Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert where he was tempted by the devil. The tempter is one of the names by which Satan is known. From the dawn of creation to the present day, Satan has lived up to this name. And while he has certainly devised new ways of doing his job, the end goal has remained the same: putting a wedge between God and human beings (creation). It is something that, as the passage constituting the Gospel reading for this First Sunday of Lent reminds us, Satan was not hesitant or ashamed to try with Jesus. It was not by sheer coincidence that Jesus’ temptation by Satan took place following Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan. It was a well calculated move by Satan. The event of the baptism had ushered Jesus into the public sphere. Through his life and example, Jesus was going to embark on a ministry of bringing reconciliation between creation and God. It was a mission that was going to be built upon Jesus’ obedience to the Father’s will. Through disobedience, humanity had led creation into straying from the path which God had charted for it. It was a move that was repeated time and again as humanity sought to claim independence from God its Creator. This resulted in the straining of the relationship that ought to exist between the creature and its Creator. The loving freedom that had characterized this relationship was consequently replaced with fear and distrust (cf. Genesis 3:10). The human person could no longer approach God or relate to him as a friend and confidant. A great chasm resulted from the loss of this relationship. Only through the life and ministry of Jesus would this life-threatening distance between God and creation become bridged. Satan was aware of this, and as Jesus was preparing himself to begin this ministry, he began to plot how he was going to distract Jesus from carrying out his mission. Satan’s temptation of Jesus was very much typical of the temptations that Satan throws our way: power and wealth. Power and wealth are the very things that we go after in our attempts to free ourselves from what we believe to be the “controlling” hand of God. Having heard God declaring that Jesus was God’s most beloved Son in whom God was pleased, Satan started to think of ways in which he could disrupt this unitive relationship between Father and Son. Satan was very much aware that God was pleased in Jesus because of Jesus’ willingness to let go of any trappings of power and status (cf. Philippians 2:6ff). By assuming a creaturely nature, Jesus had accepted to be subject to the laws that govern creaturely existence. Satan knows that the fiercest war that goes on inside of a creature is the unsuccessful attempt to free the self from these laws/conditions. By asking Jesus to fall on his knees and worship him, Satan was asking Jesus to free himself from God’s “control.” According to Satan, Jesus needed not to depend on divine providence. He needed not to owe his existence to God. Rather, he needed to be in control of his life. He could be the God of his life. But Jesus did not buy into Satan’s schemes. He didn’t mind letting God be in control. Jesus knew that this was the only way to repair the harm that Adam and Eve’s giving in to Satan’s temptation had caused. When God put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, God surrounded them with everything that they needed. They were comfortable with what God had provided for them until Satan appeared and dangled before them a bait that they couldn’t resist biting. For Satan told them that in addition to having everything for themselves (nothing was to be off-limits for them), they could also gain more knowledge in order to free themselves from God’s control. As a matter of fact, they would be like God! (cf. Genesis 3:5) It was an offer that they couldn’t let pass. Perhaps they imagined the endless possibilities that having more knowledge would present before them, and how wonderful such a life would be. With Satan’s mouthwatering offer, the Garden of Eden suddenly appeared not large enough for them. They must have imagined how with more knowledge, they would be able to make the garden more spacious and even more colorful. Adam and Eve gave in to Satan’s proposition. They saw in Satan’s proposition an opportunity to soar higher and have more for themselves. They severed their relationship with God in the belief that they could now provide for themselves. With their newfound knowledge, they realized that God had not properly provided for their clothing needs and moved to fix it themselves! They were now in charge. However, this newfound ability to control their lives came at a cost: the loss of their life-giving friendship with God. Since they had to spend their time thinking about their own security and sustenance, God suddenly became someone to avoid and from whom hide. The Lenten season is thus an opportunity for us to reclaim our friendship with God. It is a time for us to free ourselves from any and all distractions that might prevent us from hearing the voice of God who constantly whispers words of life in the depths of our hearts. Lent is a time when we are invited to once again learn not only to be obedient to God but also to allow him to be our Creator and Father. Lent is a time for us to say, together with Jesus, that we will not allow ourselves to put God to the test.