A quote from Fr. Lawrence Farley
"Matthew narrates the temptation of Christ in the wilderness not just as a biographical fact, but also as a paradigm for Christians. The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus after His baptism, even as the Holy Spirit descended on the Christians at the time of their post-baptismal laying on of hands/chrismation (as narrated in Acts 19:5–6). As Christ’s experience of baptism and the Holy Spirit was followed by a time of temptation and testing by the devil, so it will be for Christ’s disciples. After their baptismal initiation into the Church, they too must endure a time of conflict with the devil in the world. By showing how Christ triumphed over the devil, St. Matthew provides a model for how Christians can do the same." Farley, L. R. (2009). The Gospel of Matthew: Torah for the Church (p. 50). Chesterton, IN: Ancient Faith Publishing
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