The Relevance of the Temptations of Jesus

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The Relevance of the Temptations of Jesus

INTRODUCTION

The inquisitor was very clear in the rejection of Jesus Christ and instead stated that the rejection of Jesus was based on the three temptations that Jesus underwent in the wilderness. The three temptations that Jesus underwent were the conversion of stones into bread, throwing himself from the high point in the temple since angels will save him, and the temptation to bow down to satan and rule over all the kingdoms on earth. Each of these temptations represents a fundamental aspect of human nature, and true freedom lies in obeying the example of Jesus Christ and refusing to follow the negative example of the older man in a cassock who was ready to kill Jesus by burning him at the stake.  Through rejecting the responses set by Jesus in the three temptations, the inquisitor demonstrated the sinfulness of humanity on three fronts: love of material things seen by the eyes, the lust of satisfying the flesh, and desire to satisfy the lust for power and demonstrated that by giving in to these temptations humanity will lose their freedom and subjugate themselves to human masters.https://penstrokeswriters.com/the-relevance-of…tations-of-jesus/

CHANGING STONES INTO BREAD

The first temptation of Jesus of turning stones into bread illustrates the innate nature of human beings of satisfying the desire to acquire things that they have seen with their eyes. In the opinion of the inquisitor, the temptation was a rejection of fundamental human freedom since people desire to follow the person that will assure them of provision of food (Dostoevsky 4). However, a closer look at the assertion reveals the flaw of disbelief since Jesus himself stated that people could not live by material food alone but through obeying the Word of God. In this sense, it is not the desire for material things that the eyes can see that humanity will find freedom. The inquisitor himself shows that the desire to receive bread from those in power means enslaving humanity (Dostoevsky 5). For instance, the inquisitor remarks that there is no sin in seeking to change stones into bread and that the vast majority of humanity is ready to follow the person that will feed them. Through the application of science and human intelligence, human masters can enslave the rest of the population. Thus, human beings will lose their freedom and be ready to be enslaved by the people who will provide food since these people will assure them of livelihood, despite the loss of freedom (Dostoevsky 5). In the end, the inquisitor argues that most of the people will reject the divine authority of Jesus and instead choose to bow down to the earthly masters since the act of prostration before the men of cloth is a demonstration that these people do not place their faith in Jesus (Dostoevsky 5). Therefore, choosing to follow people who will provide bread instead of following the example of Jesus will lead to loss of freedom among humanity and lead to subjugation and domination of the population to human masters.

JUMPING FROM THE TEMPLE TO THE GROUND

Moreover, human beings will also lose their freedom and get subjugated by human masters if they choose to satisfy the desires of the flesh instead of relying on God. The inquisitor was very clear that in choosing to jump from the temple, Jesus would have demonstrated that he had lost all his faith in God and instead would have chosen to place all the faith in himself (Dostoevsky 6). Resultantly, the inquisitor argues that human nature is selfish and relies more on demonstrations of miracles than on simple faith in scripture. Jesus did not choose to see if there would be a miracle by jumping down and instead relied on the steadfastness of God as revealed through scripture that a person should not put God to the test. Through the rejection of God and His word as revealed through scripture, humanity will reveal their innate desire to satisfy the desires of the flesh since it is this desire that seeks satisfaction through miracles. When people desire to satisfy the desires of the flesh, instead of relying on God to meet their needs, they will instead rely on miracles and the people that can perform miracles. The inquisitor states that people have the desire to witness miracles is more profound than the desire for God. Consequently, human beings are constantly creating new miracles, as demonstrated by the willingness to believe in the miracles performed by the quack and the witchcraft forged by the peasant woman (Dostoevsky 7). Therefore, rejection of the example set by Jesus during the second temptation shows that humanity is willing to satisfy the desires of the flesh by seeking miracles and losing the freedom that Jesus offered people in the process.

BOWING DOWN TO SATAN

Moreover, Jesus refused to heed to the temptation to bow down to Satan despite being promised all the kingdoms of the earth since it will result in the rejection of the authority of God in his life. Contrariwise, the inquisitor argues that people are willing to lose their freedom and subjugate themselves before human masters who will ensure universal happiness and unity. The inquisitor thus shows that the love of power is deeply seated in human beings and that those without power will be ready to place their trust in those who have demonstrated that they have the power to rule over the rest of the population. The lust of power among human beings is demonstrated by choice of the Church to side with Roman emperors since they were armed with power instead of relying on the power of God that is not interested in building a dominion on earth since it is heavenly in nature. Specifically, the inquisitor avers that they have sided with Satan over the last eight centuries by choosing to mingle the authority of the Church with the political authority of the Roman emperors (Dostoevsky 8). By choosing the sword of Caesar over the divine authority of God, the inquisitor demonstrates that humanity has a deeply seated desire to rule the world as a whole as much as the quest for global domination has not yet been accomplished. Through the choice of earthly over heavenly power, the inquisitor states explicitly that humanity sides with Satan, the tempter of humanity, instead of siding with Jesus, who sought to bring true freedom (Dostoevsky 8). Through their love of power, human beings are ready to contravene some Biblical principles. For instance, the inquisitor notes that the love of power will lead the clergy to permit people’s sinfulness to flourish as long as people sin under the authority of the human masters (Dostoevsky 7). In this regard, by yielding to the third temptation of Jesus, human beings demonstrate their lust for power and desire to subjugate the rest of the population if the action will assure them of the power to rule over all the world.

COUNTER-ARGUMENT: THE CENTRAL ROLE OF MIRACLE, MYSTERY, AND AUTHORITY IN MODERN PROGRESS

However, there is a different perspective in which by failing to follow the example of Jesus, there will be progress in the world since human masters working in league with Satan have the seeds that will propel human ingenuity into tangible results. First, choosing bread will result in humanity being orderly under human masters who will provide human beings with their fundamental need for food and thus organize people to satisfy this need. In the opinion of the inquisitor, the true secret of human existence lies not in whether man lives since life is universal but in the purpose of human life (Dostoevsky 6). Therefore, by following the leaders who provide them with bread, humanity will have a purpose. The purpose can be manifested through careers and other pursuits of the human spirit, but under all these endeavors, people will need leaders to guide them and provide them with basic needs. The desire to satisfy the lust of the eyes will lead to the appreciation of the central role of purpose in human life.

Secondly, the human desire to satisfy the flesh and lose faith in God will result in the emergence of people that will meet this desire and manipulate it to create loyalty among the masses. Jesus refused to jump down from the temple since it would have demonstrated a loss of faith in God. The inquisitor asserts that blasphemy and disobedience to God will result from human love for a miracle instead of God’s love (Dostoevsky 7). In the end, disobedience will lead people to reject the freedom that God had given them and will instead bundle the vast majority of the people into a flock in need of a master. Therefore, yielding to the second temptation will make it easier to rule over the people.

Finally, bowing down to earthly instead of earthly authority will meet the innate desire among humanity of creating global unity of all human beings into a single political unit under ruthless human masters. The inquisitor notes that people have strived to organize themselves into a single political unity since time immemorial. The desire is demonstrated through the drive and ambition of conquerors such as Genghis Khan, Tamburlaine, and Caesar to conquer the world that was known to them (Dostoevsky 8). The attainment of a single global political unit will create universal peace and will thus mark the end of war and bloodshed among different groups of people. Therefore, the love of power is not bad since it will lead to an era of universal peace in human affairs.

CONCLUSION

The temptations of Jesus served as a mirror of the soul of humanity since they illustrated some of the deep desires that drive human beings. Through the first temptation, the human love of satisfying things they see with their eyes is demonstrated. However, the desire for bread will lead humanity to prostrate before individuals with the ability to provide them with their desires. Secondly, a human weakness for miracles is demonstrated through the temptation to jump from the temple. Finally, human lust for power is demonstrated through the temptation to bow down and receive all worldly kingdoms. Nevertheless, the lust for power can be the primary driver of creating a single global civilization that will mark the beginning of universal peace.

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