Just outside of Jericho once stood the great palace of King Herod. What a sight it must have been in its day! Luxurious Roman baths, a well-appointed dining room, great towers constructed of massive stones. A river ran through its heart, providing the city with fresh, clean water. Great bridges were built over it, uniting the two banks into one thriving city. Imagine this place, teeming with life and the wealth that royalty brings. Picture its markets packed with goods for trade. Listen for the sounds of halls filled with feasting guests, talking and laughing into the night.
We can only imagine. King Herod's once great palace now lies in ruins. A few outlines of walls and a bit of mosaic are all that are left. Desolate and abandoned, the site sees few tourists. Sic transit gloria mundi.
Nearby is Mount of Temptation, the site where Jesus is believed to have fasted forty days and nights. At the end of this time, when he was weakened by hunger, he faced temptations from the devil. We know that because He became a human being these temptations were real. It wasn't some charade, a chance for the Gospel writers to show off how well Jesus knew the Scriptures. In the Letter to the Hebrews, we read: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin." Christ knows our weaknesses, intimately, because he lived, suffered, and died like one of us.
Why was Jesus up on this mountain? The Gospels tell us that after his baptism, he was led (or driven, in some versions) to the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. John was baptizing in the Jordan River, not far from Jericho. The site we visited was a very quiet, peaceful place. It was easy to imagine that day, when the heavens opened and the Father's voice was heard: "This is my beloved Son."
Through our own baptisms, God has spoken these same words to each of us. We have truly become adopted children of the Father. And what more could we really ask for? The temptations that we face in the world are real, and they can be hard to resist. But we have such a great example in Christ, and such a great gift through baptism and the sacraments that help give us strength and courage. And if we feel ourselves starting to flag or tire, we can keep in front of us the image of Herod's ruined palace. The things that this world promises us are fleeting. They do not last forever. But the love of God never ends.