Verses 1-3 “1And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
2Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
3And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.”
The fact that our perfect Savior was tempted by the devil tells us that we should not be surprised when we are also tempted. As James wrote, “Every man is tempted” (James 1:14). It would be a wise course and would fortify us against the devil’s wiles if we would (1) expect temptation to come; (2) have a plan for how we will avoid sin when we are tempted; and (3) be in prayer ahead of time that we will do the right thing when we are tempted.
It is instructive that Jesus’ temptation came after a spiritually high experience in His life. He had just been baptized and had just heard the voice of His Heavenly Father saying, “Thou art My beloved son; in thee I am well pleased,” and He had just experienced the Holy Spirit coming upon Him in the shape of a dove. Immediately after this mountain top experience the temptation came. So let us beware when we win spiritual victories that we do not become complacent. When we think that we stand, we must beware lest we fall.
Jesus was tempted for forty days. Forty is the Bible number for trial, and it means that Jesus was severely tempted. It is not a sin to be tempted. It is a sin to yield to temptation. Jesus did not sin. He could not sin because He is God and is impeccable. But His temptation was real because He is human.