“Then Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit.” By which Spirit? Luke explains more clearly, saying that Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness. For it must not be thought that the unclean spirit forced violence upon him who had received the Holy Spirit.
This desert lies between Jerusalem and Jericho, where robbers dwelt. Hence the Lord said: “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among robbers.” That man bears the figure of Adam, who was conquered by demons, wounded by sins, and stripped of virtues. That place is called Adummim, that is, “of bloods,” because of the bloodshed the robbers committed there. It was therefore fitting that Christ should overcome the devil there where the devil was said to have overcome man in figure.
After being baptized, Christ immediately goes into the desert at the Spirit’s leading, because every believer after baptism ought to set aside the world—either by seeking the desert bodily or by making a desert in the mind, free from the tumult of the age—and, under the Spirit’s guidance, prepare for battle against the devil. For then the devil pursues a man when he sees him separated. Hence Christ allowed himself to be tempted after baptism, not before, so as to teach that temptations are brought upon the baptized. Before baptism, the devil does not attack so fiercely, since he thinks them his own.
The children of Israel, after crossing the sea—that is, after baptism—remained in the desert until they came to the promised land. Nor is anyone worthy to eat manna, that is, the body of the Lord, unless he dwells in the desert—that is, unless he abandons the concupiscences of this world, if not in body, at least in mind. And because temptations then threaten, one must gird oneself for battle. Consider therefore the order.
There are three kinds of temptation: the lust of the flesh, the lust of external things (called the temptation of the eyes), and the pride of life. All other evils arise from these—anger, envy, strife, hatred, murder, theft, and other kinds. From gluttony come lust, delight in sleep, pleasures, and similar things. Riches, honors, and the like belong to the lust of external things. Pride of life is vain glory over good works.
Naturally the devil first tempts through the lust of the flesh, which is nearer to man and as it were natural; afterwards through external things. The lust of the flesh usually begins with gluttony, because when the belly is filled, lust seeks other pleasures. Therefore the faithful must first subdue gluttony, which is the gate and beginning of other pleasures; against gluttony one rises first by fasting, which is the bridle of the appetite.
“And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights…” This number was consecrated for fasting first by Moses and afterwards by Elijah, so that it might be confirmed by the Law and the Prophets; then by Christ, who is the giver of the New Testament. Moses fasted forty days strengthened by angelic speech; Elijah likewise, in the strength of angelic food, went forty days to Mount Horeb while fleeing Jezebel. But Jesus had no outward consolation nor angelic service providing food; rather he had within that which sustained him, lest he fail through human weakness.
They did not hunger, but he afterward willed to hunger so that he might conceal his power from the devil and give occasion for temptation. Mystically also Christ hungered because he desired our salvation.
The number forty signifies the whole time of this present life, in which all people gathered from the four parts of the world must be armed with the ten commandments against temptations—thus from four and ten comes forty. Or the four signify the unlawful motions of the body arising from the four humors or elements of which flesh consists, against which the ten commandments must be opposed. The commandments are divided into three and seven: three pertain to God, seven to neighbor, because man consists of a soul with three powers and a body composed of four elements. Therefore the children of Israel were forty years in the desert.
Mention is made of nights lest it be thought, as some heretics claim, that he fasted by day but ate by night. For forty days he fasted needing food while living a mortal life; for forty days after the resurrection, not needing food, he ate with his disciples. In the first forty days he taught what man should do while placed in temptation; in the latter he showed that those who fight long and fast from worldly vanity will delight in him.
The number forty thus signifies both the present and the future life. Note also that there are two kinds of abstinence: one when we restrain the flesh, another when, with passions quieted, through excessive contemplation and desire for the future life we forget to eat. Thus one abstinence is of sorrow, another of joy.
The Lord willed to hunger voluntarily so that the devil might have an occasion to tempt. Christ also hungered so that it might be hidden that he was God; yet that hunger signifies the desire he had for our salvation. Elijah and Moses did not hunger so as to be examples of divine power. Christ fasted as much as those two men, so that if he fasted more than men the tempter would perceive him to be above men and not dare to tempt; if less, the heretic might deny him to be God and claim him merely human.
He fasted forty days and nights to judge that we must fast from unlawful things both in times of prosperity (signified by days) and adversity (signified by nights).
“And the tempter came.” Seeing his hunger, the tempter approached, because he did not think him God, whom he saw as weak. He had seen the star, seen the Magi, heard John crying, “Behold the Lamb of God,” and perhaps heard the Father’s voice from heaven; yet he thought him called the Son by adoption like other saints. He knew the prophecies and that Christ would come, but though he saw these signs he did not believe him to be God—this was due to his pride. Since he himself would never endure weakness, he did not believe God would suffer weakness; judging by his own mind, he denied Christ’s divinity when he saw weakness.
Yet he probes, saying, “If you are the Son of God,” and tempts by saying, “Command that these stones become bread.” He wished by the sight of bread to stir appetite, for one who is hungry desires more when seeing food. He wished also to test power through change; yet even if he saw a miracle he would not necessarily believe, since he had seen prophets do greater things. He wished to deceive the man through bread.
Fittingly he offers stones, since he is hard and impenitent. Having heard that God said “Let it be done,” he flatters, saying, “Only speak, and it will be done.”
“But he answered and said…” He teaches us to oppose the shield of Scripture against temptation. He does not use divine power, though he could have driven him away as God, because he did not wish to reveal the truth of his divine power, so that the tempter who came uncertain might depart uncertain.
“Man shall not live by bread alone.” This authority is taken from Deuteronomy. Moses, seeing that man is made of a twofold substance—body and soul—and that neither can subsist without nourishment (the body seeking earthly food, the soul, being spiritual, heavenly bread), said: “Man does not live by bread alone.” God is the bread of angels, but man cannot eat God unless he is made milk for him; therefore through figures—through words and other manifestations—all are called words. Thus he says that man lives,
“In every word”—that is, in every kind—indeed in every kind of utterance of God; that is, in those things by which God is made known.
It is asked how this response opposes the aforesaid temptation. The solution is that it sounds as if He were saying: your persuasion is manifest, for it is that of one who tempts. You speak about bodily food, which we share with beasts, not about the food of the mind, which we share with the angels. For if you were acting as a friend, you would first admonish Me concerning the better food, without which no one can truly live. “Not in bread alone,” etc.
“Then he took Him up.” Note that Luke places this temptation last, and the temptation on the mountain second, which seems more in accord with the historical sequence. For nature requires that the devil first tempt by the concupiscence of the flesh, then by the concupiscence of external things, and finally by the pride of life. But Matthew relates them according to what happened in Adam, and according to how he was conquered, so that it might be shown that the second Adam conquered in the order in which the first man was first defeated.
For Adam is said to have been first tempted by gluttony when it is said, “Seeing that the tree was beautiful to behold and pleasant to eat.” Afterwards by vainglory when it is said, “You shall be like gods,” which was pride—namely, to go beyond oneself and wish to be made equal to one’s Lord. Finally by avarice when it is said, “Knowing good and evil,” for avarice is a desire for knowledge just as much as for money. This order was then followed according to what seemed more fitting to the devil. But after nature was corrupted, another order—established by nature—came about: first through the concupiscence of the flesh, then of external things, and so on. In Adam there was no such natural order, since he felt no concupiscence.
It is asked how these temptations were carried out, since Mark says that He was in the desert forty days and was tempted by Satan. It seems he means that all the temptations happened in the desert.
Some therefore say that these temptations were at least in the mind, with the devil not appearing visibly; for the devil suggested that He make bread from stones, ascend the pinnacle, cast Himself down, and worship him for the kingdoms of the world. Others say that he appeared visibly as a man—which is truer—and spoke with Him. And they call Jerusalem a “desert,” that is, abandoned by God, so that all temptations might be said to have occurred in the desert; but this is not necessary, since the text of Mark does not compel it, for it only says that He was tempted by Satan. It is indeed true that he tempted Him in the desert, but it does not say only in the desert.
Again it is asked how he “took” Him. Some say he carried Him and set Him on the pinnacle, which is not surprising, since He permitted Himself to be lifted on the cross by the members of the devil. Others say he led Him along the road to Jerusalem, which Luke seems to indicate when he says, “He led Him into the holy city.” They ascended the pinnacle as other men do.
This was the last temptation; afterward He returned from the desert and came into the city. This tempter is believed to have been the prince of demons who tempted the Lord.
The custom of architecture in Palestine is that roofs are flat on top, not peaked. Likewise, the Temple of Solomon was made flat above, and around it were railings or walkways lest anyone fall carelessly. There was a seat for teachers to speak to the people below. These railings are called “cancelli,” from which those who address the people on behalf of the king or emperor are called “chancellors,” because they are accustomed to proclaim commands from the railings. “Cancelli” also refers to windows from which one looks out.
Therefore he led Him onto the pinnacle of the temple when he wished to tempt Him through vainglory, because there, in the chair of teaching, he had deceived many through glory; thus he thought he might also raise this one, placed in the chair of authority, to vainglory.
“If you are the Son of God.” Again he probes when he says, “If you are the Son of God,” and tempts when he says, “Cast yourself down.” Foolish was the persuasion which says, “Cast yourself down,” especially to the Son of God. For more fittingly he would have said, “If you are the Son of God, ascend into heaven,” which, if done, would prove Him to be the Son of God. But it suits the devil to urge toward a precipice.
“It is written: He shall give His angels charge,” etc. By the authority of Scripture Christ defends Himself, and by the authority of Scripture the devil persuades to sin. But note that he perverts Scripture: for Scripture says of every good person that the Lord has commanded His angels, as ministering spirits, to lift up the good person in their hands—that is, by their help—so that he does not strike his foot, that is, the affection of the mind, against a stone, that is, against the old law written on tablets of stone.
Jesus said to him again, “You shall not tempt,” etc. Note that these words are not directed to the devil as though revealing Himself as God; rather they are taken from Moses, who says in Deuteronomy to every minister: “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” For we ought not to tempt God so long as we have something reasonable to do, as Abraham did concerning his wife when he called her his sister. But when necessity presses, then we should call upon God and ask what is necessary, as the children of Israel did at the Red Sea. And when we ask, we should ask not with temptation but with confidence.
The children of Israel asked with temptation when they said, “Can God prepare a table for us in the desert?” But if someone is overtaken by death, let him place everything in the will of God unless he sees his deliverance to be useful to his enemies, as did the three youths in the fiery furnace. To tempt God would be to throw oneself down when one could descend as other men do.
“Again he took Him,” etc. Wishing to tempt through avarice, he leads Him onto a mountain, because pride is the worm of riches, and ambition always seeks heights. And he showed Him all the kingdoms of the world—either because from that height the whole world is said to have been seen, or because he presented to Him the vanity of worldly pomp, saying: such and such are the kingdoms of the world.
Nor is it a sin to have desirable things in the mind or even to consider them, just as physicians consider diseases without harm or injury. He promises all these things, lying, since rather God gives them—as to Saul, David, and many others. For he cannot give anything in the world except insofar as God permits.
“If you fall down.” Truly he falls who worships him. Behold the ancient pride of the devil: just as in the beginning he wished to make himself like God, so now he wished to usurp divine worship.
Then Jesus said to him, “Begone, Satan,” that is, adversary of salvation, since you command that a creature be adored. “Satan” means adversary. Peter, however, is not condemned with the same sentence when he is told, “Get behind me, Satan”; there it means, “follow me, you who are contrary to my will.” But here he hears, “Begone, Satan,” without “behind me,” so that it may be understood: into eternal fire prepared for you.
Here again is the authority of Deuteronomy, where Moses cries out to every person: “You shall worship the Lord your God,” as if saying: I ought not to worship you, because Moses forbade idolatry.
It is asked why, when it says “Him alone shall you serve,” service to a king or another man is not prohibited. The answer is that among the Hebrews and Greeks a special service of God is distinguished, which is called λατρεία (latreia, “adoration due to God alone”). We, however, do not have a proper word for it and use a common term, just as they also have a general term signifying any service, namely δουλεία (douleia, “service”).
“Then the devil left Him.” If we say the last temptation occurred in the city, then it is to be read: “Then”—that is, after all the temptations were completed—the devil left Him, having nothing more to do and being conquered in all things; and this departure is to be understood as from the pinnacle according to Luke. But if we say Matthew follows the historical order, then the devil left Him on the mountain.
“And behold, angels…” As if from afar the angels of the Lord had been watching, lest it seem that He needed their help or that they had overcome for Him. But once the enemy, defeated, departed, they came ready for service. In this it is shown that in our own struggle, when the devil is conquered, the angels approach us rejoicing with us.
CONTINUE
Comments
Post a Comment