Mark 1:12-15
12 Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. 13 And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.
14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
In these brief verses Mark shows us that Jesus wasn’t immune from the devil’s temptations, the dangers of this life, and persecution. Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. He was in danger of wild beasts in the wilderness as well. His forerunner, John, was persecuted, imprisoned for preaching that Herod was sinning and needed to repent, be baptized, and bear fruits worthy of repentance. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry the devil and the world were set against the gospel and ministry.
The devil and the world continually attack Christ and His apostles throughout their ministries with temptations. Paul tells the Corinthians that he was often “in perils in the wilderness” ( 2 Cor 11:26), and the book of Acts and the church histories tell us of the persecutions the apostles faced. There is an important lesson for us in this. Christ is the Head of the body, which is His church. As it goes for the Head, so it goes for the body. Christians should not be shocked when they are tempted by the devil, in worldly danger, or persecuted for God’s word.
Christ was tempted by the devil to doubt God’s Word. We are tempted in the same way so that we put their trust in ourselves, our own hearts, the government, the economy, or anything other than our heavenly Father. Christ was persecuted, slandered, blasphemed, and eventually crucified. The Church through the ages has similarly been persecuted whenever she has remained faithful to Christ’s Word and preached against—and lived contrary to—the world’s sin.
The Lord allows Satan to tempt Christians, not to punish them, but to exercise them in their faith and use of the word. He allows Christians to face worldly dangers to teach them to flee to Him in faith an prayer. He allows the world to persecute His Christians so that we rely not on our own strength and resources, but God’s promises. As it went for the Head, so it goes for the body, and, as the Head was victorious, so is His the body.
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, protect in us in every temptation, danger, and persecution we face, so that we may overcome by faith and rejoice in Your provision. Amen.
