1. Jesus’ temptations

The Wednesday of this week is Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent. Lent occurs 40 days not counting Sundays before Easter. The period is devoted to fasting, abstinence, and penitence in commemoration of Christ’s fasting in the wilderness. The number 40 represents the days during which Jesus was tempted there by the devil. Every year, throughout Lent, we learn about those temptations. This year we reflect upon what temptations mean to us, by reading the Gospel according to Mark.

Just before commencing ministries Jesus received the baptism from John the Baptist on the river side of Jordan. And;- As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.(Mark 1¡§10)

The verses show us what Jesus experienced at the very moment. Then ;- And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1¡§11)

It was then when He received the calling and recognized the fact. Any one of us too who received the calling must seek understanding given tasks to take actions. So did Jesus ;- At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert,¡ÊMark 1¡§12¡Ë

Mark describes very concisely the scene ;- and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.¡ÊMark 1¡§13)

The Gospel writer uses precise terms of symbolic meanings, “desert, for example. For Jewish people the word ‘desert’ implied immediately the episode of 40 wondering years in the desert after Exodus. Moreover Elijah’s hiding time (cf.1 Kings 17:1-6). John the Baptis predicted the arrival of Messiah by referring also the voice in the desert (cf. John 1:23). Thus “the desert” is the place where they listened to God’s voice.

The number 40 also has particular significances for Israelites. In the episode of the Arc of Noah, the flood kept coming on the earth 40 days, and wondering time in the desert after Exodus continued 40 years. Moses received the Ten Commandments after waiting 40 days in fast. In short the number 40 represented time of trials and meditations.

Basing on that background Mark indicates it was the very God, the Heavenly Father who programed following accounts of Jesus.

While Mark didn’t give details about temptations, Matthew and Luke recorded concrete features. For example Matthew tells us the very words of the evil ; - “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” and “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me."(cf. Matthew 4:3-9)

And Jesus rejected all three temptations. Let us see more about the contents of those phrases above. All the tempting elements indicate the way to power and glory. It means “If you are the son of God you should be able to feed starving people, to heal the sick and to emancipate those from the harsh ruling power. Then the people praise and adore you.”

To same extent they might be true. But even if food was provided once it would be never enough forever because humans cannot be free from necessity of daily bread. Even if certain illness was healed humans must die one day in a future. Result of healing cannot get rid of the predestined death. Even if Jewish people was freed from a domination of Rome in Jesus’ time, raising new ruling powers were always possible.

All of temptations by Satin offer only palliative solutions to their sufferings. Thus Jesus turned them down. If Jesus had accepted them He might become a great Jewish king on the earth, but never the Savior of all humans. Because authentic emancipation from pain and sufferings is only to be newly born.

After that experience in the desert Jesus underwent many more trials. The family was not pleased by His preaching activities and perhaps they tried to get him back to the former life (cf.Matthew 12:46, Mark 3:31, Luke 8:20) Peter, Jesus’ most trusted disciple, didn’t understand the meaning of Jesus’ Passion and Cross (cf. Matthew 16:22, Mark 8:32). Pharisees required evidences which should prove Jesus’ divinity (cf. Matthew 16:1)
Ordinary people expected Him to obtain earthy power and to win Jewish independence from Rome (cf. Matthew 20:21). Therefore God’s will had oriented Jesus into the desert in order that He prepared himself through meditations for the challenging future. And God ordered Him to become the Messiah of sufferings, not of earthy glory. Jesus accepted the mission and drunk from the cup of the Passion and the Cross.

2. Temptations for us

Temptations experienced by Jesus give us also the question about how to choose our life. The majority of humans might seek that of “power and glory”, in other words, the life with appreciations and praises from others. Such a life might accord self-satisfaction by realizing ourselves. Those persons try hard to graduate from highly estimated schools, to have opportunity of workig for big companies. Such choices themselves are not to be blamed except successful results are not guaranteed at all. When we fail to obtain what we sought naturally we become unhappy. A life seeking personal or social appreciations should be easily broken by facing failure. For example when our love is not responded similarly we are depressed and feel lost. Life for ” power and glory”, or ” earthy successes”, is a life which depends on others’ reaction and social estimations.

Such life style might provoke psychiatric syndromes called as ” adult-children”, which means persons remaining in childish mentality, regardless of their adult age. A psychiatrist Dr. Black* researched and analyzed mental tendencies of alcohol addict children and found they have easily emotional and acting disorders in adult age. Then she remarked that the same tendencies occurred among children of families who have domestic problems, child-abuse by parents, harsh quarrels between parents, or parents’ indifference or excessive expectations towards children. Children grown up in such environments are often frustrated and mentally injured due to feeling of “being abandoned” . They commence to show psychological disorders by concealing their personalities, becoming dependent on drugs or alcohol, anorexia, obesity, bulimia etc. Those symptoms are named by Dr. Black “adult-children” disorder

The life for ” power and glory” might be considered to be one of symptoms above because the stance of that kind of life is dependent on earthy evaluations. Jesus criticized that way of living. He compels us to choose a life much more adequate to humans.
Jesus tells us ;-whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."(Mark 10:43-35)

The verses of Mark indicate the active and positive life. Even though you are not loved you can still love. As long as you love, you won’t feel desperate or lost, Jesus says. But is it possible for humans, simple egoistic existences ? Only one thing which allow us to do. If we meet Jesus in authentic sense we will be changed through his love. Therefore Jesus said ;- “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"¡ÊMark 1¡§15¡Ë
Now is the time for us to meet Jesus and to metamorphose into God’s children, the time of the arrival of the kingdom of God.

3. To overcome temptations

We chosen Mark 10:26-27 for today’s invocation verses ;- The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Those words are given to a rich man who came to Jesus by seeking eternal life. The man could not have spiritual tranquility despite his observing God’s commandments. Therefore he asked Jesus how he could be reassured of salvation. Jesus’ answer was ;- “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."(Mark 10:21)

The man was too rich to abandon all of his treasure so he left Jesus. Jesus commented on the man’s choice this way;- “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."(Mark 10:24-25)

The disciples were amazed at Jesus’ saying. Because the rich was considered to be favored by God. But Jesus didn’t mean that the wealth itself is bad for humans. He wanted to say it was obsession to earthy treasure which prevents humans from entering into God’s kingdom. If the rich man believed in God’s power which could push him to be mentally detached from material possessions, he could have become one of Jesus’ followers by using his wealth for others welfare.

God prepares trials to us, illness or sadness, for example. Through those trials we arrive to renounce our privileges. A Catholic priest Father Harusaku gave us a example. When he has been hospitalized he wrote a poem titled ” If we gat sick”. **
In that poem he says ;
- -Under suffering of illness we can pray and cry to Heaven because we are only little babies before our Father God . We will give gratefulness for His love, protection and mercy. Then we surrender totally ourselves to God by believing that we, all together, will see Him some day. Whether the illness will be cured or not, we can be kinder and sweeter thanks to our tears. The time of suffering is a big chance to recognize God’ love. –

During healthy time we don’t recognize how wonderful it is to be able to eat and walk easily or awake in the morning without any pain. Under physical or mental difficulties we knew preciousness of friends who are ready to help us.

Remaining in good conditions we don’t need to pray and cry by aspiring to God’s support. Therefore bad times should be lucky chances for us to become a little baby before God, Heavenly father.
The epistle of Hebrews tells us the fact with theological terms;- And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,(Hebrews 12:5)

According to statistics the most frequent concern of all generations is health problem. Humans in modern societies seem vulnerable before sufferings from which they easily get breakdown. I think it is because they consider them to be inadmissible incidents. But Paul says ;- Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.(2 Corinthians 7:10)

It doesn’t mean that there are two types of sorrows, but two types of attitude are possible in front of an unhappy incident. We can take it as a trial given by God or a bad luck. In latter case we should be desperate as we can find any positive facet in misfortune. On the contrary if we accept it as a self-training chance accorded by God we might be empowered and will try to deal with it courageously. Through trials we can be changed into an existence who seek to love rather than to be loved. Because “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Let us undergo sufferings courageously, like Jesus did that in the desert. The desert of trials is the very place where we can meet God.
————-
* [It’s Never Too Late to Have a Happy Childhood - Inspirations for Adult Children]
by Claudia Black
Paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books (1989)
ASIN: B000NSKAL8

** “Daijo-bu dayo” by Masaaei Harusaku
Edition Joshi Paulo kai
ISBN code 978-4-7896-0535-9 / 4-7896-0535-3