The temptation of Jesus
Today is the First Sunday of Lent and the gospel reading is perhaps one of the shortest we have ever come across. It is about the Temptation of Jesus that you can read in Mark 1:12-15.
"12 The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, 13 and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him. 14 After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God.15 "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel."
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I'm sure you must have noticed that today is no longer a Sunday in Ordinary Time, it is the First Sunday of Lent which means for the next 40 days, we will be discussing the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ who came to this world to die for our sins. You may ask: Why do we have to observe Lent every year? The answer is because if our Lord did not come down from heaven to be one of us except in sin, then we would never get a taste of paradise.
This is why the first Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent is about the Temptation of Christ, which is one incident in the life and times of our Lord that is detailed in the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and Mark. So for the next 40 days we should deepen our spirituality by attending retreats or religious events and, most important of all, going to confession and seeking a reconciliation with God. For all of us have sinned and fallen short of the Lord's expectations. Mind you, we do not deserve God's mercy because we repented our sins; rather we are blessed with having a loving god who forgives our sins.
If you're wondering why Lent is observed for 40 days, it is simply to remind us of how the Lord was brought into the desert to be tempted by Satan. For the Jews, 40 days also reminds them of how Israel suffered in the wilderness for forty years after they left Egypt to go to the Promised Land. But while the Lord went without food for 40 days, his angels administered to him and most probably nourished him. But we must accept man's reality that 40 days without food is simply too long for the ordinary man.
Food is for our physical being, which is why for Lent it is important to go on fasting in order to strengthen our spirit as it is through the Holy Spirit that we can overcome the needs of human nature. Thus denying ourselves food and drink actually strengthens our spirit. Fasting, after all, is a spiritual tool that people in the clergy or consecrated life use to strengthen themselves.
Unfortunately the evangelist Mark did not go into great detail about the temptation of Christ, but we do know how Satan tempted the Christ, telling him "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to turn into bread" because he knew that Jesus was already hungry and if he was God he would turn those rocks into stone. In short, Satan wasn't sure if Jesus was really the Son of God. The other temptation was for Christ to jump from the parapet because if he were the Son of God his angels would make sure he was safe.
Finally, in the last temptation, Satan couldn't help himself anymore and asked Jesus to worship him and if he does, he would give him all the kingdoms of the earth. Then Jesus then told Satan, "Away with you Satan! It is written, you shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve!" Then Satan left the Lord. While we acknowledge that our Lord Jesus Christ was the Son of God he was still human in all ways except sin. Hence, Satan's temptation of Christ was thwarted.
For this Lenten season a good prayer for all of us is to ask God to keep us away from temptation, which is part of the Lord's Prayer. We all need prayers in our lives, but asking God to prevent Satan from tempting our weak human selves is a good prayer!
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For email responses to this article, write to [email protected]. His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.
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