Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil

 

 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil.  And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.  And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."  But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"

 

Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."   And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"

 

Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written:   

'He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you,'

"and,

'In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"

And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"   

Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

 

- Luke 4:1–13 

 

Yesterday we read that, as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John the Baptist, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."  And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.  But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.  When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.  And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."

 

  Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil.  My study Bible comments that this exodus of Jesus into the wilderness after His baptism has a dual symbolism.  First, this fulfills the Old Testament type in which Israel journeyed in the wilderness for forty years after "baptism" in the Red Sea.  Second, it's a prefiguration of our own journey through the fallen world after baptism as we struggle towards the Kingdom.  

 

And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.   Jesus fasted to overcome temptation, my study Bible says, giving us an example of our own power and limitations in the face of temptation.  The hunger of His flesh doesn't control Him; He controls His flesh.  This forty-day fast is the foundation of the practice of the Christian Lenten fast.  Christ's forty day fast reverses Israel's falling into temptation in the wilderness.  My study Bible comments that the Israelites were tested forty years in the wilderness, and proved disobedient and disloyal.  God humbled them by first letting them go hungry and then feeding them with manna to help them learn dependence upon God (Deuteronomy 8:2-5). Christ is tested but does not sin; His answers to Satan are all from Deuteronomy, and they all call for loyalty to God.

 

 And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."  But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"  Note how the devil is challenging Christ's relationship to God the Father.  If You are the Son of God is playing upon the Father's declaration at Jesus' Baptism (see yesterday's reading, above, in which the Father's voice says to Christ, "You are My beloved Son").  The devil wants to break Christ's relationship to the Father, so that He will detach Himself from the Father's will.  In Christ's divine nature, my study Bible explains, He shares one will with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  As Christ declared, He can do nothing of Himself apart from the Father (John 5:30).  But in Christ's humanity, He possesses free will, and therefore must at all times choose to remain obedient to the divine will of the Father.  Jesus responds by quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3.  Each time Jesus rebukes the devil, it's with the truth and power of Scripture.  My study Bible notes that this teaches us faithful to become immersed in Scripture in order to resist and to drive away every temptation (see Psalm 119:11).  My study Bible further asks us to note that by rejecting this temptation, Jesus rejects an earthly kingdom and shows us not to pursue earthly comfort in the "food which perishes" (John 6:27).  While Adam disregarded the divine word in order to pursue the passions of the body (Genesis 3), Christ is the New Adam, who conquers all temptation by the divine word, and gives human nature the power to conquer Satan.

 

 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."   And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"  My study Bible comments that God's Kingdom isn't one of earthly power and possessions.  Here the devil tests Jesus by asking Him to choose worldly power over the Kingdom of God.  The devil is the "ruler of this world" (John 12:31), "the god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4), because the whole world is in his power (1 John 5:19).  Jesus refuses this road of earthly glory, my study Bible says, which would lead Him away from His suffering and death for the redemption of the world.  See Deuteronomy 6:13; 10:20.

 

 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written:   'He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"  As Christ had defeated the devil by the power of the Scriptures in the first two temptations here, Satan tries to use the Scriptures to put god's power of protection to the test (see also 2 Peter 1:19-21).  The devil quotes from Psalm 91:11-12.

 

And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"  My study Bible comments that trials and temptations come on their own.  It adds that we should never intentionally expose ourselves to danger to test or to prove God's protection.  To do that is to tempt the LORD.  Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 6:16.

 

 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.  Regarding an opportune time, see Luke 22:40-46, 23:35; Matthew 16:21-23.

The concept of time is an interesting one, and somehow related to today's reading.  That is, time plays a role in all of our lives because our capacity for repentance -- for growth -- is dependent upon us being time-bound creatures.  But we find in the Gospels that Christ is a master of time.  When it is His time to come to the Cross is determined by no one except Himself, for example.  Turning water into wine seems to have something to do with the capacity to bypass time in some sense, as well.  Christ's use of time is yet another sort of "sign" of His divinity.  But in today's reading, there's another being who also seems to be able to use time in ways that human beings cannot, and that is the devil.  It's quite intriguing that the devil has the capacity to show to Christ "all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time."  This seems to tell us more than one thing about the devil.  First of all the devil could do this in a moment of time, and also that the devil is capable of presenting ideas, even visions, to people.  So, when we speak about temptations of the devil (or possibly other demonic beings), we should remember that we are speaking of beings which were created as angels.  According to at least one Orthodox theologian, these demonic beings are those created as angelic, but what they lack is the Holy Spirit.  Therefore they have some capacities that angelic creatures do, including a great intelligence, but they lack the goodness of creativity that Holy Spirit gives, and the other blessings and gifts of the Spirit, because they are in opposition to Christ.  We also note that today's reading tells us that the devil had the ability even to take Christ to a high mountain, and also to set Him on the pinnacle of the temple.  So, in terms of space, the devil would also seem to have some extraordinary abilities.  But what this seems to imply for us is that Christ paves the way for us human beings to do something truly extraordinary.  As noted above, my study Bible names several things we learn about resisting temptation from Christ's time in the wilderness during these forty days of temptation and fasting.  First, we may seek to become immersed in Scripture in order to resist and to drive away every temptation.  Jesus also teaches us that, as He rejects an earthy kingdom, so we may resist passionate pursuit of "food which perishes."  While Adam disregarded God's word to pursue bodily passions, Christ is the New Adam who gives human nature the power to conquer Satan.  So Christ paves the way for us to be "like Him," to derive help from our Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to gain the capacity through putting on Christ via our own baptism, and to resist the devil.  Note that the devil also acts as trickster, even quoting Scripture to mislead.  But Christ rebukes the devil with appropriate Scripture, and the Spirit is our Helper to give us discernment.  Can one imagine what a comedown it must be for a being created as an angel, with all of these abilities to use to tempt, and yet we far more simple, and time-bound, human beings have the capacity to resist?  This is the great victory of Christ for us, and our liberation and deliverance, for we don't have to be slaves to temptations, and we can abide in Him.  Let us note once again the activity of the Holy Spirit, also revealed to us in today's Gospel reading.  For it is the Holy Spirit who leads Christ into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, and the same Spirit who helps to give us the power, made firm in Christ, to beat the devil at his game.  Let us be aware and prepared, for as with Christ, the devil awaits "an opportune time."  

 

 

Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee

 

   Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known.  And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  Others said, "It is Elijah."  And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets."  But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!"  For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her.  Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."  Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him.  And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.  

 

Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.  And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you."  He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom."  So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?"  And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!"  Immediately she came in with haste to th king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."  And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.  Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought.  And he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.  When his disciples hears of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

 

- Mark 6:14–29 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus came to His own country of Nazareth in Galilee, and His disciples followed Him.  And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue.  And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things?  And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!  Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?  And are not His sisters here with us?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own house." Now He could do not mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.   And He marveled because of their unbelief.  Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.  And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.  He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts -- but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.  Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"  So they went out and preached that people should repent.  And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them. 

 Now King Herod heard of Jesus, for His name had become well known.  And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  This King Herod was the son of the one who slew the infants in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16).  His father was known as Herod the Great, and the king in today's reading is Herod Antipas who rules for Rome over Galilee.  Although he was technically called a governor, my study Bible explains, he was popularly called king.  He knows that John the Baptist worked no miracles while he lived, but now -- because of the events of the first apostolic mission of Christ's disciples -- he believes that John was raised from the dead, thinking that powers are at work in him.  So, therefore, he fears John more dead than alive.

Others said, "It is Elijah."  And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets."  Elijah was expected to return and work signs before the second coming of the Lord (Malachi 4:5).  The Prophet, according to my study Bible, is interpreted by some to be a reference to the Messiah, the One foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15), while others interpret it to simple mean that a new prophet had arisen.  

 

 But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!"  For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her.  Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."  Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him.  And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.   The account that begins here, and that makes up of our reading for today, is given parenthetically, explaining John's death and how it came about, so that we can understand why Herod fears that John has risen from the dead.  My study Bible comments on the fact that Herod, with his wealth and soldiers, feared John, a man who lived in poverty and was clothed in camel's hair (Mark 1:6).  It notes that this is a testament both to the power of personal holiness and integrity, and also to the people's perception of John, for he was held in the highest esteem (Mark 11:32). 

Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.  And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you."  He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom."  So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?"  And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!"  Immediately she came in with haste to th king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."  And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.  Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought.  And he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.  When his disciples hears of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.  My study Bible tells us that, as part of God's plan of salvation, John's martyrdom allowed the coming of the Messiah to be announced to the souls in Hades, for John was the forerunner of Christ there as well as in our world.  It notes that the beheading of John the Baptist is remembered on August 29th in the Orthodox, and also in other Churches, both Catholic and Protestant.  An Orthodox hymn sung at Matins for this day declares, "Your tongue, which constantly speaks of God, has preceded Christ into death and is sent to preach Him to those in Hades."

Note the scandalous bloodthirstiness and indulgent lascivious nature of Herod's court on display.  These are things that surely scandalized the Jews under Roman occupation.  First of all there is John the Baptist who is clearly a representative of the Law.  (In fact John is considered to be the last and greatest of the Old Testament type prophets.)  He is imprisoned in the first place because he chastises the king and queen in that their marriage is unlawful; for Herod's brother had been married to her and he is still living.  But even Herod knew that John was a just and holy man.  Therefore, he heard him gladly.   The language of the text is indicative of something evil coming into play, when we read, then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.  For this is the same language we read in Luke's Gospel, after Christ's temptations by the devil.  Luke 4:13 reads, "Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time."   What provides the opportunity for the martyrdom of John the Baptist is the setting of Herod's birthday party, and more specifically Herod's undisciplined susceptibility to flattery and vanity.  His nobles and "chief men" are present, he allows himself to swear an oath to the girl whose dancing impressed him (again, scandalous behavior to the Jews, to parade a daughter in this way among all of these men), and his inability to say no although he knows John to be a "just and holy man."  It's the opportunity for Herodias' power-hungry and murderous behavior, directing her daughter to ask for such a horrific "present."  We can only imagine what a hideous and bloody scene that was, like a special dish presented on a platter and given to the daughter, and a daughter trained to be dutiful to her mother's evil behavior in turn putting it before her mother like a special dish prepared for this birthday feast.  Herod and Herodias, due to their maneuvering for power, would die in exile themselves.  But all of the story speaks to passions run amuck and used for perverse purposes, the "opportune time" for evil influence.  And the result is that when Herod hears later of Jesus, he fears that it is John who has arisen from the dead, imagining that John has returned with a kind of arcane power to use.  What we might observe here is the progression from bad to worse, and how giving in to our passions allows unforeseen consequences and bad actors to manipulate us in our weaknesses and temptations.  It enforces for us the importance of repentance and of self-knowledge, of learning to say "no" to self-indulgence, and especially of the need for the practice of discernment and prayer to keep us on a good road in our lives.  For the word of God is "living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" as St. Paul tells us (Hebrews 4:12).  This Word, we know, is Christ, and He is the way, the truth, and the life that we need to guide us through our vulnerabilities (John 14:6).  Let us always remember God.

Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time

 

 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil.  And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.  And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."  But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"  

Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"

Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written:

'He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you,'

"and,

'In their hands they shall bear you up, 

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"

And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"

Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

 

- Luke 4:1–13 

 

Yesterday we read that, as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John the Baptist, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."  And with many other exhortations he preached to the people. But Herod the tetrarch,  being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.  When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.  And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."

 

  Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil.  My study Bible comments that this exodus of Jesus into the wilderness immediately following His baptism (and being filled with the Holy Spirit) has a dual symbolism.  First, it fulfills the Old Testament type, in which Israel journeyed in the wilderness for forty year after its "baptism" in the Red Sea; and second, it's a prefiguring of our own journey throgh the fallen world after baptism, as we also struggle toward the Kingdom.  

 

And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.  And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."  But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"   This first temptation is seemingly about hunger, but Christ's human hunger is really just a lever, for testing Him about His relationship to God the Father.  The real temptation is the question, "If You are the Son of God. . ." seeking to tempt Christ away from His faith in the Father and the identity given of the Father.  Keep in mind that at His baptism by John, the Father declared, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."  This is a challenge to that declaration.  My study Bible points out that in His humanity, Christ must choose to obey that divine will, even if in His divinity His will is one with the Father's.  Just as Israel was tempted through hunger to disobey God when following Moses in the wilderness, Christ responds with Scripture from Deuteronomy 8:3.

Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"  Here is the next temptation, and once again, it's a challenge to Christ's relationship to God the Father.  The devil tempts Jesus with a worldly sense of power, authority, and glory, if only Jesus will worship before him.  But as Jesus has already indicated with the first temptation, it's not the things of the world that make life, but the things of God.  My study Bible comments that the devil is the "ruler of this world" (John 12:31), "the god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4), because the whole world is in his power (1 John 5:19).   Christ will so memorably teach, "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36).  "Get behind Me, Satan!" is a phrase He will use again (Matthew 15:33; Mark 8:33), and in the similar sense that, as my study Bible puts it, He refuses the road of earthly glory, which would lead Him away from His suffering and death for the redemption of the world.   Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 6:13.

Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written:  'He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.':  And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"  My study Bible comments that here, seeing as how Christ had defeated him through the power of the Scriptures, Satan tries in vain to use the Scriptures to put God's power of protection to the test.  (See also 2 Peter 1:19-21).  It further notes that trials and temptations come on their own; we should never intentionally expose ourselves to danger in order to test or prove God's protection.  To do so is to tempt the LORD.  Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 6:16.

Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.  The devil still works to wait until an opportune time (see Luke 22:40-46, 23:35; Matthew 16:21-23).  

We note that the devil departed from Him until an opportune time.  My study Bible comments on the temptation of hunger after forty days of fasting, that, while Adam disregarded God's divine word in order to pursue the passions of the body (Genesis 3), the New Adam -- who is Christ -- conquers all temptation by the divine word; in effect, Christ gives human nature the power to conquer Satan.  So this devil who waits until an opportune time is something we should take seriously, because we ourselves struggle against similar temptations and in the same world in which the devil remains the "god of this age" or "the ruler of this world."  That's not to say that the devil has utterly usurped the place of God or even that Christ hasn't power against the devil.  What it does say is that this struggle in which Christ engages Himself as human being, while He is yet also the Son of God, is our struggle.  In effect, Jesus engages in this struggle and even begins His ministry with it, because it is our struggle.  Everything about Christ's life, and especially His ministry, is to engage fully in human life in order to transfigure that life through His divinity, so that we also may follow, even drawing on the strength that He gives us to do so, as my study Bible explained.  Note that today's passage begins by telling us that Jesus, when embarking on this forty day fasting period, was filled with the Holy Spirit and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to do so.  This is a forceful statement, it's the Holy Spirit, essentially bringing or carrying Him here.  Moreover, if we look closely at Mark's Gospel, we'll see that St. Mark writes (in Greek) that the Spirit "threw" Him into the wilderness.  So this powerful period, which sets us up for understanding how we are to meet temptation in the world, is the first order of business of Christ's public ministry, and it's fully begun and set into motion through the actions of the Spirit.  So this public ministry in which Christ is now immersed, prepared through temptation, but also working in order to harness the power of redemption and resistance to the devil for us human beings, starts off with this selfless act guaranteed to transfigure what it is to be a human being following Christ in faith.  We're here not just to follow Him but to also be engaged in the same work we see Him doing.  Our faith is in some sense about being born into this battleground, where, in the words of St. Peter, "your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).   We still face the same kinds of temptations that Jesus did:  questions that shake up our faith in God and God's love for us, temptations that look good -- like all the splendid goods of the world and its power and glory -- but really aren't very good for us after all.  We're born into a world where there might be all kinds of seemingly new "forms" of such things, but they're not really new at all.  We still hunger for things that nominally seem good, but given at the wrong time or gone after for the wrong reasons are all about defying what God wants for us, and falling into the hands of the one who wants to oppose God's plan.  The one thing the modern world, especially in its more "developed" environments may excel at is bombarding us with temptations of all sorts, and this is particularly so for those of us immersed in technological communications and their modern capacities over the internet.  We'll be feasted and tempted with a huge host of images to follow:  what we should look like, what we should pursue, what we should be collecting or consuming, who our friends should be, etc. in an endless parade that doesn't stop.  What we need to do amid this host of temptations is stop and pray, take the time for God, seek to set our feet upon the right path, asking for Christ's light to guide us the way through the darkness that still dwells in ignorance of what God has in mind for us.  Just ask anyone who's struggled with an addiction, engaged in self-destructive activities, worked their way into a fever pitch of chasing all the dreams that paid back very little in terms of meaning, and nothing in terms of love and goodness and mercy.  Let us be mindful of our faith amidst it all.  For it's Christ who'll teach us who we really are, and what we really need to be that person.