“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.” (Luke 4:1-2 NIV)
After being baptized, Jesus began His ministry, “filled with the Holy Spirit.” First, the Spirit led Him into the wilderness to face the devil, God’s great adversary.
In the Bible, the desert is a place of solitude and reflection. It is also the place where the people of Israel wandered for forty years. They set out from Egypt, where they had lived for generations, on a journey to their new homeland, Canaan. That journey led straight through the desert. Along the way, God gave them His commandments to prepare them for this new phase. The people were put to the test to reveal what was in their hearts: Would they trust God and obey Him?
The Israelites could not resist the temptations that came their way in the desert. They succumbed to idolatry and rebelled against God when they were hungry or thirsty. Their faith and obedience fell short.
Jesus, however, did resist sin. He passed the test gloriously, even when the devil repeatedly attacked Him personally with temptations that sounded appealing. Jesus’ heart was clearly “full of the Holy Spirit.”
What do you think—was it easy for Jesus to resist the devil’s temptations? Why or why not?