JESUS’ TEMPTATIONS ARE OUR TEMPTATIONS

I SUNDAY OF LENT - Luke 4:1-13

In the first Sunday of Lent, we are presented with the temptations of Jesus, so that it is made clear for us what are our big temptations, or the false values that easily seduce us and carry us away from the path of righteousness.

The gospel tells us that, immediately after baptism, Jesus went to the desert for a time of reflection and searching. It was during that time that he was confronted by a set of proposals which would make of him a rich and powerful man, feared, respected and followed by multitudes of people. However, following them, he would be one more in the big list of men who have gone down in history as famous through their exploitations and their conquests. They may have done great things to be remembered, but they did not bring peace to this world; they changed the world, but the world did not become better. The three great proposals presented to Jesus have become, throughout the ages, a snare by which everybody has been entrapped. Enlightened by the Spirit, Jesus recognised in them the same deceptive path that led others astray, turning them against God and against each other. Since the beginning, human beings have become slaves of their inner and vain desires, which lead them to enslave everybody else.

The temptations presented in the gospels are like a summary of the great temptations which Jesus faced throughout his life. However, guided by the Holy Spirit, and relying on the Word of God, Jesus chose the path of total surrender to the Father, rejecting wealth, power and glory as guides and supports in the fulfilment of his mission. 

the enticing proposals

1. Going through difficulties and encountering suffering, the immediate reaction is to do anything in order to overcome that situation. It is an instinct of self-preservation, by which we care for ourselves and our well-being. And nothing else matters. We become the centre of everything else, putting everything at our service, becoming extremely selfish. Jesus “was hungry” and his body was craving for food. Anyone in a position of power would use his power to find relief and satisfy his hunger. Everybody would see that as normal and would proceed likewise. Jesus saw that as an attitude of selfishness and act of abuse of his position for his own benefit. While wandering in the desert, the people of Israel attributed to God evil intents and accused Moses and his God of deception: while pretending to liberate them, they were, in fact, leading them to starvation. Jesus put all his trust in the Father and he would teach his disciples to do the same (Mt 10:29-31).
2. b)Wealth and power were always appealing, convincing us that with them we can overcome all problems and find all solutions. With wealth and power, nothing seems to be impossible, since we will be able to transform the world and to put it at our service. We live in times of plenty, and we behave as if the wealth of the world were ours. Our society has become hedonist and has to try everything that might satisfy us and fill us with pleasure. Consumption is fuelled by unbridled pursuit of profit, making the accumulation of wealth the supreme value by which everything is measured and valued. In order to buy more and more, new needs are created, so that we end up giving our money to the lords of this world. Major decisions within companies are primarily aimed at maximising profit and economic policies are decided with this objective. However, the gap between rich and poor widens, leading to the exploitation of labour. There has never been so much material well-being, which is turning the world into a dumping ground, filled with our waste. Our world, this world we live in, is getting poisoned and has already started vomiting that venom in our face. The unbridled search for wealth and power leads to the substitution of God for false idols that end up oppressing us.
3. Filled with ourselves and making us into the centre of the world, we may think that we have a right to force God to protect us from dangers which result from our stupid and unnecessary search for vain glory. What purpose would serve to throw himself down the pinnacle of the temple? It would a useless show off, just to get people’s applause. And it would be the use of the God’s temple and of God’s name to get fame and glory. God can never be at the service of our foolish desires. If we do it, then we are putting God to the test, a test which he will not answer; in the end, we are the losers. We cannot use the name of God to get a following and to become popular.

Jesus made the right but not the obvious choices. He preferred to put all his trust in the Father, leading his life by his word. Indeed only God is God and we must put ourselves at his service, being always ready to accept his will. May the Holy Spirit fill us with the strength to make the right choices like Jesus.