Jesus confronted the temptations of the evil one in his own humanity. We know the sequence of events well. Jesus, in his humanity, came to the realization of his dignity, his destiny and his mission. In response to the call of the Father he went down into the waters of the Jordan to be baptized by his cousin John as a way of publicly committing his life to do the will of the Father.  Upon coming out of the water Jesus clearly experienced the affirmation of the Father who called him the Beloved Son in whom he was well pleased. He was the new Adam. And with this affirmation came the empowerment in his humanity of the gifts of the Spirit for the work ahead. Afterwards, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert where he prayed and fasted to ready himself for the work of the Father.

Having heard and seen what the Father said and did, the evil one sought to intervene and perhaps thwart once more  the plan of God by putting the new Adam to the test. But in this beloved Son he met his match. No matter the test--from personal satisfaction, to questioning the trustworthiness of God, to the drive for power and importance--Jesus never took his eyes off the Father. He returned love for love. His responses were precise and committed, reflecting his true relationship to God. “One does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God....You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve....You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test” (Lk 4:4,8,12). (To be continued)