Never Alone When Tempted
The Spirit immediately sent Jesus out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels were serving him. (Mark 1:12–13)
After Jesus was baptized by John, the Holy Spirit sent him out into the wilderness. This was the next event as Jesus began his ministry, as he made his way to the cross. He had to be tempted by Satan in the wilderness. He had to face the suffering that we face. But Jesus wasn’t alone. Mark tells us that he was with the wild animals and the angels were serving him.
Mark doesn’t give us much more detail about this account, not like Matthew or Luke. But Mark gives us just enough detail. As Jesus faced this temptation from Satan, he wasn’t alone. He had support from God the Father to endure the temptation. And we know that Jesus resisted Satan’s temptation perfectly.
When we face temptation, it can seem like we are all alone. We have no one to help us resist this temptation. And we struggle to resist, or we end up giving in to the temptation to sin. But Mark shows us that, just as Jesus was not alone in his temptation, we also are not alone in our temptations. Jesus is with us when we face temptation. He gives us the strength to resist the temptations of the devil. And when we fall into Satan’s traps, he is there with his cleansing blood to restore us and remind us that we are forgiven. Amen.
Our song for today is “Lord, I Need You” By Matt Maher