The season of Lent begins, as it always does, with the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness. Have you ever wondered how these events made it into the Scriptures? After all, Jesus was alone in the desert, facing the devil. No one else was there to witness what happened.
The only possible explanation is that Jesus Himself later told His apostles and disciples exactly what took place. In other words, this is a piece of autobiography that the Lord chose to share with us. Jesus thought it important enough to tell us about His own experience of temptation. That alone tells us we should pay close attention.
He was not trying to impress us with His holiness or win our admiration. The truly holy never need to do that. No — He shared this because it is part of the Good News. At the very beginning of His public ministry, God-in-the-flesh steps onto the battlefield of our salvation. It is not even His fight; it is ours. He takes it on for us.
As St. Paul tells us so beautifully in today’s second reading, the disobedience of one man, Adam, brought war into the human heart — war between us and God, between flesh and spirit, between the world and the devil. But the obedience of one man, Jesus Christ, will undo it all.
That is why the battle begins in the desert — the place of silence, where distractions are stripped away and the real fight can be engaged. And notice when it happens: right after Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan. The voice from heaven declares, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” — words taken straight from Psalm 2, the ancient coronation psalm of Israel’s kings. Jesus enters the desert not only as our friend and brother, but as our King, fighting on our behalf.
Imagine if the rulers of this world showed their love by going into danger first, by facing our struggles themselves instead of sending us to face them alone. That is exactly what our King has done.
The specific details of the three temptations are not the most important part. What matters is what they reveal: Jesus is resolute in His obedience to the Word of God. Anything that contradicts the Father’s will, He rejects. He is tested — and the Greek word used can just as easily be translated “tested” as “tempted.” We all face such tests.
I remember when I was young, my younger siblings would bring neighbourhood friends to our very simple, very clean house. The children would walk in and say, “Wow, this is like a palace!” That always stayed with me. We say “Cleanliness is next to godliness” because the way we handle external things reflects our inner life. No one enjoys cleaning, but everyone loves living in a clean space.
The same is true in the spiritual life. No one enjoys works of penance or the hard battle against temptation — saying “no” to things we want but which are not good for us. Yet when we come through the struggle victorious, something in us is elevated. Our sense of identity, purpose, and freedom deepens. Those who have overcome serious addictions know this better than anyone: the battle is painful, but the freedom on the other side is glorious.
Jesus reveals His own battles in the desert to show us the path to that same freedom and peace. Every hard thing we do because it is the right thing leads to a greater sense of who we truly are in God.
I have often told you how much I admire engineers and car mechanics. Their entire day is spent fixing what is broken. After a while it is easy to forget how marvellous a car actually is. The same can happen to doctors, psychologists — and to us as Christians. Yes, we must deal with sin and temptation and what needs repairing in our lives. But God does not want us to see only what is broken.
That is why, this Lent, I invite you to a simple but powerful spiritual practice. Open the Gospel again and read the account of the temptations — but this time, ignore the words of the evil one completely. Read only the words of Jesus. Listen to His voice. Let those words of truth, strength, and life fill you.
Every once in a while I walk through my house and deliberately look not at what still needs doing, but at everything that has already been given — at how gracious God has been. And when I do that, my desire to follow Him — even through the battles — grows stronger.
Lent is not only about fixing what is broken. It is about marvelling at what God has made and how beautifully He continues to lead us.
May the same Spirit who led Jesus into the desert lead us through this holy season — to victory, to freedom, and to deeper wonder at the goodness of God.
Amen.
Fr. W. P. Kuzma