Why did Jesus allow Himself to be tempted in the desert by Satan?
Following His baptism in the Jordan, Jesus fasted for forty days in the wilderness and allowed Himself to be tempted by Satan to reveal Himself as the New Adam and the true Israel. Where Adam succumbed to pride and disobedience in Paradise, and Israel rebelled during forty years in the desert, Jesus remained flawlessly faithful to the Father through humility, prayer, and the Word of God. His victory over temptation inaugurates His triumph over the prince of this world and teaches us how to overcome temptation through fasting and Scripture.
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 538-540
- Matthew 4:1-11
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.