Invitation to sin

Temptation is not a sin but an invitation to sin.

In the Gospel passage today, we read about that famous occasion when Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil in the desert for 40 days after His baptism at the Jordan river.

Jesus subjected Himself to the same temptations that the Devil had brought upon our ancestors, by which he led countless souls to the path of sin and damnation.

Why did Jesus allow Himself to be tempted?

That was because by uniting Himself to our humanity, and by embracing our human nature, Christ our Lord showed us all that it is possible for us to defeat sin and reject the temptations to sin, by obeying God perfectly and wholeheartedly in our lives.

Essentially, this is a reminder to all of us not to give in to the temptations of our flesh, our desire for things of this world, be it for food and luxuries, for the pleasurable things in this life. It is not that we cannot or should not eat, as we certainly need to eat to sustain ourselves, but we must not allow ourselves to be overcome by the attachment and desires we have for those things so that we end up neglecting the Lord and His truth and words.

It is also an important reminder that we should not orientate our lives around the material things in this world.

That is why during this season of Lent, we practice fasting and abstinence to remind us of the need to restrain these desires that we may have in us so that we do not end up being swayed and led down the path of sin.

We have to make a conscious effort to keep ourselves free from the unhealthy attachment to worldly matters, and fasting and abstinence, done in the right spirit and desire to keep ourselves focused on the Lord, will help us in our journey towards the Lord, particularly during this time of Lent.

We should also deepen our relationship with God, and remind ourselves to spend more time with Him during this season in particular, and if we have not really spent time with Him, we should change our ways and begin to spend more good quality time with God through prayer and other means.

The third and final temptation that Jesus faced from the Devil was the greatest temptation of all, and that was pride. This happened when the Devil brought Him up to the parapet or peak of the Temple of Jerusalem, telling Him to drop down from there, even quoting from Scripture: “The Lord would not let His Holy One be hurt, and would send His Angels to protect Him.”

This was meant to test the Lord for pride, as falling from the parapet in view of so many people and surviving would earn the praise of the people and glorify the Lord. And everyone would certainly have believed in Him after such a wonderful miracle. But the Lord rebuked Satan again, telling him that no one should test the Lord, and He refused to be tempted by pride.