How will you spend these next 40 days?
Following his baptism, the Christ Jesus was led by the Spirit into the Judean desert for 40 days of fasting, prayer, and temptation by satan (Ahriman) and the devil (Lucifer) (Matthew 4:1-11). "He felt himself drawn to Ahriman and Lucifer, for it is against them that humanity must fight. Therefore the Christ-Being, who had never existed in a human body, departed into solitude to do battle with Ahriman and Lucifer."
Rudolf Steiner, The Fifth Gospel, Lecture V, GA 148, 6 October 1913, Oslo.
This period is the foundation for Lent, where Christ overcame worldly temptations of power and pride. He rejected Lucifer's offer of all the worldly kingdom's in exchange for his worship. He rejected Lucifer and Ahriman's dare to leap from the Temple peak to test God's protection of Him. And he was tempted physically by Ahriman to turn stones into bread to satisfy his earthly needs, but He kept fasting.
The 40 days mirror the 40 years Israelites wandered in the desert and Moses' fast on Mt. Sinai, symbolizing a period of preparation and testing. Setting a new course for humanity, Christ Jesus was the "New Adam" who, unlike Adam in Eden, overcame temptation, redeeming human failure. The event took place immediately before Jesus Christ began his public ministry.
Rudolf Steiner, Lectures and Courses on Christian Religious Work II, GA343, 9 October 1921 p.m., Dornach.