“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.”
As we begin Lent, the Church reminds us of why we undertake such a journey; to emulate our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. It is important to note, as the perfect example, Christ prepares for his public ministry by first entering into solitude, in which he draws strength from the Father.
Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to battle Satan and demonstrate his dominion over his human passions. Similarly, we also draw our strength from lent to supply us with spiritual fortitude for the rest of the liturgical year.
This scripture is fitting for the very first Sunday in lent, as it shows through Christ’s example how we will grow closer to him during this sacrifical period. It is crucial to reflect on what model Christ is setting for us by his departure into the wilderness for us to grow spiritually at a maximum capacity.
Most importantly, Christ exemplifies the renunciation of the passions and submission to the Will of God. There is no sanctity without the union of the human will with the Divine Will. Christ demonstrates a monumental act of humility by entering into the desert to undergo this battle. He doesn’t need any spiritual exercise. He is God. He is already one with the Will of God, but he knows by his example many of his children will gain strength and freedom from their battles against their passions.
Scripture says that Christ was led by the Spirit. This is no small detail. Christ was like us in all things but sin, which means he would feel the hunger of the fast and discomfort of the wilderness. Just because he was God didn’t equate to the pain of the flesh somehow being enjoyable. Jesus did not get some sort of pleasure out of suffering, nor was he immune to it.
However, Jesus was utterly unified to the will of the Father and was directed by the Holy Spirit to this union unceasingly, which means that the flesh was no obstacle. His Humanity was utterly subordinate to His Divinity. Through the events in this passage, Christ intends to strengthen us in the subordination of our humanity to his Divinity.
It may be helpful to reflect on what the Spirit is leading us to do in our lives, but instead of accepting the strength that Christ won for us in his fast, we allow our Spirit to become subordinate to the flesh. Are we being led by the Spirit to turn the TV off and spend time alone in prayer? Are we being led to reprioritize our lives so that our family takes precedence over work? Are we being led by the Spirit to stop using the Lord’s name in vain, or possibly something more personal?
For a very long time, I struggled with alcoholism and nicotine addiction. I hardly considered it a problem until I started to turn toward’s God. I’d wake up hungover and either pretend I wasn’t or rationalize that I just didn’t get enough water the day before, which wasn’t true; I drank too much the night before. I’d anxiously search the internet, “How much alcohol is too much?”, “Or how much alcohol is considered a sin?” trying to establish myself within the realm of “not a sin.”
This cycle went on for quite some time. I kept getting the inspiration to try a program, Exodus90, a Catholic ascetical challenge, in which part of the challenge is abstinence from alcohol. The challenge came and went for two years; I repeatedly declined. Until one year, weary from the anxiety and guilt of my drinking problem and addiction to nicotine, I asked the Lord, if this is something You Will for me, I will it too; just give me a sign by filling me with vigor and peace on the morning I’m supposed to begin. And sure enough, I received the sign and was led by the Spirit into my own wilderness, in which I gained freedom from both issues.
I’m not trying to oversimplify or cheapen this episode of Christ’s life by equating it with my own journey into asceticism. However, I am saying that through the example of Christ’s subordination of His Human will to His Divine will by the renunciation of bodily passions, we can gain strength through supernatural grace and His example to battle and overcome our own sin and achieve unity with the Triune God.
We can only be led by the Spirit when we renounce the obstacle of our will and unify it with the Will of God. Until then, we can only be “poked” by the Spirit. But I warn that we will not grow closer to God until we allow the Spirit to begin his work. But once He does, He will introduce us to true freedom and peace like we have not experienced before.
Jesus did not get some sort of pleasure out of suffering, nor was he immune to it.
Really great way to put it in terms of what Jesus actually struggled with. As he was human, he did go through the temptation and hardship just as we do and would wandering the desert.