He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him — Mark's account of the testing is the briefest of the three Synoptics, containing no dialogue and no specific temptations listed. The forty days echo Israel's forty years, Moses's forty days on the mountain, and Elijah's forty-day journey to Horeb. The wild animals may represent the hostility of the wilderness, or may suggest the Edenic restoration of Isaiah 11:6–9, where the wolf lies with the lamb in the coming kingdom. The angels attending him (diakoneō, to serve) recalls Elijah's angel provision in the wilderness (1 Kings 19:5–8) and anticipates the angelic service that follows every moment of testing.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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