Wild Animals

October 26, 2021

All three Synoptic Gospels record Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness at the start of his public ministry, but Mark (1:3) merely gives us the headline without any detailed copy below except for one small detail: “He was with the wild beasts.”

Sometimes the nature of the struggle isn’t as significant as the fact that we wrestled with wild beasts, and survived. Deserts are harsh places; they aren’t the refreshing streams of Psalm 23, but are the flaming furnace of testing. If the place weren’t bad enough, wild animals are there, unpredictable and hungry for prey. Watchfulness is necessary—always being on guard. Fortunately, where there are animals, there are also angels. Our problem often is that it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference. What seems like the attack of the devil may be the admonishing of the Holy Spirit. These angels are no Raphaellen cherubs, but fierce warriors who strike fear into the hearts of those they meet.

Were it not for the insistence of the Holy Spirit driving us into desert places, we wouldn’t go, and finding ourselves there, we would think it the work of the devil. But it wasn’t Satan who drove Jesus into desert places. God did, that he might meet…and defeat the Enemy of our souls. And if Jesus had to enter the desert and face wild beasts, so must we. 

It’s often said that God doesn’t give us more than we can bear, but if that were so, why the need for angels here? God often gives us more than we can bear, but it never more than he can bear. For that, I am thankful tonight.