1st Sunday of Lent Year B. By Tobe Eze

1st Sunday of Lent Year B.

FIRST READING
Genesis 9:8—15

SECOND READING
1 Peter 3:18—22

GOSPEL
Mark 1:12—15

THEME: REBUILD YOUR JERUSALEM.

God himself after creation noticed that his creatures were moving away from the track decided to rebuild and reconstruct his creation through flood as we read in the first reading of today. After the renovation of the world, a new life came in. It is expected that when someone is renovating his building, he will make the building better than before. So also, if we are to rebuild ourselves, we have to go for better part of living. God used water to rebuild the first world. Water that cleared the bad and left the good (Noah and family). When we notice that we are moving away, we should come back and this is the best season to do that. Continue Reading............................

In the second reading, St. Peter still talked about that water that God used in the first reading placing it Viz a viz with water of baptism. We as baptized Christians are now reborn in Christ Jesus. But a rebuilt building should always be made clean through washing it always. We are to keep ourselves holy and blameless like on the day of our baptism. We can do that through frequent confession and avoidance of occasions of sin.

After the baptism of our Lord, that is, his our rebirth (though he was not with any sin but to show us the way to salvation), the devil tempted him. What does this mean?

After the recreation by God through flood in the time of Noah, evil was not totally cleared from the surface of the earth. This leads us to the gospel, that after the baptism of Jesus, the devil still was there to tempt him.

One funny thing we should know is that, devil or Satan do not tempt us with what is beyond us. He will always come through what we have, know and what we can do. Jesus had, has and will continue to have power to change stone into bread and devil knew it and came to him and asked him to do it for he knew he can do it. Again Jesus had been with those stones for those forty days and night he stayed there, devil knew that he has been with them. Devil also knew that he was very hungry and he talked about food to him.

Let me analyze this first temptation of Jesus. The two sons of Isaac, the first son lost his birth right through food. We loose many thing in this life through what enters the mouth. Some have lost something so precious to them because of what enters the mouth, others their reputation and respect, others even their lives just because of what will go inside the mouth and pass our through the other side. David wanted to cover up his sins and gave Uriah food and drinks to take. Some of us here do use this same method to seal the lips of those who will talk in the community. After they may have taken things at the back, topic will change when they come out again to speak or to act. One politician in a certain area came to his people to campaign for election. The King stood up and told him that they are not going to vote him in for he has done nothing for them in the one they voted him in. The man went home and carried many gifts to the king at night. The next campaign, the King came out to tell the people that this their son is a noble son of the soil that he will take care of them once he wins the election. People were confused on what was happening. This is how many of us do in one thing or the other. Because we know this person or may have received gift from the person, we will hide the truth. The truth is the only thing that can set us free.

Let us today rebuild our Jerusalem and call a spear a spear and it shall be well with us. When the devil comes, we should recognize him like Jesus and tell him that those gifts of his will not deceive us again. That does not live by those gifts alone. THANKS AND HAPPY SUNDAY.