1ST SUNDAY OF LENT – A
Matthew 4:1-11
For the First Sunday of Lent, as the
Church proclaims the three temptations of Jesus, our reflection brings us back
not just to the moment in time when Jesus was in the desert for forty days and
was tempted by the devil but also when Israel was in the desert for forty years
and was tempted in the same way. As members of the New Israel and as followers of
Jesus, we will have to experience the same temptations.
The first temptation: During the journey
of Israel in the desert, in their struggle for survival the first temptation
was to trust in their own power in order to live. They were unwilling to trust God to give
them subsistence. Now Jesus entered
into the same desert to rectify where Israel had failed. He experienced the inhospitable and dangerous
desert journey and most especially the hunger of Israel. As the head of the New Israel, he did not
rely on his own messianic power even if he could to satisfy his physical
hunger. Instead, he abandoned himself to
his Father in full trust, perfect loyalty and unwavering dependence. This is our own economic temptation: we cling
to anything that will make us survive, no matter what the cost is. Yes food is our most basic need, but there is
more than the craving for physical satisfaction: “Man does not live on bread alone
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
The second temptation: When Israel was in
Massa and Meribah (Exodus 17:1-7), they demanded a miracle from the Lord to
give them water from the rock. In the
same way the devil tempted Jesus to perform a miracle by throwing himself from
the top of the temple. Because Jesus
fully trusted in his Father, the devil tempted him to abuse this trust by
demanding something spectacular. Jesus
redeemed Israel’s failure by not giving in to the demand of the devil: “Do
not tempt the Lord your God.” In
the present time, the devil’s temptation to us appeals to pragmatism and to
make religion worldly. We make demands to God and we crave for miracles in the name of trust
and providence believing that God will not fail us.
The third temptation: When Moses stayed on
Mt. Horeb for forty days, the Israelites clamored for the presence of God and
were tempted to make the golden calf as their god. It was idolatry. Jesus in the same way was tempted with
worldly power and wealth if only to worship a false god. In redeeming Israel, Jesus once again proclaimed
his fidelity to his Father: “You shall worship the Lord your God and him
only shall you serve.” The
offer of the devil to Jesus is as real as it is now to those who want the easy
way towards fortune and fame. Why would
I take the hard way and make sacrifices when I can get these things without the
sweat of my brow. Sometimes, we never
know, we are already entangled in the web of our idolatry because we have been
addicted in worshipping our worldly idols.
Israel was tempted and failed. Jesus was also tempted but triumphed! In the same way, we will also be tempted as
long as we live but if we remain faithful to Jesus and do not rely on our own power,
he will turn these temptations into moments of
grace as he re-creates us closer to the person he wants us to be.
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