Trivia Explained: 02-26-23 Gospel

[Kaplok Kaplok]

I am sure, most Christians have heard of this and probably understood this gospel explained several times in their Christian life. We usually take this as an epic story of how Jesus overcame and rejected temptation.

But, it could also be lacking if we settle for this single analysis of the reading, so we will try to flesh out more wisdom in the same text, through the use of symbolical meanings..

For starters, instead of viewing the story as Jesus' experience (which makes us think that it will never happen to us), we should view the story as an allegory of life.

¹ Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

On these verses, it describes the natural suffering of life. It describes like being lost in the wilderness, and hungry - like in life, where we don't have a "user" manual, we feel lost. At the same time we have the "hunger", which Is our human tendency to want the worldly things.

Forty days and forty nights sounds short, but in the context of the story, being hungry in the wilderness, it hovers in between possible and impossible, but feels closer to the latter. Which is exactly how life' suffering feels.

³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”

And like Jesus said, we do not live on bread alone. Meaning, we should not live a life around this worldly things. The things that we hold important in our life as told by our instincts. Instead, we should also have the "word"(logos), which is the principles and wisdom of the Bible, or for non-christians, the principles and wisdom of your ancestors, to live a "full" life.

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

And, even in our attempt to holiness, we can be tempted. Tempted to think that the purpose of faith is to protect us from our foolishness and mortality. Which it is not. (Note that the devil is using a legitimate verse of the Bible, Psalms 91: 11-12)

⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Due to our pagan tendency towards the supernatural, we think that the teachings will protect us from foolishness. While, in some way, it is true, the teaching is meant for us to avoid foolishness, not protect us from foolishness we deliberately put upon ourself, especially to "test" God.

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

And lastly, in life, we will be tempted by the perception of worldly power. This is something that blinds people regardless of faith. The perception of power and control from our mortality, all the way up to control of the wider society. This also gives us the feeling of owning the beauty of this life and the experiences of this world.

¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

And to these, Jesus teaches that these mundane and wordly control that we wish for, will inevitably make us worship something, or someone that will replace God in our life. Just like how everyone will be tempted to put their faith on medicine, politics and environmentalism, to have control of life and society and the earth respectively.

¹¹ Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Both Christians and non-believers are both misled on a wrong understanding that the teachings of religions is meant to give us something to hold on to. Something to save our worldly and mundane wants. And this is the mistake that leads to false faith or the lack thereof.

But it is clear, that Jesus (and most religion) is teaching not of 'what to hold on to', but instead 'what to let go'.

Let go of the worldly needs (bread) and give importance to Gods "word".

Let go of the tendency supernatural protection, and use His teaching to avoid foolishness.

Let go of the empty promise of power and control, and live life with the acceptance that you can't truly control anything and everything, and that is what will give you true inner peace.

We are not "repelling" temptation from outside but we are trying to "let it go" from within.


Have a wonderful week,
Thank you for reading.

 

[OrangeMoon]

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