Jesus' suffering is a weapon against evil

February 25, 2007 -- First Sunday of Lent

By Fr. Michael Stubbs

	Fr. Mike Stubbs

Surprise can serve as an extremely effective weapon. For example, it was on a cold, wintry Christmas night in 1776, when George Washington crossed the Delaware river to attack the unsuspecting British. They had been partying and were fast asleep. The Americans easily overran them.

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A surprise attack also appears to motivate the devil in Sunday's gospel reading, Luke 1:1-13. Apparently, the devil plans to catch Jesus off-guard, in a weakened state. That is why the devil waits till the end of the forty days that Jesus has spent in the desert fasting and praying, before he tempts Jesus. The devil thinks, that after not having eaten for forty days, Jesus will be weak and easily defeated.

We should note that in Matthew's account of Jesus' temptation, 4:1-11, the devil takes the same approach. On the other hand, Mark's gospel suggests that Satan tempts Jesus throughout the forty days and does not wait until afterwards (Mark 1:12-13). Furthermore, it does not even mention Jesus' fasting. While it does not contradict the accounts of Matthew and Luke, Mark's gospel remains satisfied with describing the temptation of Jesus in far more generalized terms.

In both Matthew's and Luke's accounts, the devil waits until the end of the forty days to tempt Jesus. Evidently, the devil believes that fasting will have reduced Jesus to a weakened state. But contrary to the devil's expectations, Jesus proves to be spiritually strong. Fasting turns out to be another weapon in Jesus' arsenal. If it has made his body weaker, it has only made his spirit stronger, more prepared than ever to engage in battle with the devil.

That is how both Luke and Matthew describe the temptations. It is a battle of the will, a battle of words. Three times the devil challenges Jesus. We should remember that folk stories typically repeat events three times. The three moments provide a succinct narrative, while at the same time enable the story to build up to a climax. In each case, Jesus answers with a quotation from Scripture. In the third temptation (third according to the order in Luke), the devil also quotes Scripture. So even Scripture lends itself to service as a weapon in this debate.

The temptation scene sets a pattern for the entire gospel. Throughout his ministry, Jesus is engaged in spiritual combat. By driving out demons and healing the sick, Jesus is struggling against the evil in people's lives. By arguing with his opponents, such as the Pharisees and Saducees, the scribes and the elders, Jesus once again is participating in a contest which ultimately is part of a spiritual war. His human opponents symbolize his spiritual opponents. That war will reach its climax on Calvary. There, on the cross, Jesus will take his suffering and wield it as a weapon to strike the decisive blow against evil. Through his cross, Jesus will gain the victory. And there on the cross, we hope to learn from his struggle and share in his victory.

(Fr. Stubbs, a priest of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, has a master's degree in theology from Harvard.)