THE HOLIESTCommentaries on St. Matthew
Tablet Four
Chapter 4
"Then was Esa led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." (Matthew 4:1)
<1>After his spiritual eye was opened, his true struggle in overcoming the power of the tama guna started. That is why he was led to the wilderness, which is a symbol for the turbulent, uncontrollable mind. <2>In this wilderness of his turbulent consciousness, he started the greatest battle in his life, the battle of overcoming the lower nature which leads man to all kinds of attractions, desires, attachments, greed, or Maya. <3>John opened his eyes but it was Esa himself who should overcome.
"And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred."
"And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." (Matthew 4:2-3)
<4>The first psychic center (chakra) in the body is related to physiological and safety needs ("bread"). <5>That is why the first temptation came to him to use his little-gained spiritual powers to gain these lower needs (bread) from society or the external world. The external world is like stone, from which it is hard to satisfy those needs, "command that these stones be made bread."
<6>The sentence, "he had fasted forty days and forty nights" shows that he had gone through a great purification for a long time ("forty days and forty nights") before he became aware that to strive for bread alone is a temptation.
"But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4)
<7>Also because he was born an Avatar (from Pure Consciousness to flesh) he remembered very well that the goal of life is to be(come) Divine, and one of the ways to reach this goal is to follow and live, "by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." By following His Will, then the substance will be provided.
<8>A man who only lives for bread (physiological and safety needs) is bound in his first chakra and cannot emerge from being earthbound.
"Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple," (Matthew 4:5)
<9>With overcoming this first temptation of the first chakra, he rose to a higher level into the second chakra, but still in the lower nature (the first three chakras are the lower nature of man). That is why the devil (the power of the tama guna) still is with him, "the devil taketh him up...."
"And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." (Matthew 4:6)
<10>In the second level (chakra) in spiritual progress, there is the seed of doubt. He already overcame the misuse of the power and knowledge in the first level and rose to a higher level. <11>But in this level (second chakra), he doubted if God was really going to protect him against the problems in the outside world.
<12>In this level, he was exactly at the same stage where the woman was in chapter 3 in Genesis when she was tempted by the serpent that caused her to doubt the validity of the Lord's command. It is from this level that the question comes to the mind if it really is true, and if God means it when He said that He will take care of whoever overcomes the illusion of this external world.
<13>That is what the devil (tama guna) was doing here. He was putting the seed of doubt into Esa's mind, if He would really keep His Promise of protecting him. The temptation came to test God by doing something which would prove that it is true.
"Esa said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." (Matthew 4:7)
<14>Again the truth came to him through his highly elevated Soul, that, "Thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God." That is, you have to overcome any doubt and follow Him. <15>In fact, after a person follows God's Commandments and Laws, then he realizes their depth and incredible effects on his life and mind, and on others.
<16>This doubting and tempting God in fact was the very reason for the fall of the woman from heaven to earth. She thought she knew better than God, so she could choose what "look[ed] good to her eyes" as the way of life. <17>But what looks good to a person is not necessarily good for his spiritual progress.
"Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;" (Matthew 4:8)
<18>With this refusal to doubt and tempt God, he overcame the bondage of the second chakra and was elevated "into an exceeding" higher level, or the third chakra. <19>It is in this level that the temptation comes to gain power, position, and prestige for the sake of glorifying self, instead of for the good of all.
<20>That is why the devil took him up into an exceedingly high mountain (which is much higher than the previous position at the top of the temple) and showed him the kingdom of the world. Or in other words, in this level he reached a point where he could see how he could gain earthly power. However, because he was still under the influence of the third chakra, he saw "the glory of them," not how they could be used for the good of all.
"And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me." (Matthew 4:9)
<21>However, he who becomes tempted to gain earthly powers for its glory, becomes the slave and worshipper of his lower nature. This is because in order to maintain that glory, he has no choice but to inflict misery on other people and use his powers to struggle all his life to stay in that position.
<22>That is why the devil said, "I will give you all the glories of the world," but there is a requirement to do this, "that you worship me instead of God."
"Then saith Esa unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." (Matthew 4:10)
<23>Again Esa saw the depth of the deceitfulness of the offering. What the devil (tama guna) was offering to him was nothing but Maya ("glory of this world"). But Esa knew the only absolute truth is He (Pure Consciousness). So he refused this last offering also, and said that in order to overcome the ocean of Maya and reach the truth (God), you should worship Him (through bhakti) and Him only.
<24>With this last realization, Esa overcame his lower nature (first three chakras) and entered his higher self (next four chakras). When a person overcomes the lower self (first three temptations) he will go to his higher self. <25>This is what is called "to be born again," that is, to be born from the lower self to the higher self. In order to be born again, a person, by His Grace, should overcome the lower self.
<26>In fact, this process of being born again -- resurrection from the dead (lower self) -- was the main mission of Esa to come on earth. That is why the symbol for his truth among the churches, which is in the second chapter of The Revelation and in The Greatest Sign, is the third one (
), "the angel of the church in Pergamos" (Rev. 2:12). <27>As it is explained in the book Revelation of The Revelation, it is the place that a person might still fall back to his lower nature and be misled by Satan, "where Satan dwelleth" (Rev. 2:13). He might accept the worshipping of the earthly gods physically (idols), mentally (any other goal but to be(come) Divine) or spiritually (imaginary gods) and become a follower of the pagan doctrines, "thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam" (Rev. 2:14). Or he might become one of the evildoers or false prophets, "them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes."
<28>However, "To him that overcometh will I give..." (Rev. 2:17), he who overcomes the first three chakras will enter into the fourth one which is the secret (and sacred) heart. This is known to great men in the spirit as the center of Love and Grace (Holy Mother).
<29>The symbolic number three which is used all through the gospels and life of Christ, such as the three temptations, three falls while carrying his cross, resurrection after three days and nights, and also, being the Third Seal in The Greatest Sign, all are symbols of being born again, to be resurrected from the lower nature to the higher self.