Traveling

 Traveling

[Newsletter article for March 2026] 

Over and again I re-read the wilderness account of the temptations of Jesus. I think I understand “bread one.” For sure, bread is important for life, but we are not to place the gifts of God before the Giver. He is the great provider. His living Word – our Lord Jesus – is our primary source of satisfaction. Maybe I just scratching the surface of the meaning – I find it sufficient for now.

But what about the other two? What puzzles me is not the response of Jesus – the whole approach is off: jumping of a pinnacle of the Temple? (Matthew 4:5-7). I can easily see how Jesus steps out of the roof and very slowly descends to the ground without ANY angelic help – as He did it later in His ministry walking on waters. So, what was devil trying to accomplish there? Test the boundaries of trust the Son has toward the Father? See is it really the incarnate Creator who rules over the law of gravity He embedded into the nature?

I think there are two things that we should notice here. First, is the source of the “request.” Throughout all of the gospel accounts we see Jesus forbidding the unclean spirits to say anything about Him. Anything, even a positive testimony coming from the mouth of diabolical forces could compromise His mission. People might begin to see Jesus partnering up the evil one, which is impossible.

There is the second layer of understanding – Jesus did many miracles, healing people, and delivering them from the demon oppression. But the first sermon (if you will) we hear from Him is invitation to repent for the Kingdom is here (Matthew 4:17).

Repentance – returning to the straight and narrow path God marked for us but the drips of His blood to Calvary – is a proper beginning for reconciliation with the Creator. Then and only then all of His wisdom, teachings, healing, miracles etc. will be beneficial for us. Repentance brings us back into the Family of the Church (Luke 15:17-24). There the Father sets up the great feast for His prodigal sons and daughters, feeding us with the gifts of the Living Word – our Lord Jesus Christ. There He takes away our ripped clocks of self-righteousness, washing us in the promise of baptismal grace and clothing us into the shiny garments of the righteousness of Christ that He eared for us on the cross. There He gives us the shoes to walk about, sharing how the Holy Spirit transformed us to the image of the Son of God (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).