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The man had been squatting in front of Jesus. He moved away and sat with his back against the opposite side of the cave. He stared at Jesus. Jesus looked back at him calmly. The man’s face began to change a little. His smile became slightly awkward, as if he were forcing it. Lines of anger appeared on his forehead. The man sighed.

“Well, I don’t suppose there’s any use arguing with a man who just fasted for 40 days. Obviously bread’s not the way to… You know, I agree with you in principle. I still think there would be no harm in having a little bread, just to give you strength to get back to town. But never mind. Okay. Right. And good for you. I admire your principles.”

The two sat staring at each other. Then the man perked up and got excited again.

“I also admire your considerable knowledge of scripture. A man of the Word, are we? Well, I have another idea for you. A wonderful idea. A way to start your work in these parts with a bang.”

He paused.

“And the best part is, this idea comes right out of the Bible.”

Part Three

Jesus looked at him, curious as to what he would say.

“I was just thinking about that marvelous verse you quoted. Deuteronomy, yes? The children of Israel, wandering in the wilderness for all those years. So hungry. Relying only on manna. And why? To learn the lesson you just quoted. “Human beings cannot live by bread alone but are sustained by every word that comes from the mouth of the Almighty.”

“If you intend to sustain yourself on every word that comes from the mouth of God, so be it. Let me offer you a word from the scriptures. A word we might say, from the mouth of God.”

“Psalm 91 - One of my personal favorites. How does it go again?”

The man closed his eyes and pressed his palms together as if in prayer. He bumped his thumbs repeatedly against his lip.

“Oh yes, I remember. ‘Whoever sits in the refuge of the Most High shall dwell in the shade of the Almighty. No evil will befall you, nor any plague come near you. He will charge his angels, concerning you, and they will catch you and lift you up, lest you strike even your heel against a stone.’”

“Lovely verse. So hopeful. So ridiculously hopeful in light of the considerable evil that has befallen the woeful children of Israel over the years. But never mind that. The point is, do you intend to stand by your claim? Will you indeed live by every word that comes from the mouth of God?”

“Of course,” said Jesus.

The man smiled. “I expected nothing less.”

“Well then, here is my idea. You know the top of the temple mount? Well, of course you do. The corner by the wall. The one with the terrifying drop - down, down, down, into the Kidron valley. Why it must be three or four hundred feet to the bottom.”

The man’s eyes came alive. He leaned forward and put his hands on the ground so that he was on all fours. He moved toward Jesus like a cat stalking its prey.

“Now what you and I will do is go there at a prearranged time. We’ll announce that you’re going to give a speech or sermon or devotion or whatever. One of those things you people like to do. Then, after a dramatic pause, you’ll LEAP from the temple, falling to what seems to be a certain death.”

He moved a little closer to Jesus, still on all fours.

“Only you won’t die. Because God won’t allow it. You are a favored son. Set apart, remember? If anyone sits in the refuge of the Lord God Most High, it is you, Jesus. There is no way any harm will come to you. Angels will swoop out of the heavens and catch you just in the nick of time. The Bible says so, and you’ve said you believe it. The people will be amazed and astounded. They will flock to you by the thousands.”

The man lifted his hands from the ground and sat back, cross-legged, right in front of Jesus. He looked up and away, as if he was planning something. He tapped his index finger against his lips a few times.

“We’ll do it, say, a week before Passover. Wouldn’t want to take attention away from such an important event. That would be tacky. But the crowds will already be there. I tell you, there is no better way for a young rabbi to establish a reputation and gain a following than by performing some sort of miracle like this. The people LOVE this sort of thing. They will love YOU. Why preach your message to dozens when you can bring the word of God to thousands?”

He was breathing deeply, as if he had been running. He swallowed hard a couple of times.

“That’s what can happen if you really ARE a man of Scripture. If you really WANT to do the work of God. If you really want to make a DIFFERENCE. If you really intend to LIVE by the words of God. I mean, you do believe in the Bible don’t you?”

Jesus stared at his feet for a moment or two. Then he lifted his eyes to look at the man before him. He struggled to sit forward and leaned toward the man.

“You dare quote the holy scriptures to me? You choose a couple of verses from a Psalm, drag them kicking and screaming out of their context, and throw them at my feet with such a blatantly self-serving interpretation? You expect me to fall for such juvenile Biblical chicanery?”

Jesus took a deep breath and struggled to stand. It took him several seconds but he managed to get to his feet. At first it almost looked as if he would fall over. The man stared at him.

And then it seemed that Jesus gained some strength. He took a step toward the man.

“You quote to me from the Psalms. Hear now while I quote from the Shema, the very heart of scripture, indeed the holiest reflection of truth at the heart of God.”

Jesus took a another step toward the man, who scrambled to his feet and stood defiantly across the cave.

“Hear, O Israel. The Lord our God is the Lord, the One and Only. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and with all the strength you can muster.”

Jesus took a step forward.

“TEACH these things to your children.”

He took another step.

“SAY them at home and when you walk and when you rise and when you go to bed.”

Another step.

“BIND these words to your arm and between your eyes. WRITE them on the doorposts of your home.”

Jesus took a last step. He and the man were face to face.

“And you SHALL NOT put the Lord your God to the test!”

The two stood staring at each other. The man’s face seemed to shimmer a bit. His eyes grew cold and hard. His smile disappeared. He no longer looked like Jesus. He looked like an obscene approximation of a man. He had a face and a body, but something was terribly wrong about him. Anger flashed in his eyes. He bared his teeth.

Jesus looked at him with obvious disgust. He turned away and began to walk back to his side of the cave.

He took two steps and the man cried out.

“Wait!

Jesus stopped but did not turn around to face the man.

“Listen to me,” he said. “Close your eyes and I want you to imagine all the kingdoms of the world. Every throne from the East to the West. All of the riches of Rome and all of her power. Beautiful and exotic women from around the world will throw themselves at your feet. Kings will bow before you. All of this I can give you if you will come back here, bow at my feet, and worship me!”

Jesus stood, frozen in place with his back to the man. Suddenly his shoulders began to shake. He bent over. His chest heaved, and it sounded like he was coughing.

Instantly the man’s countenance changed. His face softened and his voice became oily smooth.

“There there, Jesus. I know you are famished, hungry, and weak. We’re almost done. Just one final step and you shall receive every nourishment and pleasure that you desire.”

Jesus’ shoulders shook harder. The man frowned and his eyes narrowed. The sounds coming from Jesus began to make sense. He was laughing. Laughing as hard as he could. He turned around, still bent over with one hand on his knee. He lifted his other hand toward the man and looked up as if he was going to say something, then he doubled over and collapsed into laughter again.

He managed to gain control of himself for a second, but when he looked up at the man he burst into giggles once more.

The man across the cave looked completely stunned.

“I’m sorry,” said Jesus in between laughs. “I’m trying to…” He burst into another round of wheezing laughs. “I’m trying not to laugh, but it’s so funny.”

“What?” said the man in a flat, irritated tone.

Slowly Jesus’ laughter subsided. He stood and faced the man. His smile seemed to fill his entire face.

“It’s just…so ridiculous. I spend 40 days here with no food. Only the presence of God and the simple help of my friend to sustain me. I refuse food from you. I refuse to join you in that absurd attempt to garner fame for myself. I quote to you from our most sacred scriptures. But somehow you think I’m going to bow down and worship you?”

Jesus’ face grew solemn.

“Did you really think that was going to happen…Satan?”

At the mention of his name, the man seemed to shrink. He became hunched over and began edging toward the opening of the cave.

Jesus walked toward him.

“Every time I said no to you it was easier than the time before. And with each of your offers it became more clear who you are and what you want. Leave me. Now!”

In that instant, the man disappeared.

Jesus stood looking at the opening of the cave. Exhaustion overcame him, and he fell to the floor.

He heard footsteps coming from outside the cave. Jesus lifted his head and saw his friend arrive at the mouth of the cave with bread and water and a blanket. The man rushed to his side.

“Easy now, my friend. Lay back. I’m here, and it’s over. You did it. Forty days.”

The man broke off a piece of bread and poured water over it, softening it. He pushed the bread gently into Jesus’ mouth. Jesus close his eyes, chewed with pleasure, and swallowed.

“One more,” the man said and put another piece of bread in Jesus’ mouth.

Jesus whole body relaxed with pleasure.

“That is SO good.”

They sat together in silence. Jesus was chewing and the man was cradling Jesus’ head in his arms.

“That’s all you should eat for now. We’ll go slowly, and I won’t leave you until you’re ready to walk. I’ll do for you as I’ve done for many desert pilgrims and what was done for me long ago.”

“Thank you.”

Jesus closed his eyes and began to fall asleep. Suddenly his eyes popped open again and he looked up at the man.

“Did you meet a man on the way here? Did he speak to you or delay you in coming? Did you hear voices when you came near the cave?”

“No,” said the man. He looked closely into Jesus’ eyes.

“Did YOU meet a man? Did YOU hear voices?”

Jesus closed his eyes and a very quiet and small smile came onto his face.

“I heard everything I was meant to hear.”

rlp

Note: Those who are familiar with this story will notice that I greatly expanded the quotations of scripture from both Satan and Jesus. In putting this story together I was faced with a difficulty. Knowledge of the context and nature of the scriptures quoted by Satan and Jesus is critical to the meaning of the story. Most modern people would not recognize or understand the difference between a verse from the Psalms and one from Deuteronomy chapter 6, the passage that is known as the Shema. In order to make that meaning and context clear, I had both of them quote more extensive passages of scripture than is in the original story.

Matthew 4:1-11

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