Satan and the Son of God in Paradise Lost

After his baptism, Jesus returns to his mother Mary with the news that he is the Son of God. She then explains the extraordinary circumstances surrounding his birth. Now faced with the daunting prospect of being the Messiah, he wanders the desert where he shall fast for 40 days and 40 nights. Satan takes on the responsibility of being the one to oppose the Son ofgod. He believes having already corrupted Adam and Eve, he will also be able to lead the Son ofGod down a path of evil. In fact, this plan for Satan to corrupt his son all falls into his overall divine plan, the ultimate test for his son.