5. The Temptation of Jesus (Mark 1:12-13)

After his baptism, Jesus was immediately driven into the wilderness to face his most formidable opponent in a one-on-one contest to take back what was lost at Eden. The drama is reported in stark and abbreviated detail by Mark, but the brevity of the account does not minimize the weightiness of the stakes. Jesus' victory in the desert opened the door to his ministry as an itinerant preacher, and his message was as striking as it was simple - the Kingdom of God has arrived