Big Idea - Jesus appears on the scene in the Gospel of Mark at the Jordan River and is baptized by John, then He is immediately driven into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. When we compare Mark's account with Matthew and Luke, it is extremely brief - 16 verses in Matthew compared with 5 in Mark. The main reason for this is that Mark keeps a laser-sharp focus on Jesus and only reveals details that tell us specific things about Jesus - who He is and by what power He is able to do so many extraordinary things. Mark introduces Jesus in this way in order to give us a key to understanding Jesus' life and ministry in the rest of the book. So, what does Mark want us to know and understand about Jesus before we dive into the rest of the book?
First, Mark wants us to understand that Jesus is God's dearly loved Son upon whom God has poured out the Holy Spirit in order to come down and do the mighty work of salvation that He promised long ago. Jesus' ministry is greater than John's. He will do mighty works of healing and will teach with great power by the power of the Holy Spirit. He will baptize His followers with the Holy Spirit because He himself has been baptized with the Holy Spirit. Secondly, Jesus will be effective and powerful in ministry, not only because the Spirit is in Him, but also because He is fully submitted to the leading and control of the Spirit in is life. The Spirit is of no benefit if He is not in control and Jesus is fully obedient to the Spirit in every way. The Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness to be tested by Satan. Why does Jesus need to be tested by Satan in the wilderness? Aren't there just as many temptations in the city or at home? The wilderness is a special place for testing because Jesus loses all control over His life in the wilderness. He is with the wild animals - wild because they are untamed, beyond human control. Jesus has nothing and is in control of nothing when He is in the wilderness. He has only God to care for Him and protect Him - so He waits on God and trusts in Him alone for 40 days. And God proves faithful in caring for His dearly loved Son, sending angels to minister to Him. Adam and Eve had everything in the garden and were given dominion over all the earth, but they fell into temptation over the one thing that was off-limits. By giving into that temptation, they gave Satan control over their lives and control over all humanity from that day onward. Now Jesus faces the same test over who will have control over His life, God or Satan. He faces the test without anything and with control over nothing. He proves to be much different than Adam and Eve and submits fully to God alone.
After this time of testing, Jesus came to Galilee and began to announce that the time was fulfilled and God's kingdom had drawn near. This is indeed good news, the Gospel of God. But what did He mean by the kingdom, and how close is it? Has it truly arrived, or is it just close and coming soon? In terms of the movie theater - is it "coming soon" or is it "now showing?" It is best to understand Jesus announcing that the Kingdom is now showing - it has indeed arrived. But what exactly does that mean? What is the kingdom of God? It is the rule of God over the hearts of people. When Adam and Eve gave in to temptation, they gave Satan and sin control over their lives, and God no longer ruled over their hearts. All humanity has inherited the same rebellious heart, and even the best of the OT characters failed to follow God wholeheartedly. The history of Israel is proof that people will not submit to God's rule. Jesus is announcing that the time is fulfilled when God will rule over the hearts of people because they will submit fully to His rule and authority. Jesus has just demonstrated that the rule of God, the kingdom, has arrived in Him because the rule of God is perfect and complete over His own life - even to the point of driving Him off into a barren and hostile wilderness! This is possible, as Jesus demonstrates by the power of the Holy Spirit, but also because Jesus does not have the same rebellious heart as Adam. Jesus has a very different nature and a very different heart. But it that all it means - that the Kingdom has arrived in Jesus, but it ends there - a very small kingdom of one? No, the truth is that the kingdom is now showing. It is here, and the option to live fully under God's rule will be available to any who seek it. This is possible because the ministry of Jesus, who will baptize His followers with the Holy Spirit, a result made possible by His death and resurrection, will give us a new heart and a new nature, fulfilling the promise of Ezekiel 36:26-27. Now, we can live under the rule of God in a way that has not been possible since the fall in the Garden of Eden! Like a movie theater, all you need to enter in to see what is now showing. The kingdom is now showing for all those who will enter in by repenting and believing!
