The late
Alex Trebek hosted the Jeopardy game show for 37 seasons between 1984 and his
death in November of 2020. He was smart, but didn’t always know or get the
answers correct. We can be like that too.
But Jesus
HAS all the answers. He has the RIGHT answers to questions, temptations, and tests.
We hear in the Gospel that Jesus always has the last word, and the right
answer.
For forty
long days in the desert, Jesus fasted and prayed. He had been baptized by his
cousin John; people witnessed the Heavens open up and heard the marvelous voice
of God proclaim that Jesus was his beloved son. For those long, hot, and
difficult days, Jesus was alone—except for His Father and the Holy Spirit. That
was all He needed.
Dusty,
tired, and ravished with hunger after over a month in the desert, Jesus looked
like a promising mark. The Evil One probably thought that this was his chance
to “get” Jesus.
The Evil One
is a snake, a charlatan, a con artist. So as he tempted Jesus, he showed Him a
beautiful picture. But that all it was —he could never provide. Only Jesus can
deliver. Only Jesus has the last word. Only Jesus has the right answers.
Jesus teaches us that we need to trust in Him, in His Word, and
in His deeds—especially the Holy Sacrifice of Mass. The Evil One thinks that he
can beat us, get us, and we are promising marks. But when we give ourselves
wholly to God, when we trust in Jesus, we are safe.
The Psalm reminds us that we have the power of faith that will overcome all evil.
“You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the
Almighty,” we sing, God will be our rock, our fortress, our refuge. “My
God in whom I trust.” God is our shelter—when we trust in Him. Jesus always
has the last word, and the right answer.
We are most
vulnerable when we are tired, hungry, and scared. Moses, in our first reading,
reminded the Israelites of this. He told them that even through our trials and
oppressions, if we trust and believe in God’s goodness, then He will provide
for us.
The Evil One
seeks to test us, using malice and shrewdness to try and overcome our belief
and trust in the Lord. He wants us to prove ourselves, just like he was trying
to get Jesus to “prove” that he was God. But Jesus always has the last word,
and the right answer.
Tested three
times, Jesus won out. When the Devil asked for a sign, Jesus reminded him that
God does not live by bread alone. When the Devil asked Jesus to bow down before
him in exchange for the worldly kingdoms and riches, Jesus reminded him that
God alone is the King of the Universe—he doesn’t need anything else. When the
Devil asked Jesus to throw himself over the ledge and have angels save him,
Jesus reminded him that no one puts God to the test.
Jesus had
the last word, and the right answer.
We are faced
with many temptations these days. It is enticing. It feels powerful and rich.
It looks beautiful and majestic. But it’s fake. It’s a sham. It is not
reality. Only Jesus can provide the peace, the love, and the strength for us to
overcome these temptations and trials.
Let us pay
heightened attention to where the Evil One is trying to tempt us, to entice us
with lies. Let us entrust ourselves fully to Jesus. Let us place
ourselves at His feet. Let us receive His Body and Blood, soul and divinity.
Let us allow Him into our hearts and feel His undying love for us.
Jesus, I
trust in you and you alone. St. Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome during their persecution, "where
sin increased, grace abounded all the more." (5:20)
Let grace
abound in our lives. Let us not give into sin or temptation or sorrow—but let us
remember that Jesus always has the last word, and the right answer.
Credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Title: The Temptation of Christ by the Devil
- Date: first half 12th century (possibly 1129–34)
- Geography: Made in Castile-León, Spain
- Credit Line: The Cloisters Collection and Gift of E.B. Martindale, 1961
- Object Number: 61.248
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