The Judean wilderness, just above the fertile Jordan valley is a hostile place, especially in July and August. Matthew, Mark, and Luke would all agree to that—but there is a difference in how they handle the details.

Mark gives none of the temptations. Matthew and Luke list them, but not in the same order. It is assumed that Matthew’s order is correct because Luke does not claim to give them in a chronological order. Instead, he goes directly from the need for food to the major temptation, which is power. He then seems to deal with the temptation of fame as being a secondary derivative of power.