Gospel: MATTHEW 4:1-11
“TAKE THE SHORT CUT! TAKE THE EASY WAY!”
Today is the First Sunday of Lent, and today’s Gospel is taken from the opening of Matthew, chapter 4. We hear the well known, dramatic story of Jesus’ temptations in the desert which takes place before he begins his public ministry.
We are told the devil confronts Jesus. Actually, the second temptation suggested by the devil to him makes sense, and it would have been tempting to Jesus. He is about to begin his mission. Acknowledging this, the devil’s advice is that he do something awe-inspiring which would undoubtedly capture the attention and imagination of the people. Be a crowd pleaser.
Surely Jesus had the power to do something spectacular which would have attracted crowds in their thousands to him. People love a wonder-worker or a magician! Jesus could have jumped from a great height in view of crowds, and then surely they would have flocked to join his movement. The Kingdom of God could have easily been established.
But Jesus opted not to go this way. He didn’t want to take the easy way or to take a short cut to achieve his goal. To do so would have given his followers a false idea of what it means to be Christian. He didn’t want his followers to think that there was a short cut or an easy way of achieving happiness or holiness. He didn’t want them to focus on the spectacular, but rather on nitty-gritty of real life situations that can be transformed through hard work, carrying each other’s burdens, and trying to put into practice the message of the Beatitudes.
If He had followed the devil’s advice and done something stunning, totally out-of-this-world, how could Jesus then say, “Come to me all who labour and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11:28). Who would feel confident to go to such a “super hero”? No, Jesus opted to take the long and arduous way of spreading his message. In doing so He led by example. To people everywhere and in all times, He says, “Learn from me, I am humble of heart.”(Mt 11:29). Let’s learn this, this Lent.