{"id":275,"date":"2013-02-15T20:43:10","date_gmt":"2013-02-15T20:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/?p=275"},"modified":"2014-12-18T11:33:15","modified_gmt":"2014-12-18T11:33:15","slug":"commentary20130217","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/commentary20130217\/","title":{"rendered":"Commantary on the 1st Sunday of Lent (C)- 2013.02.17"},"content":{"rendered":"

TEXT<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wilderness<\/strong><\/p>\n

1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit 2 for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil.<\/em><\/p>\n

And he ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, he was hungry.<\/em><\/p>\n

First Temptation <\/strong><\/p>\n

3 The devil said to him, \u201cIf you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.\u201d 4 And Jesus answered him, \u201cIt is written, \u2018Man shall not live by bread alone.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Second Temptation <\/strong><\/p>\n

5 And the devil took him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, \u201cTo you I will give all this authority and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it shall all be yours.\u201d 8 And Jesus answered him, \u201cIt is written, \u2018You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Third Temptation<\/strong><\/p>\n

9 And he took him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, \u201cIf you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here; 10 for it is written, \u2018He will give his angels charge of you, to guard you,\u2019 11 and \u2018On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.\u2019\u201d 12 And Jesus answered him, \u201cIt is said, \u2018You shall not tempt the Lord your God.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Devil Departed<\/strong><\/p>\n

13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. <\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

EXPLANATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit 2 for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, he was hungry.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit<\/em>\u201d \u2014 This phrase, special to Luke, is used by him to designate a prophet (Lk. 1: 15, 41, 67). He describes Jesus\u2019 mission to Galilee in similar terms (Lk. 4: 14) and Jesus applies Isaiah to himself, saying that the Spirit of the Lord is upon him (Lk. 4: 18\u201321).<\/p>\n

In this same verse 1 Luke will mention the \u201cHoly Spirit<\/em>\u201d leading Jesus during his sojourn in the wilderness. Luke\u2019s Gospel is sometimes called the \u201cGospel of the Holy Spirit\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201creturned from the Jordan<\/em>\u201d \u2014 Luke links the temptation with the baptism in the Jordan where the Father called him his Son and where the Holy Spirit came down upon him (Lk. 3: 21\u201322).<\/p>\n

In this passage there are several allusions to the Exodus. Here are five. The Israelites (i) crossed the Red Sea into the (ii) wilderness for (iii) forty years \u2014 Jesus crossed the waters of (i) baptism and went into the (ii) wilderness for (iii) forty days. (iv) God was with the Israelites as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night; (iv) the Holy Spirit as with Jesus. The Israelites were (v) tempted; Jesus was (v) tempted. Here the parallels cease. The Israelites failed all their tests; Jesus was successful in each of his.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd was led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness<\/em>\u201d \u2014 By his own choice Jesus went into the wilderness. Luke does not say that the \u201cHoly Spirit<\/em>\u201d led Jesus into the wilderness but that while he was there he was \u201cled by the Holy Spirit<\/em>\u201d. In other words, the \u201cHoly Spirit<\/em>\u201d accompanied Jesus in his wanderings in the wilderness and sustained him. The Holy Spirit did not lead him into temptation. It was the devil who was totally responsible for the temptations.<\/p>\n

If Jesus went into the wilderness for such a long time on his own free choice, he must have had a good reason. At his baptism he had been commissioned by the Holy Spirit\u2019s anointing and the proclamation of his Father to undertake his mission as Messiah. He went into this desert of great danger to show his absolute trust in his Father and in the power of the Spirit in undertaking hardship and suffering in a spirit of obedience to his mission that would continue until his death on the cross. His ministry would not commence until he returned to Galilee. This wilderness experience was his way of publicly showing that he was accepting the ministry of John the Baptist, the wilderness prophet and bringing it to its culmination in the New Covenant.<\/p>\n

\u201cfor forty days<\/em>\u201d \u2014 This is a very common period of testing in the Bible: the flood lasted for forty days (Gn. 7: 4, 17), Moses fasted for forty days on Mt. Sinai (Ex. 34: 28), Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years (Dt. 8: 2), the twelve spies spent this time inspecting Canaan (Nm. 14: 34), Israel was oppressed by the Philistines (Jdg. 13: 1), Elijah fasted for forty days on his journey to Mt. Horeb (I Kgs. 19: 8), Nineveh had the opportunity to repent for this period at the preaching of Jonah (Jonah 3: 4).<\/p>\n

\u201cthe wildernes<\/em>s\u201d \u2014 The wilderness was known to be the abode of most ferocious wild beasts and the devil (Lk. 8: 29; 11: 24\u201326). It is 35 by 15 miles in area and at the Dead Sea was 1,200 feet high. It is extremely hot by day and exceedingly cold by night.<\/p>\n

For me, St. Ambrose has a very beautiful thought. God created our first parents and placed them in the paradise of the Garden of Eden. There the devil tempted and succeeded in overpowering them. They were driven out of the garden. Now Jesus the Christ, the Saviour\u2013Messiah, enters the world and at the beginning of his mission he goes into the wilderness, the absolute opposite of the Garden of Eden, the abode of the devil who has such power over man the sinner and there, by his presence, he challenges and overcomes him.<\/p>\n

\u201ctempted by the devil<\/em>\u201d \u2014 During those forty days he was tempted by the devil but nothing like the final assault in three episodes at the end of the forty days.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, he was hungry<\/em>\u201d \u2014 Jesus fasted and at the end of the forty days he was hungry and weak. The devil now felt that he could launch a blistering attack on him.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

3 The devil said to him, \u201cIf you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.\u201d 4 And Jesus answered him, \u201cIt is written, \u2018Man shall not live by bread alone.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe devil said to him, <\/em>\u2018If you are the Son of God<\/em>\u2019\u201d \u2014 At his baptism, the Father declared from heaven to Jesus \u201cYou are my Son, the Beloved<\/em>\u201d (Lk. 3: 22). The final line in the genealogy that followed proclaimed that Jesus was descended from Adam who was \u201cthe son of God<\/em>\u201d (Lk. 3: 38). The devil is tempting Jesus to prove to himself that he has the personal power to serve his needs. The devil says, \u2018You are hungry. Do something about it; after all you have the power and there is no harm in executing it for such a worthy cause\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018command this stone to become bread<\/em>\u2019\u201d \u2014 The devil tempts Jesus to satisfy his hunger, his material need. He is encouraging him to provide food for himself in his need as God provided food for the Israelites in the wilderness in their need during the Exodus.<\/p>\n

The devil refers to a single stone, implying that Jesus is not being asked to do anything too great.<\/p>\n

This was the first great temptation the Israelites underwent after crossing the Red Sea. They were hungry and prepared to return to Egypt to satisfy their needs. God listened to their complaints and fed them manna from heaven for forty years. They placed their material needs before God\u2019s will for them.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Jesus answered him, \u2018It is written, \u201cMan shall not live by bread alone<\/em>\u201d\u2019\u201d \u2014 Jesus replies by quoting the word of God (Deuteronomy 8: 3). He tells the devil (and us) that it is the word of God that sustains on every occasion.<\/p>\n

This temptation may be summed up by saying that this is the temptation to acquire possessions for oneself when this seems the most opportune thing to do. Jesus\u2019 reply tells the devil that it is not for the individual to decide on his or her own needs but to check on God\u2019s will as expressed by God\u2019s word. To trust and obey God in one\u2019s needs, not rely on oneself, is the all\u2013important attitude for each individual. Jesus had come on earth as the suffering, servant Messiah\u2013King to redeem mankind, not to use his power for himself and his well\u2013being. On the cross Jesus refused to use his power for his own need (Lk. 23: 35, 37), to save himself. He did use his power for others in their needs (Lk. 4: 35; 5: 27; 6: 10; 7: 14, 50; 8: 54; 18: 42).<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

5 And the devil took him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, \u201cTo you I will give all this authority and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it shall all be yours.\u201d 8 And Jesus answered him, \u201cIt is written, \u2018You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the devil took him up<\/em>\u201d \u2014 From the other Gospels we know that what the devil took him up was a high mountain.<\/p>\n

\u201cand showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time<\/em>\u201d \u2014 This last phrase indicates that it was a vision of all the world\u2019s kingdoms the devil showed Jesus rather than carrying him physically around the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cand said to him, \u2018To you I will give all this authority and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will<\/em>\u2019\u201d \u2014 Jesus had not yet established his Kingdom on earth. The devil is offering him a short\u2013cut. In one simple act his mission can be fully accomplished.<\/p>\n

In Jesus\u2019 final discourse to his apostles he declares \u201cAll authority in heaven and on earth<\/em> (not just earth alone) has been given to me<\/em>\u201d. That is the fullness of authority and power. He has been given it from the only true and reliable source, his Father.<\/p>\n

Has God delivered to the devil all authority over and the glory of all kingdoms? We certainly cannot trust any saying of \u201cthe father of lies\u201d! Nevertheless John\u2019s Gospel does imply that the devil does have great power over the world. This is limited and curtailed by the power and authority of God.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you, then, will worship me, it shall all be yours.<\/em>\u2019\u201d \u2014 This is a reminder of the Israelites setting up the molten golden calf for their worship (Ex. 32).<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Jesus answered him, \u201cIt is written, \u2018You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve<\/em>.\u2019\u201d \u2014 Jesus rejected the devil\u2019s offer of a political kingdom which would indicate that he was a political Messiah.<\/p>\n

This temptation may be summed up by saying that it is the temptation to power, including political power. Jesus tells us that all power belongs to God. Power is not to be adored; \u2018adoring\u2019 power is to adore the devil.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

9 And he took him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, \u201cIf you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here; 10 for it is written, \u2018He will give his angels charge of you, to guard you,\u2019 11 and \u2018On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.\u2019\u201d 12 And Jesus answered him, \u201cIt is said, \u2018You shall not tempt the Lord your God.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he took him to Jerusalem<\/em>\u201d \u2014 The three Synoptics record the temptations and Matthew and Luke list three that Jesus underwent in the wilderness but they do not present them in the same sequence. The reason for that is that each follows his own plan or theology. Luke narrates his Gospel as a journey of Jesus to Jerusalem where his Gospel terminates with the passion, death and resurrection. He places the Jerusalem temptation last. The temptation in the wilderness will be continued there. Jesus wins this battle but the war will continue.<\/p>\n

\u201cand set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him<\/em>\u201d \u2014 The pinnacle was one of the highest points of the temple.<\/p>\n

The temple was a theme in Luke\u2019s Gospel. The birth of John the Baptist was announced in the temple (Lk. 1: 5\u201325). Jesus\u2019 first journey after birth was to the temple where he was recognised by Simeon and Anna (Lk. 222\u201338). Once he came of age, he went to the temple where his knowledge and wisdom were admired (Lk. 2: 41\u201350). On his final journey to Jerusalem he cleansed the temple and taught there (Lk. 19: 45 \u2014 21: 38). At his death there is a reference to the veil of the temple being torn right down the middle (Lk. 23: 45).<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018If you are the Son of God<\/em>\u2019\u201d \u2014 This is the second time the devil has introduced a temptation with these words (first temptation, verse 3). He hopes to sow doubt in Jesus\u2019 mind about his sonship.<\/p>\n

This third temptation is very closely associated with the first. The Israelites first complaint was for food; their second for water. They felt that they had a right to water from God because they were his special people, his Chosen. They presumed on his taking care of all their needs. See the similarity with the presumption in the third temptation of Jesus.<\/p>\n

Both begin with the words, \u201cIf you are the Son of God<\/em>\u201d. Jesus had overcome the devil in the first by telling him that he must not put the Lord to the test. The devil is quick to say that he will quote from sacred scripture, the very word of God, where it states that God will look after his own in a very special way.<\/p>\n

\u201cthrow yourself down from here; for it is written, \u2018He will give his angels charge of you, to guard you,\u2019 and \u2018On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.<\/em>\u2019\u201d \u2014 The devil follows Jesus example and quotes psalm 91. If Jesus wishes to follow the sacred scriptures, here now is his opportunity, the devil tempts!<\/p>\n

This temptation will be repeated on the cross when the leaders will jeer him and challenge Jesus to \u201csave himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One<\/em>\u201d (Lk. 23: 35). The soldiers will mock, \u201cIf you are the king of the Jews, save yourself<\/em>\u201d (Lk. 23: 37). One of the two thieves will abuse him, \u201cAre you not the Christ? Save yourself and us as well<\/em>\u201d. To the other he will promise salvation.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Jesus answered him, \u2018It is said, \u201cYou shall not tempt the Lord your God<\/em>\u201d\u2019\u201d \u2014 For the third time Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy (6: 16). He tells the devil that what the devil is trying to do is test God. God had made the promise to protect. If Jesus jumped it would mean that he was provoking God to fulfil his promise or show his promise to be false. Jesus had full faith in God\u2019s promise; he was not going to test God. He was not going to exercise authority and power over God or manipulate him; his only desire was to obey him and do his will as a faithful servant. Jesus was utterly dependent on God and on doing his will, \u201cFather, into your hands I commit my spirit<\/em>\u201d (Lk. 23: 46).<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.<\/em>\u201d \u2014 While the devil ended the temptations in the wilderness, these were to continue until Jesus\u2019 death on the cross. When he meets a devil, he will be recognised and he will overcome the devil (Lk. 4: 41; 8: 29\u201333).<\/p>\n

One of Luke\u2019s intentions in his Gospel is to present Jesus as \u201cthe mightier one<\/em>\u201d, as he was called by John the Baptist (Lk. 3: 16). He shows Jesus overcoming the devil and evil spirits and saying that only one stronger than the devil can overcome the devil (Lk. 11: 14\u201326). Jesus\u2019 final success was on the cross, \u201cthe appointed time<\/em>\u201d when he completed God\u2019s will perfectly.<\/p>\n

At the crucifixion, Jesus did not address the devil but he prayed to his Father in the garden, \u201cYour will not mine be done<\/em>\u201d (Lk. 22: 42), for forgiveness for his executioners (Lk. 23: 34) and as he breathed forth his spirit, \u201cFather, into your hands I commend my spirit<\/em>\u201d (Lk. 23: 46). Jesus makes it so clear that obedience to his Father is the perfect answer to temptation.<\/p>\n


<\/strong><\/p>\n

APPLICATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The first lesson we are taught about Jesus from this passage is that he is the \u201cSon of God<\/em>\u201d. At his baptism, his Father had proclaimed from heaven, \u201cYou are my Son<\/em>\u201d. These words were addressed to Jesus and we are not told that anyone else heard them. It was his Father assuring him of his mission, his Son sent into the world in human form to redeem and save all people.<\/p>\n

In the first and third temptation, the devil began off by saying, \u201cIf you are the Son of God\u2026<\/em>\u201d. The devil had a double purpose in these words. He wanted to sow doubt in Jesus\u2019 mind. That is the devil\u2019s normal way in all temptations. That is how he approached Eve in the Garden when he asked her if God really had told her not to eat of the forbidden tree\u2019s fruit. The devil will attempt the same tactic as a temptation at the Cross when the Jewish leaders, the soldiers and one of the two thieves will taunt him as \u201cSon of God<\/em>\u201d. The devil\u2019s second purpose was to get Jesus to succumb to the temptation and be unfaithful to his Father.<\/p>\n

That, of course, Jesus would not do as he placed obedience to his Father\u2019s will as paramount in his life. He prayed to his Father by name and submitted himself in obedience to his will in the agony in the garden and on the cross.<\/p>\n

The Father endorsed the title \u201cSon<\/em>\u201d again at the transfiguration and commanded the three apostles to \u201clisten<\/em>\u201d and obey him. What he was telling them was to be like Jesus was to him.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The second lesson we are taught in this passage about Jesus is that he is fully human, a new Adam. He was tempted as a man and as a man he resisted. He did not bring his power as God into the struggle.<\/p>\n

As man Jesus fought off the temptations by depending on the word of God. He was totally committed to God and the power of God\u2019s word. He had absolute faith and trust in God.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TEXT Wilderness 1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit 2 for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, he was hungry. First Temptation 3 The devil said to him, \u201cIf<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=275"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":673,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275\/revisions\/673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}