On the Mountain of Temptation
“ For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood , but against principalities , against powers , against the rulers of the darkness of this age , against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places ” ( Ephesians 6:12 ) The Second Sunday of Great Lent is the temptation Sunday according to our orthodox church . The Pantocrator took a human body and resembled us in everything except the sin alone . The Lord Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights before starting His ministry . The number of days fasted is important . In the Old Testament , both Moses and Elijah fasted for forty days without any food . Moses fasted the forty days twice when receiving the commandments and Elijah after receiving food from an angel . Our Lord fasted the same amount of days because the number forty is a symbol of perfection in the Holy Book . The Lord felt hungry at the end of these days . Then the devil drew near to tempt Him in three
different methods . The first temptation was through bread . The devil asked the savior to transform stone to bread . The devil did not ask Him to eat , but just to work a miracle . The Lord neither made the change , nor said that He was unable to make it , but answered saying man would not live by bread
alone . In the second temptation , the devil used the scripture to put God ’ s words into test and asked our Lord to jump off the pinnacle of the temple . The devil ’ s request shows how he wishes everyone to fall . The lord used the scripture again and answered the devil not to test
40 the Lord Almighty . In the third temptation , the devil asked the Lord Jesus to worship him . The devil took our Lord Jesus on a high mountain and showed him all the glory of the world . He offered to give Him all of these things if He would bow down and worship him . The devil used the concept of wealth and power . One more time the Lord , from the scripture , told him that worship due to God alone . When the devil completed all his temptations , he departed from Him until an opportune time . The Lord set Himself as an example to show us the importance of fasting and reading the Holy Book regularly to be able to overcome temptation and the devil . The devil will always try to attack us , as he did with the Lord Jesus . The most important thing is not to fall slaves of our inequities but rather to repent and confess our sins to have a share in the eternal life .