I tend to get my news for the day on line. When it comes up, there is normally a headline that sums up the context of the story. If I want the details, I have to click on the headline to get the in depth account; to get the details.
In the gospel lesson we hear Mark’s compact account of Jesus’ initiation into ministry: His baptism, his encounter in the wilderness and his message. He is giving us the headlines because there is a lot here that Mark assumes between the lines.
So we are clicking on the headlines to get the details this morning.
Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist, he comes up out of the Jordan River, and a supernatural sign is witnessed; the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him as a dove, and the voice of the father proclaims: Thou art my beloved son, with thee I am well pleased.”
Well and good. But why is it that Jesus, the sinless son of God, is baptized into repentance for sin? It is an illogical act at first glance since he did not need to repent – he was without sin.
It is not that he is a sinner but is baptized into accountability for sin. In this action he completely identifies with humanity; with us. He takes upon himself the weight of all humanity – completely identifying himself as the representative of sinful humanity, and taking responsibility for its complete and total salvation. The sinless son of God takes our sin, its guilt and condemnation, upon himself.
Are you familiar with the scapegoat?
Leviticus tells us that on the Day of Atonement, the high priest was “to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert” (Leviticus 16:21–22).
The scapegoat was released into the wilderness symbolically bearing the sins of the people, never allowed to return – their sins were atoned for – justice was done – they were forgiven.
This same thought is reflected in Isaiah’s prophecy about the Messiah: “and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
In his baptism Jesus takes on the role of scapegoat; the goat upon which all of our sins are laid. And God the Father proclaims this action as in complete accord with his plan – which brings us to the wilderness. Immediately following his baptism, the spirit immediately drives him out into the desert, the wilderness, where for forty days he is assaulted by the devil. Tempted by the devil, he does battle with the devil.
This wilderness is a significant place. Dry, barren and rugged where very little grows and wild animals reign, it is the exact opposite of paradise, the garden in which man was initially intended to dwell. It is comparative as death is to life.
The wilderness was where, for forty years, God wrestled with his rebellious people, where he gave them the Ten Commandments, where he provided manna from heaven and water from a rock, and yet they would disobey.
it is the place where Moses and the people he led were tested and formed – a place where God worked to shape a people for himself, where they learned his provision, his will, and his discipline.
It was the place into which the sacrificial scapegoat was released with the sins of the Israelites laid upon it, released into the wilderness to die for the sins of the people: A sacrifice of atonement.
One must note that it is a temporary place from which God led those people into the Promised Land. The wilderness is not forever.
And finally it is a place that will ultimately be transformed. Isaiah and Ezekiel speak of a time tied to the coming of the Messiah, when the spirit of God will be poured out and the desert will blossom, and pools of water will spring up and the wild animals removed. The wilderness ultimately is to be transformed into a place of life. It is to be recreated.
The wilderness is a place where sin is revealed and confronted, where Satan’s rule and power are challenged, where God’s people are shaped and molded to faithfulness; dependence on God alone. It is a temporary place of preparation from which God’s people are led to their real home. It is a place of trial, toil, and struggle; a place of promise, of deliverance, and triumph.
It is into this wilderness, this place loaded with meaning, that Jesus is driven – literally cast out – by the Holy Spirit. As man was cast out of Eden, as the Israelites were cast into the desert, as the scapegoat was cast into the wilderness, so Jesus enters the place where man has been exiled, where Satan and sin reigns, and where atonement is made.
And he goes there to face Satan. To be tempted and tried, to do battle against the devil and his work.
All of that is implied in these few short lines. A mere headline when compared to Matthew’s or Luke’s account.
I can’t help but think of a scenario in the old cowboy movies. All the bad guys who have terrorized the town are in the saloon. The hero – a relatively unknown newcomer to the town – strides up to the sheriff, gets deputized and you see him walk with determination and focus to the saloon and enter through the swinging gates.
After a momentary silence, you hear gunshots and the cacophony of men fighting – then only the hero walks out. The implication is, he won.
Jesus goes into the wilderness and he emerges from this place proclaiming the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel. The message is, he won.
Most of us don’t consider that we live in a wilderness. That’s our world, that’s our life.
We battle sin. We battle the devil.
No matter how secure or comfortable we think we are, reality tells us we live in a wilderness.
We experience pain, loss, sickness. We witness good people having terrible accidents, suffering terrible sicknesses, and dying.
We find ourselves battered by moral decisions either to do what we know is right or do something that is in our own best interest.
In many of our struggles we feel a dearth of God’s presence: His grace, his direction. We wonder does God care, is He there? We see his provision in so many ways, yet some times we just can’t understand why he doesn’t work in certain situations.
We sometime yield to our lesser nature, turn to things that we think will fill the gap: drugs, alcohol, sex, aberrant behaviors of one sort or another and end up in worse places than we began in. It’s like hitting yourself in the head with a hammer to relieve the pain of a stubbed toe. It really doesn’t work.
The good news Mark has for us is that Jesus has gone there, into our wilderness. He has become our personal scapegoat – taking our sins away from us – taking our guilt and leaving us innocent.
He kicked open the door of the saloon, battled all the bad guys, all the things Satan uses to drag us down and discourage us, all the things he uses to entrap us and bind us and has come out alone proclaiming to us: The time has come, you are free if you want to be, change your mind, change your frame of reference, change your heart, your direction in life and follow me.
Our understanding of the wilderness, of life can change because Jesus has gone there, as our representative he overcomes everything life can do, everything Satan can throw at us. As our scapegoat he carries our sin and guilt away and makes us right before God. And from there, because the wilderness is only for a time, he give us the hope and promises to lead us sometime to a much better place – a promised land.
Lent is a time to reflect on our wilderness; our life. To consider whether we have allowed Jesus in to our wilderness, our struggles, our failures our hopes, our doubts, our dreams, allowing him to do the work he promises to do. And if we have not: Ask, why not? What do we consider more important, more significant than Jesus? What stands between us and him? Is our wilderness, Jesus’s wilderness?
It is important to do this so that, knowing he knows our weaknesses, we will find him mighty to save.