Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1 WEB

Chapter three of Matthew’s gospel ends with the baptism of Jesus. As Jesus emerges from the water, the Holy Spirit descended upon Christ. Matthew 3:17 records what happened next saying, “Behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. WEB” Immediately thereafter, the Spirit of God led Christ into the wilderness. He fasted for forty days and nights and was tempted by the devil. 

Attempting to induce Jesus to assert his own will over the will of God the Father, Satan says in Matthew 4:3, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread. WEB” Jesus responded saying in Matthew 4:4, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of God’s mouth.’ WEB” In the wilderness, without food for forty days, and under the duress of the devil, Jesus Christ answered Satan with the word of God.

Tempted by Evil

Jesus refusal to turn stones to bread is a direct reference to Deuteronomy 8:3 which reads, “And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. KJV”

God never tempts anyone. As we read in James 1:13, “Let no man say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God,’ for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. WEB” When the wilderness days of temptation enter into our lives, we have the reliable example of Christ. Jesus demonstrated that we overcome evil by aligning ourselves with God through obedience to his word and will. As James teaches in James 4:7, “Be subject therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. WEB”

Yesterday’s Devotional: That Which Is to Come