Section 25
Jesus' temptation in the desert
Judean desert
Matthew 4:1-11
Mark 1:12-13
Luke 4:1-13
1Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil. 2After fasting for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3Then the tempter came up to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” 4But Jesus answered, “It is written,‘Man shall not live by bread alone,but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” 5Then the devil took him to the holy city, set him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,‘He will command his angels concerning you,’and,‘In their hands they will lift you up,so that you do not strike your foot against a stone.’ ” 7Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9And he said to him, “All these things I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10Then Jesus said to him, “Get behind me, Satan! For it is written,‘You shall worship the Lord your God,and him only shall you serve.’ ”
12Immediately the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness, 13aand he was there in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by Satan.
1Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. He ate nothing in those days, and afterward, when they had ended, he was hungry. 3Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4But Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ” 5So the devil brought him up to a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6Then the devil said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I can give it to whomever I wish. 7If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8Jesus answered him, “Get behind me, Satan! It is written,‘You shall worship the Lord your God,and him only shall you serve.’ ” 9Then the devil brought him to Jerusalem, set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10for it is written,‘He will command his angels concerning you,to guard you,’ 11and,‘In their hands they will lift you up,so that you do not strike your foot against a stone.’ ” 12Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
11Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him.
13bHe was with the wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.
13And when the devil had finished every temptation, he left him until an opportune time.
Notes
Judean Wilderness
The Judean Wilderness is often referred to in the Bible simply by the term “wilderness.” Its Hebrew name was Yeshimon, meaning “devastation.” The Judean Wilderness extends from just north of Jerusalem to the southern tip of the Dead Sea. The strip of land itself ranges from 10-20 miles wide and lies between the hill country of Judah and the Rift Valley. This area is in the “rain shadow” - that area on the east side of the hill country that receives little rain from the Mediterranean Sea. The desert is hot and dry most of the year.
The area experiences a tremendous drop in elevation. From Jerusalem to Jericho, a distance of about 15 miles, the elevation drops from 2,600 feet above sea level to 1,100 feet below sea level- a drop of 3,700 feet. Because of the steepness of the twisted canyons, even the downhill journey from Jerusalem to Jericho can take 6-8 hours on foot. In the Old Testament, individual portions of the Judean Wilderness were often named for nearby towns and villages-the desert of En Gedi, the desert of Maon, the desert of Tekoa, and the desert of Ziph.
Photos
Videos
Video 10: Jesus in the Judean Wilderness
Video 09: Phase 2 Chronology
Video 13: Temple Mount in the Time of Jesus (Western Wall of Temple Mount)
Judean desert
Footnotes
Matthew 4,4 | Luke 4,4
Deuteronomy 8:3
Matthew 4,6 | Luke 4,11
Psalms 91:11-12
Matthew 4,7 | Luke 4,12
Deuteronomy 6:16
Matthew 4,10 | Luke 4,8
Deuteronomy 6:13