What had these got to do with us?

Yes! It had everything to do with us.

Jesus as Son of Man went through trials of being tempted by the devil.

Jesus faced the strongest of all temptation because the devils offer Jesus great rewards that most people in this world have hungered for.

Jesus as Son of Man represented all mankind in facing the height, peak or the summit of all temptation.

Jesus carried the heaviest cross.

Jesus died the cruelest death.

Jesus lived the humblest life.

Jesus arrived in the humblest way.

Jesus faced the greatest of all temptation.

But Jesus as the greatest of all servants is the humblest and least of all.

The most obedient of all mankind.

The most pleasing of all creation of God, as Son of Man born of Mary.

The strongest , most courageous, firmest, surest in facing the devil and their evil deceits.

God had raised Him to the height of glory to reign in the Blessed Trinity.

Jesus as Son of Man was fully drawn into the Blessed Trinity, especially during the time when He had triumphed. The Father and Son most passionate embrace.

The 'Hour of Glory' of Jesus was to mankind the defeat and humiliation but to Jesus it was His greatest joy.

For what the world saw as defeat was in fact the height of God's triumph.

The whole life of Jesus was working hand in hand with God.

The whole life of Jesus was a participation in the mystery of God's love that is the redemption and salvation.

So it is worthwhile now to go into details the three great temptation of Jesus in order to see more clearly the tricks, deceits, malice of the devil at work in all mankind as Jesus was not spare. But He faced and triumphed over the saturation of mankind temptation. Saturation here mean that the temptations that we usually face are just diluted ones in comparison to Christ.

Jesus knew that we could not carry the cross that He had carried.

Jesus knew that if we were tempted as He had, we would have collapsed into great confusion and most people would have failed.

But Jesus took our cross that is the heaviest upon Himself, whereas we take a very light one.

The Three Great Temptation of Jesus.

1^st Temptation

If you are the Son of God, change this stone into bread.

2^nd Temptation

If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down

3^rd Temptation

All these I will give to you if you bow down and worship me.

What were the responds of Jesus towards these temptations?

The Words of God are like a sword that is used to wad off evil.

1^st Temptation

If you are the Son of God, change these stones into bread.

Yes! The devil came in the most appropriate time as far as human nature is concern.

Jesus had to fast 40 days and night. He was surely very hungry. Humanly the food and drink that He took 40 days ago would have drained off leaving Him with no more food for days and days.

Humanly most people would have collapse by then.

Jesus had food that the world did not know about.

His food was to do the will of the Father who had sent Him.

God sustained His Son Jesus Christ from human collapse and death.

The Son of Man going through trials for the sake of all fallen mankind. God was fully with Him.

What is the 'bread' of the world today?

It is off course food and all necessities.

If one day God decided to test our faith in Him by withdrawing even necessities of food, clothing, shelter and other necessities from our lives, would we give up our faith in God?

It is just a test, whether we can survive without all these worldly things.

If we can give a respond like Jesus, we had won part of the battle.

Jesus respond was, "Thou shall not live on food alone but on every words that comes from the mouth of God".

Jesus did not say 'I' but "Thou". Jesus did not try to preach to the devil but what He said was for Himself as Son of Man and all sons and daughters of Man.

2^nd Temptation

If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down...

Yes! Indeed God would not let His Son got physically hurt not until God willed it to happen. He would not suffer any wounds unless God destined and willed it for the good of all mankind.

The hour would come when God willed it then the Son of Man shall go through the height of all cruelty and humiliation as Son of God and Man.

What does it mean by God willed it. Nothing can ever happen if God do not allowed it. He can easily shield His Son from physical harm and hurt even during His Passion. But then it would not have served God's purpose. The Lamb of God would have to suffer much before He would be slaughter as offering to God as 'Lamb'. This is to reveal to mankind the evil of sin and the climate of God's love for mankind. To sin is easy but the price is huge.

Jesus as Son of Man would have disappoint God, if He had obey the devil out of pride and showing off or manifesting His power and position as Son of God. But He had no such pride that would lead to His fall.

He is the New Adam. He shall be the victorious One because God's Spirit was dwelling fully in Him.

Because He Himself as Son of Man had fully participated and co-operated with God's love and plan.

He responded, "Thou shall not put the Lord, Your God to the test".

Again, He is not trying to preach to the devil, so as to save him but to all mankind including Himself as human being.

Yes! We must ponder upon the Words of Jesus deeply and always meditate on them, because that is the way we are also tempted, although mildly because Jesus as Son of God had the power, authority and will of God.

He had every power to even destroy and killed the devil but because He came into this world as member of the human race and share our fate.

He did not have to shout in order to chase the devil away but a firm word of wisdom from God is what really effective that the devil would have to change his tactics to another form.

What had these respond and temptation got to do with us in this world today?

It surely had everything to do with us.

The devil in the past used whatever tactics that appeal to the people of that generation.

The tactics is offering humankind what they most desire after the fall of Adam and Eve.

The devil works in channel, through channel which is popular and demanding during the past, presently and in future. Although in the past, when mankind had fallen, the devils were allowed to rule the earth and they manipulated their power by taking possession of mankind.

But after their fall, when the 'Lamb of God' had been offered up, the old agreement of which God allows the devil to reign was taken back.

Now! The world was bought back by Jesus Christ with His Blood and Life.

The devil in the world today operates like guerilla, attacking people when God is not around. God is not around here meant that when God no longer reign in the heart of individual.

Like those living near or in the jungle when the war was over were most skeptical to attack by guerilla, compare to those living in expose environment where the victorious army is around.

So too the devil operates this way. Those who go away from God's control and 'light' into the darkness away from God are easily captured and bonded by them.

They enslaved and imprisoned mankind. They had no mercy for mankind.

But they cannot hide themselves from the 'eye' of God.

God knew fully well their tactics, missions, tricks and their hiding place.

When God intervened, they had to give up whoever they had hold bondage and imprisonment.

God is a Divine and merciful God. God who provides all our physical and spiritual needs. He brings us into this world and all souls had a unique tasks to perform in the service of mankind.

We do not arrive into this world to bring more trouble but we are supposed to bring peace, love and joy into this sad world where the devil dwell among mankind.

Tormenting their thoughts, minds and desires. Jesus came down from heaven to show us that He truly care and wanted to share in our torment.

Although the outcome of the whole situation was man's fault but God knew that mankind could never set themselves free from the chain of the devil.

He came down and the devil recognized Him even days after He was born. But the time was not right for Jesus to die so He can easily escape death.

We therefore must not doubt God and try to test Him. For He is an Ever Loving and Holy God.

He planned and created. He nourishes and sustains life. He redeems and He saves mankind for Himself as God.

We belong solely to Him, not to the world or the devil. We owed nothing to others, so rightly they cannot enslave us.

Whatever we had owed and could not repay, God took our place to justify. If Jesus was just a common human being although pure, He might fell, so God joined Himself with Mankind, working 'heart to heart', 'hand in hand' in order to bring about the perfection and fulfillment of God's plan and promise of salvation.

No matter what happened, whether our basic necessities and all possession or relationship, attachment are being withdrawn from us in order to strengthen us, we must never doubt God's love and Providence. For He knows what is best for us. He is the 'Alpha and Omega' in our lives. He sees our lives through and through. He knew thoroughly well our weakness and our strength.

He is a very generous God but He would not destroy us by allowing ourselves to be drawn, attached, clanged on to the world, material things and the devil for survival but He patiently waits for us to willingly and freely detached ourselves even while in this world. For all souls destined to go to heaven would have to be detached of all material gods and goddesses in our lives, in purgatory or a great blessing, while in this world. By detachment a person sees, enters and possesses the Kingdom of God.

God is trying to give us His wisdom and reveal the Truth. He wanted to bring us to live a life of truth and life in union with God.

Eternal and unbreakable relationship starts even before conception, when God 'blew His Breathe' into the death cells, makes it into a living being as it was form in the womb of mothers. This meant that God at the moment when soul enters a womb of mother, the cells began to live, joined together, multiply into tiny fetus.

God meant it to be an unbreakable bond of love between God and man, through Jesus Christ.

3^rd Temptation

Anything I will give to you, if you bow down and worship me.

Jesus lived a life of detachment from the material, even necessities would not appeal to Him. His food, desire was to be attached fully to God and to allow God to provide whatever His physical body really needs.

The devil had the world as their kingdom after the fall of mankind, so they decided to offer to Jesus whether as a trick or vice versa.

Jesus rejected the world and all its evil of which the reign of the devil had brought upon mankind.

Instead of accepting the offering of the devil, He had another perfect ways to claim the world to Himself.

The only perfect way was to die as 'Lamb of God' in order to renew the Old Covenant God made with the people after God led them out of Egypt at Mount Sinai and other covenants would be ineffective after 'The New and Everlasting Covenant' is to be sealed by the Blood of Jesus, the Eternal and Living Lamb of God. The Living and Everlasting Sacrifice whereby all other covenants made was to prepared the way for this new covenant.

By this Covenant, He would claim back what is rightly the Father's.

All mankind and all creation belongs solely to Him.

Jesus can go through short cut by taking what the devil offered Him, without having to die. But if that was so the perfect 'Lamb of God', Jesus Christ would have failed God and His plan.

His purpose of coming into this world was very clear in His mind, the day He was able to exercise His will power. He looks forward to the 'moment or hour of glory' ever since then. He had to fulfill the task that He had promised to His Father before His coming when He said to His Father, "You are not please with sacrifice of animals...Here I am Lord, to do Your will..."

He had to go through great suffering, torment, pain and agony. To be bruised and killed without words of condemnation, but blessing upon the people who had killed Him.

If the devil offers us anything because God refused to give to us for our own good, we must reject them no matter what the offer was.

The devil was bankrupt. They had nothing in their hands now. In the past they had the world as lease out to them, but now Jesus claimed the whole world to Himself by the Blood He shed.

No matter what, the devil would not give up, not until Final Judgement Day. They continue to deceive the hearts and minds of mankind.

Eventhough they had nothing to offer, they still steal and rob from God's property and try to claim them as price to offer to those who are easily deceived. All power and authority, all physical and material, seen and unseen belongs to God. All mankind are redeemed as price had been paid but the devil still hold mankind bondage. They initially sow seeds into people's heart. The seeds which constituted the seven and infinite capital sin against the flesh. After redemption the flesh should be pure but can we blame Adam and Eve now? The temptation that caused the fall of our first parents is alive before us. Are we going to reject or invite them into our lives again? We would be personally responsible for our own fall.

Therefore go away from the den of the devil by being join to God, not only in the Eucharist and Sacraments, but through our union with the Holy Spirit in the Mystical Body of Christ.

The Holy Spirit draws all man to Jesus as promised, "When I am lifted up to heaven, I will draw all man to Myself". Indeed through Jesus Christ's eternal Spirit, He draws all mankind who seek the Truth to Himself.

To live according to the will of God. According to the Holy Spirit in union with the Father and Son.

In God there is full package of everything. We need not seek for any other. No one can satisfy, but only in God, through God and with God, we shall be fully satisfied and our hearts' holy desires shall be filled to its brim.

Amen.