In Matthew 4:1-11, Matthew writes about the temptations of Jesus. Matthew records the first temptation as follows:
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'”
In the first temptation, Jesus was “led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (4:1). Jesus Himself, full of the Spirit (cf. Luke 4:1), was taken into the wilderness under the Spirit’s control and guidance. We too, if we are being led by the Spirit, will be led into deserts in life. Many lessons can be learned from our wilderness times. Moses, though fully educated in the best universities/schools of its time, learned how to shepherd and lead in the wilderness. Israel learned to trust and obey their God in the wilderness (cf. Num 21:8-9; Jn 3:15-16). One of the sayings that I like is: “This too shall pass.” While I would love to preach some sort of prosperity gospel where we can name it and claim it. The Bible doesn’t teach such a message. Instead, the Bible says to us, “Wherever you are in life, God will be there.” After all, Jesus’ name is Emmanuel, God with us. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus tells us that he will be with us always. Psalm 23:4 states, “As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me.” So even in the wilderness, God is there. And being in the wilderness itself, may be a sign that you are following the Lord’s will in your life.
Jesus was led into the wilderness “to be tempted by the devil.