Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/480

 The temptations  of  Jesus  came  from  without, from  the  devil. No temptation could  take  hold  of  Jesus,  for  though  indeed  He  had  two wills, divine  and  human,  His  human  will  was  always  in  complete  harmony with  His  divine  will,  and  could  never  turn  against  it  and  consent to sin. When, therefore,  Jesus  was  tempted,  His  temptation  could only come  from  without,  as  was  also  the  case  with  our  first  parents in Paradise.

''Why our  Lord  was  tempted. ''

1. Because  He  came  into  the  world  to  fight  and  overcome  sin  and Satan. The Saviour  began  His  strife  with  the  infernal  serpent  as  soon as He  began  His  public  life,  by  victoriously  repulsing  Satan’s  three temptations. He gloriously  carried  on  the  strife  to  the  end,  crushing the serpent’s  head  by  His  Death  and  Resurrection.

2. Because  the  Son  of  God  wished  to  do  violence  to  Himself,  and abase Himself  in  order  to  redeem  us. It was  a great  humiliation  to the  Son  of  God  that  Satan,  the  essence  of  all  that  is  evil,  should  approach Him  and  dare  to  try  to  tempt  Him  to  sin  and  disobedience against God. O Divine Saviour,  how  low  didst  Thou  stoop,  even  to exposing  Thyself  to  the  contact  and  seductions  of  hell!

3. Because  Jesus  is  the  spiritual  Father  of  mankind,  and  the  second Adam. He desired,  therefore,  to  be  tempted  as  was  the  first  Adam, in order  to  expiate  the  Fall  of  our  first  parents. Compare the  temptation of Adam  and  Eve,  and  the  temptation  of  Christ. The former  took  place in the  midst  of  the  beauty  and  abundance  of  Paradise,  the  latter  in the  bare  desert,  and  when  our  Lord  was  in  a state  of  painful  hunger. Satan tempted  our  first  parents  to  gluttony,  pride  and  the  lust  of  the eyes; and  succeeded. He tried  to  allure  our  Lord  to  the  same  three lusts; and was  overcome. Angels came  and  drove  Adam  and  Eve  from Paradise; whereas  angels  came  and  ministered  to  Jesus.

4. In  order  to  show  us  how  to  meet  temptations  to  evil.

5. In  order  to  comfort  and  encourage  us  in  the  many  trials  and temptations of  this  life. St. Paul  writes  thus:  “For  we  have  not  a High Priest who  cannot  have  compassion  on  our  infirmities: but  One  tempted in all  things  like  as  we  are,  without  sin. Let us  go,  therefore,  with confidence to  the  throne  of  grace: that  we  may  obtain  mercy  and  find grace in  seasonable  aid”  (Hebr.  4,  15.  16).

The different  kinds  of  temptation.  In  the  first  temptation  Satan wished to  induce  the  Saviour,  instead  of  trusting  in  God  and  patiently enduring hunger,  to  create  bread  by  His  own  power,  against  His Father’s will. He sought,  therefore,  to  make  our  Lord  sin  by  sensuality and  an  unlawful  desire  for  food,  or  in  other  words  by  gluttony. By the  second  temptation  Satan  tried  to  awaken  a spiritual  pride  in Jesus,  saying:  “Throw  yourself  down;  God  will  help  you  and  see  that no evil  befalls  you!”  The  cunning  seducer  wished  thereby  to  change a humble and  submissive  confidence  in  God’s  mercy  into  a proud