Embracing the Wilderness

"In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. ¹¹And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’

12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. ¹³He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him."
Mark 1:9-13


"Kai Uthus." "And Immediately." It's a phrase that repeats over and over in the gospel of Mark. "And immediately the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness." It's a phrase of energy and urgency. It moves the good news story along a dizzying clip, but it is nowhere as jarring as the first time Mark used it.

After the heavens realign and angel choirs welcome the Christ child into the world, we have a 30 year silence before Mark begins his account of the gospel. John prepares the way for the one who will wash us in the Spirit. Jesus begins his ministry by going under with all those in need of repentance and emerges to a Divine word of affirmation. Kai uthus. And immediately.

And immediately the Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness. Matthew and Luke both have Jesus being "led" by the Spirit into the wilderness, but Mark won't have any part of something so gentle. No, Mark has the Spirit driving, thrusting, propelling Jesus into the desert, the wilderness, the barrenness.

This part of the story has caught hold of me the last few weeks. I brought a question that was born out of that driving Spirit into worship Sunday, and I've received more feedback from it than any sermon for a while. So, I thought I would pick up my wondering here.

The question is pretty simple. What if bouts in the wilderness are an essential part of life in the Spirit?


Wilderness and desert themes play big in scripture. Jesus' ministry begins with a Divine affirmation, but immediately leads to an extended stay in the wilderness. He's in good company with Abraham, who wandered in the desert between the promise and the birth of Isaac; with Israel that wandered 40 years between the liberation from Egypt and the enterance of the promised land; with David who hid in desert caves between finding God's favor and stepping to the throne; with Elisha who dwelled in the wilderness between recieving Elijah's spirit and bringing God's word to his people...
You get the point.

And the theme doesn't end in scripture. Throughout the history of the church the "desert" or "wilderness" has come to represent all the barren and harsh places in our lives. They are the places of trial and abandonment where we are forced to realize that we are not in control. The wilderness is the terrifying space where we are completely vulnerable and completely dependant.

From Adam onward, the wilderness has been a part of the journey.

But this doesn't fit with much of what we are told in North American Christianity, does it? We are led to believe that "life in the Spirit" means constant joy, creativity and energy. We are left to assume that any period of wilderness is the result of Satan's activity or our own sin's alienating power. But what if that's not always the case?

What if there are seasons when the Spirit drives us out? What if there is a Divine Wisdom in wilderness that can be learned nowhere else? What if seasons in the desert are simply part of the path we are on following Jesus? What if the wilderness is an essential part of life in the Spirit?

The church throughout the ages certainly seems to affirm that this is the case. We have a rich history of writing on the unique role wilderness plays in the life of the church. It is a history that includes the desert fathers and mothers of the early church and St. John of the Cross with his "Dark Night Of the Soul". But it also includes some great modern works that speak of "The Solace of Fierce Landscapes" and "The Wisdom of Wilderness."

So if those wilderness experiences of abandonment and loss of control are a part of life in the Spirit, I wonder what it means to embrace them? I think this is where the whole question gets interesting for me. I mean, I want to follow the Spirit and trust in God's provision wherever that leads me. But what does it look like to really embrace the wilderness? Not just endure it, or pray to be out of it, but to accept it and allow it to shape me.

What did Israel need to learn in the desert before they were ready to be planted in a land of their own? What did David need to learn cowering in a cave while Saul searched him out before he was ready to assume the throne? What did Jesus need to do in the desert before he could stand on the street corner and proclaim that the Kingdom of God had drawn near?

Whare are the wilderness places in me? In you? In our church? In our world? What does it mean to embrace them? What do we have to learn from them? And what might they be preparing us for?

It's been a week of questions for me. I invite you to add any questions or answers from your own journey. And good luck embracing the wilderness.