The Gospel for the First Sunday in Lent is the familiar story of Christ’s great fast and temptation from Mathew 4:1-11. After Jesus’ Baptism, He withdrew to the Judean wilderness. At the close of His days of prayer and fasting, the Tempter sought to catch him in a moment of weakness. Satan used appealing lures. The Tempter’s aims were contrary to Scripture, but he tried to confuse matters by quoting Scripture.
Of course, Jesus of Nazareth rejected the three great temptations of the devil. He knew that no goal or result, no matter how apparently desirable, could justify truly evil means. Jesus chose to live on the earth in the ways His heavenly Father wished regardless of the difficulties and trials.
In certain respects, the Temptation of Christ was unique. He was perfect in His divine and human natures, and He resisted temptation as no one else ever has. Yet, although Christ is unique, His temptations are similar to those of every other human being. So the story of His basic temptations applies to all of us. These temptations are rooted in the basic human needs for sustenance, safety, and human interaction or approval. The problem for us is that the Tempter, the Evil One, uses these natural needs to attempt to draw us away from God and His intentions for human life.
Thus, we must be vigilant and seek greater moral and spiritual strength. We must struggle to remain loyal to divine principles in all areas of life. Above all, we need to look to the grace and assistance of Jesus Christ each day. Despite our fallen condition, we do have hope because Jesus Christ triumphed over Satan throughout His life on earth and won a victory for the faithful of all times. Although we stumble daily, He helps the faithful to repent, arise, and keep walking with Him by faith.
