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How do we know that Jesus was tempted in the desert when he was in the desert alone?

No other humans are mentioned in the Gospel accounts of Jesus' temptation in the desert {Matthew 4: 1-14; Mark 1: 12-13; Luke 4: 1-13}. How did the Gospel writers know that this happened? If no other people were there, Jesus must have revealed it to the disciples himself. This is consistent with what Jesus said to the Apostles during the Last Supper Discourses. John 15: 15 says "No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I call you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you."

Why would Jesus reveal the desert temptations to the Apostles? There are many reasons, but in the context of our discussion last week, one reason is to show that Jesus' sinless character matches His claim to be God. He was tempted by the devil many times but doesn't succumb to sin.

Luke 4:13 tells us that "the devil departed from him until an opportune time." Well, the devil definitely found many opportune times to attack Jesus using the same temptations, but in different ways. The overt temptations in the desert can point to other, less obvious ways the devil tempted Jesus. Here are some examples:

1) The first temptation in the desert was for Jesus to satisfy the human vulnerability of extreme hunger. "If you are the Son of God, command these stones become loaves of bread." Jesus replies that he lives by God's word. Fast forward to the crucifixion, Matthew 27:40. People passing by tempted him to satisfy his human vulnerability by saying "If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." In both instances, Jesus is committed to obeying the will of God and fights these temptations while enduring horrific suffering. The best example of Jesus' will to obey the Father is in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he chooses to obey God rather than forgo torture and an ignominious death.

2) The devil then tempts him with earthly glory by offering to give him authority over all the kingdoms of the world. Jesus doesn't take the bait, and shows his desire to serve God and not be served by the world. He makes the same decision after feeding the multitude. John 6:15 records that Jesus withdrew to the hills because he perceived that they wanted to take him by force and make him a king.

3) The third temptation is for Jesus to show that he is the Son of God by throwing himself down from the pinnacle of the temple, so angels can rescue him. Jesus faced a similar temptation from the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 12:3, when they ask Jesus to perform a sign, but Jesus rebukes them as an "evil and adulterous generation". Jesus is not interested in doing magnificent things for the purpose of thrilling others. His mission is to do God's will and to draw people into God's Kingdom.