Fierce Landscapes

 The Spirit immediately drove him (Jesus) into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days… (vs. Mark 1:12-13a)

Following his baptism by John in the Jordan River, Jesus is driven by the Spirit to this arid bioregion known as the Judean Wilderness. The word driven in Greek is the same word used when Jesus drove demons out of people. He’s being forcefully compelled, and he doesn’t have a say in the matter. This wilderness sojourn will be a forty-day quarantine from both the political oppression of Rome and the religious oppression of the Pharisees.  It will be a season of preparation for his mission and ministry. 

The Judean Wilderness extends from the mountainous region of western Judea to the Dead Sea in the east. Its mountains, cliffs, hills, and plateaus are interrupted by riverbeds and canyons, which have drop offs as much as 1500 feet. This land is both inviting and unhospitable; breathtaking and unforgiving. 

The Greek word used for wilderness in this passage describes not a desolate place lacking in vegetation, rather a place of solitude that lacks population. This landscape will serve as a threshold space for Jesus to endure physical, emotional, and spiritual tests. We might be tempted to not see the Judean Wilderness as an additional character in this passage. Make no mistake. It is. There’s a spiritual corollary in that the fiercer the landscape or situation, then greater is the need to navigate the inner terrain of the soul as well. If allowed, the terrain will act as a mirror. 

We witness this time and time again at camp as campers encounter camp’s landscape. And it has equally as much to do with the aspects of camp that enable one to have solitude and feel connected with God’s creation. For many campers, the inner terrain of their psyches and souls can be as unforgiving as the Judean Wilderness. Yet as we read of Jesus’ wilderness rite, we see how he leaves the wilderness with a razor focus about his ministry and mission. He needed to be tested. We need to be tested. He leaned in on his reliance on God. We too must learn to lean into our reliance on God in all things. Especially in seasons where trials, pain, grief, and loss are weighing on our hearts. 

May we remember that the mountain, the desert, the wilderness all has something to mirror to us about our own faith formation and growth as disciples. Are we aware enough to see it? 

- Published in Skyridge Church of the Brethren (Kalamazoo, MI) 2021 Lenten Devotional