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How strong is the Holy
Spirit? When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are protected
from the harmful works of the Evil One. We do not have the power
to eliminate the Devil. That is God's concern. Our concern is to
have the right thoughts and do the right things so that we can
receive the Holy Spirit and be 'Devil-Proof'.
A classic example of
resilience against the Evil One and overcoming its taunts is the
gospel reading on the temptations that Jesus faced during his
forty days in the desert (Luke 4:1 - 13). Jesus had a choice
whether to succumb to the temptations of the Devil or to follow
God's Will. God subjected him to the trials that we ourselves
meet in our daily lives, even though we are his children. In
meeting our trials, we are required to affirm our faith and
reflect it in our everyday actions. How did Jesus do this in his
life?
Materialism and Consumerism
are very powerful 'carrots' in attracting people to follow the
Devil's path. For a man who was hungry and thirsty for forty
days, these 'carrots' are the devil's best weapons. Thus in
Luke 4: 1 - 4, we read the first temptation that Jesus is put
through. We learn from the reply given by Jesus that filling our
stomach is small matter compared to filling our minds with the
Word of God and treasuring them in our hearts.
Why is the Word of God mentioned in the first temptation? My view
is that it is the foundation of our faith and existence. The whole
of creation came to existence upon the pronouncements of God. If
you read Genesis, the first book in the Bible, we will realize
that everything is created when God speaks. Secondly, though we
cannot see God literally, we hear him in the Word of God. No
matter how hard the devil tried, it failed because Jesus chose to
listen to his Father.
What we learn in the second
temptation scene is an oft-repeated commandment in the Bible. God
told Israel right from the very start that He is the Only God who
should be worshipped. The precept is so important that it is the
very first of the Ten Commandments. In the Old Testament, we read
about the loyalty to God shown by Abraham, Elijah, Daniel and many
others. Their faith is an enlightened faith, not a blind
one. Through thick and thin, their great respect and obedience to
Yahweh was there.
Yet sometimes, we have doubts and test the wisdom and divinity of
God.
If you want to test God, you
are telling him "I don't believe you." or "I don't trust
you." We hurt the feelings of our heavenly Father. He feels the
rejection. When Jesus is tempted the third time, the devil
realizes that Jesus had complete faith in His Father.
God-testing is for the feeble-minded and the weak-hearted, not for
the person who is prepared to carry his or her crosses in the
knowledge that God knows and cares. Jesus foresees his death on
the Cross but stays clear of all these temptations. Instead he
chose to enter through the narrow and difficult path. His faith is
a faith full of love and hope!
In conclusion, the three temptations that
Jesus meets are three aspects of our Christian faith - Obedience
to the Word of God, Worshipping only God, and Humble Faith.
The biblical extract on the Temptation of
Jesus is a mini bible for us and a reference tool for the restless
soul. I always refer to it when I have doubts about God. It brings
me back to the right path and I see the narrow path ahead of me. |
