Matt. 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Jesus came to declare the reign of a new Kingdom. His message was the same as John the Baptist’s message when He announced that the Kingdom of God was here. 1 john 5:19 says that the whole world lies in the power, or dominion, of the evil one. Jesus came to announce that the evil reign of satan was over, and that a new reign was taking over.
This new reign that Jesus proclaimed and established is the kingdom of God’s love. Col. 1 refers to it as the Kingdom of the Son of His love. Jesus carried and displayed the love of the Father as He demonstrated the Kingdom. In the Kingdom of God, His goodness prevails and evil it’s affects are destroyed.
If you notice the verse in Matt. 4 it is different from the account in Luke 4. Luke says that Jesus was led about by The Spirit in the wilderness WHILE being tempted by the devil. The Matt. passage says that He was led by The Spirit into the wilderness TO BE tempted by the devil. His purpose for going into the wilderness was to confront and defeat the enemy. Jesus had just been filled with the Spirit, and as man He represented restored humanity, once again filled with the life of God; called to dominion, revealing the likeness of God. The devil didn’t attack Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus attacked the devil. Jesus went there to pick a fight, and declare to the devil that his gig was up; his 15 minutes of fame was over, and that his reign over mankind was done.
Jesus, as the second Adam, unveiled the New Man, that lives as a citizen of a Heavenly Kingdom, where darkness isn’t tolerated. Don’t let satan be the lead story in your life. He is done, and he knows it. He just hopes that you don’t find out. You see the devil knows there is a new sheriff in town; a New Creation that lives under a new Domain, that is why he so desperately wants to keep you from ever finding out who you really are in Christ.