And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he felt hunger.
This verse describes the period of Jesus’ spiritual preparation before the temptation. He remains in the wilderness for forty days and nights, fasting and being united with the Father in prayer. The forty-day period symbolizes a time of testing and obedience, as in the Old Testament. Moses ate and drank nothing for forty days and nights on Mount Sinai in order to receive God’s Law (Exodus 34:28), and Elijah traveled for forty days until Mount Horeb, being sustained by the food given by an angel (1 Kings 19:8). Like these examples, Jesus also prepares for the divine mission through fasting, prayer, and complete obedience. The hunger He feels highlights His human nature, but it also reveals His spiritual power—His ability to overcome bodily needs. Thus, Jesus’ forty-day fast becomes a preparatory step toward victory over evil, confirming His perfect obedience to the Father’s will.