In the Gospels we see that, before starting his public ministry, Christ goes into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights, praying and fasting as he prepares for all that is to come. At the end of his sojourn, he is tempted by Satan. Jesus came among us to be like us in every way but sin. He too undergoes the experience of temptation so as to enter into the human condition fully and also to show us a model for how to resist such spiritual attacks.
Jesus is presented with three temptations - food, power, and glory. Each temptation is a warning to us about a specific spiritual danger and brings to the fore an idol we might be drawn to worshipping in the place of God. Each temptation is furthermore designed to derail Christ's mission as the Messiah in a specific way.
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