This afternoon W and I met with our Iranian friends for the final Bible study of the session.

We used our imagination to imagine the temptations Jesus may have faced from Gethsemane to Calvary using hints found in the gospels...

• The temptation to avoid the cross altogether - and the decision to submit to God's will
• The temptation of violence - and the healing of an injured man
• The temptation to lie to escape conviction - and the dignity of truth
• The temptation of anger/bitterness - and the choice to forgive
• The temptation to save himself (and others?) by coming down from the cross - and the refusal to do so
• The temptation to focus on himself - and the compassion for his mother, his friend and a convicted criminal he may never have met before
• The temptation to give up in the face of seeming abandonment by God - and the decision to commend his spirit to God's safekeeping

No doubt there are other temptations that could be deduced, without the need to imagine things not directly hinted at in the gospels.  The key message we drew out was Jesus' humanity, which was/is as real as our own.

Afterwards, we shared a yummy Easter tea and more wide-ranging conversation.  A good afternoon!