The Mythical Experience of Christ Prior to His Teaching Career - Essay Example

Jesus Christ is considered the most influencing personality of all humankind. He is the son of God who was sent to redeem humanity from sins. Born to be a man, he had passed through the sufferings, crucified in the most horrible way, and was resurrected from the dead. The son of God underwent all sorts of human suffering and persecution in his lifetime. He was often affected by the satanic forces both in the form of Jews and in the form of Satan himself. Jesus Christ kept aloof from the world up to his thirtieth age and then he started his public life. Christ had a confrontation with Satan before the beginning of his public life. It is named as the temptation of Christ in the wilderness. He could surpass the temptations of Satan and started his mission of saving humanity from the clutches of sin. The mythical experience that he had in the wilderness after the fasting of forty days and nights remains to be a key point in The Bible and it is considered to be the beginning of his teachings.

The Holy Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke describe the temptation of Jesus Christ prior to his career as teaching. The Gospel of Matthew and Luke give a detailed description of the incident. The Gospel of Matthew Chapter 4 words 1 to 11 detail the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. The Gospel says, “He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was famished.” (Matthew 4. 2) Satan appeared before him and offered three gifts on three conditions. Satan asked him to change the stones to loaves if Jesus is the son of God and Jesus retorted by stating, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew. 4. 4).  As Jesus surpassed the first temptation, the devil took him to the pinnacle of the temple in the holy city and asked Jesus to jump from the top if he is the son of God stating the angels will carry him. Jesus said to Satan, “Again it is written, do not put the Lord your God to the test.”(Matthew.4.6) Then Satan took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed all the kingdoms and their splendor and promised him these entire places if he adores Satan.  Jesus rebuked the devil to go away and by stating that only God is to be worshipped and served. (Matthew 4.8-10). When Jesus came over all these temptations Satan left him. This makes that Jesus was able to come over all sorts of human emotions and temptations and it gave him the great impetus to venture into his mission of saving humanity.
The temptation of Jesus Christ is a highly symbolical one in the Gospel.
The power that he received to face all sorts of persecutions and finally the crucifixion is from his prayer in the wilderness prior to his mission. So, throughout the Gospel, the temptation of Jesus Christ stands as supreme and important.