First Sunday of lent year A

First Sunday of lent year A

First Reading: Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7

Second Reading: Romans 5: 12-19

Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11

The first reading today presents us with the first temptation after the creation of man and describes the fall of Adam and Eve. The sin of Adam and Eve fractured man’s friendship with God and brought evil and death into the world. The Gospel presents us with Jesus’s temptation in the desert where he is presented as the new Adam who has come into the world to undo the effects of the fall. The second reading is St Paul’s famous text about the original sin. Paul says, “through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men.” This is one of the most important texts in all of Paul’s writings and is particularly important for the understanding of the doctrine of original sin and the identity of Jesus as the new Adam.

We cannot fully appreciate the Good News of salvation if we don’t appreciate the bad news of sin, death and damnation. That is what the Church is pointing out to us on this first Sunday of Lent. When our first parents sinned against God, the punishment of death fell on Adam and Eve and their descendants. Paul personifies death as a type of king who “reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam, who was the type of the one who was to come.” So, just as God reigns in his kingdom, death reigned over humanity after the fall. That is what the new Adam has come to undo. Paul argues, “For if by the transgression of the one, death came to reign through that one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ. He also says, “Just as through the disobedience of the one man, the many were made sinners, so, through the obedience of the one, the many will be made righteous.” Paul’s use of typology here serves to help us understand the identity of Jesus as the new Adam and his mission to undo the effects of Adam’s sin. If the sin of the first Adam was enough to make all of us sinners and bring the reign of death, the righteousness of the new and greater Adam is more efficacious to make us righteous and bring about the reign of life and eternal life.

The Gospel tells us that like Adam and like us, Jesus was also tempted. It is a deep mystery, that God is submitting to temptation, allowing the evil one to have a field day.  By allowing himself to be tempted and overcoming temptations, Jesus teaches us that it is not a sin to be tempted and that we should prepare for temptations. St. John Chrysostom said, He allowed Himself to be tempted in order that the baptized should not be troubled if, in spite of their sincere effort to be holy, they still suffer strong temptations as if we are not to expect them.” If we fail to prepare for temptations, we open the door to failure, discouragement, gloominess, depression and even despair. No one is immune from temptations.

The temptations that come our way are similar to the ones Jesus endured. The devil tempts us by taking advantage of our situation. After fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, Jesus was hungry. Then came the tempter. First, if you are the son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. The popular expectation was that the Messiah who will be a new Moses would be able to feed people in the desert with bread as Moses did when he gave them manna in the desert. The second is a temptation to gain popularity through performance. The Messiah is expected to be able to endear himself on the people by means of a spectacular sign in the temple. And Jesus responded, “you shall not put the Lord, your God to the test.” Third, Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and said to him, “all these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” The Messiah is expected to have dominion over all the kingdoms of the world. This is a temptation to worship a false god or serve the wrong master. Jesus responded, “The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.”

The temptations of Jesus summarize in a generic way, the temptations we too have to deal with. When we are tempted, if we are able to identify our temptation with one of the temptations of Jesus, we will be better prepared to answer Satan the way Jesus answered him. Lent invites us to arm ourselves with the tools of fasting and prayer so as to be able to overcome the devil.

Happy Sunday

Fr Chidi Onwuka m.ss.cc.