Matthew 4:1-2 1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.
The account of Jesus’ baptism is immediately followed by this story of his temptation in the wilderness. These two events are closely connected not only in time but in deeper meaning and application. The word tempted (peirasthēnai) can also mean tested and does not necessarily contain any negative connotation. Times of testing can lead to temptation. The devil can turn times of testing into temptation. The testing of Jesus was under the guidance and authority of the same Spirit who came upon Jesus at baptism. His struggle in the wilderness was real and not symbolic because he was fully human.
The wilderness into which the Spirit led Jesus was similar to where John ministered and likely the dry desert area east of the Jordan river valley. The wilderness is often a place of temptation and struggle. We may not live near a desert, but we will experience similar spiritual, emotional, and relational struggles represented in the three temptations of Jesus. Deserts are often dry and desolate. What little life there is has to fight for existence amid the often harsh environment (thorns poison). Few people and animals brave the difficult environment, making it a lonely place. Loneliness, isolation, harsh experiences, and lack of resources can test our resolve, commitment, and faith.
When we experience the wilderness, we often go through times of testing and spiritual vulnerability. We must recognize that God’s Spirit is still with us and will provide guidance if we allow him to lead us. The worst thing to do is go through desolation and loneliness alone. Jesus’ temptation further confirms Immanuel. He experienced the same types of temptations and challenges that we go through (Hebrews 4:15).
Fasting in the Bible is often a part of prayer. Fasting is a way that we can reject the influence of the world and its fleshly desires and focus on God and God’s will. Jesus’ experience in the desert was a time of preparation for the mission that lay ahead. He wanted to prepare for this mission by spending time in prayer and fellowship with his heavenly Father.
His ordeal was long, forty days and nights. Fasting for this long is about the limit of the human body. Verse 2 gives us the impression that Jesus did not eat at all and, therefore, was hungry, an understatement. He was probably starving almost to death. Forty days is often used in the Bible to describe a significant amount of time and occurs at several important junctures, such as when Moses was on Mount Sinai in Exodus 24 and 34, and when Elijah was in the wilderness in 1 Kings 19. The number forty could also be symbolic of the forty years of Israel’s wandering in the desert after the exodus from Egypt. We may feel like our testing is long, but like Jesus’s time in the wilderness, it will come to an end.
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