Just after Jesus hears the voice from heaven say, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased,” the Bible says that the Spirit immediately drove Jesus out into the wilderness. And, while in the wilderness for forty days, not only was Jesus tempted by the Satan (also known as “the adversary,” “the accuser,” or “the obstructer”), Jesus also spent time among the “wild beasts.”
I do not know about you, but I try not to spend too much time with the wild beasts. I have trouble enough staying alive with four children running around the house, one is even 13 years old.
But, the “wild beasts” here are so much worse. This story evokes biblical images such as the chaos dragon that brings with it the chaotic waters that flood, drown, and destroy. The story evokes an image of that snake in the garden that led Adam and Eve to stop trusting in God. The story also evokes a more down to earth image of that great, African beast with a mane that hunches down in the tall grass and waits to pounce on its prey. The wild beasts.
We have seen this image in the Bible before. When Cain is unhappy that God accepted Abel’s gift but not his, God responds to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has the look on your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; its craving you, but you must master it” (Genesis 4:6-7).
As you can see, even sin crouches, like a lion in the field, waiting to attack and consume. Unfortunately, sin does attack and devour Cain, leading to tragedy. Right after God promises that Cain will always have another chance to make things right, Cain refuses to listen, and the Bible says that, “Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let us go out to the field.’ And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him” (Genesis 4:8). Cain is so consumed by sin that Cain himself becomes the wild beast in the field that crouches, pounces, and then kills his enemy, Abel.
And, this wilderness with wild, crouching animals is where we find Jesus. Satan, the adversary, and the wild beasts of sin and death are all crouching in the long grass, like a lion, waiting to attack.
One day I talked with a man who, to his shame, cheated on his wife. And, he talked like the sin of cheating just sprang on him from nowhere.
“I had not ever planned to cheat on her,” he told me.
“Really, pastor. I mean it. We were actually pretty happy, my wife and I. But, that night at the company party I had a couple of drinks and this girl was very nice and it just happened. I had no intention of doing something that would hurt my family and my marriage so much.”
I believed him. Sin is like that. It is like a crouching lion, waiting to spring. That is what happened to Cain. Sin sprang out of the grass at Cain, having waited for the right time to spring; a time that Cain stopped trusting God’s promises.
As soon as that happened, the sin of envy sprang and Cain gave into something more primal within. He killed his brother out of envy for Abel’s good relationship with God. Mind you, God promised that Cain could have such a relationship also. But, sin had pounced like a wild beast.
Again, that is where Jesus finds himself, out in the wilderness with those wild beasts.
But, Jesus does not succumb to the wild beasts, and that is where my interest was piqued while reading the story. After-all, I succumb to temptation and fail in my testing all the time. You do not want to begin to hear all of the times. You want to go home and have a life. I am affected by the beasts of temptation all the time, but, Jesus is not. Instead of getting distracted by the temptations in the wilderness, the Bible says that “the angels waited on [Jesus]” (Mark 1:13).
“The angels waited on him.” I cannot help but notice that in this story Jesus is literally surrounded by love and care. Before, Jesus is driven out into the wilderness, he is reminded by a heavenly voice concerning who he is: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11).
A voice booms out from heaven, shouting that Jesus is loved and that Jesus makes God the Father proud. That is how Jesus starts his ministry. That is how Jesus starts his day.
I do not think that we always stop to consider just how vital this is, because not everyone in this world has been reminded that they are beloved. Not everyone in this world walks around knowing that they are loved. Not everyone in this world knows that there is always someone there, rooting for them no matter what happens.
Some people walk around with the words “alone” and “damaged” bouncing around in their heads. How easy it is for the wild beasts to pounce on someone who already feels attacked and wounded.
How essential it is to have the words, “love” emblazoned upon your heart before you walk out into the wilderness of this world.
And, you will walk in the wilderness. There is no doubt about that. And, it will always take far too long. Anyone who has been alive for any amount of time will tell you that you will walk through the wilderness of struggle and heartbreak, and it will seem like an eternity; at least 40 days.
No one is exempt. There are no free passes, even for those who are “beloved” by God. Jesus is driven out into the wilderness and has to face temptations and testing. The beasts wait to pounce on him. But, knowing that you are “beloved” helps.
Do you know what also helps? God’s angels. God’s presence. Having God’s angels present with you out in the wilderness helps a lot. The Bible says, “the angels waited on him.”
It is so true that you cannot always sense that divine presence with you while you are struggling out in the wilderness. But, how many of you, after the fact, after you have had the opportunity to sit and think back and ponder have said, “I didn’t know it at the time, but I know that God was doing something during that moment of struggle. I know that God was with me!”
It is amazing to me that in this simple, two sentence story in the Bible, we find such a strong promise from God. “The angels waited on him.”
God does not leave you alone when struggling in the wilderness. God was present through the angels when Jesus faced temptation in the wilderness. God was present, right there, when Cain faced the temptation of eliminating his brother, giving him words of promise. Of course, Cain ignored those words, but God was right there talking to him. And, God is present in some way, shape, or form as you face your temptations and fears. God is present with you when the lion crouches nearby, ready to pounce.
God is present with those God loves.
Can I say that again, God is present with those God loves. You are loved.
No matter what wilderness in which you find yourself, know that you are loved. No matter what sin crouches and tempts, know that you are loved. No matter what sin has attacked and won, know that you are loved.
I read a quote the other day that said, “Ponder how valuable your soul must be for Satan to tirelessly pursue it, and the King to lay down his own life for it.” You are so valuable that both the beasts and angels have their eyes on you. You are valuable to God. You are beloved.
That will always be true. You will always be a beloved creation of God. In the Bible you find that God continued to love and protect Cain, even after he wiped away the life of his brother. God protected Cain against abuse from others with a mark. God’s love is always true. God’s desire for you to be close will never go away, even on the dark days that it feels like God is distant. Even when wandering in the wilderness, remember that God is there. God’s angels are ready.
Do you know what also helps when wandering in the wilderness? Having someone with you who has been through it before.
I once watched a documentary where a western tourist was exploring the grassy plains of Africa. It was an amazing trip, with lots of firsts. He looked up and saw his first wild giraffe. He looked on the horizon and saw his first elephant family. And, when he looked just yards ahead in the grass he saw the face of a lion, ready to pounce.
The guy would surely have never returned home to tell the story if it were not for his guide who gently told the man not to turn or run. “Look at the lion. Put your arms up and look big. Slowly back away. Now, shout with me at the lion!” The man did so. And, even when the lion charged at them the guide told the man to keep standing and shouting. “Do not run! Be big! Shout!”
The guide saved both of their lives that day. It is very good advice if you want a chance at saving yourself from a crouching lion, but it is pretty good advice in general. “Stare at the crouching beast.” Stare at the temptation. Stare at the sin. It cannot get power over you if you see it and refuse to look away. “Look big.” Know that with God’s presence, you are bigger and stronger than you ever feel. “Shout.” Make your desire to live heard!
After-all, God desires nothing more than for you to continue to live and thrive as one of God’s beloved. So much so that God sent someone to be with you; one who has been through the wilderness before.
There is someone with you who has faced the wild beasts crouching in the grass. There is someone with you who knows who you are: a beloved child of God.
And, there is only one person who is allowed to tell you who you are; not the ads on television, not the mean teacher from your past who told you that you would amount to nothing, not even your own self-critical voice that tell you that your are unlovable and not good enough; only Jesus gets to tell you who you are. You are beloved. You are worth dying for.
There is someone with you who can sit with the wild beasts and the angels alike in a field of eternal peace: Jesus Christ, the one who made it through the wilderness, the one who is beloved, and the one who loves us enough to save us all.
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