1st Sunday of Lent, Year A
"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit...."
The gospel for this first Sunday in Lent comes from either Mark, Luke or Matthew and tells of Jesus temptation (…or is it a testing?) in the wilderness. There is continuity with the scene immediately before – the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. The temptation is connected by the words “Spirit,” “wilderness,” “Son of God” and the obedient response of the Son to the Father’s will. This scene in the wilderness sets the plot for the whole of Matthew’s narrative in that this encounter with Satan in only prelude to the resistance that Jesus will face in proclaiming the Kingdom of Heaven.
As always, a lot going on in the gospel reading. Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and take a moment on the back porch with the Word of God – and go back in time to the world of the first century. Grab your favorite beverage and take some time of the back porch.
Full Text of the Sunday Gospel
Detailed Commentary
The Temptation in the Wilderness, Briton Rivière (1898) | Public Domain
Why God Tests His People
All the gospel accounts use the word peirazo. Translators have to decide if the word means “to test” or “to tempt”. It has both meanings. In a “test” the tester is not trying to fail people, but to determine what they know or to let the one being tested discover what they truly know. In a “temptation” the tempter is hoping for failure. Is Jesus tempted or tested? What about us? Take a moment to watch this 6-minute video on the question.