Matthew Chapter 4 Jesus Tempted by Satan 4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Having been baptised with the Holy Spirit of God, Jesus was immediately led by the Spirit into the wilderness of Judea to "be tempted by the devil". God's purpose was for his son to face Satan head on. Satan knew who Christ was, the seed of the woman who would come to destroy him, and so in various ways attempted to cause Jesus to fail in his mission. We may find it difficult to understand how Christ was tempted, for whereas we are sinful and prone to fall into temptation, Christ was without sin. It is because our Lord Jesus Christ overcame all sin and went to the cross spotless for us that we can be forgiven. His word to believers who fall into sin is "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." This cleansing makes us right with God again, just as fully as when we were made right with God initially by receiving Christ as Saviour and Lord. Moreover, Jesus Christ has the power to enable us to overcome temptations – even those which we were once helpless to resist – but only as we recognise that it is not we who can resist temptation; the living Christ within us will strengthen and enables us to share in his victory over sin. 4:2 After he fasted forty days and forty nights he was famished.
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