A reading from the gospel according to Luke 4:1-13:

1 Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert
2 for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days and when they were over he was hungry.
3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”
5 Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
6 The devil said to him, “I shall give to you all this power and glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish.
7 All this will be yours, if you worship me.”
8 Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written: You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.”
9 Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,
10 for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,
11 and: With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
12 Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.

Reflection: Spiritual Warfare

Right after His baptism where God the Father was heard saying, “You are my beloved son in whom I am well-pleased”, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where He fasted for forty days. When he became physically weak, the devil used all its might to tempt Him three times.

In Mark 9:14-29, Jesus and His disciples were confronted an unclean spirit right after the Transfiguration where three of His disciples witnessed the full glory of Jesus. In the gospel of Luke 4:31-37 ESV, the first recorded healing of Jesus was done to a man with an unclean demon (as if there is such a clean demon).

We see a pattern of spiritual warfare here. Right after we receive a great blessing, the demon tries to snatch it from us. Also, at a time when we are weakest, he uses his best tactics to draw us away from God. Jesus is the Son of God and He Himself is tempted. Let this fact sink in our being. No one is immune to temptation. Yet Jesus did not succumb. He came out of the wilderness triumphant and that is our source of hope. We may be tempted in every step in our journey, may Jesus grant us the strength to resist it.