Resisting the temptation of self-doubt

Sometimes it's good to take a familiar Bible passage and just think about it—come at it as if for the very first time, make a conscious effort to put aside for a while all the historical, cultural, and linguistic background one may have about the text, and simply listen quietly to what it has to say. A while ago I decided to study in this way the account of Christ Jesus' temptation found in the fourth chapter of Matthew's Gospel.