Meditations On The Gospel Of Luke For The FamilySample

"MEDITATION 5: The Baptism of Jesus and His Temptation"

When we read Luke’s Gospel and Acts, we find a peculiar trait, the importance he gives to the Holy Spirit. It is curious to see that the precise phrase “Holy Spirit” appears 54 times in his two books, whereas in the rest of the New Testament it is used on only 25 occasions. In the three events we meditate upon today, we find the Holy Spirit as the force that fills Jesus and urges him to act in these vital moments of his life. In fact, he was conceived by the Holy Spirit (1:35), and his first solemn public ministry in Nazareth will begin with his proclamation: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…” (4:18a).

In the case of the baptism, it is important to emphasize how Jesus shares our human condition, even in his joining the group of sinners who subject themselves to John’s penitential and purifying rite. In this moment, the bodily appearance of the Spirit and the mysterious voice from heaven proclaim Jesus to be the “beloved Son” [of God] and establish the role he is to play in his future activities. That expression will be the key to understand his temptations.

Again, it is the Spirit who leads Jesus into the desert, not only for a period of fasting and prayer in order to prepare himself for his ministry, but also to be subjected to temptations, that is, to experience the false and alluring ways in which he might fulfill his mission. The key, as I mentioned, is “If you are the Son of God…” Those words will have a terrible echo in the direst moments of Jesus’ life, in the crucifixion: “If you… save yourself” (23:35-37). The devil is more subtle and offers tempting possibilities of being the Messiah: using power to turn the stones into bread for his own benefit; recurring to political or economic power (in the end, to Satan’s power) to implement the Kingdom of God; or reducing his mission to a display of personal prestige or exaltation. In all three cases, Luke anticipates the same temptations the Christian community will have to face throughout its history. In all three cases, the only weapon Jesus uses is the Word of God.

Finally, it is the Spirit who leads Jesus to begin his ministry and announce that the Kingdom of God has come to his people.

Rev. Fr. Mariano Perrón, Roman Catholic priest, Archdiocese of Madrid, Spain