And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased." The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan. Mark 1:12-13.
After baptism, Jesus went on a silent retreat. This action also begs the question. Why would a recognized rabbi submit himself to the rigors of a long, silent retreat? Jesus had already made the decision to begin his ministry. Now he needed to make another crucial decision. How was he going to proceed? Where was he to start? What would he say and do? In whose name would he make his remarks? These and similar other questions must have occupied his mind. Obviously, finding answers to these important questions required much thinking, meditation and decision making.
The logical action to take was to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life and go to a quiet, isolated place to spend time in solitude with God considering the circumstances in a period of deep thought and planning. So, Jesus went into the wilderness of Horeb in the Sinai Peninsula the site where Moses saw a burning bush, went to observe it and heard the voice of the Lord saying:
I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then the LORD said: I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters; I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring forth my people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt (Exodus 3:7-10).
This is the location where the Israelites camped for their first major stop after leaving Egypt under Moses. It was the place where Moses spent many days in communion with God. It was the place where God gave the law to the people, the normative system to guide their existence in perpetuity (Exodus 20:1-17). It was the place where Israel renewed the covenant made between God and Abraham. These were the words of the Lord then:
If you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6).
It was the place were further by-laws were developed, where the religion of Israel was institutionalized and where all the early traditions of the sons of Israel were started. What a setting this was for Jesus to ponder on the work ahead, a place saturated with the early history of his people. One can imagine the images and memories coming into the conscious mind of Jesus during those retreat days. In intimate communion with the Father, Jesus needed to concentrate in what to do next.
Mark reports what took place in the wilderness. He writes:
[Jesus] was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to him (1:13).
With Luke’s help, the reader may get a clear picture of Jesus struggle in the wilderness. He was hungry and was urged to turn mineral into food. Afterward, when he considered the relative power his work would carry, Jesus was advised to get it all. Even later, when he reflected on his direct service to the people in need, Jesus was told to begin with a spectacular circus-like performance. In all instances, Jesus overcame the test and with a clear, prepared plan returned victorious to Galilee. (See Luke 4 for details).
Reflections
In these opening pages of Mark’s work, we come across two major events as Jesus began his ministry. I already discussed the first event: Jesus’ baptism. The second event is his retreat to Horeb, which we consider now. Like the first event, present event has lessons of importance for believers in general and in particular for those of us called to special Christian service. Let me express them in three simple statements:
Place: Silent retreats should happen in meaningful places Purpose: Silent retreats should focus on how to serve God Plan: Silent retreats should lead to developing a plan of action The place
The first thing to note in our text is Jesus selection of the place for his retreat. Jesus needed to be in the setting where the formative years of the Israelite nation took place to mentally parade through the events. Horeb afforded Jesus the opportunity to evaluate the history of his people in minute detail beginning with Abraham’s calling and ending up with the last of the prophets. He reviewed the happenings of the War of the Jews. He looked at the events leading to the exile and the return to Palestine. He considered life in present Israel, the Qumran Community and the governing bodies composed of Pharisees and Sadducees. He examined present subservient condition of Israel to Rome. And he looked toward the future.
Following the lead of Jesus, Christians periodically go on to favorite retreat sites. Led by clergy, the people are exposed to church history accounts, present condition, programming and action. They hear motivating presentations by able leaders. And they are afforded free time to go alone or with spouse to isolated areas for personal devotions and reflections.
Speaking to a group of ministers in Houston, Texas about the importance of silent retreats, I mentioned a site favorite of mine about one hundred miles from downtown, where the Baptist Association of Harris County, Texas has a secluded place for ministers and laity to spend time alone with the Lord. Sometime later one of the ministers who had been in attendance told me how he had been going to the retreat place and the spiritual benefits he had received there.
I had a friend, who as a young ministerial student had his silent retreats in his car. He would leave the seminary dorm and drive to a favorite isolated place to spend time alone with the Lord. He reported great spiritual benefits from this discipline. After graduation, he became a foreign missionary in Argentina, South America where taught in the Baptist Seminary. Twenty years later, he returned from the foreign field and assumed the presidency of the Mexican Bible Institute in San Antonio, Texas, where he also taught theology.
I can attest personally to the results of being alone with the Lord in serious conversation and meditation. When I was a domestic missionary in San Antonio, Texas, I used to spend time with the Lord in the Brackenridge Park in a secluded, wooded area. I cherished that time immensely. During my thirty years of chaplaincy work at the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in Houston, I had similar enriching experiences. In fact, I find no substitute for developing and maintaining close fellowship with the Lord and staying current on His expectations.
The Purpose
The first question of the Westminster Catechism is: “What is the chief end of man?” The answer given is: “Man’ s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” Said in contemporary English parlance, the believer’s purpose in life is to honor God in all the person does. Committed believer spend life interacting with God through prayer, worshipping in the formal setting of the congregation and serving Him through serving others.
Here a distinction should be made between worshiping and serving. Attending church services is not serving God. Worshiping in a church building along with others in an assembly is offering thanksgiving and praising God for His gift of salvation, guidance and protection. It includes an affirmation of devotion and commitment to living in close communion with the Lord. We sing hymns honoring God in recognition of His majesty, in awe of His being Creator, Sustainer and Savior of all existence. We elevate prayers to God guided by the presiding officer, and we make known to Him our own private wishes at opportune moments during the hour. And at some point during our time together, we hear an exposition of a passage of Scripture in accord with the theme of the hour by the senior pastor or another minister appointed to do so with application toward serving others.
In Jewish and Christian parlance, much is made about two dimensions: the vertical and the horizontal. These are two general aspects of relating to God. Both are inseparable, like the two sides of a coin. The vertical refers to worshipping, the horizontal to service. In fact, the vertical dimension enhances the horizontal. God is honored as we serve His creation.
Service begins the moment we leave the house of worship to live out our Christian commitment. While speaking to his disciple in front of large multitude about the character qualities his follower should have, Jesus issued the following challenge:
You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.
The image of salt was clearly understood by the folks living then. Salt was used to preserve food as well as medicinal purposes. It was also used in several other ways. Such is the case in many parts of the present world, where living conditions still are primitive, lacking refrigeration and medical attention.
In our present modern living, we fail to comprehend the significance of salt for everyday life in those early days. Today, we use salt in very small portions for seasoning food. It is also used in pharmaceutical and medical functions.
Jesus used a second simile as follows:
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
The figure of light was also most important back then. Illumination was made by using oil lamps, beeswax candles and torches. The image also was powerful in that God was known as the Light of the world.
Having compared the lives of believers with the two major commodities, Jesus pushed his figure even further and declared that reflecting in society the character content he had outlined would be as fundamental and helpful to folks as was salt and light. Here is how Jesus put it:
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven
Guided by their value system, believers were to practice Jesus proposal. They would serve as models of attitude and behavior for others to imitate. Living according to God’s expectations was all it was required. God would do the rest.
The Plan
All endeavors have action plans. Housewives, students, business people, professionals, etc. steer their activities through the use of guides running from simple outlines of things to do to major corporate plans.
Certainly serving God in a systematic manner requires organization. Serving God according to Jesus model reflects God’s expectations, which includes everything we say and do during the daily routine at home, work and leisure time. Basically, the model suggested calls for becoming a standard of attitude and behavior for others to emulate.
To be sure, the expectations God expressed through Jesus are no different than those He expressed through the prophets. As Israel was to be a kingdom of priests and a holly nation so is the church today (compare Exodus 19:5-6 and 1 Peter 2:9-10).
The plan should have a general goal broken down into intermediate goals. Intermediate goals should be guided by objectives. And objectives need to be divided into functions, tasks and activities. This proposal may appear as one for setting up a business. In fact all schemes to organize any endeavor should have a well developed plan of action.
Let me give you an example of how to proceed
General goal: To serve God by serving others volunteering time to helping my neighbors, organizations in my church and other churches or civic groups.
Jesus model of service is recorded in the Acts1:8: “You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth." Beginning at home, service should extend outward. First order of business should be to explore the possibilities of serving your neighbors.
Then consider organizations. Here are some suggestions:
1) Identify all the organizations where you would like to participate 2) When you are finish listing, eliminate duplication 3) Select from a manageable number in which you want to participate 4) Consider the amount of time you can give to serve without over-burdening yourself 5) Contact each of your selected organizations to offer your help 6) Set your work schedule with the selected organization through the organizational management
If you have an original idea to start a program of service to others not yet functions in your community, write a brief proposal outlining goal, objectives, function, tasks and activities. Explain what resources are needed: facilities, personnel, budget, etc. Make an appointment to discuss the possibility with the church leader or leaders of your choice.
Conclusion
The good Lord made is to enjoy life in the context of his guiding, loving presence very much like children with their parents in well integrated families. As far as spreading our wings and fly high is concern, modern living is full of opportunities and possibilities. The countless options before us make difficult to choose undertakings.
What will you do in service to God the rest of your life on earth? Fine-tuning the correct answer to this question is not easy at all. To use an old vernacular saying: “You’ll have to put your ear to the rail.” There is no place better to do it than a silent retreat in an old familiar location where the ambiance will be conducive to recalling your experiences with the Lord.
Do you recall the early experiences at youth camp worshipping in the chapel along with countless other young people or at night around a bun-fire? Oh, at the time you wanted to do it all? That’s the nature of being young. But as you grew older and life became much more complicated and responsibilities multiplied at an exponential rate, you began including myriad tasks to your daily routine. To be sure, your worship zeal has remained intact; yet, time to do it has been greatly reduced per force.
Giving your limitations, it is then important to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life and go to your favorite retreat location to zero-in on a plan of action. I have offered a guide toward your achieving such a purpose. May the Lord illuminate your mind giving you guidance to serve His creation according to your capabilities.