Lust of the flesh part 1
The desert is a dangerous, savage place and it is rightfully called a wilderness. So dry and so hot. Going to such a place without any food or water would undoubtedly be deadly for the average human being. Surely no man would survive such conditions however...we know of one who did.
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Jesus trekked onward, despite the painful blisters which were forming on his feet. He'd been in the desert forty days and every day seemed harder. The first few days had been easy....enough. But on day sixteen the dreams had come, dreams of what he was to do and what he must endure. Then on day twenty other dreams had come, far more frightening dreams. Dreams of his loved ones reaching out for him and he reached back for them desperately, but he could not save them or help them in any way and those were the dreams which haunted him. He suddenly tripped on a small pebble and without time to stop himself he went tumbling into the dust. An image passed before his eyes, a vision, of another place and another time. Jesus saw himself falling, only in the future scene he was bloodied from head to toe and a heavy wooden cross pressed down upon his shoulder. His eyes shut and the image disappeared, just as well. That day would come soon enough, no reason to stop and dwell on it. He put his hands to the ground and he pushed himself back up. That was the second time he'd fallen today, no doubt his sandals were partially to blame, they were nearly falling off his feet they were so worn. But he had to keep moving, he had to keep going, deeper and deeper into the wilderness. He felt a presence behind him, a dark presence and he knew who it was without even turning around.
"To what do I owe the privilege of you coming down to my realm?" The fallen one asked.
Jesus turned and saw the adversary, he looked so normal like any other angel, only his cocky grin gave away who he truly was.
He suddenly lifted his hand and with a snap of his fingers he changed his appearance from that of an angel to a ghostly white apparatus with a dark cloak covering it. He smiled as he said "that's better, I find my angelic appearance such a bore, do you agree, Son of God?"
Jesus did not answer.
"So...tell me, why are you here, Son of God?"
His former master again did not answer.
The fallen one was growing angry, he did not like it when someone did not answer him or heed his voice. He began to pace both out of nervousness and a twinge of fear. It was unnerving to be part of a one-sided conversation. "I ask you again why are you here? Why are you doing this?"
"Why am I doing what?"
The fallen one smiled he'd finally gotten the Son to talk to him. He gestured at the whole, vast desert which they were in and he asked "why are you here? What are you hoping to do?"
"It is not for you to know." Jesus answered as he trekked onward, turning his back to the fallen one's gloating eyes. It was unusually hot even for the desert and Jesus again wiped his sweaty brow. It was going to be a long day, that much he knew. As if the heat and hunger were not bad enough the fallen one did not leave, he stayed with the Son, following him like a shadow. For that is in a sense what the fallen one is. Jesus abruptly stopped his trek as an intense wave of hunger passed over him. He held his empty stomach as he doubled over in pain.
The fallen one watched him curiously. The Son was hungry? The Son was-was a... The fallen one shook his head, it was to impossible to think but...if the Son was experiencing hunger then he was in fact mortal. The fallen one had watched the boy growing up, he'd had his suspicions about the lad but it wasn't till the boy had gone to the temple at the age of twelve, that the fallen one had really understood who the boy was. Yet only now had the incredible realization come to him that his foe was mortal, his foe was a man. The fallen one grinned as a devious plan formed in his mind, a plan so wicked it could only come from a mind as twisted as his own. He knlet in front of the stooped over form of Jesus and he said to him "the heat is quite unbearable, for a man."
Jesus did not respond so the fallen one continued.
"Hunger is also quite unbearable for humans, at least from what I know of it and I know a great deal. I've lived on this dust ball called earth for many years now and I've seen many die." He sounded almost wistful as he spoke of death, almost as if it were a pleasant thing to him. "I've seen people die many different ways, murder, poison, execution but perhaps the worst one to witness is... starvation. It's as if the person just writhes up and they become utterly consumed by their emptiness."
Yeshua groaned as he held his stomach tighter. He then slowly got up but the fallen one was not done speaking with him.
"I confess, I do wish to beat you, Son of God. But not like this, no. Having you starve yourself would be to easy even for me." He then rose to his feet and the dark aura which continually surrounded him, seemed to rise with him. He then picked up a rock and after examining it a few moments he threw it in front of Jesus' feet. "I've always thought bread resembled rocks, a little more rounded and harder of course but the resemblance is there, wouldn't you agree?"
Jesus did not answer. He knew what this was leading to and he braced himself to have the strength to resist the temptation.
"If I had the power to create something I needed I would do it in a heartbeat, if I were you and I was hungry I would create bread out of thin air in order to feed myself, or..." His eyes fell down to the rock which still lay in front of Jesus. "I'd use something else, like a rock and I'd turn it into a fish or a loaf of bread."
Jesus still said nothing. His lips were so parched for water yet he tried not to think of it or to think about the loaf of bread, which he could easily create using the rock. But it was not his Father's will and he would not defy him. Jesus knew why he was here and what he had come to do and he knew this time of fasting and praying was vital, no matter how much of a toll or how much strain it took on his physical body. He loved his Father and he would obey him and his commands.
Oh course the fallen one knew none of these thoughts, for he had no power over the Son so that he could read his thoughts. Though he had tried, many times to read the mind of Jesus when he was a child, yet even as a child the spirit of the Lord had blocked the boy's mind from the fallen one's powers and no matter what the fallen one had tried he'd never been able to lay a hand on the boy. But he was certain that would change now, the boy was a man and he was hungry and he was alone in the wilderness. He was virtually free prey if only the fallen one could set the right bait. He would continue with the bread, perhaps if I persist the Son will fall. The fallen one reasoned. "Your throat is parched" he said suddenly deciding to go for a different approach. "Your throat is dry and your belly is empty of everything but sand and dust. You will die, without nourishment. I am not a man, so I need no nourishment, but you do."
Jesus did not even flinch and the fallen one would never admit to it but he was actually surprised by his former master's strength and resolve. He wasn't done though, not by a long shot. He was about to challenge the Son outright and he could only hope that the Son was not strong enough to resist him.
(Scripture reference for Jesus temptation in the wilderness/desert Mathew 4:1-11 Luke 4:1-13 thankyou for reading btw I appreciate it )
(P.S constructive criticism is welcome but please don't be too harsh I'm young lol. Also feel free to comment I'd love to hear if you enjoyed this or even if you didn't enjoy it let me know why and how I can make it more enjoyable for you. Stay tuned for the next chapter)
