Tarek El Mahaba مجلة طريق المحبة عدد مارس ٢٠١٩ | Page 42

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)
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
The Second Sunday of Great Lent is and answered the devil not to test the
the temptation Sunday according to Lord Almighty.
our orthodox church. The Pantocrator
took a human body and resembled us In the third temptation, the devil asked
in everything except the sin alone. The the Lord Jesus to worship him. The
Lord Jesus fasted for forty days and devil took our Lord Jesus on a high
forty nights before starting His ministry. mountain and showed him all the glory
The number of days fasted is important. of the world. He offered to give Him all of
In the Old Testament, both Moses and these things if He would bow down and
Elijah fasted for forty days without any worship him. The devil used the concept
food. Moses fasted the forty days twice of wealth and power. One more time the
when receiving the commandments and Lord, from the scripture, told him that
Elijah after receiving food from an angel. worship due to God alone. When the
Our Lord fasted the same amount of devil completed all his temptations, he
days because the number forty is a departed from Him until an opportune
symbol of perfection in the Holy Book.
time.
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
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.
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