Feb 13, 2005

Temptation Feb 13, 2005 Mt 4:1-11

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry.
The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are the Son of God,
command that these stones become loaves of bread." He said in reply,
"It is written: One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God."

Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple,
and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone." Jesus answered him, "Again it is written,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test." Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence,
and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me."
At this, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve."

Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.

Jesus is tempted by the devil in the desert. He spent forty days and forty nights in the desert. The people of Israel led by Moses spent forty years wandering in the desert. The Spirit led Jesus into the desert. Jesus follows where the will of God sends him.

The devil waits until Jesus is hungry to come to him. Temptation comes to me most often when I am hungry in some form. All three times that the devil tries to tempt Jesus to do his will rather than God's will, Jesus replies with Scriptural quotes. The second time that satan tempts Jesus, satan uses a Scriptural quote. A point of this reading that stands out to me today. I daily use the Bible to guide my life actions but the readings can obviously be misused as clearly pointed out by the devil using a quote to try to sway Jesus to throw himself down from a parapet to test if God's angels would save him.

The Spirit led Jesus into the desert and it can lead me to the path of life, the way of God. The readings alone will not show all that I need, I need to keep my heart and mind open to the Spirit and be willing to follow without testing God.