St Martin's & St Paul's
Parish Canterbury
St Martin's & St Paul's
Parish Canterbury
| Archive |
| Contacts |
| How to find us |
| Links |
| What's New |
| Site Map |
| Home Page |
The journey through Lent has begun, and it will culminate at Passiontide in the great confrontation between God in Jesus Christ, and the evil of the world. But early on that journey, we encounter an important stage as Jesus - identified at his baptism as the beloved Son of God - rather than rushing out to tell everyone about his mission and to try out his powers, retreats to the wilderness to fast and to pray, and to put himself in the hands of God.
If you go without food for any length of time, your body will grow weak and your mind will also begin to wander. In the wilderness, Jesus is exposed to fear and temptation; Mark does not go into detail here, but at the end Jesus comes forth ready to act. John the Baptist is arrested and now Jesus takes up the call, "repent and believe in the good news".
Mark does however note that Jesus in the wilderness is with the wild beasts and the angels. He is not, therefore, with people. He does not consult people, rather he retreats from them. This is a reminder that for God in Jesus Christ, the world presents many hazards: there will be enemies but there are also friends who sometimes, in ignorance or fear, will act as enemies. So in the wilderness it is the lower form of creation, the animals, who watch the lonely figure; and it is the angels who serve God without question, who wait upon him.
And then at last he is ready to go forth and engage with us.
Amen
