Jesus Tempted of Satan - Mark 1:13

Mark wrote, “And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him. And there came a voice from heaven, saying, You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And immediately the Spirit drove him into the wilderness”, and in chapter one and verse thirteen of his book, Mark wrote how Jesus, “was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan” where we read:

And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan;

and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

The verse reads, “And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan;” Mark began words, “and he was there” which means “and Jesus was at the place”“in the wilderness forty days” or “in the solitary, lonely, desolate and uninhabited place for forty days long”, “tempted of Satan” which means “was tried, tested maliciously and solicited by the accuser, adversary, the prince of evil spirits, the inveterate adversary of God and Christ”. Mark shared how Jesus spent “forty days” in the “solitary and lonely” place being “tested and tried” by the “accuser and adversary” who is the Devil.

The verse goes on to say, “and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.” Mark continued with the words, “and was with the wild beasts” which means “and Jesus was alongside and the brutal, bestial, savage and ferocious animals”; “and the angels” or “and the messengers and envoys from God” “ministered” or “served, attended, served and waited” “to him” which means “to Jesus”. Mark shared how Jesus spent His time in the “wilderness” with “wild animals” and afterward “God's envoys and attendants” served Him.

When we meditate upon Mark's words in this verse, we understand how Jesus was intentionally sent into the “wilderness” so He could be “tried and tempted” by “Satan”. He spent “forty days” there living among “wild animals”, and when the “forty days” were over, God's “angels” attended to Him. (See Matthew 4 and Luke 4 for more about Jesus' temptation by Satan) This too was part of God's plan to “save” people from their “sins”, and for Jesus to be able to identify with the “temptations” of mankind, He too needed to be “tempted”. Jesus was victorious over all the attempts of “Satan” to make Him fail, and because He prevailed, all who believe and trust in Him shall be “saved” from their “sins” and receive “everlasting life” with God.

Next time Mark writes what happened, “after that John was put into prison”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".