Immediately the Spirit sent Jesus into the desert. He was in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He lived among wild animals, and angels took care of him. (Mark 1:12–13) Jesus returned from the Jordan full of the Holy Spirit, and he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. [...] When the devil had exhausted every form of temptation, he departed from Jesus, waiting for another opportunity. (Luke 4, 1–2; 4,13)

The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting for forty days and forty nights, [...] the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world with all their splendor and wonders. He said to him: “I will give you all this if you kneel down and worship me.” Jesus replied: “Go away from me, Satan! For it is written in the Scriptures ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you serve.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and took care of him. (Matthew 4, 1–11)

The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) speak of a time of solitude for Jesus in the desert immediately after his baptism by John. During this period of fasting, solitude, and prayer, Satan approaches Jesus to tempt him and distract him from his mission. After being rejected, the devil departs, and Jesus returns to Galilee to begin his ministry.

In this scene, Nieva represents the moment when Satan is rejected, Jesus is raising his arm towards the sky with a gesture of authority, while remaining calm, the demon (following the iconographic convention of bat wings, horns, and red coloring) appears to retreat in anger, covering its face.