Luke 4
The temptation in the wilderness
And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
Full of the Spirit, Jesus is led into the wilderness, where he eats nothing for forty days and is tested by the devil. The devil tempts him to turn a stone into bread, to worship him in exchange for the kingdoms of the world, and to throw himself down from the temple; each time Jesus answers with Scripture. The devil leaves him until another time.
What does this mean?
"Devil" comes from the Greek for "slanderer"; "Satan" is Hebrew for "adversary." "Tempted" also means tested. The "pinnacle" was a high point of the temple complex.
Historical context
Jesus' replies come from Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:13 and 6:16, where Moses recalls Israel's forty years of testing in the wilderness; the devil quotes Psalm 91:11–12. Moses and Elijah also each went forty days without food (Exodus 34:28; 1 Kings 19:8).
Why does it matter?
Many interpreters read the scene as Jesus remaining faithful where Israel failed in the wilderness. The devil's departure "for a season" (KJV) anticipates his return at the passion, when Satan enters Judas (22:3).
Editorial notes, not scripture.
Told in three Gospels
Matthew 4:1–11
The temptation in the wilderness
How Matthew tells it
Matthew's order is bread, temple, mountain, ending with the offer of the world's kingdoms; Luke puts the temple last, ending in Jerusalem. Mark gives only two verses, with no individual tests, and mentions wild animals. Matthew says angels came and served Jesus once the devil left; Luke says the devil departed 'for a season'.
Continue reading in Matthew →Mark 1:12–13
Jesus is tested in the wilderness
How Mark tells it
Mark's account is only two verses. He uses a forceful verb — the Spirit 'drove' Jesus out — and alone mentions the wild animals. He describes no fasting, no three temptations and no exchange of scripture quotations with the devil, all of which Matthew and Luke include.
Continue reading in Mark →How Luke tells it
Luke reverses Matthew's order of the second and third temptations, so the sequence ends at the Jerusalem temple, where his story reaches its climax. Only Luke has the devil claim that the world's authority has been handed to him, and he ends with the devil leaving "until another time" rather than with angels serving Jesus. Mark gives no details.