Gospel in Art: The three temptations in the wilderness

The Three Temptations of Christ. Fresco by Sandro Botticelli © Sistine Chapel, Vatican

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 6th March 2022 - Luke 4:1-13

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit through the wilderness, being tempted there by the devil for forty days. During that time he ate nothing and at the end he was hungry. Then the devil said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to turn into a loaf.' But Jesus replied, 'Scripture says: Man does not live on bread alone.'

Then leading him to a height, the devil showed him in a moment of time all the kingdoms of the world and said to him, 'I will give you all this power and the glory of these kingdoms, for it has been committed to me and I give it to anyone I choose. Worship me, then, and it shall all be yours.' But Jesus answered him, 'Scripture says: You must worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone.'

Then he led him to Jerusalem and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple. 'If you are the Son of God,' he said to him 'throw yourself down from here, for scripture says: He will put his angels in charge of you to guard you, and again: They will hold you up on their hands in case you hurt your foot against a stone.'

But Jesus answered him, 'It has been said: You must not put the Lord your God to the test.' Having exhausted all these ways of tempting him, the devil left him, to return at the appointed time.

Reflection on the Fresco Painting

Artists over the centuries have been fascinated in portraying today's Gospel reading of Jesus being tempted by the devil in the desert. Compositions range from placing the devil centrally to accentuate the temptations we all experience during this earthly life, to simple compositions depicting Jesus on his own in the desert, thus accentuating the spiritual nature of the reading. In today's artwork, we look at Sandro's Botticelli's Three temptations of Christ, a fresco in the Sistine Chapel. It is the third scene in the cycle of the life of Christ. Christ's three temptations by the devil can be seen in the background of the picture (see specifics below), with the devil deceitfully disguised as a hermit.

So, on this first Sunday of Lent we read about how Jesus was being tempted in the desert by the devil for forty days. Accounts of the temptation in the wilderness appear in all three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke). Our account from Luke contains three moments of testing, each revealing who Jesus is. In each temptation Jesus responds to the devil by quoting from Deuteronomy, thus rooting His ministry in the Old Testament, as a continuation and fulfilment of it:

Temptation one: Satan says 'If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to turn into a loaf'. Jesus responds by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3: 'It is written, 'Man does not live by bread alone.' (Top left in our fresco).

Temptation two: Satan says 'I will give you all this power and the glory of these kingdoms'. Jesus responds by quoting Deuteronomy 6:13: 'It is written, worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.' (Top right in our fresco; we also see, behind Jesus, angels preparing the altar for the celebration of the Eucharist).

Temptation three: Satan says (quoting Psalm 91:11-12) 'Throw yourself down from the temple'. Jesus responds simply again by quoting Deuteronomy 6:16: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test'. (Top middle of our painting).

Just as Jesus is tying His responses directly to the Old Testament, we see Sandro Botticelli depicting (in the foreground) the Old Testament practice of the celebration of a Jewish sacrifice. The high priest accepts a blood-filled sacrificial bowl, while several people are bringing animals and wood (for the altar fires) as offerings.

Reading our Gospel today and looking at our fresco, we are invited to put into words our own temptations or weaknesses that draw us away from God…

LINKS

Today's story - https://christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/1104
Christian Art - www.christian.art