FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR "C"

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT (YEAR 3)(Luke 4,1-13)

    The key word in today’s Gospel is “temptation”, a word not to be taken lightly. In one of his plays, Oscar Wilde has the main character saying, “I can resist anything but temptation.” That may sound flippant, but at least he admits that resistance is associated with the idea of temptation. We may sometimes think that because Jesus was divine, this somehow “helped out” his human nature, imparting it superhuman power. Today’s Gospel shows us that his humanity was complete, sharing all the weakness inherent to humankind.

   

    Satan’s temptations were real, with a most beguiling subtlety. Clearly they struck at Jesus at a time of extreme physical vulnerability. There is no sense that Jesus shrugged them off easily. His resistance undoubtedly entailed personal cost. Now it is useful to note that, apart from the temptations in the wilderness, Jesus was tempted at other moments of his life, right up to the time of his crucifixion, when the rabble shouted, “Come down from the cross and we shall believe in you.” Jesus would not satisfy their cheap curiosity. He was also tempted by king Herod to whom he was sent by Pontius Pilate during his trial. There was Herod sitting on his throne, surrounded by his councillors - his prize collection of idiots of the first water ! They wanted Jesus to perform some magic and then be sent back to Pilate with a recommendation. Jesus did not so much as breathe a word in that putrid atmosphere. Nearer home, his family tried to bring him home when they saw the danger Jesus was running; so also Peter who stood in his way and was told, “Move out, you Satan !”

    The common thread running through all the temptations is an urging for Jesus to withdraw his total obedience to his heavenly Father’s plan. Turning the stones into bread to satisfy his hunger, leaping from the Temple in a flamboyant display, seeking authority over earthly kingdoms  -  none of these squared with God’s plan for our salvation. To have succumbed would have made his utterly obedient self-giving on the cross impossible. As always, yielding to temptation would have had unforeseen and serious consequences. Jesus counters the devil’s lies with three crystal clear answers by quoting the book of Deuteronomy.

   

    We men and women, baptised though we are, will continue to be tempted to indulge in bodily or earthly pleasures, but shall we count God’s word as more important ? We shall feel arrogant and self-sufficient, ambitious and desirous to dominate, but shall we acknowledge God as supreme and his will as our way of life ? We crave for human praise, but shall we bargain with God and “tempt” him in order to win recognition for ourselves ?

    We are faced with many choices in life. It is in choosing and in deciding that we reveal who we are and what we stand for. Our answers will tell us the quality of our faith in Christ tempted, sacrificed and risen. We shall not take the risk of entering an area that is spread with moral land mines, or the risk of playing with fire hoping not to be burned. 

    So I want to pray on behalf of everyone here:

    Lord Jesus, you know it feels to be tempted. You also know my weakness. May I be aware of your nearness when temptation comes my way. And with your help may I rely, as you did, on the power and love of your heavenly Father. Amen.
ess is a strange story to 21st century ears.

He is 30 years old. He has just be

Scripture: Luke 4:1-13 (NRSV)

Jesus’ temptation in the wildernen baptized by his radical cousin John, despite John’s protest that Jesus does not need this practice of ritual cleansing. Jesus insists on joining other ordinary Jews who, through baptism, want to mark their identity and align their lives with God’s vision for the world.

Then a dove descends; a voice announces Jesus’ special status as God’s son.

So Jesus goes to the desert alone for a 40-day fast. A vision-quest.

He is on the brink of an astonishing three-year ministry. But before he can pour himself out to others he must first plumb the depths of his own soul.

I recall a discussion among college friends 40 years ago about Jesus’ preparation for ministry. He didn’t go to college, someone said; he fasted in the desert. That statement was only partially true.

In the desert, Jesus experiences three temptations, each more intense than the last. Three times Jesus deflects the temptation with a scripture applied creatively and with authority. He has been reading, pondering and discussing scriptures since before age 12. Now Jesus draws on those years of learning in his time of need. He is able to reject comfort, security and control as motivators for his life. Instead he will embrace risk, vulnerability and suffering for a cause much larger than himself. He will trust in God, the source of his identity and allegiance.

In the 40 days of Lent, may we each confront our own temptations to pursue comfort, security and control. May we draw on today’s scripture to deflect and transcend those temptations.