The Evangelist Mark gives very little
attention to the time that Jesus spent in the desert after his baptism. Two sentences, and he’s done. These two
sentences merely mention that Jesus spent 40 days in the desert being tempted
by Satan and ministered to by his angels. Such brevity not only obscures the significance
of the number 40 in scripture. We also miss
an important lesson about a choice between the illusion of temptation and faith in the word of God.
The number 40 frequently appears in
scripture as a symbol for a period of trial or preparation. An example is the 40 day flood alluded to in
the first reading from Genesis. The
flood was a trial and a preparation for a new relationship between God and his
people. Another example is the forty
years that the Israelites wandered in the desert in preparation for their
entrance into the Promised Land. Their test is an interesting contrast to the
test that Jesus endured in the desert, however. For, the Israelites fail in their test, while
Jesus succeeds in his. These results have important implications for our own
Lenten preparation of 40 days.
The success of Jesus comes about near
the end of his time in the desert. Near the end, Jesus endures and overcomes a
series of three temptations fabricated by Satan. There is a spiritual irony in the timing. These
temptations do not come to Jesus at his weakest point—at the end of his
extraordinarily long fast. Spiritually
speaking, these temptations come to Jesus at his strongest point—after he
has been nourished and strengthened through prayer, fasting and meditation in
union with his Father. For this reason,
the temptations reflect a desperate attempt by Satan to entice Jesus into
abandoning his original purpose—to do the will of his heavenly Father. In each case, however, because Jesus has gained
spiritual strength, he holds fast to his purpose and rejects the illusions and false
glitter offered by Satan.
In the first temptation, Jesus holds fast to the Word
of God. Satan’s command to turn the
stone into bread is an appeal to ordinary physical hunger, but he miscalculates
the moral determination and hunger of Jesus.
Jesus is the faithful Son who lives by every word that comes from the
mouth of God. Jesus has placed his
complete trust and confidence in God the Father despite his struggles and hardships. To yield to the command of Satan and turn the
stone into bread would have been to follow a voice alien to the Father. This is what the Israelites wandering in the
desert had done. They rejected the Word
of God and demanded food above all else when they became hungry (Dt 8:3). For Jesus, life without the Word of God is no
life at all.
In the second temptation, Jesus holds fast to his
mission. At this point, the devil
gives up his cunning approach and brazenly appeals to a human desire for power
and control. In exchange for worship
from Jesus, Satan promises all the kingdoms in the world. Jesus refuses such false glitter, for this
would be to abandon the mission God gave him.
Jesus knows very well that his refusal means he will have no political
power and very little influence on the culture of his time. Still, he remains steadfast in his mission to
do the will of his heavenly Father. For
Jesus, to embrace a mission contrary to the will of God is no mission at all.
In the third temptation, Jesus holds fast to faith in
his Father. Since Jesus first
held fast to the Word of God, the devil now tries to gain the upper hand
by demanding Jesus put that Word to the test.
Satan appeals to Scripture and commands Jesus to throw himself off the
temple to prove that God will make good on his promise to protect his Son.
This
demand for proof is yet another miscalculation on Satan’s part. It is the same mistake made by the Israelites
in the desert. They complained about a
lack of water and demanded that God make good on His promise to protect them
and provide for their needs. Their
demand demonstrated a lack of faith that put God to the test and
provoked his anger (Dt 6:16; Ex 17:8).
The response of Jesus in the desert, on the other hand, demonstrates
that the Word of God calls for faith, not proof. For Jesus, a demand for proof from God is no
faith at all.
In
the desert, Jesus succeeds where the Israelites in the desert had failed. Their quest for political power and control
led them to abandon the will of God and worship the golden calf—that is,
they put their trust in the things of this world (Dt 6:13-14). Satan offers the Israelites a different
interpretation of their lives, and they buy into it. Instead of holding fast to the life and
mission that God had given them, they settle for the illusions and false glitter
invented by Satan.
Jesus, on the other hand, does not buy into the
interpretation of his life and mission that Satan offers. The devil tries to seduce Jesus into
believing that Jesus’ mission is to be financially secure, in
complete control, and politically powerful. Jesus rejects that
interpretation and holds fast to the life and mission that God gives him. He understands and accepts what faithfulness as
the Son of God entails for him in this world—and God rewards his faithfulness.
We
might be tempted to think that Jesus had to endure these temptations to prove
his mettle, so to speak, as the Son of God. We also might be tempted to think that such
temptations are not ours to deal with and overcome. And yet, with all the glamor and attractions of
modern life, listening and responding to the Word of God remains a challenge. There are many other voices and illusions
competing and vying for our attention.
Do
we follow a voice alien to our Father in heaven? Jesus said that his sheep hear his voice and
follow him (Jn 10:27). Do we accept the
interpretation of our lives that others try to impose on us? Do we let others decide who we are or who we
should be? Do we abandon the grace and purpose that God gives us in favor of
the interpretation others have for us? Do
we respond to temptation like the Israelites in the desert, or do we follow
Jesus in the desert and remain faithful to the Word of God no matter the
cost?
We are children of God.
Jesus said that being a member of his family means not only hearing the
Word of God, but acting on it as well (Luke 8:19-21). As children of God, we are called not only to
be hearers of the Word, but also doers of the Word (Jm 1:22-25).
Lent is a time of preparation and choice. May our forty days of Lent this year be our
preparation to imitate more closely the faithfulness of Jesus. We have Jesus’ word that he will send the
Holy Spirit as our guide and helper (Acts 1:3-4). His own response to temptation in the desert
gives us every reason to believe that Jesus will keep his word.
