First Sunday of Lent (A)

March 1, 2020

Readings:

First Reading: Genesis 2: 7-9; 3: 1-7

Psalm 51 “Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.”

Second Reading: Romans 5: 12-19

Gospel reading according to Matthew 4: 1-11

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Homily: The Temptation of Jesus

After Jesus was baptized by John the Baptizer in the River Jordan, and after the Holy Spirit in the form of dove descended upon him, and the voice of God the Father was heard and said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I trust,” Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4: 1).  The Holy Spirit who was with him brought him to the desert to be put to test if he was worthy a Son of God (and Son of man), and as truly God.

Jesus stayed in the wilderness with wild beasts and brute animals, insects and all that live in the desert festering him for a long period of time, also without eating and drinking for he was not aware that he will be sent immediately to the desert. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry (Matthew 4: 2).  Without food and water, for forty days and forty nights he stayed in the desert waiting for the time of his temptation.

He was hungry and thirsty when the tempter appeared, came and found him weak in body but not in spirit.  Maybe Jesus was dizzy, “tulero and groge” and even hallucinating when Satan approached him and talked to him.  The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread” (Matthew 4: 3).  Satan knew that Jesus is truly the Son of God, that’s why his first utterance was, If you are the Son of God . . .  Satan first tempted Jesus of the desire for material things, even possessions of property, that symbolized the stones turned into loaves of bread.  We need bread or rice or corn as our stable food.  Without bread or rice we cannot survive the hardships of daily work and labor, our stomach craves and crumbs without food and our body becomes weak without energy and strength.  We need other materials, too, to survive like house and lot where we can live decently, money and wealth to buy things we need, and other properties.  Nevertheless, most of the times we become greedy, stingy, selfish, indifference to others especially the poor with regards to what we have.  We do not share what we have but rather we keep them until they expire.  We usually say, before others I must be the first to satisfy what I have.  In case there is left-over and I do not need it, then I can share it to others.  We lost the sense of charity when we have plenty of material things. 

Jesus knew the heart of men and women with regards bread or material possessions. He said in reply, “It is written: One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4: 4).  Jesus responded Satan, the tempter, by saying man (and woman) does not live by bread alone or in material goods, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. As followers of Jesus, we must learn detachment from materials things, from the desire of our senses, from all that keep us from the freedom which allow us to be grasped by the Holy Spirit. We have to live also the Word of God found in the Bible (Scriptures).

Satan’s second attempt to tempt Jesus was passion for popularity and prestige and showmanship, to make people caught full of awe to the expectacular show Jesus will perform in the temple in Jerusalem.  The devil brought Jesus in the City of Jerusalem, at the top of the Temple.  Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.  For it is written:  He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone” (Matthew 4: 5-6). Again, Satan used his trick, If you are the Son of God . . ., to test Jesus.  He teased Jesus to jump from the parapet of the temple where many people can see him floating in the air as Satan quoting from the Scripture that God will command his angels (the invisible spirits) and with their hands they will support and hold him until he lands on the ground without any mishap or scratch.  Sometimes we become showy, we paraded and boasted our capacity, talents, and achievements to others so that they might praise us, become our fans and followers.  We sometimes do not distinguish that everything we have comes from God.  It makes us humble and simple if we recognize that we do not own anything except sin.

Jesus who is our model of obedience, humility and simplicity, knows that he has to give glory and honor to God the Almighty.  He has to respect, give his highest honor (hyperdulia) to God whom he called Father.  He does not mistrust Him and with lots of confidence towards Him.  Jesus wanted to bring to mind to Satan where he came from and everything he had.   Jesus answered him, “Again it is written: You should not put the Lord, your God, to the test” (Matthew 4: 7). He was telling Satan to slow down in accusing his God by testing his power and authority.  No one can test the wisdom and knowledge and understanding of God.

The third and last temptation Satan made to Jesus was the desire of power, symbolizing all the kingdoms here on earth; as if Satan was saying to Jesus that all kingdoms (powers) were under him and he owned them, and to whomever he wishes to give them he is free to give them away.   Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me” (Matthew 4: 8-9).  Satan showed to Jesus on the top of the highest mountain all the kingdoms on earth, and he was willing to give them to Jesus in exchange of vowing, kneeling and worshiping him which Jesus could not do or accept – for he too is God, Son of the Living God.  He cannot exchange his Sonship to any kingdom or power here on earth.

Maybe Jesus recognized that he was trick by Satan or by himself, despite of his hunger and thirst he has strong determination and conviction, he knew what he was saying and doing, he was not hallucinating after all.  At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan!  It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve” (Matthew 4: 10).  He is aware of what is going on to himself, to his surrounding and to the tempter.  He get rid Satan from being tempted too by reminding him that the Lord is his God.  He returned to Satan what he said to him that only the Lord his God he shall worship and He alone he shall serve; and Jesus passed the temptation.  He knows very well whom he shall give his worship, to whom he shall bend down, vow down, knell down – to the Lord, God and He alone worship and service be given.  We too are blinded of power, we wanted lording over others especially the weak, the poor, the unorganized group of people.  We acted like kings in our kingdoms; we wanted to be served rather than to serve.  We are not aware also that we are trick by Satan who has the power over all the kingdoms here on earth.  If we have kingdom and we acting like king we are therefore cohorts of Satan and we are slaves of the tempter.

The devil, the tempter, Satan lost in his attempts to tempt and test the sincerity and honesty of Jesus about himself, about God and about his mission.  Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him (Matthew 4: 11).  Satan was not able to persuade him to turn the stones into loaves of bread, to jump at the parapet and to own to himself all the kingdoms on earth.  He was defeated by Jesus′ humility, simplicity, poverty and obedience, and above all his love to God whom he called Father, and our Father as well.  We are not easily be tempted by Satan and his demons when we are in the side of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us; in the Father who will protect us and deliver us from evil, and in Jesus who will show us the way, the truth and the life.