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

Heavenly Father, 

We are puzzled—why would the Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness 

so that he might be tempted by the devil? 

Didn’t our Savior himself teach us to pray, 

“Lead us not into temptation” (Matthew 6:13)?

As we ask, “Why was Jesus tempted,” 

we see at least four reasons:

First, because he was praying, 

and he was full of the Holy Spirit: 

Luke tells us that right before his temptation, 

Jesus had been baptized 

and was praying (Luke 3:21). 

At that time, the heavens were opened, 

and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus, 

and you proclaimed, 

“You are my beloved Son; 

with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). 

We too, when we pray, 

can expect to be tempted, 

for as Charles Spurgeon says, 

“Why, your prayers…. 

have been instrumental in opening blind eyes, 

quickening dead hearts, 

unlocking the doors of spiritual prison houses, 

and shaking the gates of hell, 

and do you not think that Satan will attack you now?*

Jesus was also tempted 

because he was beginning his public ministry, 

and the devil would do anything to stop him. 

When we are beginning a new spiritual discipline 

or a new way of sharing the gospel, 

we will likely be tempted, 

for the devil wants to destroy hope.

Jesus was also tempted 

because he was your “Beloved Son.” 

We, adopted by you through our union with Christ, 

can expect temptation to come. 

But when it does, 

we know that we are your beloved children (Ephesians 1:4-5).

Finally, Jesus was tempted 

so that he could be 

“tempted in every way, 

just as we are—

yet was without sin” (Heb. 4:15). 

When we are tempted, 

it is Jesus’ temptation 

that gives us hope for the way out—

while we cannot resist temptation 

in our own strength; 

we can through the strength of the One 

who was tempted in every way.

Father, thank you for allowing Jesus 

to be tempted. 

Today, we bring you all of our temptation and sin, 

asking you to protect us from the evil one 

and to forgive us our sin.

In the name of our Savior who resisted temptation. Amen. 

 *Quote from Charles Spurgeon’s sermon, “Tempted by the Devil”.

Read Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13.