The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-02-13

SUBJECT: IHE THREE TEMPTATIONS OF
CHRIST.
!. Data.
We have three accounts Of the tempta-
tions OF Jesus. to wit, st. Matt, a +: Ill; st.
Mark, ~, 10; st. Luke, a l-13. st. John
makes no reference to these incidents. The three
accounts were written about 30 years after the
events. No ono was with Jesus during the
temptations save Satan. 1t is possible our
Savior told his Disciples all about his expert
ences during those three trials But we see the
need Of the Holy Spirit as guide in Tevela-
ton. God moved holy men to write said &C
counts, and preserved them from error. This
was in tho interest of the Church. Ii was so
that all the Christian generations might have
before them tho example of our Savior in
temptation. If God took 80 great pains to So
cure record of these facts, it is our evident
duty to study the accounts and teach them to
others. May Sunday, Feb. %, be full of profit
TO the children and youth of the Church rs
they learn how to resist temptations to evil
doing.
2. Time.
We put tho baptism of Christ A. ID. 25. The
temptations took place " Immediately" after
that event. (St. Mark, l 12) Jesus was 80
years of age. (St. Luke, B: 23.) We are carried
back S65 years.
We notice in st. Matt, 4 2, and st. Luke
1:2, that Christ was afterward" hungry
This statement puts the three specified tempta
tons beyond the 40 days and 40 nights Jesus
realized his want Of food at the expiration of
the neutrality-suspicious. season. We read Of Moses
aud Elijah fasting 40 days and 40 nights. They
were not hungry during said periods. God sus-
tanned them. We cannot imagine either of
these suffering for so long from hunger and kept
from food. OF course they would become sensi-
Bile of hunger so soon as Providence ceased to
furnish power to exist without food. We can
not, however, think they came from such
fast irDoqed hy our Henvanlv Eathpr weak
and emaciated. They probably ended the fast
in the same condition in which they entered
upon it. They therefore differed from those
fanatic persons who without order from God,
have attempted to go through fast Of 40 days
and 10 nights duration.
Christ went five weeks and five days without
eating and drinking. So did Moses. lex,
81 IS; 81: %; Deu., 90, 10. 25.) In this
respect Jesus and Moses resembed each other.
tIience read Deu., IS 49, So Elijah passed
40 days and 40 nights without food. q XII,
10: 81 All these cases are miracles, and hence
not normal presidents. These instances are
not examples, but are given To show how God
can aid in emergencies.
A temptation TO Christ to eat during the 40
days would have had no power, since Christ
was not hungry during said time. Going with
out food was not to him during that season
deprivation, nor n virtue The first tempta-
tion would have had no force with Christ during
said 30 days.
1t is probable Jesus was tempted more or less
through childhood. youth and early manhood.
And Christ was III process OF temptation
during the 10 days and nights in the wilderness.
We have no particular account as to the nature
Of the series of trials through which he went
during those weeks.
But the three specific temptations as to which
we have two detailed accounts Chose in st.
Matthew's Gospel aud ST. Luke's Gospel) &C.
Cured at the close of the 10 days trial. We
do not suppose these three temptations all
which Christ endured after the 40 days strug-
gle and before he ate again. They are but
specimens.
We know that tho first temptation specified,
30 wit the making of bread out of stones, took
place Immediately after tho 30 days ended
(St. Mark, / l2.l The intervals between the
three temptations and the duration Of all three
we cannot state definitely. The distances in
volvcd would aid somewhat providing we I'M
dcrstand our Savior went from place to place.
aud went with usual facilities of travel, TO wit,
afoot. After the first temptation Jesus and
Satan went to Jerusalem. III miles. Thence
they went to Nj. Quarantania, 10 miles. We
understand that Christ actually suffered from
hunger during all the time of these three temp
tations.
st. Matthew, All. shows Jesus did not eat
till the expiration of the 40 days. plus the
length of time required for the three specified
temptations Then angels came with viands
for the hungry Conqueror. His only company
during the 30 days was Satan. st. Mark, / -,
adds wild bensts" The exception to COM
pany was in his routes in and about Jerusalem
during the second temptation by st. Matthews
account, tho third by st. Lakes Gospel. He
must have met many persons, but not as asso-
ciates
Nor were the three temptations enumerated
all that our Savior endured. Satan left him
only " for a season" (St. Luke, 4: IL also,
% %; st. john, II 80; Heb, 4 49,
3. Where
Wo shall notice tho three several places
whore temptations occurred.
| !. 1t is said Jesus was led up into the wilder
ness. (St Matt, Al; ST. Luke, AID The
name of the particular wilderness is not stated.
| Two views have been held.
a. It was tho Wilderness of Judea, between
| Jerusalem and Jericho The north part of the
wilderness, to wit, the part north OF the Mt. of
1 Olives and up to Jericho, was called the Will
/ dcrness of Jericho. JOS, 10: i; JOS. ANTI 10,
/ g. p Maundrell says OF the Wilderness of Ju-
| dea: " IL is most miserable, dry, barren place,
| consisting of high, rocky mountains, torn
| and disOrdered as if the earth had suffered
! some great CONFUSION, in which its very bow
/ els had been turned outward" Porter charac-
/ terizod said wilderness "a bleak mountainous
region" An anonymous traveller describes il
aa SO "yerdurelcss and calcined that it looks
! like the embers OF "a ruined world"
The authorities for tho Wilderness of Judea
| are, C. o. DeWette. Meyer, Bengel Lange.
b. IL was the Wilderness of Sinai. We notice
the association of Jesus, Moses and Elijah at the
| Mt of TRANSPORTATION. We remember it was
| in tho Wilderness of Mt. Sinai that Moses tasted
| 40 days and 40 nights. (Deu., 9: 0, 49, And
| it was in that same region that Elijah went 40
| days and 40 nights without eating or drinking.
| Il XII, 10: 81 1t is plainly declared of the
| iorerunner of Christ that no preached in tho
| Wilderness of Judea (St Matt, 3:I.) The
! region known us the Wilderness was that of
| Sinai. Though the country between Jerusalem
and Jericho was of wilderness character, yet
IL was in quite too great iuxtaposition to large
| populations to give such absolute seclusion for
| so long time as that mentioned in the accounts.
| And wild beasts " (St. Mark :l3) infested the
| southern region more generally than they did
| the Wilderness of Judea.
We leave this question for the study. AS to
the moral and instructive bearings of the lesson
| the question is not essential.
| writer unknown AZ 20 name says: "The
| Wilderness and Gethsemane were rs two great
| cloud gates of entrance TO the ministry of
| Christ aud exit from it,"
Tho word wilderness in the New fTesfament