Jesus was tempted in the desert at the start of his 3-year ministry. The mystery of God’s relationship with men and women, as we grapple with our existence and purpose in this world is experienced by Jesus in the first retreat in the desert. However, as Jesus is not man but the Son of God, his responses and reactions to the temptations of the secular world, sets the model by which we mortals too are asked to overcome our own earthly distractions. As Josef Neuner SJ wrote, “the decisive battles of God’s kingdom are fought in solitude“.

In the Temptations of Jesus in the desert, a few thoughts stands out in interpreting the types of temptations that was put to Jesus:

There appears to be three types of temptations directed to get Jesus to ‘prove’ that he is the Son of God.

First is the devil’s demand to re-order the Son of God’s relationship with His Father according to the priorities of the world – first solve world Hunger, then Faith. First prove His presence in no uncertain terms, before belief. First satisfy us, before receiving our allegiance and gratitude.

Second, Jesus was not prepared to put God, his father to the test. Here, Jesus is reiterating that his relationship to God is not one that puts God in the setting of having to prove to man His strength or His majesty. It is not on account of man, or on our terms, that God is expected to respond to yet another challenge or demand (“If you are the Son of God”) to prove to us His Presence and Providence.

Last, but not least, was to ask Jesus to seek primacy over earthly and material needs, as if these were what matters the most in his Kingship. Indeed, Jesus would respond later during his trial before Pilate that his kingdom was not of this world, and is not to be equated with the values and material wants and needs of secularism.

Gospel

Matthew 4:1-11

 Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which he was very hungry, and the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to turn into loaves.’ But he replied, ‘Scripture says: Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ The devil then took him to the holy city and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple. ‘If you are the Son of God’ he said ‘throw yourself down; for scripture says: He will put you in his angels’ charge, and they will support you on their hands in case you hurt your foot against a stone.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Scripture also says: You must not put the Lord your God to the test.  Next, taking him to a very high mountain, the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. ‘I will give you all these’ he said, ‘if you fall at my feet and worship me.’ Then Jesus replied, ‘Be off, Satan! For scripture says: You must worship the Lord your God and serve him alone.’ Then the devil left him, and angels appeared and looked after him.

(For further reading, pp25-46, The Temptations of Jesus, in Jesus of Nazareth, Joseph Ratzinger, Image press, 2007. )(Photos: Death Valley N.P, CA 2016. Lumix GM1)