the Spirit drove Jesus (compare Matthew 4:1; Luke 4:1): he Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. From the beginning of his ministry, Jesus defeated Satan and resisted temptation. His later acts of casting out demons (Mark 1:21–34; 3:11–12; 5:1–20; 9:14–27) show the results of that victory (see 3:27).
Jesus was tempted in the wilderness of Judea. In Scripture, the wilderness often has a sense of danger and evil because of Satan and wild animals (Isaiah 13:19–22; Ezekiel 34:25). These animals included dogs, wolves, leopards, jackals, and bears.
The forty days remind us of Israel's forty years of testing in the wilderness. Israel failed, but Jesus succeeded. He resisted temptation without sinning (Hebrews 2:18; 4:15; see also James 1:3, 12; 1 Peter 1:7; Revelation 2:10).