1Start
Right after his baptism, Jesus went alone into the wilderness and fasted for forty days (Matthew 4:1–2).
2Read Together
Matthew says the Spirit led him there. The Joseph Smith Translation says he went into the wilderness to be with God (Matthew 4:1).
Matthew 4:1–2 · King James Version
1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3What It Teaches
Moses spent forty days with the Lord on the mount and “did neither eat bread, nor drink water” (Exodus 34:28). Elijah traveled forty days to the mount of God (1 Kings 19:8). Jesus prepared for his ministry the same way, by spending time with his Father.
Fasting makes room. When we go without food for a while, our hunger can remind us to pray, and our attention turns toward God.
Latter-day Saints fast on fast Sunday, usually the first Sunday of the month, and give what they would have spent on those meals to help the poor. Isaiah called that kind of fast a way “to deal thy bread to the hungry” (Isaiah 58:7).
Jesus came out of the wilderness ready for a hard test and a great work. Time with God prepares us for whatever comes next.
4Talk About It
Jesus spent time alone with his Father before his ministry began. What helps you feel close to Heavenly Father, and how could you make more room for it?