Encore Post: Just after Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit sent Jesus into the desert alone for forty days to fast and pray prior to beginning to minister. The number forty was important to the Jewish people. Their ancestors wandered in the desert for forty years. Moses and Elijah fasted for forty days in the desert. God kept Noah and his family safe in the ark for forty days. For them, the number forty stood for a period of testing.
For us, the temptation of Jesus is wonderful. He could have chosen to blow Satan away. But He chose to face temptation in a way that we can face temptation. He quoted the will of God from the Scriptures. In God’s Word is the power to overcome the Devil — and the world and our flesh, too. The Scripture calls on us to pray to a Lord who was tempted in every way the way we are, except that He did not sin. Because He faced temptation as a human, we know He understands us and is ready to help.
Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana
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