Day 76: Jesus' Baptism and Temptation

The Gospels speak of a time of solitude for Jesus in the desert immediately after his baptism by John. Driven by the Spirit into the desert, Jesus remains there for forty days without eating; he lives among wild beasts, and angels minister to him. At the end of this time Satan tempts him three times, seeking to compromise his filial attitude toward God. Jesus rebuffs these attacks, which recapitulate the temptations of Adam in Paradise and of Israel in the desert, and the devil leaves him “until an opportune time.” CCC 538

In today's reading, the Catechism brings us the opening stages of Jesus' public ministry: His baptism and temptations in the desert. St. John the Baptist, who had been preaching about the Messiah and calling for people to repentance of their sins, must have been shocked when He who is without sin "allows himself to be numbered among sinners" by being baptized. This baptism of John's had roots in Jewish tradition, which had been used for converts "as a symbol of of 'washing away' one's former self and becoming new as part of the people of Israel." As the Catechism Companion, Vol I elaborates:

The baptism offered by John the Baptist, while not the sacramental Baptism that we receive as Christians, was more than an initiation ritual, however. Along with his preaching about the kingdom of God being at hand, John used baptism as a means of urging people to turn away from their sins, inviting them to be purified of their old way of living and to prepare for the coming of the Messiah. (p. 157)

He had no need to be "purified" or "turned away from sin" but he did this out of love for the Father and of us. He was recognized by St. John the Baptist as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (Jn 1:29) just on sight. In reply to St. John the Baptist's protest, Jesus replied: "Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matt 3:14-15). And as the Catechism notes:

At his baptism “the heavens were opened”—the heavens that Adam’s sin had closed—and the waters were sanctified by the descent of Jesus and the Spirit, a prelude to the new creation. CCC 536

We have a scene of an incredible theophany or epiphany. God the Father expresses His love for and acceptance of His Son, as the Holy Spirit comes down upon Him (Matt 3:16-17). 

It is after His baptism, we get the scene of the temptation of Jesus by the Great Deceiver, Satan. The unmitigating gall, which Satan seems to excel at unfortunately, of trying to thwart our redemption by tempting the Son of God into sin is interesting. He really thought he could turn the New Adam away from the will of the Father as he had done with the Old Adam before. He was flat wrong. I like this part because while the Jews had wrongly anticipated a military messiah of great power, Jesus shows an even stronger image, One who "is the devil’s conqueror" who "'binds the strong man' to take back his plunder." (CCC 539). We get a taste of the victory that Jesus will bring over Satan and sin on the Cross.

Temptations of Christ (Melisende Psalter, 1131-43, folio f.4r)