Holy Week One - TEMPTATION - 2020

How much less is man, who is only a maggot, or a man's children, who are only worms!" Job 25.6 - Isaiah 41:14 – Psalm 22:6 – Isaiah 53

When the gates of heaven finally opened, inward toward the earth, gates that  were closed by the sin of Adam and Eve, there appear descending to earth the Son of God. He is coming for one reason and one reason alone, for this HOUR. Emptied of all his divine privilege he comes with only the faculties of a human man, the same faculties that Adam had going for him. Satan, by barely lifting a finger was able to totally corrupt the mind and heart of Adam, rendering unfit ever to be allowed to enter the presence of God and share in His glory; the same glory that Satan himself had lost through pride. But now the battle was on. Would Satan be able to do the same to Jesus that he did to Adam? The HOUR has begun.  It begins in the wilderness where Jesus goes after his official anointing and commissioning by the Father through the Holy Spirit at Jesus baptism by John.  This should be easy, he is merely a man, who now is hungry. “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” Mtt. 4:3  Satan tells himself that every human knows that the first priority of life is bread. Without bread death will surely overtake them, ("... death that I brought into the world"). This fails. Next Satan reasons that God did not reach down His hand to protect Adam, to prevent me, Satan from doing him grievous harm. Surely Jesus must be vulnerable to some doubt. Will the Father protect Him from death?  “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you’ and ‘with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” Mtt. 4:6 This too fails. Now Satan must play his trump card. Every man knows that success in this world is inexorably tied to power and control. Surely Jesus knows this. When I show him how I, Satan can guarantee Him that no power on earth shall be greater than the power I can give Him He's mine. I will take Him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, I will say to Him, “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” Mtt. 4:8 This too fails. But Satan is not willing to give up.  This is how our own Lenten time began. We too went with Jesus into our wilderness to be put to the test, a microcasm of our whole life. So how did you do? How have you been managing these deceits sown in your mind, ever so logically, ever so necessary and valid?  These three temptation are the three main principles upon which mark the rights and freedoms of this society in which we live. Unlike Jesus, no doubt we have all failed and our failure has disqualified us from being placed among the just. (Recall Jesus teaching in Matt. 5 which concludes: "Be perfect, just as your Heavenly Father is perfect.") The scales of justice demand it, Satan has claimed us and now carries us off to GEHENNA!

.