12 And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. 13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. (Mark 1:12-13 KJV)
The Temptation of Jesus
Immediately after his baptism, Christ was led into temptation. He was no sooner out of the water than in the fire of testing—those who are baptized into Christ and enter the Christian life must expect to be assaulted by Satan’s temptations. This also occurred right after the Father had declared his pleasure in him. From this, we learn that great experiences of God’s love are often followed by great spiritual trials. The Spirit drove him, meaning the Holy Spirit of God. The devil is rarely, if ever, called simply “the Spirit” without some negative label like “evil” or “unclean.” Christ was led by the Spirit (Matthew 4:1), and driven by the Spirit (Mark 1:12)—that is, carried by a strong impulse of the Holy Spirit to be tempted by Satan, not by his own decision to challenge the devil. This teaches us not to run into temptation without clear direction from God.
The place of Christ’s temptation was a lonely wilderness. No place can protect us from Satan’s attacks. Even solitude can give the tempter an opportunity, and those who isolate themselves from others can become more vulnerable to his schemes. The time of his temptation lasted forty days and forty nights—not continuously, but frequently during that period—teaching us to expect not just occasional, but persistent temptation. A striking aspect of Christ’s trial was that he was among wild beasts, without human comfort, surrounded only by creatures more likely to threaten than to help. This shows his divine power, for as Lord of creation, he can restrain even the most dangerous animals to protect himself and his people.
Finally, in his hour of need, angels came and ministered to him, providing food for his body and comfort for his soul. From Lu 4:2, we learn that in those days he did eat nothing. When Mark says, therefore, that the angels ministered to him, it means after the days of fasting and temptation had expired, as is said by Matthew, Mt 4:11. From this, we learn that those who endure and resist Satan in the time of temptation will, in the end, experience God’s power and faithfulness to send help and relief: “Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him”.