“We need not despair because God is our staff and our fortress.”
We are now on the first Sunday of Lent. The Gospel of Luke for this Sunday tells us about the temptation of Jesus in the desert. After 40 days and 40 nights of prayer and fasting, Jesus was hungry, weak and exhausted. The devil takes this as an opportunity to tempt Our Lord. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, one does not live on bread alone.” And then again the tempter next showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant, saying to the Lord, “I shall give to you all this power and glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be yours, if you worship me.” Jesus replied, “It is written: You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.” And finally, the devil led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you, and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” But Jesus finally rebuffed him, “It also says, you shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
The Gospel reading tells us that Jesus, although the Son of God, was both divine and human. This event demonstrates the dual nature of Our Savior. He is God but also human subject to all human weakness except sin. Yet despite his susceptibilities because of his human nature, Jesus teaches us that temptations and weaknesses are no excuse to give in to the lures of the world and the devil.
The first temptation is about the allure of money, metaphorically represented by bread in the reading. Seldom do we meet an individual who will not be tempted by the glitter of gold and money together with all the things that it can bestow on the possessor. It is said that love of money is the root of all evil. This is so true. Corruption, thievery, and so many other crimes and sins are rooted in a person’s inordinate love for money. Many problems in the world, committed by individuals and even nations are caused by too much love for the glitter of money, which is why nations go against nations, families against other relatives, and individuals against their neighbor because the temptation of money is almost irresistible. Yet wealth makes one arrogant, proud and deceitful. Money often empowers and if one is not mindful he will be led to the delusion that worldly possession alone will bring happiness, that he can live and exist without God. This is but a delusion, a mirage that is not true. Only God can give lasting happiness.
The second temptation is about power. The devil, by showing him all the kingdoms, tempted Jesus to worship the devil so that he will possess all the kingdoms. This is but a trap. The lust for power is but a trap that will ensnare the unbeliever to the embrace of worldliness. So many wars, genocides, killings of fellow human beings emanate in the mindless pursuit for power. Political dynasties, who keep on running for public offices, do so not because they want to serve their constituencies but because they want to accumulate power and the perks and privileges, albeit immoral and unbecoming of their stature in life that go with it. The result is arrogance, unbounded pride and selfishness.
Putin of Russia invaded Ukraine for instance, slaughtering hundreds of innocent civilians, threatening the free world with nuclear catastrophe, is impelled by no other that but the belief that by subjugating other peoples he will be great in the eyes of the world. North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is another example. He remains mindless and indifferent to the suffering and privations of his people because of the lust for power. But the power hungry are so mistaken. God and God alone can determine everyone’s destiny. He alone is eternal. All things in the world will come to pass.
And finally, the temptation of pride – the test to throw Himself from the precipice because after all God’s angels will save him. The devil is tempting Jesus to use his divine power in obedience to the devil. Jesus tells him not to tempt God. As human beings, we maintain our respect, reverence and worshipful obedience to God, pour maker. There is no room for pride and disobedience in the heart of the faithful.
In these tests, Jesus has taught us how to overcome and prevail over the snares of the evil one. The world is full of these temptations of money, power, and pride and especially during these times of war and pestilence. Jesus tells us that it is by detaching ourselves from the world, by being humble, selfless to others, and ultimately loving God above all else that we can transcend and rise above our weaknesses and the mirage of the world, and the snares of the flesh and the devil.
The world has been buffeted for so long by COVID-19 and economic, social dislocation happened because of it. Now we are facing war and its impact even on us who are far away from Europe. And yes, we have the uncertainty of the outcome of our coming elections.
Yet in our weakness and despair, as Jesus tells us in the Gospel reading, we find strength in him, and from him alone. We need not despair because God is our staff and our fortress from the storms and the towering waves that continuously batter our ships. This Lent, let us experience Jesus as the oasis of the desert that we as people of God have found ourselves in. No devil and his temptations can overcome the love and power of the Messiah.