“At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert.” (1:12)
The author of Mark's Gospel explains that the Holy Spirit sent Jesus out into the desert after his baptism. That Holy Spirit must be the same spirit descended from heaven when Jesus got baptized. Generally speaking, we regard the Pentecost as the time for appearance of the Holy Spirit, but Jesus' activities were done under influence of the Holy Spirit, so it is not a precise explanation if you mention the Pentecost. If you really want to justify the Pentecostal events of the Holy Spirit, we could say that the Holy Spirit had embodied at the time of Pentecost, who was been working with Jesus, but this kind of explanation lacks a little bit. This kind of explanation should be mentioned not in the Gospels, but it should be in Luke's community, which was background of the Acts.
Now let's stop to talk about it, and then we should know exactly who the Holy Spirit is, if we like to understand the text "the Spirit sent him out to the desert". Greek Bible describes the Holy Spirit 'pneuma'. The word 'pneuma" has many different meanings like spirit, mind, wind, power etc. Why don't you change the sentence above into like “The wind sent Jesus out to the desert"? Or "The power sent Jesus out to the desert”. These expressions might sound a little bit blasphemous to you. But what shall I do because that is the original meaning of the word? We cannot deny that under pressure, can we? The word "the Holy Spirit" is used in such a narrow sense to us. I mean that pneuma must be a spirit which is working just in the boundary of Christian community. But think about it. Does wind blow just for the Christians? Does power exist just inside of the church? That's not it. The Greek word "pneuma" used in the New Testament is a spirit, breath, wind, and power being full in the whole world. That pneuma is a spirit of life, being full in the whole world. In today's text, when we see the Holy Spirit sent him out into the desert, we could see pneuma was working as power.
Let's put off the topic why the ancient people regard wind as pneuma to the next time.
What is that pneuma or who is it, who sent Jesus out into the desert in details? How could we experience that pneuma these days? This is really a complicated question. Because Greek word 'pneuma' just like 'ruach' in Hebrews, it is God's spirit that we cannot define in our words. So the author of John's Gospel said we don't know where pneuma comes from and goes to just like wind. It is saying that pneuma is not in our range of understanding.
And then does it mean we cannot understand or experience that pneuma these days? No, it doesn't mean that. The Old and New Testament already have explained a lot about this. And the 2000 years of Christian history is some kind of trace to explain this. Now we must listen to the Bible, too. We should explain what it was, that he breathed into human beings, when he created them and what that power was, which gave Israelites the victory of wars, and ultimately what kind of spirit it was to invoke the event of Jesus' resurrection. The explanation is not completed. The Bible and Christian confession of faith are still provisional, but I am sure that they show the river of truth. Do not ask in haste how it could be proved? Let's get in progress slowly.
Until now I could not say anything about physical phenomena of pneuma which had sent him out into the desert. I did not put it off on purpose, but I could say basically it is beyond my ability. Only I could say Jesus was filled with the spirit of life like wind. That spirit is God himself. Jesus who is in accord with this spirit is a person who exposed God's will perfectly. In this sense, Jesus is God Himself.
Lord, I like to live with a wind of life in my whole being. I like to live in that power, in that spirit, and in that wind, which can make this whole world alive.
The author of Mark's Gospel explains that the Holy Spirit sent Jesus out into the desert after his baptism. That Holy Spirit must be the same spirit descended from heaven when Jesus got baptized. Generally speaking, we regard the Pentecost as the time for appearance of the Holy Spirit, but Jesus' activities were done under influence of the Holy Spirit, so it is not a precise explanation if you mention the Pentecost. If you really want to justify the Pentecostal events of the Holy Spirit, we could say that the Holy Spirit had embodied at the time of Pentecost, who was been working with Jesus, but this kind of explanation lacks a little bit. This kind of explanation should be mentioned not in the Gospels, but it should be in Luke's community, which was background of the Acts.
Now let's stop to talk about it, and then we should know exactly who the Holy Spirit is, if we like to understand the text "the Spirit sent him out to the desert". Greek Bible describes the Holy Spirit 'pneuma'. The word 'pneuma" has many different meanings like spirit, mind, wind, power etc. Why don't you change the sentence above into like “The wind sent Jesus out to the desert"? Or "The power sent Jesus out to the desert”. These expressions might sound a little bit blasphemous to you. But what shall I do because that is the original meaning of the word? We cannot deny that under pressure, can we? The word "the Holy Spirit" is used in such a narrow sense to us. I mean that pneuma must be a spirit which is working just in the boundary of Christian community. But think about it. Does wind blow just for the Christians? Does power exist just inside of the church? That's not it. The Greek word "pneuma" used in the New Testament is a spirit, breath, wind, and power being full in the whole world. That pneuma is a spirit of life, being full in the whole world. In today's text, when we see the Holy Spirit sent him out into the desert, we could see pneuma was working as power.
Let's put off the topic why the ancient people regard wind as pneuma to the next time.
What is that pneuma or who is it, who sent Jesus out into the desert in details? How could we experience that pneuma these days? This is really a complicated question. Because Greek word 'pneuma' just like 'ruach' in Hebrews, it is God's spirit that we cannot define in our words. So the author of John's Gospel said we don't know where pneuma comes from and goes to just like wind. It is saying that pneuma is not in our range of understanding.
And then does it mean we cannot understand or experience that pneuma these days? No, it doesn't mean that. The Old and New Testament already have explained a lot about this. And the 2000 years of Christian history is some kind of trace to explain this. Now we must listen to the Bible, too. We should explain what it was, that he breathed into human beings, when he created them and what that power was, which gave Israelites the victory of wars, and ultimately what kind of spirit it was to invoke the event of Jesus' resurrection. The explanation is not completed. The Bible and Christian confession of faith are still provisional, but I am sure that they show the river of truth. Do not ask in haste how it could be proved? Let's get in progress slowly.
Until now I could not say anything about physical phenomena of pneuma which had sent him out into the desert. I did not put it off on purpose, but I could say basically it is beyond my ability. Only I could say Jesus was filled with the spirit of life like wind. That spirit is God himself. Jesus who is in accord with this spirit is a person who exposed God's will perfectly. In this sense, Jesus is God Himself.
Lord, I like to live with a wind of life in my whole being. I like to live in that power, in that spirit, and in that wind, which can make this whole world alive.
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