I shared the following thoughts with participants in a recent workshop for Lutheran Education Ministry Personnel.
The reading for the previous Sunday had been Mark’s account of the temptation of Jesus in the desert. Mark’s account is brief, “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” (Mark 1:12, 13).
We focussed particularly on that last phrase, “and angels attended him” (Mark 1:13b).
Scripture describes angels in two main ways. They are God’s messengers. In fact, the Greek word ‘angelos’ means ‘messenger’. The angels are also ministering spirits, serving God and his people. Mark’s words can also be translated, “and angels ministered to him”.
How did those angels minister to Jesus? The gospel writers give no detail, but we can imagine the angels ‘attending to’ Jesus’ physical care and offering God’s message of encouragement.
Why did the angels minister to Jesus? The desert was a place of immense testing. Besides the obvious testing by Satan, there were wild animals, hunger, and thirst, scorching heat, blasting sand, and loneliness.
There is encouragement in those words, “angels attended him” as we serve Jesus in Lutheran Education.
Often, we are involved in the care and support of people experiencing their own ‘desert’ of emotional, physical, and spiritual challenges. While we are human beings, not angels, God uses us to bring his message of forgiveness, strength, and hope to the people we serve. In effect, we ‘attend to’ people on God’s behalf.
That service of others can bring its own wilderness experience to us. We struggle with inadequacy, loneliness, temptation, and so on.
God’s message to us is that his angels also ‘minister’ or ‘attend to’ us. His Word assures us of the presence of the Holy Spirit, his grace, forgiveness and strength, and specific words of promise like, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). The angels attend to us through others whom he sends to support us.
My encouragement then, as you attend to the needs of others, is to allow God to attend to you by taking time in his Word – the “word that sustains the weary” (Isaiah 50:4). Seek the support of others who can ‘attend to’ you in specific ways like listening to you, praying for you, or offering you godly counsel.
As God sent angels to attend to Jesus, let God in his grace minister to you, attend to your needs, sustain you in your times of testing and strengthen you for service in the name of Him who overcame – in the desert, on the cross, and from the empty tomb – for you.
Bishop Lester Priebbenow
Victoria/Tasmania District
