The story of Jesus' temptation is an important story for us to connect with often because it both demonstrates his humanity and models for us a way to work through the difficulty of being faithful to God amidst many earthly temptations. The practice of giving something up for Lent has its root in this story, but if we do not move beyond this superficial level, this practice loses much of its power.
Jesus' tempation by Satan was real and difficult; by the power of the Holy Spirit and reliance upon scripture he was able to endure the test. As always we can learn a great deal from his example.
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. Luke 4:1-2
It is important to note that the Holy Spirit both led Jesus into temptation and filled him with the power to resist it. This is certainly a paradox of the faith and one which many people experience. The closer we get to being faithful to God the more Satan wants to distract and lead us away from God. Put another way, Satan does not need to tempt those who are unfaithful; he already has them. Only those who are following God need to be lured away.
Another key feature of the Devil's tempation of Jesus is how close they are to God's plan. The devil tempts Jesus with food because he is hungry (turning a stone into bread). Later in the gospel we will read the story of Jesus turning five loaves of bread and two fish into enough food to feed 5,000. The second temptation is for earthly power and glory. The devil promises Jesus what he will later inherit from God. The third temptation is for Jesus to throw himself off the temple and have God save his life, thus demonstrating his ability to defeat death. This too will be part of God's plan for Jesus. Satan's temptations are not off the wall crazy ideas, but are distortions of God's plan. For Jesus, who has access to divine power at his disposal, it is a matter of timing. He must do these things in God's timing, not the timing of the world.
Jesus resists temptation in a way that is a model for us to follow. After each temptation, Jesus quotes scripture to counter the devil (who also knows scripture). What is notable about this practice, besides the obvious (it helps to know God's word!) is where he quotes from. Jesus quotes Deuteronmy 8:3, 6:13, 6:16. They are all from one book of scripture and only from two chapters. We do not need to know the whole bible to be strong in the Word, we simply need to know some of it and rely upon God and we can resist Satan. This is powerful and liberating.
A final and most subtle dimension of Jesus' temptation has do with Satan trying to get Jesus to doubt his identity. Satan begins his temptation with "If you are the Son of God..." which calls into question Jesus' self-understanding. The IF question tries to cast doubt about the reality of who he is. Self-doubt is the playground of Satan and if the devil can get us to question ourselves then it is much easier to lead us away from God. Jesus knows who he is and he also knows God in an intimate and powerful way. He is able to resist temptation by relying on the Spirit, trusting God, and using scripture as a guide. This is a model for us as we deal with temptation as well.
At the end of the passage it says: "When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time." (Luke 4:13) The devil is not done tempting Jesus but will come back when once again he is physically weak and spiritually susceptible. We can withstand the temptations of Satan but on this side of heaven we are not immune to them. It is part of being human and part of being faithful. The good news for us is when we rely upon God and know our true identity as children of God, we can and will withstand all temptations and trials.
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