The Devil tries to make Jesus do wrong things
The Devil tries to make Jesus do wrong things
Immediately after the baptism, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert. There the Devil tried this: to make Jesus do wrong things. This event is very important in the life and work of Jesus. Perhaps it is the most important event. It is a very serious and holy event. We must know about it. Jesus was alone in the desert. Only Jesus knew about what happened there. At some time he must have told his disciples about it. Both Matthew and Luke write about it.
In the desert
This happened immediately after Jesus‘ baptism. The Holy Spirit led him into the desert. He was there for 40 days (Luke 4:1). There is a desert between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. Probably Jesus was there. The Jewish name for that area means ’The Waste Land‘. It is 35 miles in one direction and 15 miles in the other. [That is 56 kilometres in one direction and 24 kilometres in the other]. It has dusty hills and bare rocks. They are rough and sharp. Nothing can grow there. It is very hot. The land is high up. But there is a steep cliff. Below that is the Dead Sea.
People believed that wicked spirits ruled the desert. (Jesus speaks about this in Matthew 12:43). The Holy Spirit led or sent Jesus there. What happened to Jesus seems to be continuous. It did not just last for short periods. Clearly the experience was worst at the end of the 40 days. There, in the desert, Jesus met the Devil.