The Temptation of Jesus

The Temptation of Jesus

Mt 4: 1 – 11

First Sunday of Lent

Introduction

In today’s Gospel, we read about the temptations of Jesus in the desert. Jesus emerges victorious over these temptations, thus giving us an example on how to deal with our own struggles with temptations.

The Gospel

4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. ³ The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” ⁴ But he answered, “It is written,

‘One does not live by bread alone,
    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
    and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”

⁷ Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; ⁹ and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,

‘Worship the Lord your God,
    and serve only him.’”

¹¹ Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

Reflection

Today is the first Sunday of Lent. In today’s Gospel we hear about the temptations of Jesus. It is rather strange to hear that Jesus was also tempted just like us. Our knowledge of Jesus as savior and king and as someone who is all powerful and Lord of all the earth, sometimes creates a misleading image of Jesus who didn’t have any struggle with temptation at all.

But in our reading today, we see just that. Jesus is tempted in the desert, not once but three times. This tells us that Jesus, just like the rest of us, was as human as he could be and was subjected also to the wiles of the devil. Jesus was the Son of God; he was also the Son of Man. As someone who is born of Mary, he too struggled with the weakness of his humanity, just like the rest of us.

The temptations of Jesus revolved around one theme: the temptation to prove himself as the Son of God. Except for the last temptation, the devil began tempting Jesus with the words: “ If you are the Son of God…”  For the devil, the only way Jesus could prove his Godlike status was for him to make a miracle and do something extraordinary like turning stones into bread or remaining unharmed and unscathed after jumping headlong from the temple’s parapet. Had Jesus acceded to the devil’s suggestions, he would have indeed proven himself before everyone, that he was indeed the Son of God. But as we see in today’s Gospel, Jesus rejected the idea of having to prove his Godlike status. He didn’t find the need to show off and make people know who he really was. But most of all, he used God’s words quoted in Scriptures as his reply to the devil.

The last temptation of Jesus sums up the whole point of the devil. The allure of being given power and domination over all the earth was something very attractive. Power and domination elevates one easily to a godlike status before the eyes of men. But Jesus would have none of it; he tells the devil that it is God alone who has power and domination over the earth and that he alone is worthy of adoration.

The temptations point to us that Jesus’ struggle to prove his divinity before men was real. At the cross, he would encounter the same temptation especially when the crowds started to jeer and taunt him saying: “ If you are the Son of God, get down from the cross and save yourself!” “ He saved others, why can’t he save himself?”

Jesus could have easily and immediately convinced the world that he was the Messiah by showing and parading his divine powers to everyone. He could have inspired fear and awe at his enemies had he shown how powerful he was. But he never gave in to such temptations. Instead, he chose to remain humble; so humble in fact, that no one recognized his divinity. No one recognized him as King. No one recognized him as Messiah. Because he showed himself as an ordinary man, people didn’t see and discover the power hidden in his kindness and his meekness.

The Lord’s victory over temptation shows us a path on how to become  victorious ourselves in temptation; just like Jesus, the path to humility becomes the sure path of curtailing the inordinate desires of the heart. As pride and disobedience signaled the downfall of Adam and Eve as they acceded to Satan’s lies, humility and the constant recourse to the word of God becomes our sure weapon in overcoming the lies of the devil. Jesus has given us hope that we can overcome temptations. Let us fix our eyes on him and follow him intently during this sacred season of Lent.

Prayer

Jesus, I struggle with temptations. I struggle because my heart is inclined to do what the devil prompts me to do. Purify my heart Jesus so I can follow you with an undivided heart. Let my heart be humble like yours so you can tame the desires of my heart. Amen.

 ^“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested^[a] as we are, yet without sin. “ – Hebrews 4: 15