This is the monastery marking the traditional site of Jesus' 40 day fast and temptation by the devil. Oddly enough I was relieved to arrive here. I am not a city person. After five days in Jerusalem and Bethlehem I was happy to drop 1200 feet below sea level to the Jordan River Valley. This was the first New Testament site that we visited that looked like it might have in the time of Jesus.
It made me feel close to Jesus and take seriously his humanity. I know that I have always sort of thought that Jesus handled temptations so effectively because he was God. But I realize that such thoughts deny the humanity of Jesus. Being in the countryside where he walked helped me to believe that he was completely human.
That same Jesus lives in me now and can share with me his human ability to say "No" to sin.
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