Gospel in Art: The three temptations in the wilderness

The Three Temptations of Christ, Fresco by Sandro Botticelli, 1480-1482 © Sistine Chapel, Vatican

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 9 March 2025
Luke 4:1-13

At that time: Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were over, he was hungry.

The devil said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.' And Jesus answered him, 'It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone." '

And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, 'To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.' And Jesus answered him, 'It is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve." '

And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, "He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you", and "On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone." ' And Jesus answered him, 'It is said, "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test." '

And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Reflection on the Fresco Painting

Artists over the centuries have been fascinated in portraying today's Gospel reading of Jesus being tempted by the devil in the desert. Compositions range from placing the devil centrally to accentuate the temptations we all experience during this earthly life, to simple compositions depicting Jesus on his own in the desert, thus accentuating the spiritual nature of the reading. In today's artwork, we look at Sandro's Botticelli's Three temptations of Christ, a fresco in the Sistine Chapel. It is the third scene in the cycle of the life of Christ. Christ's three temptations by the devil can be seen in the background of the picture (see specifics below), with the devil deceitfully disguised as a hermit.

So, on this first Sunday of Lent we read about how Jesus was being tempted in the desert by the devil for forty days. Accounts of the temptation in the wilderness appear in all three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke). Our account from Luke contains three moments of testing, each revealing who Jesus is. In each temptation Jesus responds to the devil by quoting from Deuteronomy, thus rooting His ministry in the Old Testament, as a continuation and fulfilment of it:

Temptation one: Satan says 'If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to turn into a loaf'. Jesus responds by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3: "It is written, 'Man does not live by bread alone.' (Top left in our fresco).

Temptation two: Satan says 'I will give you all this power and the glory of these kingdoms'. Jesus responds by quoting Deuteronomy 6:13: 'It is written, worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.' (Top right in our fresco; we also see, behind Jesus, angels preparing the altar for the celebration of the Eucharist).

Temptation three: Satan says (quoting Psalm 91:11-12) 'Throw yourself down from the temple'. Jesus responds simply again by quoting Deuteronomy 6:16: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test'. (Top middle of our painting).

Just as Jesus is tying His responses directly to the Old Testament, we see Sandro Botticelli blending the Old Testament and the New Testament in the one scene also. In the foreground Botticelli is depicting the Old Testament practice of the celebration of a Jewish sacrifice. The high priest accepts a blood-filled sacrificial bowl, while several people are bringing animals and wood (for the altar fires) as offerings.

Reading our Gospel today and looking at our fresco, we are invited to put into words our own temptations or weaknesses that draw us away from God…

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-4-1-13-2025/. (with audio)