3rd Sunday of Lent Year C–March 23, 2025

 3^rd Sunday of Lent Year C - March 23, 2025

Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15; 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12; Luke 13:1-9

 

Theme: The Lenten Season is a Second Chance God Gives us to Repent 

 

A. A Brief Exegetical Analysis of Luke 13:1-9

1.      Historical and Literary Contexts

Today’s Gospel account is taken from the extensive section of Lk 9:51–19:27 that most Bible scholars consider the “Travel Narrative: It is Jesus’ long journey toward Jerusalem that commenced shortly after the story of the Transfiguration (9:28-36) and its connected stories (9:37-50). So, our Gospel account is in the context of Jesus’s journey to Jerusalem, where his Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension will occur. Before our passage, Luke already told his readers some stories, such as Vigilant and Faithful Servants (12:35-48), Jesus: A Cause of Division (12:49-53), Sign of the Times (12:54-56), and Settlement with an Opponent (12:57-59). These stories prepare the readers to understand Jesus’ call for repentance Luke develops in today’s passage. The story of the Cure of a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath immediately follows our account.

 

2.      Form, Structure, and Movement

Our Gospel passage is a narrative story with a parable. It is structured into two parts. In the first part, Jesus calls his audience to repentance (vv. 1-5). In the second part, he extends his call for repentance with a parable to teach God’s patience to those willing to repent and the urgency to repent now because the delay for the end of the age is not permanent (vv. 6-9).

 

3.      Detailed Analysis

Vv. 1-5. Jesus calls his listeners to repentance. He bases his exhortation on two tragedies that occurred in the past and were still fresh in the minds of his audience. The first tragedy is the death of the Galileans at the hands of Pilate, and the second is the eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them. Most Bible scholars agree that these two events are unknown outside Luke. The scholar Patella finds the two incidents that the Jewish historian Josephus includes in his writing similar to the death of the Galileans mentioned in v. 1. The first incident is that of Pilate’s massacre of Samaritans on Mount Gerizim during one of their religious festivals (Ant. 18, 85–7). The second relates a slaughter of Jews who challenged Pilate for expropriating temple money for one of his aqueduct projects in Jerusalem (War 2, 175–7; JA 18, 60–2).^[1] The people of Jesus's time, including his disciples, used to interpret misfortune, like the two tragedies mentioned in our Gospel passage, as God’s judgment on the victims because of their sins. Jesus counters this wrong interpretation. He states that all persons are sinners and all need God’s forgiveness. He then calls his listeners to repent; otherwise, they will all perish, as those of these two incidents did.

Vv. 6-9. Jesus told them the parable of the barren fig tree. This fig tree represents the people of Israel. Orchard is the city of Jerusalem that Jesus, the owner of the fig tree, is about to visit. The gardener stands for the disciples. Jesus' journey will culminate in Jerusalem, where, upon entering it, he will not find the “fruit” of repentance in the people of Israel. The request to cut down the fig tree alludes to the punishment at the end of the age. The gardener requests one additional year, time for him to cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it with the hope that the barren fig tree will bear fruits in the future. If not, then the owner can cut it down. One additional year alludes to the delay of the end of time. Cultivating the ground around the fig tree and fertilizing it represents the disciples’ effort of evangelizing the Israelites, hoping they may bear the “fruits of repentance” in the future. The expression “If not, you can cut it down” explains that the delay for the end of the age will not be permanent, so bearing the fruit of repentance as soon as possible is urgent.  

 The fig tree planted in an orchard represents the city of Israel that Jesus, the owner of the fig tree, is about to visit. The gardener stands for the disciples. Jesus' journey will culminate in Israel, where he will not find the “fruit” of repentance in the people upon entering it. The request to cut down the fig tree alludes to the punishment at the end of the age. The gardener requests one additional year, time for him to cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it with the hope that the barren fig tree will bear fruits in the future. If not, then the owner can cut it down. One additional year explains the delay of the end of time. Cultivating the ground around the fig tree and fertilizing it represents the disciples’ effort of evangelizing the Israelites, hoping that the “barren Israel” may bear the “fruits of repentance” in the future. The expression “If not, you can cut it down” explains that the delay for the end of the age will not be permanent, so the fruit of repentance is urgent.   

 

4.      Synthesis

Jesus rebukes the people of his day who think that they are better than those who die in the tragedies as they interpret the misfortune events as God’s punishment to the victims because of their sins. Referring to the death of the Galileans at the hands of Pilate and the people who were killed accidentally by the tower that fell on them, the two tragedies that occurred in the past and were still fresh in the minds of his contemporaries, Jesus states that the victims of these two incidents cannot be considered outstanding sinners whom God singled out for chastisement. Instead, he uses these incidents as timely reminders of the need for everyone to repent, as all are sinners and need God’s forgiveness.

After calling them to repentance, Jesus tells them the parable of the barren fig tree. This parable teaches them some lessons: (1) God's continuing patience with those who work on their repentance, (2) the urgency to work to produce the fruit of repentance now, not postponing for tomorrow because the delay of the end of the age is not permanent.

 

B.     Pastoral Implications

 

1.      Liturgical Context

Today is the third Sunday of our Forty-Day Lenten Journey. The liturgy of the first Sunday reminded us that the Lenten Season is the time to resist the devil with his temptations. The Scripture readings of the second Sunday taught us that the Lenten season is our “Journey of Faith” toward Easter and heaven, as Jesus did toward Jerusalem right after the Transfiguration event, we heard in the Gospel, and as Abraham did toward the promised land (first reading). We learned that our “Journey of Faith” implies carrying our crosses and listening to the “chosen Son of God” to permanently enjoy the glory of the Transfiguration in Easter and heaven at the end of our earthly lives. This third Sunday tells us that the Lenten Season is a second chance God gives us to repent. The Gospel and the first reading teach us how God is patient with those willing to repent. However, we cannot abuse his patience because our earthly life is short. So, the work to bear the fruit of repentance must be done now and today because the delay of the end of the age will not be permanent (Gospel and the second reading.)

 

2.      What the Church Teaches Us Today

The people of Jesus's time, including his disciples, used to interpret misfortune, like the two tragedies mentioned in our Gospel passage, as God’s judgment on the victims because of their sins. Jesus counters this wrong interpretation by stating that we all are sinners and need God’s forgiveness. He then strongly warns us to repent to avoid perishing like the victims of these two incidents. Notice how he uses two times the expression “By no means! But I tell you.” This shows us how seriously we should consider his warnings. Lenten season is when we must challenge ourselves, work on our weaknesses, and seek repentance with God’s grace.

Through the parable of the Barren tree, Jesus teaches us two lessons. The first lesson we learn is that God is patient with those who work on their repentance. When we are willing to work on our sins, God sees our willingness and comes to rescue us as He did with the people of Israel in Egypt in the story we heard in our first reading. This story tells us that God called Moses and gave him a mission to free the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. Note what he told Moses in a burning bush: “I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt and have heard their cry against their taskmasters, so I know well what they are suffering. Therefore, I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians...” (Ex 3:7-8, NABRE). The devil always tries to keep us in the slavery of sins, but God is ready to come to our aid if we cry out to him through prayer and the sacrament of confession. Our Lord is kind and merciful, as we sang in our responsorial Psalm.

The second lesson our Gospel parable teaches us is that we should not abuse God’s patience; we need to start the work of repentance today and now. This is what Saint Paul exhorts us in our second reading. He reflects on the journey of the people of Israel in the desert from Egypt to the promised land. He mentions how God came to their aid whenever they needed. Yet, when Moses went up to the mountain to meet God and receive God’s commandments, the people interpreted Moses’ delay as a sign that he would no longer return. They decided to turn away from God. They made for themselves an image of god (the golden calf) and considered it their god to lead them to the rest of their journey (see Ex 32: 1-11). Because of their sin, God struck them down in the desert. Likewise, many of us misinterpret the delay of Jesus’ second coming. We continue sinning and do not realize that our earthly life is short. Saint Paul is telling this story to his people of Corinth and us today not to entertain us but to warn us. He says: “These things happened to them as an example, and they have been written down as a warning to us, upon whom the end of the ages has come.” (1 Cor 10:11, NABRE). Let us take advantage of the opportunity that the Lenten season offers us. We must take the opportunity of this Lenten Season the Church gives us to start working on our weaknesses and seek repentance today and now because the delay of the end of the age is not permanent.

The Lenten Season is a second chance God gives us to repent. May the liturgy of this Mass strengthen us while we work on our repentance. Amen.

Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD

Pastor at Holy Family Catholic Church in Jackson, MS &

SVD USS Biblical Apostolate Coordinator

 

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[1] Michael Patella, “Luke” in The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, 1331.

 

2nd Sunday of Lent–March 16, 2025

2^nd Sunday of Lent–March 16, 2025

Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18; Philippians 3:17 – 4:1; Luke 9:28b-36

 

Theme: The Lenten Season is a Journey of Faith

 

A.   A Brief Exegetical Analysis of Luke 9:28b-36

 

1. Historical and Literary Contexts

Like Matthew and Mark, Luke situates the story of Jesus’ Transfiguration in the context of Peter’s confession about Jesus being the Messiah, Jesus' prediction of his Passion to his disciples for the first time, and Jesus’ teaching about the conditions for discipleship. These stories immediately precede the account of Jesus’ Transfiguration. Also, like for Matthew and Mark, the Transfiguration of Jesus, for Luke, marks the beginning of the end of Jesus’ earthly life. After Jesus’ Transfiguration and its connected stories (Lk 9:37-50), Luke starts a long narrative about Jesus’ Journey to Jerusalem, covering the next ten chapters (Luke 10-19). This journey will culminate in Jesus’s Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension. So, Jesus is about to start a crucial phase of his earthly life (his journey to Jerusalem). Yet, his disciples are perturbed, discouraged, and ready to give up their discipleship due to the prediction of his Passion he announced to them previously. Hence, the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus intends to strengthen the disciples’ faith so they might not quit their discipleship but be ready to follow him on the road to Jerusalem if they want to enjoy God’s glory one day like what they experienced in this Transfiguration event. 

 

2.      Form, Structure, and Movement

The passage of Jesus's Transfiguration is a narrative story. V. 28 introduces the account with the setting, showing Jesus and three of his disciples went to a mountain to pray. The body of the text (vv. 29-35) can be divided into two parts. The first part describes Jesus’ transfiguration and his conversation with Moses and Elijah (vv. 29-31). The second part involves the three disciples and God in the scene (vv. 32-35). V. 36 concludes the story with the narrator depicting Jesus alone without Moses and Elijah at the end of the event and the three disciples keeping silent, not telling anyone what they experienced.

 

3. Detailed Analysis

V. 28. Luke opens his account by saying, About eight days after he said this, he took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray.  “After [Jesus said this]” refers to the first time Jesus announced his Passion to his friends (see Lk 9:22) and the stories of Peter’s Confession about Jesus that comes before that (9:18-21) and Jesus’ Teaching about the Condition of Discipleship that follows (9:23-27). So, Luke reports that the Transfiguration occurred about eight days after these three preceding stories that form its background. Was it precisely eight days? It looks like Luke is not sure that is why he employs “about” next to “eight days.” Matthew and Mark talked about six days instead (Mt 17:1; Mk 9:2). The scholar Michael Patella sees a significant meaning in Luke’s use of the period of eight days. He argues that throughout the Old Testament, this period of eight days generally signifies a change or a new beginning. For instance, the Jews circumcised infant boys on the eighth day (see Gen 17:12; Lev 12:3). Because of all the blessings God has given to his servant David and his people Israel, Salomon celebrates the temple dedication with a special blessing and dismissal on the eighth day (see 1 Kgs 8:66). Patella states that by constructing the transfiguration within this time frame of “eight days,” the evangelist uke is emphasizing the glorification inherent in the resurrection, which the whole event foreshadows.^[1]

“Peter, John, and James”: The Bible does not say why Jesus chose these three disciples as his inner circle. Jesus made them witness special events such as the resuscitation of Jairus’ daughter (Lk 8:49-56), the Transfiguration (Lk 9:28-36), and Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane (Mt 26:36-38). “The mountain,” in the biblical context, usually indicates the place of prayer and the encounter with God. Tradition identifies the mountain of our text with the mountains Tabor or Hermon, but Luke, Matthew, and Mark do not tell the name of this mountain. They probably do not intend a specific mountain, which indicates that its meaning is theological rather than geographical. If so, this mountain of the Transfiguration’s story recalls Moses on Mount Sinai (Ex 24:12-18) and Elijah on Horeb (1 Kgs 19:8-18). Horeb is another name of Sinai.^[2] “To pray”: Luke is the only synoptic evangelist who mentions prayer here. He regularly portrays Jesus in prayer or encouraging his followers to pray (see Luke 3:21; 5:16; 6:12; 9:18, 29; 11:1-4; 18:1; 21:36, and 22:32).

Vv. 29-31 describe the first part of the scene. The saying, While [Jesus] was praying, means that the three disciples were not praying with Jesus. Maybe because they were sleeping, as v.32 describes them, or because, at that time, they did not know how to pray. Jesus taught all his disciples how to pray later in Luke 11:1-4. Luke indicates that the transfiguration occurred “while Jesus was praying.” This emphasizes the importance of prayer in Jesus’ life. Luke does not clearly say that Jesus was transfigured, as Matthew and Mark do. He simply signals that Jesus’ face changed in appearance, and his clothing became dazzling white. Moses and Elijah joined Jesus in this glorious moment and conversed with him. Luke is the only one who reveals the topic of the conversation between Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. The topic is Jesus’ exodus, which Jesus is going to accomplish in Jerusalem. The word “exodus” alludes to the Jewish Passover and signifies deliverance, life, and freedom. It also means “death” based on the Greek term exodos used in Wisdom 3:2, which Luke utilizes in the passion narrative. Thus, by mentioning the exodus that Jesus is going to accomplish in Jerusalem as the topic of Jesus’ conversation with Moses and Elijah, Luke informs his readers that there is a connection between God’s primary act of salvation toward the Jews in the Old Covenant and Jesus’ act of salvation through his death toward the whole world in the New Covenant. The bond of these two acts of salvation (the Old and New Covenants) is strengthened by the presence of Moses and Elijah, who represent the Law and Prophets, respectively. ^[3]

Vv. 32-35 involve the three disciples and God in the scene. Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep. All disciples will act the same on the Mount of Olives when Jesus instructs them to pray in order to avoid falling into temptation (see Luke 22:39-46). Being overcome by sleep shows the disciples’ failure as Jesus’ disciples. They saw his glory. God’s glory is here attributed to Jesus. Peter’s request to make three tents, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah, illustrates how they are overly happy to remain in that glorious state for good. The narrator comments that Peter did not know what he was saying. What did Peter do not know? (1) He did not know that to enjoy this glorious moment, which alludes to the resurrection, they must first accept to accompany Jesus on his way to the cross because Passion and death precede Resurrection. (2) Peter did not know that the Transfiguration experience was simply a foretaste of heavenly glory aiming to fortify their discipleship commitment. God gets himself involved in this scene through the presence of the cloud that casts a shadow over them. The three disciples became frightened when they entered the cloud. In the Old Testament, the cloud indicated God’s presence among his people (see Ex 40:34-35; 1 Kgs 8:10). In this context, God’s presence enveloped these disciples and made them experience the mystery of Jesus’ glorification.

From the cloud came a voice. This is the voice of God. “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” At Jesus’ baptism, this “voice” identified Jesus to be “my beloved Son; with you I am well please.” (Lk 3:22). The difference is that the “voice in 3:22 spoke directly to Jesus in the second person singular while here in 9:35, it refers to Jesus in the third person. Another difference is the second-person plural imperative: “listen to him” found here in 9:35 that is not in 3:22. “Listen to him” is an order addressed to all disciples, through Peter, John, and James, to clear all the doubts, shocks, and discouragements that arose in them due to Jesus’ announcement of his Passion previously. The “voice” confirms to them that Jesus is “my chosen Son” to convince them to listen to Jesus when he reveals to them that he is not the “army conqueror Messiah as they expect him to be but the suffering Messiah.

V. 36 concludes the account with two comments. (1) At the end of the event, the disciples found Jesus alone, meaning without Moses and Elijah. (2) At that time, the disciples did not tell anyone about their Transfiguration experience. “At that time” means before the resurrection.  

 

4. Synthesis

All the disciples were disappointed, shocked, and ready to abandon their discipleship when, in the previous stories, they heard Jesus predict his Passion for the first time and tell them that self-denial and accepting one’s cross are the conditions for being his disciples (see Lk 9:22-27). Then, in our Gospel passage, Jesus used the experience of his Transfiguration to increase their hope and trust in him and encourage them not to give up their discipleship because the glory of the Transfiguration they experienced is awaiting those who would follow him until the end. These three disciples heard God’s voice confirming that Jesus was his beloved Son, with whom God is well pleased. God’s voice also ordered them to listen to Jesus. 

 

B.    Pastoral Implications

 

1.      Liturgical Context

Today is the Second Sunday of our forty-day penitential journey called Lent. The liturgy of the first Sunday reminded us that the Lenten Season is the time to resist the devil with his temptations, who intends to prevent us from celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord well in Easter and from entering the kingdom of God at the end of the age. The liturgy of this second Sunday reminds us that the Lenten season is our “journey of faith” toward Easter and heaven, as Jesus did toward Jerusalem right after the Transfiguration event (Gospel) and as Abraham did toward the promised land (first reading). From the Gospel, we learn that all the disciples were disappointed, shocked, and ready to abandon their discipleship when, in the previous stories, they heard Jesus predict his Passion for the first time and tell them that self-denial and accepting one’s cross are the conditions for being his disciples (see Lk 9:22-27). You and I sometimes act like these disciples when we do not observe the three Lenten Works of Penance (Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving). Then, in today’s Gospel passage, Jesus used the experience of his Transfiguration to increase the disciples’ and our faith, hope, and trust in him. It encourages them and us not to give up our discipleship because the glory of the Transfiguration they experienced and that we, too, experience at each Mass we attend awaits those who would follow him until the end. Our journey of faith entails crosses that we should not avoid but carry with courage. Let us stand firm in the Lord and put our faith in him as the first and second readings teach us.

 

2.      What the Church Teaches Us Today

Luke begins his Gospel story by telling us that Jesus selects you and me to be in his inner circle the way he chose Peter, John, and James. He leads us up to our “mountain,” which is our local Churches and families, where we encounter God for prayer (v. 28).

The evangelist informs us that Jesus’s Transfiguration occurred while he was praying (v. 29). Our souls transfigure when we pray to God, especially in the Eucharistic celebration. Prayer is a special moment when our souls enter into contact with their Creator God and experience the glory of heaven. Luke tells us that Peter and his companions fell asleep while Jesus was praying (v.32). This is because perhaps they did not know how to pray. We should overcome sleep and other distractions that prevent us from experiencing the heavenly glory through prayer. Let us imitate Jesus and put prayer in the center of our lives.

Peter enjoys the divine glory of Transfiguration. He requests three tents be built there: one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. The narrator comments that Peter did not know what he was saying (v.33). There are three interpretations here. (1) Through his request, Peter desires to remain in this divine glory for good, meaning he wants to enjoy Jesus’ glorification without passing through his Passion and Death. Many of us sometimes act like Peter here. We like to celebrate Easter but do not like Lent because we do not want to observe the works of repentance: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, which prepare and lead us to Easter. There is no Easter without Good Friday. There is no glory in God’s kingdom without accepting to die with Christ through our resolution to repent every time we sin. 

(2) Through his request to build three tents, Peter expressed his desire to remain there because he enjoyed this glorious moment. Since the Eucharistic celebration is the moment of the Transfiguration of our souls, on the one hand, like Peter, we should enjoy every moment we spend with Jesus at each Mass we attend. The Eucharistic liturgy is the mystical moment when heaven and earth unite. When we sing with the choir, we join the angels of heaven and praise God. When we listen to the Scripture readings, we listen to God. When we receive the Eucharist, we receive Jesus. So, we experience the Transfiguration at each Mass we attend. Thus, like Peter, we should enjoy that experience and wish to stay here for good. On the other hand, however, we cannot “build three tents in our Churches” and stay here for good, enjoying the “Transfiguration moment” while many people are still in the darkness of this world. Instead, Jesus expects us to go out at the end of each Mass to share our experience of the Transfiguration with our brothers and sisters so that they, too, follow Jesus and come to do the same experience.

(3) The narrator commented that Peter did not know what he was saying. What do Peter and we do not know?  First, we do not know, and now we should know, that the Transfiguration experience, as a foretaste of heavenly glory, aims to fortify our discipleship commitment so that we may not quit following Jesus. Second, we do not know, and now we should know, that we cannot enjoy Jesus’ Resurrection at Easter unless we first accept to accompany Jesus on his way to the cross during this Lenten season because Jesus’ Passion and Death precede his Resurrection. Third, we do not know, and now we should know that to enjoy Jesus’ Resurrection on Easter and our “Transfiguration” at the end of the age, we should start the works of penance (Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving) now.    

God gets himself involved in the scene of the Transfiguration through the presence of the cloud that casts a shadow over the three disciples. He first confirms that Jesus is his beloved Son, with whom he is well pleased. Second, he orders them to listen to him (vv. 34-35). This part of the Gospel teaches us that prayer, especially the liturgy of the Mass, allows us to enter God's presence and experience the mystery of Jesus’ glorification. We hear God’s voice through the Sacred Scriptures and the homilies. The Word of God tells us that Jesus is the Son of God and invites us to listen to him. Listening to Jesus means we should not abandon our faith in God, especially when things do not go how we want. It means that we should not quit coming to Church or stop serving the Church and our brothers and sisters when we encounter obstacles. Listening to Jesus is to observe the Lenten works of penance (Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving.) It is following faithfully God’s commandments and the Church’s teachings even when they challenge us. In our second reading, Saint Paul calls those who do not listen to Jesus “the enemies of the cross of Christ.” He says that their minds are occupied with earthly things. Their end is destruction. Their God is their stomach; their glory is their ‘shame.’ (Philippians 3:18-19). Let us listen to the chosen Son of God.

Luke ends our Gospel story with two comments: The disciples find Jesus alone, meaning without Moses and Elijah, and they keep silent, not telling anyone about their experience of the Transfiguration (v. 36). The Transfiguration experience is over. Jesus is alone now. It is time to come down from the mountain and accompany him on his “journey of faith” toward Jerusalem. Our first reading tells us the story of the “journey of faith” of Abraham, which started in chap. 12 of the Book of Genesis, when God called him to leave his land and go to an unknown land that God himself would show him. He promised to make Abraham’s descendants a great nation (Gn 12:1-3). Then, in our first reading passage, God says again that Abraham’s descendants will be as many as the stars of the sky. We, too, are on our “Lenten “Journey of Faith” toward Easter, which prefigures our “Journey of Faith” toward our heavenly home. Indeed, our citizenship is not in this world but in heaven, as Saint Paul confirms in our second reading (Philippians 3:20). As we continue our “journey of faith,” our first and second readings exhort us to stand firm in the Lord and put our faith in him (Philippians 4:1; Gen 15:6).

 The three disciples of our Gospel keep silent because it is not time yet to share their experience with the people. The time will come when their Lord resurrects from the dead with glory and when they are empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost; that time, they will proclaim what they themselves have experienced. Let us strengthen our relationship with Jesus during this Lenten “journey of faith” so that in Easter, we might share this resurrection experience with our brothers and sisters.  

May the liturgy of this Mass enable us to become the men and women of prayer, to listen to the Chosen Son of God, and to stand firm in the Lord so that at the end of our Lenten “journey of faith,” we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord well and at the end of our earthly “journey of faith,” we inherit the promised land in God’s kingdom. Amen.   

Fr. Leon Ngandu, SVD

Pastor at Holy Family Catholic Church in Jackson, MS &

SVD USS Biblical Apostolate Coordinator

 

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[1] Michael Patella, “Luke” in The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, 1323.

[2] See NABRE, note to Matthew 17:1.

[3] Michael Patella, “Luke” in The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, 1323.

 

1st Sunday of Lent–March 9, 2025

 1^st Sunday of Lent–March 9, 2025

Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13

 

Theme: The Lenten Season is When we Resist the Devil with his Temptations

 

A.   A Brief Exegetical Analysis of Luke 4:1-13

 

1.      Historical and Literary Contexts

The Gospel passage under study is located at the end of the third section of Luke’s Gospel, “The Preparation for the Public Ministry” (Lk 3:1–4:13). It is preceded by the accounts of Jesus’ Baptism (3:21-22) and Genealogy (3:23-38); it is followed by the story of the Beginning of the Galilean Ministry and the Rejection at Nazareth (4:14-30). This location attests that the context of our Gospel story is Jesus' preparation for his public ministry. The devil's objective in tempting Jesus is to make him disobey God so he, the devil, can stop him from starting his mission of establishing the kingdom of God on earth, which consists of saving the world from him. He is afraid to lose the people in his possession.

 

2.      Form, Structure, and Movement

Our Gospel is a narrative account. Vv. 1-2 can be considered an introduction, vv. 3-12 constitute the body of the text, and v. 13 is the conclusion. The evangelist commences by describing the state in which Jesus was before he was tempted. Then, he recounts how Satan tempted him and how he overcame all three temptations. The narrator concludes his account by telling his readers that the devil departed from Jesus for a time when he had finished every temptation.

 

3.      Detailed Analysis

Vv. 1-2. Filled with the Holy Spirit. This is the Holy Spirit that descended upon Jesus at his baptism by John the Baptist (see Luke 3:21-22). All three synoptic evangelists feature the account of Jesus’ temptation in the desert (Mt 4:1-11; Mk 1:12-13). Luke is the only one who depicts Jesus as filled with the Holy Spirit when he goes to the desert. Luke emphasizes the prominence of the Holy Spirit at the preparation of Jesus' ministry (4:1), the beginning of his ministry (4:14, 18), and the beginning of the period of the Church (Acts 1:4; 2:4, 17). [Jesus] was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days to be tempted by the devil. The “forty days” alludes to the forty years the people of Israel spent in the desert on their journey from Egypt to the promised land, during which they experienced multiple temptations (see Dt 8:2). This reference intends to contrast the victory of Jesus, who is the “true Israel” and the “true Son of God” with the failure of “the old Israel,” who is the disobedient “son of God.”  “To be tempted by the devil.” Like Matthew, Luke uses Temptation not as the circumstance but as the purpose of Jesus’ sojourn in the desert. Jesus’ battle with Satan is a central theme in Luke as it lies at the heart of Jesus’ ministry.^[1]  “He was hungry” shows Jesus’ human nature.

Vv. 3-12. The devil uses a series of three temptations. In Matthew, the sequence is first the desert, then Jerusalem, and finally the world's kingdoms. Luke places Jerusalem at the end because he intentionally shows that Jerusalem is where Jesus’ ministry will culminate and where Jesus will meet his greatest temptation and triumph (see Luke 22:39-46; 23:44-49; 24).^[2] 

The devil knows who Jesus is very well: He is the Son of God. Through his temptations, he does not intend to cause Jesus to doubt his divine sonship, but he suggests to him how to live on earth as the Son of God. His goal is to stop Jesus from fulfilling the mission for which he came into the world: starting the kingdom of God on earth and saving all people. To reach this goal, he projects to make Jesus disobey God by positioning him to switch sides with his Father.^[3] He already employed this method on Adam and Eve at the beginning of the creation, and he succeeded (see Gen 3:1-7).

The three temptations of the devil correspond to the three lusts of human beings. The first temptation, turning a stone into bread, represents the lust of the flesh. The second, the world’s kingdoms, stands for the lust of the eyes, which is the desire for power and possessions. And the third temptation, performing a spectacle of defiance of nature, is the lust for glory. 

“If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” (V. 3). In this first temptation, the tempter employs the lust of the flesh, mainly food. He suggests Jesus utilize his divinity to change a stone into bread to satisfy his human hunger. There are double traps here. First, the tempter intends to push Jesus to focus on his physical hunger and forget his “spiritual hunger," which is establishing God’s kingdom. Second, he wants to remove Jesus from the most basic of human experiences and thus weaken him in fulfilling his mission. “One does not live by bread alone.” (V.4). In Matthew’s version, this quote continues, “... but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Mat 4:4). While the devil wants Jesus to concentrate on his physical hunger that only the bread can satisfy, Jesus decides to focus on the spiritual hunger that only the Word of God can fulfill. He also refuses to use his divinity to avoid human suffering.

In the second temptation, the devil uses the lust of the eyes, which is the desire for power and possession. He first let Jesus’ eyes see and enjoy all the riches and power of the worldly kingdoms (see v. 5), and then he suggested giving them all to him with one condition: Jesus must worship him (see vv. 6-7). He technically and intentionally uses the divine passive phrase, “For it has been handed over to me,” to make his temptation seem that if Jesus obeys him, it will be entirely in line with God’s plan. Of course, this is not true; he lies. Jesus rebuffs this temptation by redirecting human lust of eyes from earthly power and possessions to the trustworthy source of power and possessions, God, who alone deserves to be worshiped and served.^[4]

The tempter failed twice but has not given up yet. He has one more in which he employs the lust for glory. He asks Jesus to prove his God’s sonship by spectacularly throwing himself down from the temple’s parapet, reassuring him of divine protection since God cannot let his Son die (see vv. 9-11). First, it is worth noticing that Mark situates this temptation in Jerusalem. This indicates that it is in this city where Jesus will die. Second, this temptation implies death because, due to the temple's height, nobody can survive after jumping from its parapet. Thus, through this temptation, the tempter tries to induce Jesus to cause his own death before he even begins his mission. As a result, there will not be the kingdom of God established, and the world will not be redeemed. Jesus rejects this temptation by reminding the devil that he, the tempter, shall not put him, Jesus, who is the Lord, his God, to the test (see v. 12).

When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time (v. 13). Luke concludes this passage with an essential note, letting his readers know that at the end of his series of temptations, the tempter departed from Jesus for a time. “For a time” means the devil did not leave Jesus definitively; he will return precisely before Jesus’ passion and death (see Lk 22:3; 31-32, 53). 

The temptation battle was scriptural. Both the tempter and Jesus quoted Scripture to support their statements. The devil referred to Psalms 91:11a, 12) in his third temptation. Likewise, Jesus also quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 (for the first temptation), 6:13 (for the second temptation), and 6:16 (for the third temptation) to support his rejection of all the devil’s proposals. 

All these three temptations echo Genesis 3:1-7. The devil who tempts Jesus here is the same who tempted Eve and Adam at the beginning of the world.  He trapped the first human beings by lying to them that if they ate the forbidden fruit, they would be like God (Gn. 3:5), meaning they would have the power and possessions equaling God. The author of the book of Genesis commented that the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was “good for food” (resembling the first temptation of Jesus, the lust of the flesh) and “pleasing to the eye and also desirable for gaining wisdom” (see Gn. 3:6), (corresponding to Jesus’ second temptation: the lust of the eyes.) In Gen 3:4, the tempter lied to them that they “will not certainly die” (Gn 3:4). This parallels his third temptation to Jesus (the lust for glory). The devil won over Eve and Adam and succeeded in introducing sin into the world for the condemnation of humankind. However, Jesus, the new Adam, defeated him and started his mission of redeeming the world.

 

4.      Synthesis

The Holy Spirit, who descended on Jesus during his baptism (see Luke 3:21-22,) led him to the desert with one specific goal: to be tempted by the devil. After completing his forty days of fasting and prayer, he was hungry. The devil showed up with three temptations, using a method like when he tempted Eve and Adam at the beginning of the world (see Gn. 3:1-7). This method consists of employing three human lusts: the lust of the flesh (the desire for bread or food to satisfy physical hunger,) the lust of the eyes (the desire for possessions and power), and the lust for glory (the desire for worldly recognition.) His goal in tempting Jesus is to try to make Jesus disobey God, and so stop him from starting his mission of establishing the kingdom of God on earth. He fears that if Jesus fulfills this project, he will lose the people under his authority since Jesus’ mission consists of saving the world from his hands. Unlike Adam and Eve, who failed in his temptations, Jesus, the new Adam, overcame all his temptations. Then, the devil departed from him, not definitively, but for a time. This means that this meeting in the desert was just the first combat, but certainly not the last. Jesus will be in a perpetual battle with the devil until the end of his earthly life.

 

B.    Pastoral Implications

 

1.      Liturgical Context

Lent is the forty-day penitential time we, Christians, prepare ourselves to celebrate the Paschal Mystery: the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We started this journey last Wednesday with Ash Wednesday Mass. The ashes we received on our foreheads at that Mass symbolized our firm decision to work on our repentance by observing the three Lenten disciplines of Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving. This work of repentance must start not tomorrow but today and now because the Ashes we received reminded us that “we are dust, and to dust, we shall return.” The liturgy of this first Sunday of Lent suggests we meditate on the three temptations that the devil used on Jesus in our Gospel’s story. He used the same temptations before on our first ancestors, Adam and Eve, and he continues to use them on us today. They are the lust of the flesh (the desire for food to satisfy human hunger,) the lust of the eyes (the desire for power and possessions), and the lust for glory (the desire for worldly recognition). These three lusts are known as the threefold concupiscence. All sins that people commit are regrouped into these three categories. To resist all temptations of the devil, the first reading teaches us to always cry to the Lord in prayer, the second reading asks us to profess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, and Jesus reminds us that one does not live by bread alone, we should worship and serve the Lord alone, and rebuke the devil with authority.

 

2.      What the Church Teaches Us Today

Luke begins our Gospel account by telling us that the Holy Spirit that descended upon Jesus when he was baptized now leads him into the desert with one objective: to be tempted by the devil. This is Jesus’ first encounter with Satan, but not the last. He will be in constant combat with Satan from now until the end of his earthly life. Jesus spent forty days praying and fasting in the desert to prepare himself spiritually for this spiritual battle. Luke describes him as “filled with the Holy Spirit” and “hungry” in the desert. The first description expresses Jesus’ divine nature, and the second shows his human nature. This introductory part reminds us that we, too, are in continued spiritual combat with the same devil who tempted Jesus. He keeps tempting us today, preventing us from continuing Jesus’ mission of building God’s kingdom where we live to save our brothers and sisters. That is why the Holy Spirit of our baptism continues to lead us to our “desert” (Churches and places where we encounter God in prayer and fasting) so we can prepare ourselves spiritually to defeat this devil as Jesus did. Therefore, aware of how crucial our mission is and how hard the battle with the devil is, our Holy Mother Church here exhorts us to be the men and women of prayer.

The three temptations of the devil correspond to the three lusts of human beings. The first temptation, turning a stone into bread, represents the lust of the flesh. The second one, the world’s kingdoms, stands for the lust of the eyes, which is the desire for power and possessions. And the third temptation, performing a spectacle of defiance of nature, is the lust for glory.

First, the devil started his series of temptations with the lust of the flesh. Since Jesus is hungry (see v. 2), the devil asks him to use his divine power and transform a stone into bread to satisfy his hunger. There are double traps here. First, the tempter intends to push Jesus to focus on his physical hunger and forget his “spiritual hunger," which is establishing God’s kingdom. Second, he wants to remove Jesus from the most basic of human experiences and thus weaken him in fulfilling his mission. This same devil continues to utilize this temptation to us today. He diverts our attention from spiritual needs and makes us concentrate exclusively on our material needs. Many people fail in this temptation as they give more importance to taking care of their physical bodies but neglect taking care of their souls. Our Holy Mother Church invites us to imitate Jesus, who overcame this temptation before us. How did Jesus defeat the tempter in this temptation of the lust of the flesh?  Quoting the Scripture (Deuteronomy 8:3), Jesus answered, “One does not live on bread alone.” (V. 4) In Matthew’s version, this quote continues, “... but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Mat 4:4). While the tempter wants Jesus to focus on his physical hunger only that the bread can satisfy and maintain his bodily life, Jesus refers to the spiritual hunger that only the Word of God can gratify and assure his spiritual life.

We are dealing here with physical hunger versus spiritual hunger, with body versus soul. The Church reminds us here that caring for our physical bodies is important, and caring for our souls is exceptionally vital and must be our priority. When we focus more on caring for our bodies and neglect the spiritual health of our souls, we distance ourselves from God, and consequently, we become spiritually weak. This is what Satan wants, so he can control us and lead us to eternal condemnation along with him, as he is already condemned. Jesus teaches us that we do not live on “bread” or physical food alone, but also, especially, on God’s Word, the spiritual food for our souls. Let us defeat the devil in this temptation of the lust of the flesh by prioritizing the care for our souls over the care for our physical bodies. How can we do that? The Church encourages us to observe the Lenten Discipline of Fasting. When we fast, we prioritize our spiritual lives over physical ones. Fasting reminds us that we do not live on bread alone because spiritual hunger, the hunger for a permanent relationship with God, prevails over physical hunger, “bread” or food.

Second, after failing with the lust of the flesh temptation, the devil now employs the lust of the eyes in his second temptation, which is the desire for power and possession. The devil first let Jesus’ eyes see and enjoy all the riches and power of the worldly kingdoms (see v.5). Then, he proposed giving all these riches and power to him with one condition: Jesus must worship him (see vv. 5-6). The tempter aims to make Jesus lose his loyalty to God by worshiping him so that he can easily stop him from starting his mission of redeeming the world. He technically and intentionally uses the divine passive phrase, “For it has been handed over to me,” to make his temptation seem that if Jesus obeys him, it will be entirely in line with God’s plan. Of course, this is a trap. 

The devil continues using this temptation on us today. He displays the fake riches and power in our eyes and suggests giving them to us in exchange for our separation from God and our brothers and sisters. He even makes it seem that God agrees with us; it is alright. Many Christians fail at this temptation. Today, Churches are empty. Many Christians no longer come to Church regularly. We experience divisions in our families and Churches, conflicts, and wars in our societies and countries. All this is because many people are obsessed with the desire for power and possessions. They try to make their wrong actions look normal and acceptable to God and the Church. We should know that nothing can replace our baptismal calling of praying to God and serving the Church. Anything that weakens our prayer life and our commitment to serve Jesus and his Church, regardless of how it looks, does not come from God but from the devil. Our Holy Mother Church exhorts us to imitate Jesus and overcome this temptation. What did Jesus do to defeat the devil here? He rebuffed this temptation by redirecting the human lust of eyes from earthly power and possessions to the supreme author of these riches and power. Quoting the Scripture (Deuteronomy 6:13), he reminds us that our baptismal call is to worship and serve God alone. How can we do that? The Holy Church invites us to observe the Lenten discipline of Almsgiving regularly. The practice of Almsgiving makes us realize that possessions and power should connect us to God and our fellow humans but not separate us from them.

The third temptation is the lust for glory. The devil asks Jesus to prove his God’s sonship by spectacularly throwing himself down from the temple’s parapet. Quoting Psalm 91:11-12, he reassures him of divine protection since God cannot let his Son die (see vv. 9-11). First, it is worth noticing that Mark situates this temptation in Jerusalem. This indicates that it is in this city where Jesus will die. Second, this temptation implies death because, due to the temple's height, nobody can survive after jumping from its parapet. Thus, through this temptation, the tempter tries to induce Jesus to cause his own death before he even begins his mission. As a result, there will not be the kingdom of God established, and the world will not be redeemed.

Today, the devil continues to trap many believers with this lust for glory. Because of worldly recognition, some Christians abandon their baptismal call of praying to God and serving his Church. Our Holy Church calls us to imitate Jesus and resist this temptation. What did Jesus do? Quoting the Scripture (Deuteronomy 6:16), Jesus reminded the devil that he, the tempter, shall not put him, Jesus, who is the Lord, his God, to the test (see v. 12). Jesus demonstrates that his mission is to be humble so that God’s glory (not his) might be known to the people. As his followers, we, too, should seek not worldly recognition but humility, not our glory but God’s glory. To do that, the Holy Church calls us to observe the Lenten discipline of Prayer. When we pray to God, we acknowledge that we are not “gods” and do not intend to be equal to our God. Instead, in prayer, we approach God with humility as his creatures.

Luke concludes our Gospel story by telling us that when the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Jesus not definitively but for a time (v. 13). Why did the devil leave Jesus just temporarily? Luke wants to tell his readers and us that the devil returned many times and challenged Jesus until the end of his earthly life (see, for instance, Lk 22:3; 31-32, 53). The same devil continues to challenge Jesus’s followers, who carry out Jesus’ mission.  Jesus’ apostles and all Christians who lived before us went through this combat with the devil. Today, we, too, are in the same spiritual battle with the same Satan. As Jesus’ followers, we are called to defeat this devil in the same way our Lord defeated him. To do so, we must always pray to the Lord (our first reading), confess with our mouths that Jesus is the Lord, and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead (our second reading). 

May the liturgy of this Mass empower us with all the graces we need to resist the devil with all his temptations, especially those we will encounter during this Lenten season. Amen.

Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD

Pastor at Holy Family Catholic Church &

SVD USS Biblical Apostolate Coordinator

 

 

 

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[1] Michael Patella, “Luke” in The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, ed. By John J. Collins, Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid OP, Donald Senior CP. (Great Britain: T&T Clark Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2022), 1309.

[2] Michael F. Patella, The Gospel According to Luke, (Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2005), 28.

[3] Michael Patella, “Luke” in The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, 1309.

[4] Michael Patella, “Luke” in The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, 1309.