The Temptation of Jesus
This lesson is a wonderful reminder that children need to have special Bible verses hidden deep in their soul. Knowing the Words of God can help chase the devils away.
Matthew 4:1-11
After Jesus was baptized, he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness and for forty days he was tempted by the devil. The wilderness is a dry and barren place where it can be very hot. There were no stores to buy food and there were no gardens in the wilderness.
Jesus fasted during those forty days. That means he didn’t eat anything during that time, and of course, at the end of the time he was very hungry. Satan saw this as an opportunity to tempt him again. He said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” Jesus answered, quoting from the book of Deuteronomy; “It is written, ‘ Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’”.
You will remember that when the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they became hungry, and God fed them with special food called manna which fell from heaven. He showed them that they were dependent upon him for all their needs.
Next the devil took Jesus up on a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in just a moment. Then he told him that he had been given the authority to give those kingdoms to anyone he wished. Had he really been given that authority? Remember, the devil is a liar. God rules in the kingdoms of men and it is He who gives power to the people He wants to have that power. Satan told Jesus that if he would worship him, he would give him all those kingdoms.
Jesus replied, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve’.” Again Jesus is quoting from the writings of Moses in Deuteronomy.
Satan tries a third time. He brought Jesus to Jerusalem and took him up to the highest part of the temple and told him to jump off. He said that angels would come and lift him up so that he wouldn’t be hurt.
Satan was getting smart by now he quoted from Psalm 11, “For He shall give His angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” (Satan left out the part about ‘to keep you in all your ways’.)
Jesus answered him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God’.
Satan gave up and left him, but he would return later when he thought he had an opportunity to get Jesus to sin. Of course, we know that he never succeeded.
What can we learn from this Story?
It is so helpful to know that after satan left, the LORD God sent angels to help Jesus. Just like He does after we have had a hard trial to go through. It is wonderful to be so loved by Jesus.
When Satan tried to get Jesus to do wrong, Jesus always answered him with scripture. Matthew with each temptation, Jesus said, “It is written”, and then he would quote the scripture.
We must know what the Bible says so we cannot be tempted by the devil. You can study and memorize Bible verses and “hide” them in your heart to keep from being tempted and from doing wrong. This will help you to know how you should act especially if you think about how Jesus would act. Always remembering that Jesus is our example as we go through life.
Cite Article Source
MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne “The Temptation of Jesus:.” Becker Bible Studies Library Oct 2014.< https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1713,>.
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2014, October) “The Temptation of Jesus:.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1713,.
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2014) “The Temptation of Jesus:.” Becker Bible Studies Library (October), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1713, (accessed).
