1st Sunday of Lent (A) : 26th February 2023

In Matthew’s Gospel, the Baptism of Jesus (Mt.3:13-17) is closely connected with His Temptation (Mt.4:1-11). It is the Spirit that came down upon Jesus at His Baptism (Mt.3:16) and now led Him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Mt.4:1).

Basically, the Temptation story is the testing of God’s Son. In the first two temptations, Jesus was challenged to manifest His Sonship. His eagerness to do the Father’s will was put to the test. Yet, for the three temptations, Jesus could answer with a quotation from the book of Deuteronomy.

1. i) Jesus was tempted at the beginning of His ministry (Heb2:18, 4:15)
2. ii) Unlike the Israel of old, Jesus, the new Israel did not succumb to temptation

iii) Jesus remained obedient to His Father’s will.

1. iv) Perfect submission to His Father’s will is what Jesus’ disciples ought to follow.

When we were baptised, we became God’s children. The test of our faithfulness to God is how we counter temptation in today’s world. Without a strong faith, we can easily succumb to the temptation/attraction of the world. We can easily fall into the temptation of materialism, power and wealth that keep us away from God’s way of life. Let us be conscious of such temptation during this Lenten season and turn to God who loves us.

“Lord, help us rely on Your Word to prevent us from falling into the temptations of the world.”