BibleProject | Finding God in the WildernessSample

Jesus’ Intense Wilderness Test

Today, we will see how Jesus is tested in the wilderness, just like Israel. At the beginning of his three-year ministry, Jesus spends 40 days fasting alone in the desert, recalling the 40 years Israel spent in the wilderness. When he faces scarcity, danger, and temptations to distrust his Father’s power and provision, he trusts in his Father without fail. So Jesus puts a new spin on a familiar narrative pattern and sets an example for his followers.

God’s tests aim to strengthen and increase our faith, but a strange deceiver called “the devil” (Greek: diabolos, also called “the Satan” or “adversary”) sets traps that aim to harm people. In Matthew 4, the Satan tempts Jesus to satisfy his physical needs on his own terms by turning stones into bread, rather than trusting in the Father to provide. Instead of grumbling or rejecting God, like the Israelites did in the wilderness, Jesus responds with trust in his Father’s instruction.

Next, the Satan tempts Jesus by twisting biblical texts and taunting him to jump from a high building to see if God will save him. But Jesus refutes the Satan by un-twisting the Scriptures and refusing to test God like the Israelites did in the desert (compare Matt. 4:6-10 with Ps. 91:11-12; Exod. 17:2; Num. 14:20-23).

Finally, the Satan tempts Jesus with power, promising to give him rulership over all the kingdoms of the world if he will only submit to him. But Jesus responds with Moses’ words to Israel from the wilderness: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only” (Matt. 4:10; see Deut. 6:13, 10:20). When Jesus passes these wilderness tests, he shows himself to be a true Israelite—one who listens to and follows God’s instruction.

Reflection Questions:

• In what ways does Jesus’ testing in the wilderness resemble and/or differ from the Israelites’ earlier experience in the wilderness?
• What can we learn from Jesus’ responses to the tests he faced in the desert?