ON THE PASSION AND CRUCIFIXION OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
(First)
Jesus Christ upon entering this world as a new born babe in Bethlehem had a natural enemy, seeking to put Him to death! This enemy is known as the Devil. At the very beginning, as soon as Christ became incarnate, the Devil, being a "murderer from the beginning", darkened and blinded Herod, causing him to seek and destroy the infant Jesus, which necessitated the flight into Egypt. Having failed this first attempt, the Devil desired even more to put Jesus to death, because He was a new man in whom the Devil saw no sin, considering Him to be a threat to his kingdom. But Jesus also had a desire to put His natural enemy to death, and it was for this purpose He came into the world, after partaking of flesh and blood, as St. Paul says: "Inasmuch then as children are partakers of flesh and blood, and He himself similarly had a share thereof, in order that through death He might abolish the one who had the control of death, that is, the Devil. Also that He might free all of them who for fear of death have throughout their lives been subject to slavery" (Heb. 2:14).
So Jesus had a strong desire to put to death to death and do away with the Devil who had control of death; just as the Devil also had a desire to do away with Jesus and put Him to death, and this making the two naturally implacable and irreconcilable enemies. A war would be fought until one of the two vanquishes and destroys the rival enemy, Jesus as the ruler and leader of every virtue, and the Devil as the ruler and leader of every vice.
