If man does not have to satisfy his needs, there is no temptation. As long as we remain human, we have needs to satisfy and thus, temptation is inevitable.
Abraham Maslow proposed a hierarchy of human needs: physiological, security, belonging, self-esteem and finally self-actualization. His model is intuitive and widely adopted in the business sector. Managers want to know how to motivate their subordinates to work harder. If there is anything we can criticize it, it fails to account for the spiritual dimension of men. Besides those physical, psychological and social needs, there are spiritual needs as well.
Applying Maslow's model, we can understand Jesus' temptations from an alternative perspective. World hunger and poverty are realities of human life. The causes are many. At present, it is estimated that there are 6.91 billion mouths to feed. To compound the problem, there is an uneven distribution of food and wealth around the earth. In short, world hunger and poverty are rather inevitable. No wonder Jesus defended Magdalene's anointing him in Bethany with the following comment.
But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me.
For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me (Matthew 26:10-11).
Which means God will not solve the problem of world hunger for us because we can solve it by ourselves without God's intervention.
Now, return to Jesus' temptation. Though he is the Son of God, Jesus refuses to abuse his omnipotence to solve the hunger problem. After 40 days of fasting, Jesus was hungry. Satan took this opportunity to test Jesus.
And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."
But he answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' " (Matthew 4:3-4)
Jesus' answer is a paraphrase of a verse from the Deuteronomy.
And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know; that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but that man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD (Deuteronomy 8:3).
However, the gospels were written in Greek and Jesus' answer is a direct quotation from Septuagint, word for word.
Οὐκ ἐπ᾽ ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσεται ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ παντὶ ῥήματι ἐκπορευομένῳ διὰ στόματος θεοῦ.
Here, Jesus highlighted the spiritual dimension of men. Not only does man have a stomach to fill up, he also has a spirit which may rest only after it has found God, its Creator.
Remember. Man was created in the image and likeness of God. We are created in such a way that we are able to communicate with Him. We are enabled to enter into a dialogue with our Creator. If this spiritual craving is denied, man suffers unspeakably.
In the Eucharistic liturgy, the Word of God and the Body of Christ are both emphasized. We may unite intimately with Christ when we receive his Body. But even if you are a sinner or just a catechumen waiting to be baptized, you can still be able to unite with Christ by listening to his words. Both his Word and his Body satisfy our hunger and quench our thirst.
Let's imagine what would happen if Jesus turned the stones into bread to satisfy his own hunger and that of the world. Such an intervention would surely disrupt the economic order of the world with dire consequences. Immediately, man has no incentive to work to earn his bread. What is there to motivate man to work? When bread (actually stones) were freely available like air and sunshine, man would return to his primitive stage of civilization.
Admittedly, the global economic order is not fair, nor is it healthy. Still, it would even be better to leave it alone, allowing it to run its full course than to meddle with it. Raining manna from heaven was an extraordinary means to handle an extraordinary situation. There was no market in the Sinai desert. Such is not the case in the modern world. There is economic wisdom in Jesus' spiritual answer.
Dear Lord, it is difficult to defend Your position in natural disasters such as the earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis. May we contemplate on Your Word and draw strength from it. Amen.
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