<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Mark 1;12&amp;13<div><br></div><div><b>12. &nbsp;The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.</b></div><div><b>13. &nbsp;And he was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to him.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Before Jesus began his public ministry, he first was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted privately by Satan.</div><div><br></div><div>This&nbsp;would appear to be a lesson for us all. &nbsp;Our outward public life is founded upon&nbsp;private testing, learning to walk by the Spirit doing battle with temptation. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Matthew and Luke tell us more than Mark concerning Jesus in the wilderness. &nbsp;They add that Jesus fasted,&nbsp;was hungry,&nbsp;the three temptations of Satan, and how Jesus always used God’s Word to reply to&nbsp;Satan. &nbsp;Luke adds that after these temptations <i>“the devil </i><i>departed from Him&nbsp;until an opportune time” </i>(Luke 4;13). (Personally I believe we can hear the voice of Satan coming from the crowd,&nbsp;hurling more temptations at Jesus as he hung crucified on the cross, as well as throughout his earthly life.)</div><div><br></div><div>Why does Mark not give us such details? &nbsp;Instead, he gives us one little&nbsp;bit of information which Matthew and Luke do not. &nbsp;Mark records, <i>“and he </i>(Jesus) <i>was with the wild beasts”. &nbsp;(</i>All three of the synoptic gospels tell us that angels ministered to him.)</div><div><br></div><div>What might be Mark’s reason for including that? &nbsp;I do not&nbsp;think&nbsp; some parts of the&nbsp;holy, inspired, living Word of God have no purpose, or that God’s Word&nbsp;includes unimportant unnecessary trivia, which may be discounted or disregarded. &nbsp;No, Jesus teaches us, <i>“Man does not live on bread alone, but by <u>every word</u>&nbsp;that proceeds from the mouth of God.” &nbsp;</i>(Matthew 4;4)</div><div><br></div><div>So what are we to consider concerning the <i>“wild beasts”&nbsp;</i>? &nbsp; Did Mark add this to indicate something fearful concerning the wild animals in the wilderness? &nbsp; I do not think so. &nbsp; Nothing in creation frightens our Lord.</div><div><br></div><div>The wind and the waves know Jesus and obey him. (Mark 41;4)&nbsp; The stars&nbsp;sing in praise of the works of God. (Job 38;7). &nbsp;The great Leviathan speaks softly to him&nbsp;making petitions and the Lord plays with him. &nbsp;(Job 41;1-5)&nbsp;&nbsp;Romans 8;19 teaches that, <i>“Creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” &nbsp;</i>God shuts the mouths of lions. (Daniel 6;22). No, creation is not a fearful thing to&nbsp;Jesus.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;I believe Satan waited for his demons to first take their best shots at Jesus throughout the forty days of fasting. &nbsp;(Satan waited until the end of the forty days to come to Jesus.). These ‘wild beasts’ may well have been unholy fallen angels in animal forms. &nbsp;Just as Satan’s demons are able to take the form of animals and serve as unclean familiar spirits sent to deceive those foolish enough to consult mediums.</div><div><br></div><div>I have never read any commentaries addressing this question concerning the <i>“wild beasts” </i>found in Mark. &nbsp;But, understanding how all nature and the cosmos of&nbsp;creation is subject to our God, then, the &nbsp; word <i>“wild”</i>&nbsp;may refer to those parts of creation which for now remain in rebellion with Satan against our God.</div><div><br></div><div>Is it not a fearful thought to realize that this&nbsp;very same rebellion is still infecting our own flesh? &nbsp;God has allowed us to remain in these, <i>“bodies of death” &nbsp;</i>(Romans 7;24)&nbsp;&nbsp;in order that we with Jesus learn how to, <i>“by the Spirit put to death the deeds of the body.” &nbsp;</i>(Romans 8;13)</div><div><br></div><div>The Holy Spirit has been given to us so that we may have power to exercise dominion over our own resident&nbsp;sin nature. &nbsp;It is not just Jesus who is led by the Spirit into the wilderness…we are now in it as well. &nbsp;The number 40 represents fullness of time, completion. &nbsp;Our time here on earth, since our baptism,&nbsp; is our time in the wilderness. &nbsp;Be assured, God’s holy angels are ministering to us&nbsp;(as we pray in Luther’s Morning and Evening&nbsp;Prayers). While here on earth we abide in the Word with broken, contrite hearts, calling upon the name of the Lord, and are safe in His Name. &nbsp;Invoking the name of Jesus makes Satan and the demons flee.</div><div><br></div><div>We are not defenseless in the wilderness, we have the same irresistible,<span>&nbsp;powerful, deadly weapon which Jesus had, God’s living Word, the Sword of the Spirit. &nbsp;Learn to wield it.</span></div><div><span>This flesh we live in is our wilderness, Satan’s has not departed, he <i>“prowls around like a roaring lion,&nbsp;seeking&nbsp;some&nbsp;one to devour.” &nbsp;</i>(1 Peter 5;8)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, bless us to understand, we are in the wilderness. &nbsp;Make us alert to the devil’s attacks. &nbsp;Grant us wisdom to exercise self-control, to put to death the deeds of the body, to wield the Sword of the Spirit, Your most holy Word. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric</span></div><div><span>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Mark 1;12&13
12.  The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.13.  And he was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to him.
Before Jesus began his public ministry, he first was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted privately by Satan.
This would appear to be a lesson for us all.  Our outward public life is founded upon private testing, learning to walk by the Spirit doing battle with temptation.  
Matthew and Luke tell us more than Mark concerning Jesus in the wilderness.  They add that Jesus fasted, was hungry, the three temptations of Satan, and how Jesus always used God’s Word to reply to Satan.  Luke adds that after these temptations “the devil departed from Him until an opportune time” (Luke 4;13). (Personally I believe we can hear the voice of Satan coming from the crowd, hurling more temptations at Jesus as he hung crucified on the cross, as well as throughout his earthly life.)
Why does Mark not give us such details?  Instead, he gives us one little bit of information which Matthew and Luke do not.  Mark records, “and he (Jesus) was with the wild beasts”.  (All three of the synoptic gospels tell us that angels ministered to him.)
What might be Mark’s reason for including that?  I do not think  some parts of the holy, inspired, living Word of God have no purpose, or that God’s Word includes unimportant unnecessary trivia, which may be discounted or disregarded.  No, Jesus teaches us, “Man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”  (Matthew 4;4)
So what are we to consider concerning the “wild beasts” ?   Did Mark add this to indicate something fearful concerning the wild animals in the wilderness?   I do not think so.   Nothing in creation frightens our Lord.
The wind and the waves know Jesus and obey him. (Mark 41;4)  The stars sing in praise of the works of God. (Job 38;7).  The great Leviathan speaks softly to him making petitions and the Lord plays with him.  (Job 41;1-5)  Romans 8;19 teaches that, “Creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.”  God shuts the mouths of lions. (Daniel 6;22). No, creation is not a fearful thing to Jesus.
 I believe Satan waited for his demons to first take their best shots at Jesus throughout the forty days of fasting.  (Satan waited until the end of the forty days to come to Jesus.). These ‘wild beasts’ may well have been unholy fallen angels in animal forms.  Just as Satan’s demons are able to take the form of animals and serve as unclean familiar spirits sent to deceive those foolish enough to consult mediums.
I have never read any commentaries addressing this question concerning the “wild beasts” found in Mark.  But, understanding how all nature and the cosmos of creation is subject to our God, then, the   word “wild” may refer to those parts of creation which for now remain in rebellion with Satan against our God.
Is it not a fearful thought to realize that this very same rebellion is still infecting our own flesh?  God has allowed us to remain in these, “bodies of death”  (Romans 7;24)  in order that we with Jesus learn how to, “by the Spirit put to death the deeds of the body.”  (Romans 8;13)
The Holy Spirit has been given to us so that we may have power to exercise dominion over our own resident sin nature.  It is not just Jesus who is led by the Spirit into the wilderness…we are now in it as well.  The number 40 represents fullness of time, completion.  Our time here on earth, since our baptism,  is our time in the wilderness.  Be assured, God’s holy angels are ministering to us (as we pray in Luther’s Morning and Evening Prayers). While here on earth we abide in the Word with broken, contrite hearts, calling upon the name of the Lord, and are safe in His Name.  Invoking the name of Jesus makes Satan and the demons flee.
We are not defenseless in the wilderness, we have the same irresistible, powerful, deadly weapon which Jesus had, God’s living Word, the Sword of the Spirit.  Learn to wield it.This flesh we live in is our wilderness, Satan’s has not departed, he “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour.”  (1 Peter 5;8)
Prayer:  Merciful Father, bless us to understand, we are in the wilderness.  Make us alert to the devil’s attacks.  Grant us wisdom to exercise self-control, to put to death the deeds of the body, to wield the Sword of the Spirit, Your most holy Word.  In Jesus we pray, Amen
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”


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