Delivered by Gail Ray
Today, on the 1st Sunday of Lent, we begin to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Here, we’ll learn how he related to God the Father and how we need to as well. So, where are his footsteps taking us? We begin today where his ministry began, at the Jordan River…
One of the favorite places people love to visit when going to the Holy Land is the Jordan River, especially when they get to be baptized or renew their baptismal vows at that very special place. (Both Gail Ray and Mary Ellen Schultze have been there.) And not even the frigid cold water of the Jordan in January seems to slow people down from wanting to be immersed in its waters. Why? ‘Because this is a very holy place (‘set apart for God’s purposes’). It’s where Jesus decided to align himself with humanity, to begin to ‘stand in the gap’ for us before God, and—for today’s purposes—where his ministry began, as well.
So, we’re going to the Jordan River … and then we follow Jesus’ footsteps into the Wilderness of Judea—a very real place that’s still ‘wilderness’ today. And there Jesus is tempted … just as you & I are…
Listen, now, as we go to our Bible story for today from the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 1, and beginning with verse 9…
One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. 10 As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” 12 The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, 13 where he was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him. – Mark 1:9-13 (NLT)
I don’t know about you, but as an adult, I just can’t seem to get over some of the ‘why’ questions of life … like these:
Why did Jesus, of all people (one who was ‘sinless’), have to be baptized (an act of repentance from sin)? And…
Why did Jesus, of all people, have to spend 40 days in the wilderness of Judea being tempted (it seems the Son of God could have got an exemption from this)?
Have you ever asked yourself those questions? Today, we’re going to ask them together, because I believe that in the midst of answering these questions we’re going to learn why these realities were important in Jesus’ life … are why they’re important in our lives today! Let’s begin with the first question:
WHY JESUS’ BAPTISM? Verses 9-11, again, read: “One day Jesus came from Nazareth in 
Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. 10 As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice from heaven said, ‘You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.’”
You know, even in the first century, Christians were a bit unsettled by John’s baptism of Jesus; they wondered, just as I have (and maybe you, too), why one who ‘knew no sin’ went through a baptism, which basically indicated a repentance from sin. Well, let me see if I can explain a little bit simply by describing what all Jesus’ baptism has come to mean…
Baptism, itself, has come to mean many things. For instance, its here in this story we begin to see the first glimpse of what Christians have come to know as ‘the Trinity’: The Son came to be baptized; the Father spoke; the Spirit descended… (If you ever play ‘Bible Trivia,’ you’d better hang on to this one!)
For Jesus, in particular, his baptism was an absolutely defining act:
In that moment, he voluntarily chose to ‘get his hands dirty,’ so to speak; by stepping into the water of baptism, he identified himself, personally, with sinners…
In that moment, he also heard an affirmation from God the Father; Jesus was God’s beloved Son…
And finally, in that moment, Jesus received/was filled with … the Spirit’s power!
All of this marked the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Jesus’ baptism was an ordination in which he was set aside and empowered for his ministry of drawing people to God, inviting them into God’s kingdom, demonstrating God’s will, and ultimately laying down his life for humanity … so that God’s plan for us would be fulfilled!
And for us, as Christ’s followers, baptism is also meant as a defining act:
Through our baptism … we’re claimed by God, anointed with the Spirit, and set aside for God’s purposes (made ‘holy’)…
Through our baptism … our brokenness is recognized and God’s grace is promised…
Through our baptism … we’re initiated into, and become a part of, God’s covenant community—the Church!
We’re meant to remember our baptisms every single day! Did you know that? For it’s in remembering our baptism that we also remember God’s promise of forgiveness for our sins, that we’re called to ministry, that the Holy Spirit resides in us and empowers us, and that we are—in fact—God’s children…
Several years ago now, there was a church who wanted to help people remember their baptisms every day, so they gave them some help. They prepared a simple prayer, printed it on a plastic card, and then attached a rubber band to it for hanging. Then they invited their people to hang the prayer in the shower, so every time they stepped into the water, they could recite this prayer and remember their baptism. It went like this:
Lord, as I enter the water to bathe, I remember my baptism. Wash me by your grace. Fill me with your Spirit. Renew my soul. I pray that I might live as your child today and honor you in all that I do. Amen.
Just as Jesus’ baptism was a defining moment in his life/ministry, it should be in ours, too. Don’t ever forget you have God’s forgiveness, you’re called to a life of ministry, filled with the Holy Spirit, and you are God’s kid! Don’t ever forget that! Now, on to this…
WHY JESUS’ TEMPTATION? Verse 12 explains: “The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, 13where he was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him.” Jesus’ baptism must have been a very pivotal event because … immediately … Jesus was ‘compelled’ (that’s more than ‘nudged’) by the Spirit to head toward the wilderness. That’s where we follow Jesus’ footsteps next…
I want you to know today that the number ‘40’ is significant here: ‘40’ is the length of time Jesus was in the wilderness—a period of time whereby God would prepare Jesus for his ministry…
Did you know that ‘40’ is also the number of days during the season of Lent (less Sundays)? And this is a season whereby God prepares us (through repentance & self-examination) for the ministry of our lives—to be ready for all he calls us to…
So, each year when we go through the season of Lent, if we’re truly allowing this time to be about repentance & self-examination, we too are following in the footsteps of Jesus…
It was in the Judean wilderness that Jesus was ‘tempted’ for 40 days and 40 nights; that’s a lot of temptation, isn’t it? Now, we don’t know all the temptations Jesus went through during those 40 days. We DO KNOW, however, at least three … because Jesus would have shared these with his disciples; and I believe Jesus shared these particular ones because he knew this is where we’d ‘wrestle with the devil’ someday, too…
Jesus FIRST TEMPTATION was about FOOD; anyone ever been tempted there? It’s actually happened throughout history: There’s Adam & Eve in the Garden with the apple; there’s Esau, selling his birthright to Jacob for porridge; and the Israelites in the wilderness, wanting to trade manna for cucumber sandwiches back in Egypt!
Today, we too struggle with temptations related to food—tempted to eat too much or the wrong things… Folks, Jesus was tempted to break his fast, giving in to the hunger he must have felt, but he didn’t; instead, he showed us we can trust God for the most basic of necessities in life!
Jesus SECOND TEMPTATION was to be ‘EVEL KNIEVEL’ (‘Anyone remember him?)! We all have a tendency to desire the affirmation and affection of others by doing crazy things sometimes, don’t we? However, God was calling Jesus to ‘win friends and influence people’ not by a foolish stunt, but by bearing a crown of thorns in an act of sacrificial love…
Jesus THIRD TEMPTATION was about WEALTH & POWER! This temptation is the one that so many fall to; they allow the enticing draw of wealth & power to actually become LORD of their lives … instead of Jesus! Jesus could’ve gone this way, abandoning the world to its own self-destruction, but he didn’t; he stayed on God’s path and saved you and me…
Folks, most of us have struggled with the temptation of wealth & power, one way or another; the decision we make can be pivotal, too! Are we going to trust God for our every need? Finally, I want you to know…
The ‘wilderness’ itself is also significant in today’s story. I’ve been to that Judean wilderness at least a couple of times. Some people think of a plush, green jungle setting when they read this section of scripture, but it looks more like the deserts of our Southwest than a jungle—truly a place of potential desolation…
When I’ve been there, I thought of these biblical connections to this wilderness: Elijah, the prophet, fleeing from Queen Jezebel who sought to kill him; David, who fled from King Saul, and lived amongst the caves, writing psalms such as, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?” Then there’s Moses, living in the wilderness of Sinai for years—a fugitive running from Pharaoh’s hand…
I want you to know that all these stories, folks, have one thing in common: God met each of these people as they spent a time of their lives … in the wilderness! And what was true for them … is true for us today! All of us spend some time during our lives … in the wilderness, don’t we? For all of us, there are times during our lives that leave us feeling hopeless and all alone. Yet, when we pay attention and listen, God comes to us and uses the wilderness to stre
ngthen us and bless us…
And just as Jesus faced the Tempter and countered him with God’s word, so we need to learn to do the same (which means we may need to get to know God’s word better this year)! Scripture is always a good place to start when we’re feeling tempted…
For me, however, this is the most powerful thought from this part of Jesus’ journey in ministry: It is so comforting to know that Jesus felt the power of these temptations … just like you and I do! God’s word reminds us of that (Heb. 4:15-16):
This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Walking in Jesus’ footsteps begins with baptism, but will inevitably include temptation at some point. The Way of Christ includes striving to resist temptation (and we’re empowered through the Spirit to do just that). But if we do fall to temptation, we know that … as God’s kids … we can ‘come boldly to the throne of our gracious God … [and] there we will receive mercy.’ Lord, help us to walk in the footsteps of your Son, Jesus…