! There was no need for an animal to die to cover His sins—He had no sins to cover. He came to be that covering.

C. And the angels were ministering to Him

In these short two verses, we see that Jesus is a servant about God’s will led by the Spirit, and He qualifies himself for that task of savior by showing His sinlessness. He came to complete a task and He did so perfectly. He is a reversal of Adam. Yet that deed is yet His and not the world’s until He comes on that Day to restore his Kingdom to of God to this earth. But today, we are saved already and the Lord works a good work in us in preparation for completion upon that Day.

Romans 5:19\For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.