Event New Testament
The temptation of Jesus
Also known as The forty days, Testing in the wilderness
After His baptism the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, where He fasted forty days and was tempted by the devil to turn stones into bread, to throw Himself from the temple, and to gain the kingdoms of the world by worship. He answered each with words from Deuteronomy, and angels ministered to Him.
Why it matters. Where Israel failed in forty years of wilderness testing, Jesus stood firm in forty days, answering every temptation with Scripture.
- Primary passages
- Witnesses
Chronology confidence: medium
Matthew and Luke give the three temptations in a different order (Matthew ends on the mountain, Luke on the temple pinnacle); Mark records only that Jesus was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, with the wild animals and angels. FaithGraph does not choose an order.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
Connections
The baptism of Jesus precedes The temptation of Jesus
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceImmediately after the baptism the Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness.
Evidence:The temptation of Jesus precedes Jesus announces the Kingdom
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceAfter the temptation and John's arrest, Jesus returns to Galilee and begins to preach.
Evidence:Jesus participates in The temptation of Jesus
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceJesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness and fasts forty days before the temptations.
Evidence:The temptation of Jesus occurs at Wilderness of Judea
Explicit in ScriptureMedium confidenceThe Gospels say only that the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness after His baptism at the Jordan; the Judean wilderness beside the Jordan is the natural reading, but no place name is given.
Evidence:Other responsible views
- Wilderness unspecified: The Gospels do not name the wilderness. Tradition locates the forty days in the hills west of Jericho.