Weekly Bible Notes

Weekly Bible Notes, 9th March 2003

Lent 1

Year B, Purple

First Reading: Genesis 9:8-17

The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.
Temptation of Jesus

Epistle Reading: 1 Peter 3:18-22
Gospel Reading: Mark 1:9-15
Commentary: Evil
Prayers: for Sunday and the week ahead

Opening Verse of Scripture—Psalm 25:4

Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.

Collect Prayer for the Day—Before we read we pray

Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ fasted forty days in the wilderness, and was tempted as we are, yet without sin: give us grace to discipline ourselves in obedience to your Spirit; and, as you know our weakness, so may we know your power to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

First Bible Reading  Genesis 9:8-17

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you--the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you--every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." 

And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." 

So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth." 

The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) (This is the word of the Lord. All: Thanks be to God)

Epistle Reading: 1 Peter 3:18-22 

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also, not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him. (This is the word of the Lord. All: Thanks be to God)

Gospel Reading: Mark 1:9-15 

At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." 

At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. 

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (This is the word of the Lord. All: Thanks be to God)

Post Communion Prayer

Lord God, you have renewed us with the living bread from heaven; by it you nourish our faith, increase our hope, and strengthen our love: teach us always to hunger for him who is the true and living bread, and enable us to live by every word that proceeds from out of your mouth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Commentary: Evil 

The passage from Mark tells us about the titanic struggle with evil which took place right at the start of the ministry of Jesus. He has just been through the uplifting experience of hearing the voice of God and seeing the heavens torn apart, then it is back down to earth with a bump and he is tempted to do the wrong thing. 

This is a struggle of cosmic proportions, Jesus takes on the Devil and the scene is played out in the wilderness where the nation of Israel had spent 40 years after their escape from Egypt. Jesus was in the wilderness forty days and the number is significant. Forty is a number often associated with intense spiritual experiences. God caused it to rain for forty days and forty nights to cleanse the earth (Gen. 7:12). The Israelites were in the wilderness forty years. Moses spent forty days and nights on Mount Sinai (Exod. 34:28), and Elijah journeyed forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8).

We might think that, following the baptism, the angels would come to minister to Jesus or there would be some sort of celebration with the song of heavenly hosts. Nevertheless in all of the Gospels Jesus goes straight from his baptism into his temptation. We might think of his baptism as a commissioning and his temptation as a strengthening, toughening, hardening experience. Having made his choice of service to God, he immediately goes through basic training. 

We might be surprised that it is when Jesus makes the right decision and accepts the path of God that he is thrown into such immediate confrontation with the Devil. But if we are honest, it is when we are seeking to do the right thing that we are often brought into situations of conflict. If we want an easy life then we turn a blind eye, we avoid trouble and in so doing become collaborators, we are tainted also. 

Through the life of Jesus we can clearly see that he was not prepared to keep quiet about the abuses which surrounded him, much of which was organised by the religious leaders. It is good to remember that peace and tranquility is not promised to the faithful Christian. Jesus lays down the expectation that the life of a Christian will not be characterized by a long series of high moments, but a rhythm of hills and valleys.

Mention is made of Jesus being with wild beasts, why would Mark mention wild animals? It is thought that Mark's Gospel was probably written in the 60s when Nero was having Christians torn to pieces. Given the ravaging of Christians by ferocious animals during Nero's reign, it is not difficult to imagine Mark including the unusual phrase 'with the wild beasts' in order to remind his Roman readers that Christ, too, was thrown to wild beasts, and as the angels ministered to him, so, too, will they minister to Roman Christians facing martyrdom. 

Wild animals also intensify the foreboding character of the wilderness, as Jesus confronts the horror, the loneliness and the danger with which the wilderness is fraught. Throughout Israel's history, the wilderness has been where the Israelites have been tested, often failing, but it is also where they have been deepened spiritually. Unlike the Israelites, Jesus will not fail his testing.

Everybody is talking about evil. President Bush has declared that there is an ‘axis of evil’ out there somewhere, and that we have to find the evil people and stop them doing any more evil. Our own Prime Minister has declared, ambitiously, that our aim must be nothing short of ridding the world of evil. The public and press cried ‘Evil’ at the terrible Soham murders; and we say the same about the sudden rise of gun crime on our streets. 

The awareness of Evil and the willingness to use this spiritual word is perhaps surprising. As Christians our message must be clear, Jesus is not overpowered by evil - he has triumphed over the Devil and trust and obedience to him is the only way for us to defeat evil. Charles Royden


Hymns (Mission Praise)

  1. At the name of Jesus (Tune: Camberwell) 
  2.  I want to walk with Jesus Christ 
  3. Forty days and forty night (tune: Glad with thee) 
  4. As the deer 
  5. Be thou my vision

Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead.

Holy God, You make and remake us in your image; renew us now through the power of your Spirit that we may live our lives with integrity, not clinging to the ways of the world but choosing the way of your truth. Amen.

Holy Lord, you made water a sign of your kingdom. Through the waters you saved Noah and his family. Through your Son, you promised forgiveness to those who are baptized. By the gift of the Spirit we are inheritors of eternal life. When our lives are shaken by the storms and droughts of this world, remember your promise and bring us to life in you. Amen

A Prayer for Reconciliation 
Gracious God, ruling the earth and its people not by terror but in love; we worship you. We confess that too often our words hurt others and our deeds are selfish; forgive us. In this time of uncertainty and fear, help us to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us, in the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Two Prayers for Peace 
Almighty Father, whose will is to restore all things in your beloved Son, the king of all: govern the hearts and minds of those in authority, and bring the families of the nations, divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin, to be subject to his just and gentle rule; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

O God, who would fold both heaven and earth in a single peace: Let the design of thy great love lighten upon the waste of our wraths and sorrows: and give peace to thy Church, peace among nations, peace in our dwellings, and peace in our hearts: through thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.


First Reading: Genesis 9:8-17
Gospel Reading: 1 Peter 3:18-22
Commentary: Mark 1:9-15
Meditation: Evil
Prayers: for Sunday and the week ahead
Intercessions
Sermon: Evil and the Temptations

 

Top of Page