Baptism Under Fire

According to Mark 1:12-13, Jesus was immediately driven out into the Wilderness after his baptism. You might say that here his baptism came under fire from Satan. For forty days, Jesus was tempted as to the proper use of his power and the understanding of his mission as Messiah. Steadfastly, Jesus resisted the tests of Satan. At the completion of his time in the Wilderness, he possibly returned to keep company with John the Baptizer.

The Wilderness of Jesus' experience is southeast of Jerusalem toward the Dead Sea. The barren, chalky hills stand in stark contrast to other regions of the land. The Wilderness is an inhospitable place, home only to wild animals, shepherds and demons. The region is considered as such and thus capitalized as a proper name.

Groups from the Jerusalem Center choose to travel a portion of the Old Roman Road to Jericho and encounter the Wilderness near the Wadi Kelt. In other times, we often walked the wadi into New Testament Jericho. Such an experience with the region puts the student in touch with some of what Jesus suffered. Alone except for the angels and hungry, Jesus set the course for his ministry and sounded the initial blast of defeat for the malevolent powers of this world.