Beware of the trap ahead!


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Beware the trap ahead! In France there is an app on the Cellphone that helps motorists to know where are police speed traps on the highway. Since people in Germany don’t have speed limit in some areas, they are often unaware that things are not the same when they get into another country. This app has been helpful to many but the police is not happy about it. The intention is that you drive within the legal limit all the time, not just some section of the trip. Today’s Gospel has some resemblance with this police warning app. Just imagine a narrow road with followers of Jesus, walking towards heaven, and the evil one trying to put traps so the walkers may fall or be delayed. The Devil wants us to get in trouble so we can fall into his trap and sin against God. Satan has tried it with Jesus by putting traps in front of Jesus, hoping that Jesus would sin against the Father. Each time, Jesus came out victorious because not only the word of God helped but also because of who Jesus is as the Son of God. I argue that like Jesus, we believers have an acquired divine identity, that makes us victorious like Him. We know how the first human handled it: It didn’t go down well. Jesus placed himself in our stead and gave us a model for resisting, and defeating Satan. But still, beware of the evil one’s trap ahead! As we follow Jesus, we need to be prudent, vigilant, least we fall. We are called to encourage each other in this walk and warn each other about pitfalls, especially in this Lenten season.
As I was researching this, I found out that it is illegal to warn other drivers about cops ahead. Did you know that? In the case of our Gospel message, it is totally legal to warn others about Satan’s traps. In order to warn others about the traps, we need to know what kind of traps they are. Matthew tells us that the Spirit led Jesus up into the wilderness to be tempted. When we ask the Lord to direct our steps, we always expect we will land in cushy places. This was not so with Jesus. He ended up in the wilderness and was tempted by the evil one. I will discuss 3 of the traps that the evil one placed in front of Jesus:
Round #1 The Devil attacked Jesus’ circumstances. He was famished. That’s what happens when you fast. Your body crave food. Our bodies crave a number of things. Most times it is not for simple subsistence. We should have a high capacity for pleasure restraint, there is a danger of making the satisfaction of sensual desires the center of our lives. For e.g. I try to resist having a can of diet coke instead of a glass of water. The Devil often attack our circumstances and use them as bait hoping we would give in. Circumstances could be hunger, loneliness, unemployment or illness, the harder it is, the likelihood to push us to the edge. Satan is there trying to trip us and take advantage of our impatience. Jesus responded with the word of God: “One does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Deut. 6:16)”
Round #2 The Devil attacked the identity of Jesus: “If you are the Son of God then jump…” quoting Ps 91:11 Could it be that we are also attacked this way when we doubt ourselves about who we really are in Christ. The Devil’s challenge doesn’t appear to be a question of safety only but a real question of faith in God. He said to Jesus: “The Angels will bear you up, just jump…” Jesus responded: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” We might as well respond to that interior voice inside us that keeps pushing: “Look, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us (Rom 8).” Or “We walk by faith not by sight (2 Cor 5: 7)”
Round #3 The Devil tempted Jesus with all the glamor of the world and its goods. This happens to us a lot. Jesus said: Get out of here Satan, for Scripture says: “You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him” Could it be that by desiring and only seeking after the glory of possessions in this world that we might be serving the prince of this world a.k.a the Devil? The Bible tells us that at that point, the angels came and ministered to Jesus.
As a child of God, today ask for the strength of the Lord at the Holy Eucharist. Ask Jesus for his divine life to flow in you, so the grace of God may help you not to fall into traps ahead.

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