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Objection 1: It would seem that Christ's temptation should not
have taken place after His fast. For it has been said above
(Question 40, Article 2) that an austere mode of life was not
becoming to Christ. But it savors of extreme austerity that He
should have eaten nothing for forty days and forty nights, for Gregory
(Hom. xvi inn Evang.) explains the fact that "He fasted forty
days and forty nights," saying that "during that time He partook of
no food whatever." It seems, therefore, that He should not thus
have fasted before His temptation.
Objection 2: Further, it is written (Mk. 1:13) that "He
was in the desert forty days and forty nights; and was tempted by
Satan." Now, He fasted forty days and forty nights. Therefore it
seems that He was tempted by the devil, not after, but during, His
fast.
Objection 3: Further, we read that Christ fasted but once. But
He was tempted by the devil, not only once, for it is written (Lk.
4:13) "that all the temptation being ended, the devil departed
from Him for a time." As, therefore, He did not fast before the
second temptation, so neither should He have fasted before the first.
On the contrary, It is written (Mt. 4:2,3): "When He had
fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards He was hungry": and
then "the tempter came to Him."
I answer that, It was becoming that Christ should wish to fast
before His temptation. First, in order to give us an example. For
since we are all in urgent need of strengthening ourselves against
temptation, as stated above (Article 1), by fasting before being
tempted, He teaches us the need of fasting in order to equip ourselves
against temptation. Hence the Apostle (2 Cor. 6:5,7)
reckons "fastings" together with the "armor of justice."
Secondly, in order to show that the devil assails with temptations
even those who fast, as likewise those who are given to other good
works. And so Christ's temptation took place after His fast, as
also after His baptism. Hence since rather Chrysostom says (Hom.
xiii super Matth.): "To instruct thee how great a good is
fasting, and how it is a most powerful shield against the devil; and
that after baptism thou shouldst give thyself up, not to luxury, but
to fasting; for this cause Christ fasted, not as needing it
Himself, but as teaching us."
Thirdly, because after the fast, hunger followed, which made the
devil dare to approach Him, as already stated (Article 1, ad
1). Now, when "our Lord was hungry," says Hilary (Super
Matth. iii), "it was not because He was overcome by want of food,
but because He abandoned His manhood to its nature. For the devil
was to be conquered, not by God, but by the flesh." Wherefore
Chrysostom too says: "He proceeded no farther than Moses and
Elias, lest His assumption of our flesh might seem incredible."
Reply to Objection 1: It was becoming for Christ not to adopt an
extreme form of austere life in order to show Himself outwardly in
conformity with those to whom He preached. Now, no one should take
up the office of preacher unless he be already cleansed and perfect in
virtue, according to what is said of Christ, that "Jesus began to
do and to teach" (Acts 1:1). Consequently, immediately after
His baptism Christ adopted an austere form of life, in order to teach
us the need of taming the flesh before passing on to the office of
preaching, according to the Apostle (1 Cor. 9:27): "I
chastise my body, and bring it into subjection, lest perhaps when I
have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway."
Reply to Objection 2: These words of Mark may be understood as
meaning that "He was in the desert forty days and forty nights," and
that He fasted during that time: and the words, "and He was tempted
by Satan," may be taken as referring, not to the time during which
He fasted, but to the time that followed: since Matthew says that
"after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards He was
hungry," thus affording the devil a pretext for approaching Him.
And so the words that follow, and the angels ministered to Him, are
to be taken in sequence, which is clear from the words of Matthew
(4:11): "Then the devil left Him," i.e. after the
temptation, "and behold angels came and ministered to Him." And as
to the words inserted by Mark, "and He was with the beasts,"
according to Chrysostom (Hom. xiii in Matth.), they are set down
in order to describe the desert as being impassable to man and full of
beasts.
On the other hand, according to Bede's exposition of Mk.
1:12,13, our Lord was tempted forty days and forty nights.
But this is not to be understood of the visible temptations which are
related by Matthew and Luke, and occurred after the fast, but of
certain other assaults which perhaps Christ suffered from the devil
during that time of His fast.
Reply to Objection 3: As Ambrose says on Lk. 4:13, the
devil departed from Christ "for a time, because, later on, he
returned, not to tempt Him, but to assail Him openly"---namely,
at the time of His Passion. Nevertheless, He seemed in this later
assault to tempt Christ to dejection and hatred of His neighbor; just
as in the desert he had tempted Him to gluttonous pleasure and
idolatrous contempt of God.
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