Bear Grylls has summited Mount Everest, consumed a yak’s eyeball, escaped from deadly quicksand and crossed the North Atlantic on a rigid inflatable boat. The outdoorsman’s latest challenge? A “humbling” experience in the desert where Jesus Christ spent 40 days.
The survivalist spent time in the Judean Desert, and said his short time in the desert’s harsh environment required extreme survival, even for an expert like himself.
“There’s something about the wilderness that tests us in ways nothing else can. Jesus knew that. Forty days in the desert, then temptation came at his lowest point,” Grylls shared in an Instagram post. “That’s when our choices define us — when we’re vulnerable, exhausted, desperate.”
He continued, “I’ve always been drawn to the person of Christ because he’s been through the fire, he didn’t avoid hard times. The battles of life are real, but so is the strength that comes from walking with our Creator.”
Grylls is known for hosting extreme adventure shows that flex his survival skills such as “Man vs. Wild,” “Running Wild with Bear Grylls” and “The Island with Bear Grylls.”
His latest stunt doubled as a spiritual experience.
“What he would’ve gone through is hard for me to even imagine,” Grylls said while reflecting on Jesus’ experience in the desert.
“At his weakest moment, the devil came and tempted him with everything. To have all the kingdoms of the world at his feet,” he continued. “Who hasn’t been through some form of temptation? When those moments come, when we’re vulnerable, they’re really hard. Jesus knows what it’s like to be truly human and fragile and broken.”
In a June column published by British daily The Times, titled “To be fully understood, the Christian faith must be tried,” Grylls detailed his own experiences with Christianity, which he says has changed him “from the inside out.”
While still a teenager, Grylls said a “quiet prayer” in his backyard garden, asking for confirmation that Jesus Christ was real and if so, to stay close to him and help him. To Grylls, this prayer represented an acorn of faith, which eventually grew into an oak tree, he said.
“For me, having a Christian faith can be difficult to articulate. It’s like describing ice cream or swimming — it has to be tried to be felt. In a nutshell, my Christian faith has strengthened me in so many battles I’ve faced in life," Grylls wrote.
He continued, “At heart, my Christian faith tells me I will never walk alone, and that I have the light of the Almighty within me. The most beautiful part is that this gift is given to any of us freely when we simply ask. And I’ve witnessed it change so many lives over the years.”
Grylls said his faith has empowered him to be adventurous, take risks and live boldly, as well as show love and support for the people in his life.
Soon, he will host “The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls,” a spinoff featuring cast members from the biblical drama “The Chosen.”
On the show, Grylls will speak with cast members from a range of cultural and faith backgrounds as they share the transformative experiences they have had working on the biblical drama.
In a 2024 interview with The Christian Post, Grylls said he hopes the upcoming series will help audiences “to know the real people” behind the characters in “The Chosen” and “show their real journey.”