He was tested by Satan. Homily for the 1st Sunday of Lent, Year B.

The brief prelude to Mark’s gospel begins with the proclamation of John the Baptist. Jesus is then baptised, and then the Spirit drives Jesus out into the desert. Jesus is baptised by John the Baptist in the waters of the Jordan. The Spirit, who has just descended upon Jesus at his baptism, now drives him out into the desert where he is tested by Satan. By juxtaposing these two episodes Mark is making a theological statement. Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan before he begins his public ministry evokes the people of Israel passing through the waters of the sea as the great Exodus journey begins. And just as Jesus was tested in the desert, the forty-year sojourn in the desert is also a time of testing for God’s people. So, here in chapter 1, Mark is announcing that his gospel is about a new and greater Exodus.