The Temptation on the Mountain
Self-Emptying:
In His incarnation, the Lord Jesus “emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7). And He continued in that same state.
Thus, the policy of self-emptying was a continuous process.
It appeared in His birth in a manger, in His flight to Egypt from Herod, and in His coming forward for the baptism of repentance.
It was also revealed in His allowing the devil to tempt Him:
Not only by permitting the temptation, but also by allowing the devil to choose the place—whether on the mountain, on the pinnacle of the temple, or in the holy city.
And we notice that in this temptation, the situation was entirely different from that of Adam [the first man] in his temptation:
In contrast to Adam:
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Adam’s temptation was the place of his defeat, and thus humanity was defeated in him. The Lord Jesus came to restore man’s dignity by His victory over Satan in every temptation.
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Adam was defeated while he was in a flourishing paradise filled with every kind of fruit. Christ, however, triumphed in the wilderness and the desert, rising above every “tree desirable for food and delightful to the eyes” (Genesis 3:6).
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Adam ate from the forbidden fruit which God had commanded him not to eat, while the Lord Jesus refrained even from permissible food—the bread itself.
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Adam desired to exalt himself and become like God, but Christ—though being in the form of God—“did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,” but emptied Himself and took the form of a servant. Adam sought glory; Christ relinquished His.
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Adam submitted to external counsel—the counsel of the devil—but Christ rejected every counsel of the devil.
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Adam desired authority that was not his, but Christ refrained from using His own divine authority.
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Adam walked according to the flesh, seeking what would satisfy his body;
but Christ walked according to the Spirit, saying: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
Continuous Temptations
It is a great consolation for us that the Lord Jesus Himself was tempted. Scripture says of Him that He was “in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). And it also says, “For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted” (Hebrews 2:18).
Therefore, His temptation was not only on the mountain, but He was tempted in everything.
Even the temptation on the mountain was not limited to the three temptations mentioned in Luke 4 and Matthew 4; rather, the entire forty days were full of temptations. As St. Luke the Evangelist says: “Being tempted by the devil forty days” (Luke 4:2).
And as St. Mark the Evangelist relates: “He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan” (Mark 1:12). The three temptations occurred at the end of the forty days, and even then His temptations did not end, for St. Luke says: “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13).
The phrase “until an opportune time” means that the devil returned later with more temptations.
It is, therefore, a comfort for us that the Lord was tempted like us in everything. When the devil departed, it was only for a time—the temptations were continuous.
These temptations never meant the abandonment of the Father.
Rather, from the devil’s side, it meant that he was given a fair opportunity to test the Lord as he wished—so that he might never claim that, given a chance, he could have succeeded. And from Christ’s side, the temptation became a field of victory. And from our side, Christ’s temptation became a source of joy, because He gave our human nature the chance to triumph over the devil.
Thus, “He blessed our nature in Himself,” and granted us the pledge of victory. In His triumph, “He leads us in His triumphal procession,” convincing us practically that the devil is not as terrifying as we imagine, and that victory over him is very possible—“through Christ who strengthens us” (Philippians 4:13).
Notes on the Temptation:
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We notice that the temptation came after certain blessings.
It came after the great glory that appeared at His baptism: the Father testifying from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). The Holy Spirit descending like a dove. John the Baptist witnessing, saying, “This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me’” (John 1:30), and saying to the Lord, “I need to be baptized by You” (Matthew 3:14).
Before all this, the devil became alert and came to test and confirm.
Therefore, with every blessing that comes upon you, expect the envy of the demons—those who try to rob you of your grace and blessing.
Here, the devil envied the glory that appeared upon Christ at His baptism, which is why that day is called the Feast of Theophany—the Feast of Divine Manifestation. He also was displeased that Christ sat alone with the Father in a spiritual retreat of fasting and prayer, so he rose against Him.
Thus, expect also the attacks of demons during spiritual periods.
As the book of Sirach says: “My son, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for temptation.” And St. Evagrius said: “When you begin pure prayer, be prepared for all that may come upon you.”
This does not mean that one should fear and abstain from spiritual work, but that one should be ready, struggle, and gain the blessing of the struggle.
Therefore, be watchful during blessed days, for the devil may attack you on a holy day—on the day of Communion, during fasting, in times of successful spiritual training, during moments of deep meditation, or even at the beginning of a new year!
Also, beware when your virtues are revealed, lest you awaken the devil to wage war against you.
When Peter showed his holy zeal, declaring his readiness to be imprisoned or even to die with his Master (Luke 22:33), saying, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble,” and “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You” (Matthew 26:33, 35)—then the devil rose up against him violently, causing him to fall into fear, cursing, and denial.
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We also notice in the temptation on the mountain that the devil never despairs nor rests.
Before him stood a Person of such glory—born miraculously, surrounded by angelic visions—and yet he did not find in Him any weakness. Still, he dared to tempt Him. Even when he was defeated, he did not cease but persisted, and though rebuked, “departed until another time.”
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The devil expected Christ to begin His ministry with greatness and miracles, not with solitude and fasting.
He expected that if this truly was the Son of God—confirmed by such testimony—He would demonstrate His Sonship through power and mighty works that would shake the earth and astonish heaven! But seeing Him silent, fasting, and alone, the devil was perplexed and tempted Him, saying: “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
Thus, blessings and temptations often alternate.
Blessings may bring temptations due to the envy of demons—so temptations follow blessings. Or the opposite may occur: temptations come first, and through endurance and victory in them, blessings are granted.
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We notice that Christ treated the devil with both gentleness and firmness.
With gentleness, in that He allowed him to approach, to tempt Him, to choose the place and the time. With gentleness, in that He answered calmly without immediately rebuking him. His gentleness went so far that the devil dared to say, “If You fall down and worship me.” Then, with firmness, Christ rebuked him, and the devil could bear it no more and fled—for a time.
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In this and other temptations, we see that the devil delights in fighting the strong.
He loves to wage war against the mighty.
Hence, it is written of sin: “For she has cast down many wounded, and all who were slain by her were strong men” (Proverbs 7:26).
The devil stood against Job the righteous man—of whom God Himself said, “There is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8). Yet the devil was not discouraged by this divine testimony, but dared to ask permission to test Job. When he failed in the first trial, he asked for another, more severe one (Job 2:5). He loves to fight the strong.
He also stood against Samson the mighty, though he was a Nazarite of the Lord, chosen before birth, and the Spirit of the Lord moved him (Judges 13:7, 25). The devil cared nothing for Samson’s past victories; he pursued him until he caused his fall (Judges 16).
He stood against Solomon, the wisest of men—who received wisdom directly from God, who appeared to him twice, spoke with him, and blessed him (1 Kings 9:2). Yet the devil managed to make Solomon fall into a great sin unworthy of his wisdom (1 Kings 11:1–9).
Time would fail us if we spoke of the devil’s battles with other mighty ones—like Elijah the prophet, who raised the dead (1 Kings 17:22), yet fell into fear and despair when they sought his life (1 Kings 19:14).
The devil has also fought philosophers, scholars, fathers, and pastors:
He brought down Origen, the greatest theologian of his age, into heresies for which the Church excommunicated him, leading him to lament: “O lofty tower, how have you fallen!”
He deceived Arius, the most famous preacher in Alexandria, and cast him into heresy, prompting the first Ecumenical Council to condemn both him and his teachings.
He also deceived Eutyches, the famed monk of Constantinople, and patriarchs like Nestorius and Macedonius, both of whom were anathematized by Ecumenical Councils for their heresies.
And even today, he leads philosophers and scientists into atheism, denying the very existence of God despite their knowledge and intellect!
Yes, the devil delights in battling the strong, finding pleasure in their downfall.
Trees give us an example of three types of fruit:
(a) Some fall to the ground by themselves when ripe.
(b) Some you can pluck easily by hand.
(c) Some you must climb high to reach, like dates atop the palm tree.
The devil delights most in the last kind—those high up.
As for the fruit that falls by itself, he may leave it to its own passions to bring it down; it is not worth his effort!
For example, a brother once complained to St. Bishoy that the devils were fighting him. The saint replied: “My son, you are still a beginner—the devil does not fight beginners.” When the brother complained again, the saint prayed, and the devil appeared saying: “Who is this brother you’re praying for? I haven’t even heard that he’s become a monk yet!”
Yet sometimes the devil does attack beginners, to make them despair from the very start!
But in general, the devil takes pleasure in fighting the strong; through them, he shows his power and feeds his pride.
Therefore, he had to fight Christ—seeing His power and glory, His solitude and holiness—and said to himself: “We are entering an exciting battle, one that will test our cunning and intellect.” Just like someone who delights in solving a difficult problem and despises the ones that are too easy.
An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, published in Watani newspaper on March 29, 1987.
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