(25) And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from
Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan‖.
4:1 The devil and the wilderness
―Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil‖.
―And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. And he was there in the wilderness forty days,
tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him‖. (Mar 1:12-13)
―And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he
afterward hungered‖. (Luke 4:1-2)
The Scriptures say that Y‘shua ―returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness‖. This
indicates to us that Y‘shua was led away from the Jordan River area, possibly into the Judean wilderness
(towards Jerusalem‘s way). The Hebrew for ―devil‖ is "haSatan" also known as the adversary, opponent or
rebel. References:
Isaiah 14:11-15 is a taunt of the king of Babylon with a "hidden" reference to Satan
Ezek 28:11- 19
Job 1, 2, 40, 41, 42:6 – a created being opposed to YHWH
Gen 3 & Rev 12:9
Satan is the background source of all sin, evil and opposition to YHWH. The Tenach and "New Testament"
take for granted a supernatural realm of good and evil, angels who serve YHWH and those who serve Satan.
The temptation of Y‘shua follows the Spirit‘s descent at His baptism. After the high spiritual experience at the
waters of the Jordan River, Y‘shua comes into direct conflict with the powers of evil. Satan dramatically
appears on the scene and presents Y‘shua with an opportunity to achieve the higher purpose of redemption
without the pain of the crucifixion stake.
4:2 Forty days and forty nights
―And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred‖.
―And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the
angels ministered unto him‖. (Mark 1:13)
―Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended,
he afterward hungered‖. (Luke 4:2)
This is one of many "New Testament" comparisons between Y‘shua and Moses. Moses received all the
Torah after fasting forty days. Y‘shua was tempted to break the Torah after fasting forty days.
The Temptation of Our Lord
The two events—the baptism and temptation of Y‘shua—cannot be separated. They are linked together both
chronologically and logically. Chronologically, the temptation of Y‘shua immediately follows His baptism.
Matthew connects the two events by the word, ―then‖; Mark and Luke with ―and‖. Logically, the two events
are inseparable.
Y‘shua‘s calling and testing is told at the baptism. Y‘shua‘s fitness for such a mission is tested in the
wilderness. Satan never attacks the identification of Y‘shua as Israel‘s Messiah in the temptation. He simply
attempts to divert Him from His task.
4:3 The Son of YHWH
―And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be
made bread‖.
―And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread‖. (Luke
4:3)
In the original text, the expression ―if you are the Son of God‖ is a first-class condition and casts no doubt on
the fact of Y‘shua‘s Sonship. It could accurately be rendered, ―Since You are the Son of God‖.
The Tenach hints at such a person – ―the Son of God:‖
Isaiah 9:5- 7
Mic 5:1- 2