Scripture · Luke 3:23-38
Luke 4:1-13
Jesus Being Led into the Wilderness to Be Tempted
Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days He was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry. The devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’” Then the devil led Him up to a high place and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. “I will give You authority over all these kingdoms and all their glory,” he said. “For it has been relinquished to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish. So if You worship me, it will all be Yours.” But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’” Then the devil led Him to Jerusalem and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple. “If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You carefully, and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’” But Jesus answered, “It also says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.
A white-robed figure approaches across a broad stony landscape, with bare hills behind Him in Hole’s image of Jesus entering the wilderness.
About the artwork
The landscape takes most of the picture. Stones spread across the foreground between Jesus and the viewer, while the hills close the distance behind Him. His white robe makes the solitary traveler easy to find without reducing the extent of the bare ground. No tempter is visible; exposure and the effort of walking precede any contest of words.
The illustration comes from The Life of Jesus of Nazareth. Hole chooses the approach to the wilderness rather than the more theatrical exchange on a mountain or temple. This quiet beginning allows the viewer to consider the setting that the Gospel names before it records the tests.
Featured in: Luke 4 in Art: The Temptation, the Hometown Sermon, and the Verses Worth Remembering
What does Luke 4:1-13 mean?
Luke 4:1 says that Jesus returns from the Jordan full of the Holy Spirit and is led by the Spirit into the wilderness. The baptism has just identified him as the beloved Son. The following forty days bring hunger and testing into that newly declared identity.
The sequence matters for the image: the solitary journey is not described as a departure from God’s presence. It occurs under the Spirit’s leading. Hole’s long stretch of difficult ground makes the transition tangible, giving room to the journey before the tempter’s demands and Jesus’ scriptural replies begin.
The solitary walk gives space to Luke’s opening movement from the Jordan into a wilderness entered under the Spirit’s leading.
Sources
Private collection; reproduction from The Life of Jesus of Nazareth.
Luke 4 in Art: The Temptation, the Hometown Sermon, and the Verses Worth Remembering. Artwork reading adapted from this guide.
Luke 4 — Berean Standard Bible. Context for Luke 4:1-13.
Also from Luke:The Angel Appearing to ZachariasAnnunciation