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View of the Mountain from Jericho |
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Somewhere in the mountains of the Judean wilderness, the New Testament records that that after His baptism by John,
Jesus' fasted for 40 days and 40 nights remembered now at a monastery on Qarantal Mountain above
Jericho. Although the devil offered him all kinds of splendors,
Jesus refused to succumb to temptation. For this reason the heights are also called the
Mount of Temptation. |
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An interesting thing is how Satan tried to tempt Jesus.
The temptations of the bread and at the
temple both begin with "If you are the Son of God." What then follows is a challenge to use the power (turn stones to bread) or privilege (the promise of protection) that is accorded to the Son of God. Now it would seem clear that Jesus did have this power. For example, he was later to do even more. He did not just create bread out of stone, he created bread out of nothing during the feeding of the five thousand. |
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Until recently you needed strong legs to reach the Greek
Orthodox monastery located on the slopes of Qarantal Contemporary visitors now ride a cable car almost to the top. During the
Byzantine period monks lived in caves scattered on the mountain and the present monastery was erected in the late 19th century.
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Greek Orthodox Monastery on The Mount of Temptation |
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"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.'
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. '"
[Matthew 4:1-4]. |
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