Testing Ground (Mark 1:9-15)

Before any new vehicle can be sold, whether it is a car, motorcycle, truck or even a tank, it is thoroughly tested to make sure that it is safe, reliable, and able to do what the car maker says it will do. This happens at specially designed Testing or Proving Grounds, where vehicles are put through a punishing series of tests. These tests prove that the vehicle is well built and able to take on any challenge it might face.

For an idea of what happens at these Proving Grounds, here is a short YouTube clip about a Volvo facility in Sweden.

In this week’s gospel reading, Mark 1:9-15, we have three short episodes describing what happened to Jesus to prepare him for the three years of ministry leading up to his crucifixion and resurrection. The first is his baptism, where his identity as God’s Son was affirmed. The third episode tells us about the start of Jesus’ ministry where he proclaimed that the Kingdom of God was near to all people through him. Jesus gave witness to the nearness of God’s Kingdom in his words and actions over the following three years.

In between these first and third episodes is Mark’s account of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. He leaves out a lot of the details that Matthew and Luke include in their versions of the story. Mark just tells us that, after his baptism,

The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, where he was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him. (vv12,13 NLT)

Mark’s brief account of the temptation of Jesus provides a crucial link between his baptism and the beginning of his earthly ministry.

Sometimes we can think of a ‘test’ as something we can either pass of fail. Especially if our schooling included a lot of sitting tests or examinations, where it was expected that we should pass and not fail the test, we can think about Jesus’ temptation in the same way. The Greek word Mark uses in verse 13 can mean ‘temptation’ as being ‘tempted’ to do wrong in a pass or fail kind of way. However, the word can also mean a ‘test’ in the same way that the vehicles at the Testing or Proving Ground are tested. The main goal of these tests aren’t to see if the cars or trucks will pass or fail. Instead, the purpose of the Testing or Proving Ground is to prove that the vehicle can do what their designers intended. They are put through rigorous and often punishing tests to refine and improve them, making them stronger or better. Jesus’ testing in the wilderness wasn’t about whether he would pass or fail. It was proving that he had what it takes as God’s Son.

Just like a vehicle can face extraordinary conditions to prepare it for what’s ahead, the Holy Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness to go through intense and extraordinary testing by Satan in God’s Proving Ground. We can read more details of Jesus’ testing in Matthew and Luke, but Mark keeps it simple by writing that Jesus was with the wild animals and angels (v13). The wild animals were a physical threat to Jesus like the more extreme obstacles on the Testing Ground can challenge the physical construction of the vehicle. At the same time, the angels were present with Jesus to look after him like mechanics and pit crews look after a vehicle. Through all the tests thrown at him, Jesus proved that God could be trusted and his faith would sustain him in any challenges.

We can go through testing times in our lives as well. While the Holy Spirit might not drive us into the wilderness in the same way that he did with Jesus, we can still go through trials, struggles and other experiences that can feel like we’re in a wilderness surrounded by wild animals. During these times, it is important to trust in Jesus and find strength in him.

We can do that by relying on the identity God gives us, just like Jesus did. I wonder how many times during his forty days in the desert Jesus remembered his baptism and the voice that identified him as God’s Son whom he loved and with whom he is pleased. When we go through testing times, it is helpful to remember that we are God’s children through baptism. He loves us unconditionally and he is pleased with us, even before we do anything, because of Christ who lives in us and with whom we are united, as Paul tells us in Romans 6:3-5.

We can also find strength in Jesus by remembering that his time in the wilderness wasn’t a pass or fail kind of test. It was a time for him to be refined, strengthened, and developed as God’s Son, just like vehicles on the Proving Grounds are refined, strengthened, and developed. During times of testing and trials, we can learn to rely on God and trust in the identity he gives us so we can remain spiritually strong and healthy. Like Jesus, our own wilderness experiences can prepare us for what’s coming as God proves he can be trusted.

Thirdly, we can find strength in Jesus because our times of testing and trials are preparing us for what is coming. Just as Jesus’ wilderness experience got him ready to proclaim the good news of God’s coming Kingdom, when we go through our personal Proving Grounds, God prepares us to share the good news of his Kingdom with others. We can tell people how God looked after us, cared for us, provided for us, and equipped us with every good thing we needed because of his love for us in Jesus. Those times we find peace, love and grace in God’s Kingdom give us good news to share with others as we participate with Jesus in the mission of proclaiming God’s Kingdom coming to us.

I’m glad that the vehicles we drive or ride spend time on the Proving Grounds like the one in the video. It reassures us that they can be trusted and they will do the job they were designed to do. As Jesus went through his own personal and spiritual Proving Ground after being baptised and before he began his ministry of announcing God’s coming Kingdom in word and deed, he proved for his own benefit and for ours that God our Father can always be trusted in times of trial and testing. When we face these same times in our lives, when we go through our own wilderness times, and when the devil challenges our identity as God’s children whom he loves and with whom he is please, we can rely on Jesus who went through the most severe Testing Ground ever and proved that God will do what he says.

More to think about or discuss:

• What do you think about the way vehicles are tested at a vehicle Testing or Proving Ground? How does that shape your view of the vehicle you drive or ride?
• How do you think Jesus’ baptism might have helped him during his time in the wilderness? How might his time in the wilderness have prepared him for his mission of proclaiming the coming Kingdom of God?
• How can these three episodes help you when you are going through your own trials or testing times in life?