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An Independent Source of News & Views

THE WILDERNESS OF ABRAHAM, JESUS & ISRAEL-PALESTINE

I remember:

Your days and nights in the wilderness,
Even as you rose from the water.
Now you walk unshod on burning sands
On a hard ground strewn with edged stones.
Bereft of food, weakened by thirst,
You gaze to heaven only to be tempted -
Bread from stones, walled temples,
All the kingdoms of the world.
But you are filled with the Holy Spirit.
You fill me with hope eternal.

I pray:

Soon you gaze down towards the ground.
You are suffering because you cried:
Take me but let the others go.
Behold, you are the Lamb of God
Who takes away sins of the world.
Then you died and now you live.
Behold the only Son of God
Whom the Father does not forsake.
You live in the heart of sinners.
You fill me with life eternal.

We pray:

Now you look down on us from on high -
A sight that breaks your loving heart.
The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
The Walled Kingdom of the East,
The prouder Citadels of the West,
Even the Newest of the Worlds,
Stand to dissolve in a cloud of Fire.
Prince of Peace, save us from ourselves:
Fill us with Love for our enemies.

Charleston & Shirley Wang 4/18/2011

The Temptation of Jesus

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into
the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for
forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with
the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

The Gospel according to Mark 1:12.

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the
Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the
wilderness, where for forty days he was
tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all
during those days, and when they were over,
he was famished. The devil said to him, ‘If you
are the Son of God, command this stone to
become a loaf of bread.’ Jesus answered him,
‘It is written, “One does not live by bread
alone.” ’ Then the devil* led him up and
showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of
the world. And the devil* said to him, ‘To you
I will give their glory and all this authority; for
it has been given over to me, and I give it to
anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me,
it will all be yours.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is
written, “Worship the Lord your God, and
serve only him.” ’ Then the devil took him to
Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of
the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son
of God, throw yourself down from here, for
it is written,“He will command his angels
concerning you, to protect you”, and “On their
hands they will bear you up, so that you will
not dash your foot against a stone.” ’ Jesus
answered him, ‘It is said, “Do not put the Lord
your God to the test.” ’ When the devil had
finished every test, he departed from him until
an opportune time.

The Gospel according to Luke 4:1-13.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the
wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He
fasted for forty days and forty nights, and
afterwards he was famished. The tempter
came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of
God, command these stones to become
loaves of bread.’ But he answered, ‘It is
written, “One does not live by bread alone, but
by every word that comes from the mouth of
God.” ’ Then the devil took him to the holy city
and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple,
6saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down; for it is written, “He will
command his angels concerning you”, and
“On their hands they will bear you up, so that
you will not dash your foot against a stone.”’
Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, “Do not
put the Lord your God to the test.” ’ Again,
the devil took him to a very high mountain and
showed him all the kingdoms of the world and
their splendour; and he said to him, ‘All these I
will give you, if you will fall down and worship
me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan!
for it is written, “Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.” ’ Then the devil left him,
and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

The Gospel according to Matthew 4:1-11.

To view "The
Garden of
Gethsemane and
Church of All
Nations," click here.

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The actual location of the photographs on this page is in and around Kfar Hanokdim in the Judean Desert (aka Wilderness or Yeshimon), Israel, April 16-17, 2010
This Bedouin oasis is nestled in the Kana`im valley, between the city of Arad and Masada
The Judean Desert (Hebrew: Midbar Yehuda) is a stone strewn desert in Israel and the West Bank, beginning to east of Jerusalem and descending to the Dead Sea
Photography on this page by Charleston C. K. Wang, Shirley Wang, or Arthur Wang
Copyright 2010-2011 All Rights Reserved Charleston C. K. Wang, Esq., Publisher

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To view
"Herodion: A
Fortress During the
Gospels," click
here.

To view "The Call
for Simon Peter,
Fisherman," click
here.

To read
"Descending to the
Dead Sea and
Ascending to
Qumran," click here.

To read "Jury
for Jericho,"
click here.