Jesus overcomes temptation. (Matthew 4:1-11)
INTRODUCTION
Lent is a period of renewal and preparation for the
Great Feast of Easter. Our special Lenten exercises like Imposition of
Ashes at the beginning of Lent, Stations of the Cross, fasting,
abstinence, and charitable works should help us purify spiritually so
that we also rise with Jesus to eternal life. Jesus revised the laws of
the old, stating that our love of God and service of neighbor should
come from our heart. Fasting of Jesus as part of his communion with the
Father and his overcoming of temptations using Holy Scripture as his
defense are models for our spiritual renewal.
Bible Text
Difference in the Observance of Great Lent
According to the Latin Rite, the Great Lent starts
on Ash Wednesday. There are 46 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter.
Since Sundays are for the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord,
they are exempt from Lenten observance. When excluding the six Sundays
during the season of the Great Lent, there are only 40 days for Lent.
The Eastern churches have 50 days for the Great
Lent starting with seven Sundays before Easter (Petratha) and ending
with Easter. The lent is observed continuously for 40 days as Jesus
fasted in the wilderness. The culmination of this is on the 40th
Friday. The following days are for the observance of the passion of the
Lord and his glorious resurrection. Thus the 50 days Lent starts with
the feast of Petratha (The Eve of Great Fast) and ends with the great
feast of Easter.
Jesus was in the desert with fasting and
spiritual preparation for 40 days. Israel, the old son of God, was in
the desert wandering and lacking in resources like food and water for 40
years in preparation for their entry into the promised land of Canaan.
This delay was because of their disobedience to God. Jesus overcame the
tests through his compliance with God. Jesus used Bible verses given in
the Book of Deuteronomy (8:3; 6:13, 16) to resist his temptations.
(1) Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
Led
by the Spirit
Into the desert
Desert has been considered as an ideal place
for fasting, prayer, and to be in communion with God. It provided
silence, seclusion, non-proximity to material goods, and concentration
for prayer. Moses, Prophet Elijah, the Essenes community, John the
Baptist, and many early fathers of the church selected desert as perfect
place for communion with God. Jesus also selected desert for his
spiritual nourishment in preparation for his public ministry.
Tested or tempted by the devil
The Greek word for “to be tempted” (peirazein)
means to assess like we test-drive a car before we buy or interview a
person before an appointment. A Biblical example is Abraham who was
tested before God made covenant with him as the father of all nations.
(Genesis 22:1). God also tested Israel for 40 years before their entry
into the promised land: “Remember how for these forty years the LORD,
your God, has directed all your journeying in the wilderness, so as to
test you by affliction, to know what was in your heart: to keep his
commandments, or not.” (Deut. 8:2). The intention was not to lead them
to sin but to prove their commitment to God and to empower them to
resist future temptations in their religious journey. The first parents
failed in their test and later tests were for people selected to
recompense that failure.
(2) He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry.
Forty days and forty nights
Afterwards he was hungry
(3) The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.”
If
you are the Son of God
Command
Command that these stones become loaves of bread
God gives us more resources than what we need along
with abilities and opportunities to serve others. We might also face the
temptation to become selfish than to share our resources, time and
talents for others. Those are the sins of omission.
(4) He said in reply, “It is written: ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.’”
Jesus quoted here from Deuteronomy 8:3. When
Israel was tested with lack of food, they had to rely on God who gave
them manna from heaven. They had this unknown food that God provided. By
denying the offer of Satan, Jesus relied on his Father for the provision
of his food like the Israelites. In fact, at the end of temptation, God
provided him food by the angels. When we keep the Word of God, God
provides the bread and whatever you need. We must acknowledge that the
goods of life we enjoy are gifts of God.
Though Jesus multiplied food twice during his
public ministry, they were done when there was a real need. After the
miraculous multiplication of food, people wanted to make Jesus their
king so that they don’t have to work for food like the Israelites in the
desert. But, Jesus declined that offer to become earthly king. (John
6:15). Jesus fed the people abundantly with the Word of God that could
lead them to eternal life.
(5) Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple,
The
holy city
The
parapet of the temple
(6) and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you’ and ‘with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”
The devil quoted Psalms 91:11 – 12 from a different
context to test Jesus. The Satan who was intelligent presented the
scripture for his tactics. According to Satan, if Jesus obeyed the
devil, he would be showing that he believed in the scripture, and if he
did not, it would be an indication of his distrust in the Word of God.
Jesus knew that he was “Son of God.” He did not have to prove that to
Satan by an extraordinary show. Jesus knew that wonders are short-lived
and could not convince people for a conversion of heart. Many people who
had witnessed the miracles of Jesus did not follow him.
(7) Jesus answered him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’”
Jesus reminded Satan that he would not fall
into the temptation like the Israelites did at Massah in the desert.
(Deut. 6:16). Expecting God to protect Jesus if he would fall from the
pinnacle of the Temple would be equivalent to testing God. God protects
us when we take risk for the Kingdom of God. However, we cannot ask God
to protect us for our purposeful mistakes.
(8) Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence,
Satan pretended as if he had authority over all the
splendid kingdoms of the world. Jesus had referred to Satan as “the
ruler of this world” (John 12:31). There are also other instances where
Satan is presented as having power over this world (Ephesians 2:2; 2
Corinthians 4:4; and 1 John 5:19). However, these refer to the sinful
opposition of Satan to God in the present age.
(9) and he said to him, “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”
Devil tempted Jesus to give up spiritual
kingship for the worldly royalty. He wanted Jesus to come in terms with
the devil. Though Jesus came to the world, he was not of this world. He
will come later to judge and rule the world. Christians are born again
in baptism not as citizens of this world but of the eternal kingdom of
God. So, we strive not for position, power, and popularity of this world
but for faithful service to God and his people.
(10) At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written: ‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.’”
Jesus refused the third temptation by quoting
from Deuteronomy 6:13. Only at this third instance Jesus expelled Satan
from his presence. Words of Jesus had divine power and so Satan
disappeared. The words of Jesus remind us of the first commandment. Our
worship and service are directed only to the one and true God.
(11) Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.
Ministered to him
Message:
1. Tests happen to people who are on God’s side. If
we succeed, it might come one after another as it happened in the case
of Jesus three times. Same way of disaster one after another came in the
life of Job. We still need to resist the repeated temptation without
fail seeking the grace of God. Once the test is over, God will provide
his abundant blessings as he did for Job and Jesus.
2. The Biblical meaning of temptation is “a trial
in which man has a free choice of being faithful or unfaithful to God.”
Satan encouraged Jesus to deviate from the plan of his father by
misusing his authority and privileges. Jesus used the Holy Scripture to
resist all such temptation. When we are tempted, the solution is to be
sought in the Bible.
3. The tempter who took the form of a serpent to
tempt Eve, made use of Peter to tempt Jesus to avoid persecution. (Mark
8:33). Satan sometimes can use us to be tempters of others like our
friends or family members. We need to be watchful that we do not become
representatives of the devil.
4. Tempters can come in the form of any person.
Those who love us and whom we love can be our tempters even without they
are being conscious of it. So, we must be vigilant in our decisions and
should make decisions based on the Holy Scripture, Catholic traditions,
and the official teachings of the magisterium of the church.
5. We shall not misuse our body, our resources and
our time. They are also to be shared for the good of others based on our
love of God.