Wilderness Questions

Sermon on Mark 1:9-15

St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, Youngstown, PA

Sunday, March 1, 2009,

1^st Sunday in Lent, Year B,

(word count: 688)

Wilderness Questions

Renowned Bible scholar N.T. Wright writes, “You are never far from the wilderness when you're in the Promised Land . . . When you're in Jerusalem, the wilderness is just over the next hill.”

Such is the case with Jesus in our gospel, Mark 1:9-15. Jesus is in the Promised Land, in Israel, when John baptizes him. While standing naked in the water, God's voice booming with loving pride, the Spirit swooping upon him, Jesus is in the Promised Land. Then, immediately, the Spirit hurls Jesus out into the wilderness. Forty days he is out in unblinking sun, among lions, snakes, and vultures, Satan hissing and shrieking temptations at him, badgering him to break him down. Sure, angels wait on Jesus, but he is still in the wilderness, in danger, temptation hitting him in the face like a hot, relentless wind.

The Good News is that, after those forty days, Jesus walks out of the wilderness, ragged, hungry, tired, but victorious. He escapes temptation. Satan cannot break him. Jesus is stronger. After forty days in the wilderness, Jesus returns to the Promised Land to proclaim the good news. Christ is back from the wilderness, full of authority. From Promised Land to wilderness, back to Promised Land.

We, too, sometimes find ourselves in the wilderness. In the Promised Land, the wilderness is never far off. It's just over the next hill.

When were you in the wilderness last? Perhaps you are there today. The wilderness is that place, that time, when your soul feels weak, temptation is strong. Satan prowls like a roaring lion, sniffing you out, hungry to devour you. The wilderness, that hot place, stinking of decay, where temptation tries to swallow you whole – we all end up there eventually.

Someone you love has died. Your soul is slumped over. You cry, “God, why me? You took her from me. Maybe there's no point in praying. Maybe I should give up on you.” You're in the wilderness.

You know you shouldn't drink, but your body is screaming for alcohol. Satan says, “Just one drink. No big deal. Come on. Just to help you relax.” You're in the wilderness.

When have you been in the wilderness? What tempts you? What's your weakness?

One of my weaknesses is thinking that I am not good enough. Some nights, I feel stupid, weak, hypocritical, ugly, over-weight, and I want to give up, want to run away. I am in the wilderness.

When we are in the wilderness, it is tempting for us to feel sorry for ourselves. It is tempting for us to ask, “Why me?” Poor me. Why is this happening to me?

Thanks be to God that Jesus' victory over Satan in the wilderness teaches us that, when we are in the wilderness, we are not weak. We are not alone. Deep in the howling, stifling wilderness, by the Spirit's power we cling to the Good News. Christ is the mighty fortress. Christ is stronger than Satan. Christ dies and rises, pinning Satan to the sand. Christ dies and rises, so we have power even in the wilderness. We are baptized. Christ teaches us through Scripture. Christ feeds us the body and blood. Christ gives us one another for strength.

So then, when we are in the wilderness, let's not ask, “Why me?” Instead, let's ask, “How is God helping me?” Instead of “Why me?” we ask, “What kind of person am I in the wilderness?” Instead of “Poor me,” we stand up taller, shove Satan aside, and we declare, “I am strong, and Christ is with me.” We say, “I will not let the wilderness defeat me. Because of Christ, the Promised Land is never far off. It is closer than the next hill.”

Sometimes Luther, when he felt Satan breathing down his neck, would shout, “But I am one of the baptized!” In the wilderness, the promises of God are never far off. God is our mighty fortress.

This Lent, meditate on these two questions: When you are in the wilderness, what kind of person are you? When you are in the wilderness, how is God helping you?