Mark’s emphasis is distinctly different from that of Matthew and Luke. No details of the testing are given. Rather Jesus’ sojourn in the desert seems almost a return to the peace of the Garden of Eden. The desert of Judea, between Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley, is a noble and dignified solitude of smooth, sandstone hills. Nothing grows, of course, but wild camels and the occasional leopard prowl around. There Jesus was ‘with the wild animals’ as, led by the Spirit, he made his preparation for his mission. In what way was he tested? We may presume that in solitude and prayer he was working out the implications of the Voice from Heaven at his Baptism. How was he to run his course as the beloved Servant of the Lord? Precisely how was he to bring the presence of the Kingship of God into people’s lives? The ‘forty’ is often used in biblical accounts for a period of preparation, as Israel’s forty years in the desert, or the forty days between Easter and Ascension which prepared the Apostles for Jesus’ leaving them and then for the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost. We may use our forty days of Lent to reflect on how we may bring God’s presence to bear in and through our lives. How will you make best use of this time of preparation in Lent?