Gospel of Matthew; Matthew 3; Matthew 4; Jesus comes to John to be baptized by him in the Jordan River. Jesus didn't need to be baptized. He was, however, baptized to fulfill all righteousness. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

After being baptized, Jesus was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the devil. This "test" HAD TO take place. St. Paul writes that Jesus is the second Adam. The first Adam failed against the devil. Jesus came to crush him, so this initial test had to be passed.

Jesus passes each and every temptation the same way. He depended on the Word of God. He depended on his own Father's Word. 'It is written." We learn much from how Jesus faced temptation, much that will help us overcome temptation.

Finally, the devil left Jesus. Luke's Gospel says that the devil left him until an opportune time. Certainly we are not to take away from this "time of testing" that these were the only temptations Jesus faced. If these were the only temptations Jesus faced, he would not have lived life and we do and he came to earth to live in the same manner and with the same temptations we face. The HUGE difference of course was this: Jesus never sinned. He overcame every temptation.