the eighth day

There is a wonderful Christian tradition in the fourth century of the desert fathers, some of whom might be regarded with some suspicion today… these people chose the desert as a place for reflection – not on mere theology, but as a way of understanding life against the trend of society. They were looking for personal transformation, not mere information. And they realised that they were being transformed in society.

(We might also remember that the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years before entering the Promised Land. Some preachers have suggested that it took months to get the Israelites out of Egypt, and much longer to get Egypt out of the Israelites.)

That Jesus finds his way into the desert is no accident, and its reporting to us no mere matter of fact. The gospel writers are seeking to point something out to us which is essential for all those who would follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

I’d like to offer three simple thoughts, illustrated with insights from the desert fathers.

1. The desert is a place of new beginnings – Jesus started here. We are invited to start over again.

"Abba Poeman said regarding Abba Prin that every day he made a new beginning." "My God, do not abandon me. I have done nothing good before Thee, but grant me, in Thy compassion, the power to make a start" (Arsenios, 5th century).
In the desert, God shaped his people in new ways: Moses was called in the desert. God encountered Elijah in the “still small voice” in the desert. The prophet Hosea’s life becomes a living message of God’s grace, and in chapter 2 there is that wonderful passage where God declares of Israel, “therefore I will allure her… I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her… I will make the valley of Achor (struggle) a doorway of hope.
In the desert, God brings new things to be.

2. The desert is a place where all decisions must be carefully taken. Everything must be done with intention. With temperatures pushing well into the 40s on a number of occasions this summer, we have been reminded of the cost of working in the – if you were going to do something, you made sure it was essential.

In the desert we must wrestle with our desires – which often do not give much consideration to the resources available. Impulses in the desert can be lethal – where mirage can feign reality with much power.

“Think nothing and do nothing without a purpose directed to God. For to journey without direction is wasted effort" (St. Mark the Ascetic, 5th century). Let us not live aimlessly, but with intention.

3. The desert was a place of prayer, particularly for Jesus in his time of temptation. There were few distractions, few things to devote energy towards. Moses encountered God in the desert. So did Elijah… So let us make the year one grounded in prayer… "Often when I have prayed I have asked for what I thought was good, and persisted in my petition, stupidly importuning the will of God, and not leaving it to Him to arrange things as He knows is best for me. But when I have obtained what I asked for, I have been very sorry that I did not ask for the will of God to be done; because the thing turned out not to be as I had thought" (Evagrios the Solitary, 4th century). Abba Macarius said, "It is enough to say, 'Lord, as you will, and as you know, have mercy.' And if the conflict grows fiercer, say: 'Lord, help!'"

Mark’s gospel is succinct in expressing what happened in this desert time for Jesus. But he was waited upon by angels.

The desert places can be important for us in our spiritual journey. Dare we pray that God might lead us into the desert?