Firstly, conversion. Secondly, relationships.
The flip-side of the temptations that Jesus underwent which we too will be subjected to, is conversion. When we think of or speak of temptations, we often assume their objective or goal lead to bad or evil actions. In other words, we are tempted to behave badly or commit acts which are bad. Overeating for example or stealing is another. But people can be tempted towards the “good” too. What does this mean? Jesus is a model of this kind of temptation.
Coming up out of the River Jordan, Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit. Would it make sense for Satan to tempt Him to evil? No, it does not. Satan would not have suggested that Jesus go on a murderous rampage. Instead, he proposed to Jesus, “Now, I know that you are about to begin your journey of doing good—heal the sick, let the blind see, make the lame walk, allow me assist you. I will give you all these kingdoms. Imagine with such a great scope and capacity, how much more can you accomplish?”.
It does not help that the entertainment industry has portrayed evil as sinister, dark and malevolent. The images we have of the Devil are ugly and hideous but what Satan proposed to Jesus was not grotesque domination but rather the alluring potential to do good.
If you can, imagine the tête-à-tête or the exchange between Jesus and Satan. It was not a vicious conflict between good and evil but rather a civil conversation, an almost intimate chat on choosing between good and better. For those who are bent on self-destruction, the Devil does not have to do anything because their hearts are already hell-bent. If one were heading to Hades, no assistance is needed. But for those who are ascending to heaven, Satan will be subtle. He proposes to unsuspecting souls, ideas which on their own, look good enough. To those who are serious about serving God, Satan will appear as an angel of light. We joke about this but maybe you can appreciate why meat seems to taste better on Friday.
In the desert, Jesus returned to the source of all that is good, beautiful and true. He turned to God. The temptation to power is appealing because of its capabilities. Hiding behind the ability to master and dominate is the temptation of self—worship. Jesus reminded Satan that all power must bow before the Lord for He alone is to be adored.
Thus, at the heart of Christ’s temptations is the conversion in our relationships. Christ was not resisting temptations in themselves but pointing us in the right direction of our relationships. On Ash Wednesday, we were alerted to the three virtuous practices of the Jews: fasting, alms-giving and prayer. They symbolise our relationships with ourselves, others and God.
Temptations subvert the proper order of these relationships. When Jesus was tempted to turn stones to bread, He reminded the Tempter where in the hierarchy of priorities should one place material things. Pleasure itself is not our ultimate desire. God is the only one who can fully satisfy our needs. Our needs are not just material but also spiritual.
The temptation to power reminds us that while it is good to serve the poor, feed and clothed them, the greater temptation is to believe that we are gods who can solve the world’s economic crises. A globalist agenda believes that through sheer dominance, we can control diseases and disasters. The opposite is not that humanity deserves to suffer or that the poor should be neglected. The Son of God Himself made this remark that we will always have the poor with us. It is not a condemnation that the poor should accept their status quo but rather a challenge that we must never forget the poor in our midst.
The powerful are always tempted towards achieving the greater good but ultimately it is the temptation to control. We should help those who are in need but always remembering that we must depend all the more on God for the conversion of selfishness; the same selfishness that traps and prevents us from reaching out to one another and especially to the marginalised.
The last temptation by Satan to test God gives us a glimpse into how we are supposed to depend on God alone. Sadly, our idea of dependence is rather independent. Meaning? We only turn to God when we are unable to do things. How often have we turned to Him immediately in a crisis? Practically never. Remember during the Pandemic, the first thing we did was to shut the Churches. We only depend on Him when we are incapable.
We will be tempted to forget God and at the heart of every temptation is basically a forgetfulness of our relationship with God. The nature of temptation can be obscured by our conflating it with hideous and repulsive manifestations. When we reduce evil to ugliness we can lose sight of its true nature. The true nature of temptation is to lead us away from God and on most occasions, it does not lead us away with ugliness but with beauty. If you are well-intentioned, you are generally immune to choosing ugliness. Instead, you will be lured to choose the good rather than the better.
What makes temptation a difficult reality to appreciate is when we lose the sense of sin. The result of our sin-blindness is also a rise in justification or rationalisation. We explain away sin by reducing everything to just psychology. In the past, when a person sins, he or she falls sick. Today we are merely sick and because we cannot help ourselves, we sin. Pathologies excuse our sinful behaviour. Najib’s governance was labelled as a “kleptocracy”, remember? As a kleptomaniac, he could not help but enrich himself. Najib was not alone. He has a good companion in one Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Finally, I was in a country noted for its order. Everything appeared perfectly placed, right down to the minute details of life. Buses and trains run like clockwork. There was nothing to complain about. Yet when everything is planned and runs smoothly, what is unseen is a great force exerted even though outwardly there appears to be a great measure of personal autonomy. Beneath all the planned activities and even though individual freedom is exercised, there is coercion. I am not criticising organisational skills etc but merely pointing out that beyond this ability to manage or direct our destiny, there lies a greater power. The Temptation is the desert reminds us of the great power over Whom we are powerless. It is to recognise Who the real power is and He is God our Lord.
