First Sunday of Lent, Cycle C. Today’s readings: Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Romans 10: 8-13; Luke 4:1-13

Jordan Peterson's 2018 bestseller 12 Rules for Life; An Antidote to Chaos.

In his 2018 bestseller, 12 Rules for Life; An Antidote to Chaos, famed Canadian psychologist Dr Jordan Peterson spends several pages analysing the event we find in today’s gospel, Christ’s 40 days in the desert. I find it very significant that this analysis forms part of the chapter concerning the importance of pursuing what is meaningful in life, as opposed to that which is merely expedient.

In Peterson’s eyes, Christ’s duel with the devil in the wilderness becomes emblematic of a humanity that is willing to face evil head-on, without flinching, even when that evil lies deep within the human heart itself.

Yet the evil tempting Jesus is not the clamorous, hideous evil we see in warmongering, torture or mass murder; it is the much more palatable – and polite – evil of convenience.

The devil’s three temptations all represent deformations of Christ’s mission, shortcuts which seemingly achieve the same ends that his life on earth would eventually obtain anyway. Yet they do so by circumventing the forbearance, the humility, and the cross that characterise the life and mission of Jesus. And by eschewing the cross, they also forfeit the glory of the resurrection.

Jesus’s power to perform wonders is depicted in practically every page of the gospels; his fame as a miracle-worker is one of his hallmarks. Yet his miracles were never self-serving; they were always – and only – ways through which he helped those in need, announced God’s kingdom and inspired faith.

What Satan proposes is the opposite: that Jesus change stones into bread to satisfy his hunger. He also offers him power over all the earth’s kingdoms for a bargain price: his worship. And he suggests that Jesus throw himself off the temple parapet so that, brought safely to earth by angels, he can demonstrate his divine sonship in a spectacular manner.

Quoting scripture, Jesus overcomes all three temptations. He prefers the long and painful journey of a life lived in accordance with God’s will (a journey that will include an excruciating and fatal trudge up Mount Calvary) to the quick and easy joyride offered by Satan. In Peterson’s words: “Easy but psychotic self-identification as the merely magical Messiah might well have been a genuine temptation under the harsh conditions of Christ’s sojourn in the desert. Instead he rejects the idea that salvation – or even survival, in the shorter term – depends on narcissistic displays of superiority and the commanding of God, even by his Son.” (p.183)

Pope Francis makes a similar point: “God does not like to be loved as one would love a ruler who leads his people to victory, annihilating his enemies in a bloodbath. Our God is a faint light burning on a cold and windy day, and as fragile as his presence in this world may appear, he has chosen the place that we all disdain.” (General audience, May 24, 2017)

This is a valuable lesson on all levels, from the spiritual to the sociological. In our society, increasing numbers of people seem to have grown comfortably numb, turning a blind eye to those who achieve success and wealth by skirting rules, exploiting loopholes and taking every shortcut available.

Increasing numbers of people seem to have grown comfortably numb, turning a blind eye to those who achieve success and wealth by skirting rules, exploiting loopholes and taking every shortcut available

It is easy – from our relatively safe distance – to condemn the repugnant aggression that is crucifying Ukraine and so many other war-torn nations around the world. And yet we refuse to denounce the Artful Dodgers that infest our society from top to bottom. Some of us may secretly admire them and their chutzpah; support them, even! After all, if they manage to get away with it, they deserve their ill-gotten gains, right?

The starving Messiah, who was capable of feeding thousands yet refused to conjure up a loaf for himself, begs to differ.

bgatt@maltachurchtribunals.org