“INTO THE DESERT”
Saint Matthew 4. 1-11
Invocavit: 1 March Anno Domini 2009
Fr Watson SSP
The serpent probably came to Eve on the 40th day after her creation from the rib of her Lord. Adam's forty days of catechizing his bride was deficient and not up to the demands of the circumstances of combat against the devil. Eve likely succumbed to the "father of lies" after her own forty days of being in the wilderness of her own wishes and fantasy's about "being like God" and being able to do things her own way. The pattern of disobedience was set. Your genetic treason was written in stone-tombstones. God demands the Love of filial perfection. God demands that His children love their Father in thought, word, and deed; with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. The first Man, the first Adam failed. The Israel of God, Jacob the Son of Isaac and heir of Father Abraham failed as well. The children of Jacob, the tribes numbering 12, the Israelites failed as well. Yes, the Hebrew children failed so miserably that for forty years they rebelled against Moses himself-Moses the most humble and Christ-like figure in the Old Testament.
Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is God. Jesus is also the Second Adam the true Israel, born with flesh and blood from the Blessed Virgin to accomplish with His Humanity (as well as His Divinity-for in the Christ there is the perfect union of His two natures) the fulfillment of the Law. The Second Adam, your Jesus, does in the desert all that Adam, Jacob, Moses, the Israelites, and you, were unable to do. The Lord obeys, indeed suffers in and for His obedience, and you get to bask in the bright and fulsome praise from the Father-for He says to you "well done my faithful child!" In the wilderness Jesus crucifies your daily trespassing by letting it gnaw into His flesh in hunger, coldness, heat, and the growling and prowling of wild creatures-carnivores representing the roaring lion himself.
You are all Eve. You are all Adam. You want things your way don't you? Examine yourself with Christ's Perfect Law and you have to admit you're selfish, controlling, and petty in wanting things done the way you think they should be done. You don't bear your neighbor's foibles and shortcomings the way Jesus wants you to. You spend almost everything on your bread and nothing on your neighbors. But you break the Law not just in your desert daily doings and non-doings; you even break the Law when you deny God's immanent presence today for your salvation.
The same Satan that tried to get Jesus to think of Himself rather than the Will of the Father-the Will of the Holy Trinity-is the devil who tells you that Matthew 4.1-11 is a wonderful historical event. No, it's not a history lesson and it's not a morality play about discipline overcoming gluttony. The temptations of the Christ are not meant to give you energy to go out and "do the same" (which would be to tempt God, throwing yourselves into situations daring Him to send you the guardian angels). What the Christ did was to let the Word have pre-eminence! Jesus IS WHO HE IS! And He, the Desert Ranger Redeemer is with you not in mind, spirit, remembrance, or heart, but in Word(s) spoken, read, and preached from Scripture; Word(s) washed into your soul at the Font; Word(s) placed on your tongue with His Body & Blood in the Meal of Mercy; Word(s) inserted into your ears by a pastor's voice in Absolution. And the Word(s) of forgiveness are not just thoughts, ideas, and propositions. The Word(s) are The Word. The Word is Jesus Himself, the bodily, real, physical, tangible, Jesus of 2009-Who is the same identical Jesus of 28 A.D. in the barren land beyond the Jordan.
Dear Saints, you don't have to best the serpent, the Lamb already has done that. Yes you should resist the tempter, staying away from the areas that this lion roams and prowls-areas that are without the Word-but you need not panic, despair and lose hope in those times when you fail so miserably the trial which comes your way. At that very moment the Lord stands with you, IN YOU, and defeats the devil at every turn. When you are selfish, unable to delay sinful gratifications; or when you think that your Father is holding back on you and wants you to starve or go without care…The Word stands firm on your behalf and gives you Himself. You are nourished and filled with the Words of His mouth for He is The Bread of Heaven. When you are prone to blaspheming God's goodness or when you dangerously put yourselves into situations that the Lord doesn't want you in, and never told you to assume for yourselves, you don't need to toss yourself from the precipice to know He really cares for you, because Jesus let Himself be nailed on the Cross at the Precipice of the Skull to stop the snake once and for all. At Calvary Satan had his serpentine head crushed like the rotten walnut of lies that it is! And on those daily occasions where it seems like Satan has bested you once again by leading you away from 'fearing, trusting, and obeying in God above all things' (simple First Commandment stuff) you can fall back into Jesus' waiting arms of forgiveness knowing that Jesus took care of all the First Table perfection on your behalf. Jesus worshipped His Father and served Him. Jesus did this because He perfectly loves the Father and because He perfectly loves you.
The devil had no choice but to leave Jesus for the Word of God is mighty and does exactly what it says: "Away with you, Satan." When you are In Jesus the devil has no more power over you to condemn you or to torture you with a bad conscience than he has over the Lord-which is zero; none.
The devil slinked away to wait for other times to attack, and for the most opportune time in three short years when He would have his beady little head pulped. Even now he awaits with madness and spite the Second Coming when he will be fried extra crispy. But the angels came and ministered to Jesus. They came and pastored Him by giving Him food to eat, wine and water to drink, and the consolation of community.
So now, you step forward where an angel, a pastor, gives you something even better to eat and drink. Yes you worship the Lord, but He serves you.
In The Name of The Father and of + The Son and of The Holy Ghost