Mark 1.12-13: The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. (13) And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him. (ESV)
The Gospel of Mark’s account of Satan tempting Jesus is much more abbreviated than those of Matthew and Luke. These accounts provide details of Jesus fasting for 40 days and set forth the strategy of the devil in his attempt to entice Jesus to act according to the devil’s will. Matthew and Luke describe the three temptations the devil used in an effort to trip Jesus up before He even began His ministry.
But Jesus would have none of it. He did not waver. He did not contemplate or deliberate in His heart the prospects of what the devil proposed. In reality, nothing hung in the balance. Jesus was committed to His mission. At that moment Jesus demonstrated Himself to be rock solid, and ready to begin His public ministry.
Mark’s account does tell us that the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness. Matthew’s Gospel says that the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness for the purpose of being tempted by the devil.
But Hebrews 4.15, speaking of Jesus, tells us the outcome of all of this, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (ESV)
Jesus is the successful, sinless High Priest, bringing salvation to everyone who will put his or her trust in Him.