When we think of the word desert in the Bible, our mind conjures two pictures: Israel in the wilderness and Jesus in the desert. In both episodes, the commonalities are God calling them out, the challenging terrain leading to an uncomfortable life, and temptation.
According to the gospel of Mark, God cast or thrust Jesus into the desert (Mark 1:12-13). Just before this strong push toward the desert, God encourages, affirms, and initiates Jesus’s ministry in his baptism. That baptism is a private event between the father and the son because the father says to Jesus, “You are my son, and in you, I am well pleased.” It is not a public event. But you’ve got to ask why, having encouraged and anointed Jesus, did his father thrust him into a complicated and testing situation in his life? Mark, unlike Matthew or Luke, does not mention fasting. Mark’s focus is not so much on the physical hardships of Jesus but on the spiritual battle. Jesus’ faith and focus on the mission are about to be tested. And it is not because of any self-inflicted trial or any penchant for masochism. It is God-led and God-ordained.
Some situations in our lives are strange, out of place and time, and out of the ordinary, like a sudden unknown illness, unexpected series of financial setbacks, or out-of-the-blue relational turmoil. It leaves us wondering if we did anything wrong to deserve it. Some of us begin to condemn ourselves and confess our sins immediately. People around us also agree and add to the condemnation. Some of us question the goodness of God because the desert symbolizes suffering. Our response is either abandonment of faith or an artificial relationship with God. Some of us are taught not to question God and blindly believe that he is good. When we fall into hard places, we keep the faith for appearance’s sake, but deep inside, we slowly move towards disbelief.
But this text shows us that being cast into a desert-like experience in life doesn’t always result from our sin or God’s inability to protect or prevent it. We see God deliberately leading Jesus into a desert right after a “spiritual high.” Not because he sinned or God had any vendetta against or indifferent to him but because Jesus had to face the real enemy before he faced flesh and blood. Paul says in Eph 6:12 that our battle is not against flesh and blood. Our real enemy is not people. People need saving. They are in captivity. The real enemy is the one who stands against God and his kingdom.
As we seek to mentor, disciple, proclaim the gospel, or just live our daily Christian lives, all of us need to know that people are not our enemies. And at times, we are cast into the desert to face the real enemy who accuses us, condemns, and sets us on a path that leads to the desertion of God. Jesus’s desert experience and victory over the enemy were pivotal, for he began his ministry only after that. And I believe Jesus could say on the cross for the religious leaders; father, forgive them because he knew who the real enemy was.
If you are experiencing an out-of-ordinary series of setbacks, God is potentially leading you to face the enemy and come out of it victorious. He doesn’t lead you into the desert without equipping you for victory. God empowers and equips Jesus with the Spirit before his journey into the desert. The same Spirit empowers us to fight the enemy.