Today we hear the Temptation of Jesus in Matthews's gospel.

Temptation in the Wilderness
4 Then Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the spirit to be tested by the devil. 2 He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and at the end of it was famished. 3 Then the tempter approached him.
‘If you really are God’s son,’ he said, ‘tell these stones to become bread!’
4 ‘The Bible says’, replied Jesus, ‘that it takes more than bread to keep you alive. You actually live on every word that comes out of God’s mouth.’
5 Then the devil took him off to the holy city, and stood him on a pinnacle of the Temple.
6 ‘If you really are God’s son,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down. The Bible does say, after all, that “God will give his angels a command about you”; and “they will carry you in their hands, so that you won’t hurt your foot against a stone.” ’
7 ‘But the Bible also says’, replied Jesus, ‘that you mustn’t put the Lord your God to the test!’
8 Then the devil took him off again, this time to a very high mountain. There he showed him all the magnificent kingdoms of the world.
9 ‘I’ll give the whole lot to you,’ he said, ‘if you will fall down and worship me.’
10 ‘Get out of it, satan!’ replied Jesus. ‘The Bible says, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone!” ’
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and looked after him.

Prior to his public ministry, Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness in prayer and fasting.

During this time, the devil came and tempted Jesus.
But how exactly did the devil come to him?

Did he come dressed in red with a pitchfork, horns, and a forked tail?

Did he say “Hi, I’m the devil, I’m here to tempt you. Shall we begin?”

Of course not, the devil comes to Jesus the same way that he comes to all of us.
Disguised in our own thoughts.

As Jesus was in the wilderness he was considering the course of his ministry and how things would play out.

The tempter came in and tempted Jesus to compromise the integrity of the mission not by overtly evil deeds, which Jesus wouldn’t even give a second thought to, but he tempted him with a trilogy of good ideas.

Let's take some time to consider what "Good ideas", or temptations Jesus had faced. What can we learn from the temptations Jesus faced, and how he dealt with those temptations.




Music: Simon Wester: Passage of TIme 
https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/simon-wester/476739636

https://simonwester.bandcamp.com/

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