First Sunday of Lent (Year A)

First Sunday of Lent February 26, 2023

Readings:  Genesis 2:7-9, 16-18, 25; 3:1-7;   Romans 5:12-19;   Matthew 4:1-11

(Image courtesy: Google)

The African lion and the wild cat look so much alike, yet they are different. An ancient African theory explains it this way. The same lioness gives birth to numerous cubs some of which are truly lions at heart and some of which are not. How does the mother lion know which is which? Months after the birth of the cubs, just before they are weaned, the mother lion leaves the den and then, in an unsuspecting moment, she jumps into the den with a thundering roar as if she was an enemy attacking the cubs. Some of the cubs stand up and fight back the presumed enemy while others flee the den with their tails between their legs. The cubs that hold their ground to face the danger prove themselves to be real lions. Those that run away prove to be mere wild cats, false lions. As testing distinguish true lions from the false so also does it prove true Christians from false ones.

The passage from the Gospel of Matthew tells us of the victory of Jesus over the evil one in the desert. Led by the Spirit Jesus went into the wilderness, where he prayed and fasted for forty days.  He was tempted three times and he resisted all the three temptations coming from the devil.  These temptations indicate the victory of Jesus as he is told to be unfaithful to his mission.  Matthew presents Jesus as the New Israel now in the desert. The Old Israel was tempted in the desert and failed but the new Israel came out victorious. The episode is the explanation of human temptations and with the grace of God we too can be triumphant in our battle against evil.

Satan attempted to get Jesus to put his own needs and potential concerns above the will of His Father. He wanted Jesus to act independently of the Father. He wanted Jesus to sacrifice His secure future for the present. Jesus met Satan’s challenge by trusting His Father to do all things in His time, in His way, and with His result!

Very often, we are concerned supremely about the present. We are tempted to sacrifice our principles for a short-term gain. Satan powerfully lures us into this trap. Instead of giving in, we can follow the example of Jesus in overcoming temptation through trust in God.

Remember that Jesus had just been baptized in water. He was a young man and was ready to embark on His public ministry. Satan sought to destroy His ministry. Satan often tempts people when they are beginning to do something for God. He tries to derail God’s servants before they can accomplish His purpose.

There are three temptations: The first one, to turn stones into bread. I think it has to do with how we use our God-given gifts, talents and abilities. The temptation is for us to use our gifts to make a living for ourselves. But Paul tells us that spiritual gift are given to the individual “for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7). Jesus would later on in his ministry multiply bread to feed others. But he would not do it to feed himself. Do we see our talents and abilities, our jobs and professions, as a means to serve others or simply as a means to make a living for ourselves?

In the second test Jesus is tempted to prove that he is God’s son by jumping from the pinnacle of the Temple and letting the angels catch him as was promised in the Scripture: “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone” (Psalm 90/91:11). Though Jesus fully believes the word of God, he would not put God to the test. This contrasts sharply with the case of a college student in Nigeria who claimed that he was born again and to prove it he jumped into the lion’s cage in the zoo because the Bible promises that nothing can ever harm God’s children. Maybe his soul is in heaven today but his body provided a special lunch for the hungry lions that day.

In the third temptation the devil promises Jesus all the kingdoms of the earth if only Jesus would worship him. Jesus wants the whole world to acknowledge him, of course, but would he achieve that by worshipping a false god? Can we pursue our goals by any means whatsoever? Does the end justify the means? Jesus says no. He remains steadfast and faithful to God, rejecting the short-cuts offered by the devil. In the end he attains an end more glorious than that offered by the devil: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18).

In fact, these three tests are really symbols of real tests that we find in the life of Jesus. In reality all of the temptations can be summed up as temptations to power, pride and glory. The first temptation demanded that miraculous power be used to provide for basic material needs. The second temptation demanded that Divine power be used to produce a spectacular "sign" that would compel anyone to believe, leading to pride. The third temptation demanded the use of Divine power to establish a worldly Kingdom of God and secure glory.  All the three Temptations can be summarized briefly as a suggestion of short cut by the Satan to be unfaithful to the call and mission of the Father.

Lent is a time of grace. It is a time to examine and revisit ourselves. It is a time to see if we have lived our baptismal promises. The first promises are:

V. Do you reject Satan?

R. I do.

V. And all his works?

R. I do.

V. And all his empty promises?

R. I do.

What is my answer today?

Article on Lent  on Daijiworld: Click here

Happy Sunday