Prague and the Holy Land: Mount of Temptation, May 21, 2019

In reverse of the order that the events happened, we stopped at the Mount of Temptation on the way to the River Jordan, where Jesus was baptized.

The Mount of Temptation is also known as Mount Quarantania, which comes from the Latin word meaning 40--the number of days and nights Jesus spent fasting. This time that Jesus spent in the desert and mountain fasting and being tempted by the devil prefigures our own Lenten retreat.

The story of Jesus' temptation appears in Matthew, Luke and in a briefer way Mark. As there were no witnesses, it was a story that Jesus would have had to relate to his followers. I've always been fascinated by Jesus' pre-ministry encounter with temptation and the devil. I feel like I exist in a perpetual state of temptation.

The Temptation of Jesus

Matthew 4:1-11

Then 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 by bread alone, but by every word
that comes 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 hm, "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.

Here are some paraphrased observations from Fr. James Martin in Jesus: A Pilgrimage. In many temptations there is an element of good. For example, the first temptation, turning stones to bread is about our physical need for food. Taking care of our body is good. But our physical well being shouldn't come before anything else. Fr. Richard Rohr says, our false selves usually press for the satisfaction of our immediate wants. Jesus also never does a miracle for himself. Often the voice of the devil, the voice of temptation is the voice of the Hinderer, who tells us false stories about ourselves and that we are unworthy of God's love, that nothing will change and all is hopeless. The voice keeps us from being who God wants us to be.