1st SUNDAY OF LENT
Romans
5:12-19
Matthew
4:1-11
“Then Jesus was led by the
Spirit out into
the wilderness to be tempted
by the devil.”
We know that not all of us will get the eternal reward. There are some who may just totally fall away despite the universal salvific will of God. Now, granting that God does not allow temptation beyond man's capacity, why does he allow it still to a person whom he knows from all eternity would only fall and perhaps even be separated from him forever? Although answers have already been given by different philosophies and religions including Christianity, the most perfect and most convincing one lies but only in the hands of God. The reality of temptation is still a riddle to modern man.
The gospel of today is about Christ's temptation. But it is narrated to us not so much to answer the "why" of it, as it is to teach us the Christian way of facing and managing it. Let us meditate on the following points:
1. Temptation is real.
This is the first most evident point we can see in the gospel. The account of
Christ's temptations is purposely narrated to us in order to show that Christ himself
was not an exempt of it. In fact, the temptation in the desert in today's
gospel is not the only occasion when Jesus was tempted. The gospel itself in
the Lukan version suggests another time: “…the
devil left him, to return at the
appointed time” (Lk
2. Jesus is a real man. This is another point which the evangelist wants with his readers clear. If ever he was tempted, it is all because Jesus was one like us. This goes to say, therefore, that the reality of temptation goes along with human nature. In fact, this is one message of Genesis (cfGen3: 1ff).
At first glance, it seems that free choice does not belong to man’s rational nature, but comes only after the fall as suggested by the devil’s words: "... on the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.” But this is not true. Not only does this come from the devil's treachery, but exegesis teaches us that this knowledge of good and evil refers neither to omniscience which man will never have even without the fall, nor to moral discrimination which the rational man already has. Rather, it refers to that knowledge God reserves exclusively to himself and which man just gravely transgressed by sinning. Thus, the first sin is nothing less than pride and arrogance for it shows man’s desire for complete independence. .They want to decide what is good for them apart from God. But once fallen, they realize they simply become victim of Satan's deception.
The lesson in Genesis is clear. That Adam and Eve were tempted before the fall shows that temptation is not a consequence of man’s fallen nature. They fell because they were tempted. They were tempted because they were human beings. And they were human beings because they had free will. Here comes, then, the bottom line of it. By this gift choice, man is distinguished from other creatures: higher than animals, lower than .angels. In short, by man's free will, man is man. Thus, he is able to choose between good and evil (evil, of course, appearing as good). Had there not been any free will, man could have not been tempted. But there could have not been any man either.
3. Temptation is tolerated by the permissive will of God. The gospel is quite clear when "Jesus…was led by the Spirit…to be tempted by the devil.” As temptation comes on the part of man because of his free will, so does it on the part of God because of his permissive will. Meaning, God permits temptation to happen as part of man's life. Why? (Here we come now to the “why” of it) Because this is God’s on way of testing us. This is the highest answer our Christian faith can offer: to take temptation as a test. Of course, God never wants somebody to fall. In fact, his universal salvific will intends that not a single soul shall perish forever. But he allows temptations in man's life so that man may advance in his grace and grow in his love. As gold is tested by fire, so too must our faith be subjected to trials that it may grow even stronger.
Jesus is tempted several times. And as portrayed today in the gospel, these temptations are all-embracing. It starts from the most basic thing as that of bread which satisfies hunger to the most glaring one as to have power and glory over the world. These temptations of Jesus seem to stand in behalf of those temptations that beset man and humanity. The poor who battles day in and day out just to feed his hungry stomach becomes so vulnerable “to turn a stone into bread." Surely, poverty is a fertile ground for Satan’s seeds. And sadly, the world today is just worn out by the scourge of poverty.
But wealth and power are equally tempting. And they are a temptation not only to those who don't have them, but also - and even more so – to those who already have them. Thus, we have the reason to suspect that those who refuse to step down from power are those who listen to the devil: “All these will be yours provided you worship me." This is the modern day idolatry where man becomes a worshipper before the altar of fame and power.
4. Victory over temptation is possible only through the grace of God. This is the most important point the gospel is trying to teach. As God tolerates temptations, he as well knows that such do not go beyond the limits of man’s capacity. And he is just sure about it because he has all the reserved grace to sustain man's weakness. The reason why man may fall away completely is his inability to ask for divine help. The way Jesus handles his temptations is a perfect model for all Christians. He is always clear with his priorities and with the imperatives of his spiritual life.
a. Prayer. The importance of prayer ranks first. It is the strength of man and the weakness of God. Thus, it is just right and proper that we even implore God not to lead us into temptation; Jesus knows how important prayer is. That is why he spends forty days and forty nights in solitude, praying and fasting. This is where he gets his strength. Had he been wanting of it, Satan could have easily defeated him. But since he has a good amount of it, he dismisses the devil's tricks with great ease.
b. The Word of God. If
the devil uses the scripture, Jesus is always ready to counter it also by the
use of scripture He knows that the Word of God is power itself that could drive
every enemy away. He also knows that prayer and meditation inspired by the Word
of God is the best food that could sustain even and especially in crucial
times. For truly, “man does not live by
bread alone, but by every word that
comes from the mouth of God.”