Temptation

"Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil.  He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over, he was hungry. The devil said to Him, 'If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.' Jesus answered him, 'One does not live on bread alone.'
Then he took Him up and showed all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to him, 'I shall give you all the power and glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. All of this will be yours if you worship me.'  Jesus said to him in reply, 'You shall worship the Lord, your God, and Him alone shall you serve.'
Then, he led Him to Jerusalem, and made Him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to Him, 'If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: 'He will command His angels concerning you, to guard you,' and 'With their hands they will support you.' Jesus said to him in reply, 'You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.' " - [Luke 4: 1-13].


This Scripture forms the very basis of our Lenten practices. Because of Jesus' hunger, we give food to the poor. Because of the devil's holding out the temptations of power, we intentionally minister to the powerless, the sick or the imprisoned. Because of the devil's holding out the temptations of testing God, we strengthen our Faith.

But this Scripture also represents a warning about how to live. This account of Jesus, wandering the desert for forty days and forty nights, may seem like an exaggeration or even a metaphor, but its lessons are all too real.

Christians may not believe in a devil cast as an actual red man running around, with horns and a wicked grin. But, just as we believe in a Good and Holy Spirit, so we also believe in a Dark Side.

In the first temptation, the devil entices Jesus to turn a stone into bread. What is this about?

This is about our fixation on materialism and greed. We want all the bread, as much as we can grab for ourselves, and we want it now. It is also about the real temptation of taking shortcuts to gain the most "bread" for ourselves.

Perhaps we are thinking, WHO would do that?!

In the news this week: Paul Manafort, President Trump's former campaign manager, has been sentenced to many years in prison, for conspiracy, for witness tampering, and for bank fraud, and for hiding income overseas to evade taxes; and has just been indicted in NY state for mortgage fraud, such as inflating the value of properties or falsely stating material facts about the property in order to get a more favorable loan.

As the judge in his case said, this is about greed. "Why? Not to support a family  but to sustain a lifestyle at the most opulent and extravagant level" - referring to more homes than anyone could possibly live in, custom suits, expensive clothes.

Legal commentators have said that this was about "gaming the system".

Also in the news, arrests and charges against prominent people for conspiracy and bribes, aimed at gaining college admissions for their sons and daughters. Again, "gaming the system". Taking the easy way out of the college process. Magically turning stones into bread.

Also in the news, actor Jussie Smollett being indicted on 16 felony counts for allegedly staging a hate attack on himself; the motive reportedly being that he wanted a big pay raise.

I am often left wondering, 'WHY would people who are already intelligent, accomplished, and so very blessed, be tempted to commit these crimes?' Don't they already have everything?'

In my mind, while these folks may be richer, more prominent, more accomplished, they are just as prone to temptation as anyone else.

All of us are also just as prone to the temptations of power and of pride. A person who tests God and demands things, as proof of Divine Existence, is entitled - plain and simple. He thinks that even God owes us something.

It is all too easy to fall for the half-truths and the lies of temptation - "Everyone does it."  "Anyone who gets things by hard work and honesty is just a patsy." "You have had some rough times in life, you deserve this." "No one will know."  "You will never get anywhere unless you play the game." "This is just the way the world is."  "The rules are unfair, how can a guy ever get ahead." "You will get everything you ever wanted."  These half-truths and unctuous platitudes are no different than the devil telling Jesus, "All of this can be yours."

We are sucked in on a slippery slope of half-steps: "If donating money is merely 'getting into someone's good graces', then an outright bribe is no different- RIGHT?"  "I am in so deep now, I might as well keep going".  "If I take this money now, I can always repay it later and no one will notice."

My son is in his late teens now. I talk to him a lot about the things that are priceless and that no amount of money can buy - Love, hard work, respect for others, humility, patience. I tell him, Anyone can walk right over even his own mother to grab more power. Anyone can have more money than you, or a shinier car, or more fancy homes. These don't impress me - at all.

What I AM impressed with is the person who walks away from the corruption of power, from the greed, from the egotism that engenders entitlement, and from the lure of the easy way out.

I tell my son that we must all be vigilant against the Dark Side. Even if you have it all, the temptation is always there. No one is above the peril of temptation. No one.

And if you have perhaps less than you desire, but you fall for the easy way out, then you lose everything.

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