Wild Beasts, the Wilderness, and Jesus

Wild beasts populate the Old Testament with some frequency. Elisha calling down the she-bears on the young men who threatened him and David fighting off lions come to mind. But when I read about Jesus’ time of testing in the wilderness in Mark 1:13, I was surprised. No one had mentioned it in a sermon before. Of course, I have read Mark before, so I must have bypassed it as one does while reading the Bible. It can take such discipline to learn to read the Word closely.

The verse says:

…and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild beasts, and angels attended him.

Reading this passage reminded me of Hebrews 4:15:

For we do not have a high priest not being able to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one having been tempted in all things by the same way, without sin.

These two passages mean a lot to me, especially in conjunction with one another. You see, I live in Alaska, a place overrun by wild beasts, ones that will kill people and often do. When I first moved here, I was terrified. Neighbors regularly warned me about the bear and moose that come through our neighborhoods. They meant to be helpful, and they were, but to a suburban girl, I didn’t have a context for hungry bears and irritable moose cows defending their calves.

Add to that a wolf pack that runs through the river basin a few blocks away and lynx that stalk their prey through backyards, my fear felt justified. The local news has reported deaths from bear maulings, moose stompings, avalanches, earthquakes, and the cold every year I have lived here. So knowing that Jesus had to face such fears seems profound to me.

So back to the word, wild.

When I asked about Jesus facing down wild beasts, most people glossed over the passage. After all, Jesus created them. The animals probably were glad to see him, they said. But my mother pointed out that Jesus had to face his fear of crucifixion. He sweated blood the day before. He also was not spared any pain in his death. So what was the wilderness time and the exposure to wild animals testing, if not fear? Jesus faced public humiliation, physical pain, betrayal, and much more. Maybe facing wild animals was a good place to start before facing the real predators, humans.

When I looked up the word wild in a concordance, a more accurate translation is dangerous. I don’t know why the translators chose wild over dangerous, but I think it has to do with a romanticized idea. Jesus tamed a storm. Surely that is harder than a couple of predatory species. Apparently, bears and lions were common back then. Many wild beasts aren’t particularly dangerous, but Mark is sure to let the reader know that these aren’t tame. They do not go from being dangerous to not dangerous. Mark doesn’t give us details, but the beasts themselves remain described as wild, dangerous, and definitely not docile. It threatens our notion of who Jesus is, imagining him afraid of a bear. That is unless we recognize that he is fully man and fully God.

Another note that strikes me is the notion of wilderness.

I did not understand wilderness until I moved to Alaska. A short drive, and one is outside of cell phone range. Few roads traverse Alaska for the main reason that they would have no destination at which to arrive. Sometimes the solitude is healing. But the other side to that coin is vulnerability. The wilderness is a vast, uncaring landscape. Majestic it is, but no amount of equipment or weaponry can guarantee safety. Even an ankle sprain can turn fatal if one can’t get out to a road.

Jesus had the angels, and so I believe, do we. But the bush, as we call it in Alaska, is indifferent to the fate of those who travel across her stark lands. As a result, the Native Alaskans learned to glean what they needed to survive, and the land is more fruitful than is commonly known. But Jesus faced the silence of the desert. We do not often experience the temptations of isolation anymore, with our devices that connect us to distraction every time we want it. But the wasteland has no such escape.

I think that is one reason Jesus faced the wilds, both of beast and land.

To live in complete isolation for a time leaves us alone with our thoughts- often their own bleak landscape. Moving here gave me a taste of that, tested my ability to face loneliness and silence. I came out loving solitude. I found myself in the absence of company. I imagine Jesus did, too, separate from the approval of his parents and family.

He also gained an understanding of what he would face. If he could maintain his integrity in the face of temptation alone, he would be equipped to handle it in front of others. It is when we are alone that we resort to our favorite sins. Anonymity is an excellent test of character. What we do when we imagine no one sees is often the most crippling test.

But lastly, I think that Jesus in the wilderness is just the beginning of the overturning of the curse.

He faces the terrible consequence of Adam and Eve’s sin. He faces the wild beasts who have forgotten that men were meant to be good. His feet tread the hot stones that give him no relief. The wilds offer him no comfort. Finally, he undergoes three temptations from Satan and is unscathed. This is the line in the sand between the Old Man and the New Man. The old creation has passed, and the new creation is here. Jesus faced the Fall and remained standing.

Now, as I hike my little trails and keep bear aware, I keep Jesus in mind. He did not avoid the wilderness, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. He walked through it, and so can I, with Jesus as my guide.

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