The Nazareth Page- A gospel meditation for your home

February 22, 2026 – First Sunday of Lent - Matthew 4:1-11

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
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“Don’t you know what’s right?” the parent asks the toddler who has just thrown a snowball breaking a garage window. “Don’t ever do that again. It’s wrong.” Thus plays out the ever-present reality of determining right and wrong.  Good and evil. Virtue and vice. We see this reality unfold in families, neighborhoods, nationally and globally. It seems unavoidable.

I remember very early in my Catholic education being informed that there were two “spirits” that accompanied us through life: a good one called our guardian angel and a bad one named the devil. Descriptions of this type told to a third – grader is never fully forgotten. Close to almost a century later, I still remember this.

And to make a general religious assertion about our lives, most affirm that there are two opposing realities that mark our years. They take on many forms, but basically they can be summarized as describing human actions as either good or evil. This dichotomy even entered the life of Jesus as we learn in the striking narrative presented in today’s gospel.

Jesus is about the enter the most important part of his life on Earth. And being the kind of person he is, he decides to spend some time alone, apart from human contact, to figure out the direction he should take. Soon a bad angel, the devil, greets him there. Jesus does not seem surprised. It almost seems the devil is expected.

Basically, Jesus is challenged to make choices between showing extreme power by turning stone to bread. No, he said. Then he’s supposed to show his reliance on God’s power saving him from injury of death by jumping off the temple roof. No, again. And finally, he is promised by the devil some kid of absolute rule over the whole world. A final no from Jesus. We are not surprised by his responses.  He only wanted to do what is good for those around him. Even if it meant that it would cost him deeply. And it eventually did.

What we see so clearly in this gospel of the temptation is the full humanity of Jesus on display. He really was tempted to do evil. He no doubt struggled (as we all do) to do good. He deeply and fully entered the fears, struggles and issues of his day. And in the end, it brought him to be rejected by some, even those close to him. He endured terrible suffering at the hands of evil people and finally a horrific death. He never walked away from his mission, although as we are reminded of today, he was tempted to do so.

David M. Thomas, PhD