I was led to this reflection as I meditated and reflected on today's gospel. The text from Mark tells us that the Holy Spirit prompted Jesus to go into the desert and he was put to the test during the forty days that he spent there. Mark does not tell us what this testing consisted of. But we are aware of what Jesus went through, as we read the same account in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. We are familiar with the three temptations that Jesus was assailed with. It is important to say something about each of them because they have a relevance for us today as we embark on this Lenten time of reflection in preparation of the great feast of Easter.
The first temptation consisted of the devil trying to persuade Jesus to eat after fasting for so long. At first glance, we might say that Jesus must have been really hungry and after all he might have done enough penance. So what is wrong in indulging in food? However, this temptation has a much deeper meaning. When we fast we are doing something that only God does continuously. It is only God who does not need to eat. Fasting has always been considered as a means to become in tune with what is the core essence of our God. Fasting helps us to get closely in touch with the nature of our God.
It follows that when the devil tempts Jesus to stop his fasting, he was saying to him. Stop doing what God does. Just go back to the ordinary ways of living and leave God to do His own thing because after all He is so different and therefore it is madness to try and follow what God says and proposes. Things have not changed. In our time we are also constantly faced with this kind of argument every day. God has to be kept away from the lives of people. We are living in a society where the idea of God is constantly being undermined. We are told that after all we are a secular society. In the Weekend Australian on Saturday March 4th, there is this comment by Christopher Pearson. "The Leader of the Australian Democrats Lyn Allison has a woeful sense of timing. She chose Ash Wednesday, which marked the beginning of Lent to issue a notice of motion. It called on the government, if it is serious about a secular state to take steps to (1) remove religious references from statutory oaths and pledges. (2) to abolish official parliamentary prayers and (3) remove tax advantages that solely apply for religious purposes". As Christians and as a Christian nation we need to keep God at the centre of whatever we do or say.
The second temptation relates to when the devil took Jesus to the highest point in the temple and asked him to jump because God will save him. In reality what the devil was saying is make a stupid decision and then you can blame God if it does not work out. Blaming others for our mistakes is very common indeed. It is very interesting reading about the kickbacks that the Australian Wheat Board has been involved in, as it tried to secure business with Saddam Hussein. It is the way of doing business over there, is a common explanation. Or else we had to take drastic business actions in order to secure a deal for the benefit of our farmers. If we did not do that other nations would have pounced on the deal. That may be true, but does it justify that as a nation we do business in a very unethical manner. We are very grateful that a few days ago Australia has won a contract to sell wheat to India without kickbacks. We, as a country can still do business with integrity, and not justify our bad decisions by blaming others.
The third and the last temptation recounts the episode when the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world. He then said to him, "I will give you all these, if you fall at my feet and do me homage". The yearning for power and prestige is so inherent in all of us. The tragedy is that we forget that because of the life giving presence of Jesus Christ in us we are the most powerful people in the world. It is a tragedy that many do not realise how important they are because of Jesus. Many seek power and they are prepared to compromise their values, to stab others in the back or to make shady deals in order to attain what they perceive to be power and prestige. Our newspapers are full of stories of people who have fallen into disgrace, shame and sickness because they sought power in a very deceitful and treacherous manner.
During these temptations Jesus remained focussed on His relationship with God. As we start this journey of taking stock of our relationship with our God, with ourselves and with others, we are reminded to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. "Lord take away from our hearts anything that does not belong to you. Refresh us with your spirit and with your presence. Make us understand that by staying close to you we become more and more a source of blessing to ourselves and to others. During this time of Lent help us to renew our commitment to accept you and only you as our guide and shepherd. Amen".
