Forming Good Stewards - This week's gospel message

"When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time." Luke 4:1-13

Now there’s a scary thought. Jesus, the Word made Flesh, Son of God, and Son of Mary, is tempted by the devil—not just once, but again and again. How was Jesus really tempted?

Turn stones into bread. That is a temptation to acquire material security and financial wealth. The Holy Land is full of stones. Turning stones into bread would have made Jesus very wealthy.

All the kingdoms of the world ... will be yours. That is temptation to use wealth to gain power over others. Tyrants, large and small, national and in families, use wealth to control others. Many people live in poverty and fear of a tyrant who has political and military power. Some people spend their lives catering to the whims of the person who controls a family’s fortune.

Throw yourself down and the angels will protect you. This is the most sinister temptation of all. To do something that will amaze people so you can gain control over their minds and hearts and souls. In various ways, we constantly face these same temptations in our lives.

How do we deal with them? Jesus resisted them again and again. As his disciples, we must do the same.