The Paradox parexcellence
There are people who cannot endure silence and solitude. They are the mediocre and the men. They had nothing to offer. Naturally, they are afraid of their emptiness. In effect, they are afraid of themselves. They are restless, unquiet and dejected because they cannot forget themselves, so as to open themselves to others. They deceive themselves with the artificial life of others; who too are in turn deceived, by it. What everyone here experiences is “The waste land”. They always mingle in muddy waters.
As one who came to redeem humanity from the slavery of sin and satan, Jesus had definitely to come back to men from the mountains. Redemption is the eternal act of love. God gives and forgives. To be God like, to be Christ-like, we too have to give and forgive, of course, in our own humble way.
For Jesus, the forty days of solitude in the desert are the last of His preparations to give His life as ransom thus to forgive each and everyone. For forty years the Israelites (the prophetic symbol of Christ Himself) wandered in the desert before entering into the Promised Land (the symbol of Paradise). Moses remained very close to God for forty days to hear and get His laws. Elijah wandered for forty days in the desert to escape from the vengeance of the wicked queen, Jezebel. So also the time allotted for the new Moses, the real liberator, before announcing the advent of the Promised Kingdom for forty days. For Him it was a great time of very intimate communion with God. It enabled Him to make sure of His Father’s will regarding salvation.
Jesus was born into the world dominated by sin and secularism. He was born to crush satan’s head (Gen. 3:15). The arch enemy of God as well as men. He is the liar, the malign, the suborner, the seducer. He has to be driven out from the earth. Jesus, the God-Man alone is eligible for this.
Satan knows very well what is going to happen to him. It is only natural that he targets his Arch enemy. He dares come into the desert to tempt Jesus, who has just completed His forty days’ fast. Every living body needs sustenance. Like any other ordinary man, the man Jesus ate and drank. Indeed, the last act of His earthly ‘drama’ was a Memorial Supper. And He commanded the disciples to ‘do it in memory of me’. Thus the re-enactment of the Last supper is perpetuated in the economy of salvation. It is made crucial to every disciple of Christ. So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day” (Joh. 6:53,54). To be sure and certain, after forty days of genuine fast Jesus was really hungry. Satan was waiting to strike right when the iron is hot. He speaks very cunningly, but, of course, hesitatingly, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of ‘bread’. Sharp and pointed comes the answer “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” – a reproof parexcellence.
It is not in his proud blood to admit defeat. He leads Jesus to the holy city, sets Him on the pinnacle of the temple saying: “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: On their hands they will bear you up, lest you should strike your foot against. Quick came the retort: “You shall not tempt the Lord your God”.
Now satan shows “all the kingdom of the earth and the glory there of. For it is delivered unto me. To whomever I will, I give it. If therefore, you adore me, all this will be yours”. Jesus blurted out: “Get behind satan. For, it is written. You shall worship the Lord your God. Him only you shall serve”. Then the devil left Him, and behold angels came and ministered to Him (cfr. Mat. 4:1-11)
