He's Already There: Mark 1:12-13

We are never abandoned.  Yet, with the increasing exposure to social media, it is easy to feel alone.  Even if I have a thousand friends that help me get ten-thousand likes every day by sharing all of my incredible creator-content, in the end it is still me interacting with a glass screen, some copper wire, and a whole bunch of electrons.  The illusion of popularity might be there, but the more I stare at a screen the more I am alone.  In fact, our planet is filled with more people than ever before in human history.  At the same time, our planet is filled with more people suffering from isolation and inability to navigate social interactions than ever before.  Just because our planet is crowded doesn’t mean we don’t experience being alone.

In today’s verses, we see Jesus thrown into the wilderness after being baptized.  But, wait a minute.  Wasn’t John the Baptizer teaching in the wilderness? 

John was teaching in the uninhabited spaces, but certainly not so far outside of civilization that he couldn’t be found by those who wanted to find him.  What good would it be to be a preacher if nobody could find you and hear what it was that you were teaching about? Jesus was tossed from the uninhabited spaces even further out.  Jesus was tossed where nobody wanted to go.  Jesus was tossed where most people couldn’t find Him even had they wanted to.

Jesus goes into the wilderness.   He goes to be tried by Satan.  He goes to be ministered to by the angels.  That means that Jesus wasn’t alone.  He may not have human contact, but He is far from alone.

We’re also never alone, either.  Even if we try to get away from everything, God does not abandon us.  If we go into the deepest of woods where only wolves tread, God is there for us.  If we go into the deepest of cities where only wolves in human clothing tread, God is there for us.  He is there with His angels to minister to us.  He is there to help us through the trials and temptation.  Jesus was not abandoned when He could have felt alone; neither are we.

It can be tempting to think that if we put aside the world and head into the uninhabited places we could lead a better life and be closer to God.  Who knows, there may be some truth to that statement.  Still, we would not be free from temptation.  We would not be free from our sinfulness.  Even when there is nobody else around for us to blame when things go wrong, we would still find ourselves in situations where we need God.  That’s why wherever we go, God is already there waiting for us and waiting to help us through.

We are never abandoned.