Lesson 12 – The Temptation of Jesus

The devil tempted Jesus to sin, but Jesus, true God and true man, did not sin. He kept God’s law on our behalf and became the sinless sacrifice for our sins so that we might have forgiveness and new life.

Opening

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

This lesson will use the Bible, the Bible Exploration Guide and the Lesson 12 Leaflet from the Student Pack. The front cover shows how the artist sees Jesus while he is being tempted. Also paper and pencil will be needed.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, give us courage to see and avoid temptation, admit when we fall, and return in repentance to You. In Your name we pray. Amen.

God Speaks

At Jesus' Baptism, God identified Him as His beloved Son. This lesson covers what happened after His Baptism.

Read Luke 4:1-2

Where did the Holy Spirit lead Jesus? To the wilderness, a rugged, desolate, harsh desert.

How long was He there? Forty days.

What other Bible events happened in the desert? The children of Israel wandered in the desert for forty years. Jewish readers would have made an immediate connection to these events.

What kinds of temptations did the children of Israel face in the wilderness? The Israelites struggled to trust God to provide food and water for them. The Bible even says they tested God, saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?" (Exodus 17:7). They demanded the Lord do as they asked to show He was with them. They worshiped idols (golden calf) instead of the one true God. They questioned Moses' authority and grumbled and complained every day.

Keep one thing in mind: Jesus never used His power as God's Son for Himself. He always used His power for others-to heal, feed, forgive, love, accept, and protect others.

SECTION ONE

Read Luke 4:1-4

What did Jesus just finish doing? How did He feel? Jesus ate nothing (fasted) for forty days. He felt hungry.

What did the devil try to get Jesus to do? The devil knew Jesus was hungry. He said, "If You are the Son of God, make bread from a stone.

Why would this have tempted Jesus? Jesus' physical hunger was real and this easily would have taken care of it.

God the Father identified Jesus as His beloved Son at Jesus' Baptism. What "if" statement did the devil use to tempt Jesus? The devil said, “If you are the Son of God” but he already knew this, and Jesus didn't have to prove it.

How did this tempt Jesus to use His power for Himself? The devil tried to get Jesus to use His power to satisfy His needs instead of relying on His Father.

What Bible verse did Jesus use to fight off this temptation? (Deuteronomy 8:3) "Man does not live by bread alone”.

SECTION TWO

Read Luke 4:5-8

What did the devil do and ask Jesus to do? The devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time and said he would give it to Jesus if He would bow down and worship him.

Why would this have tempted Jesus? The devil offered Jesus the easy way out. Instead of suffering and dying, He could reign as King of the world. All He had to do was bow down and worship the devil.

In John 8:44, Jesus calls the devil “a liar and the father of lies”. What did the devil lie about here? Read Romans 13:1 (on Leaflet) The authority and glory of all the kingdoms of the world do not belong to the devil. God gives authority to people and groups on earth. However, the devil has great influence and control in the world because of sin.

What would we have lost if Jesus had given in? We would never have forgiveness, new life, and eternal life as God's children, because Jesus won these with His death on the cross.

What Bible verse did Jesus use to fight off this temptation? (Deuteronomy 6:13 ) "You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only”.

SECTION THREE

Read Luke 4:9-13

Where did the devil take Jesus? What did he try to get Jesus to do? The devil took Him to Jerusalem, to the very top of the temple. He said that if Jesus was the Son of God, He should throw Himself down from there because God's angels would rescue Him. This would have been a 450-foot drop.

God the Father identified Jesus as His beloved Son at Jesus' Baptism. What “if” statement did the devil use to tempt Jesus? The devil said, "if you are the Son of God but he already knew this, and Jesus didn't have to prove it.

Why would this have tempted Jesus? The devil quoted Scripture to tempt Jesus to prove that God keeps His Word, and he provoked Jesus again to prove He is the Son of God. Jesus could have shown everyone in the temple that He is God's Son, and He would not have had to deal with their questions and doubts.

How did this tempt Jesus to use His power for Himself? The devil tried to get Jesus to prove He was God by doing a dangerous public trick and surviving. This tested God by asking Him to prove His existence and power, as the children of Israel did in the wilderness (Exodus 17:7).

Read the Bible verses the devil quoted, Psalm 91:11-12 (in the leaflet).

What Bible verse did Jesus use to fight off this temptation? (Deuteronomy 6:16) "You shall not put the LORD your God to the test".

What do you notice about the devil's methods? (1) The devil appeals to us on every level imaginable-physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and scriptural. He does whatever he can to tempt us. (2) The Greek word for devil is diabolos, which means “slanderer” or "liar”.  The devil is the father of lies (John 8:44). He told the first lie and lies constantly. He makes false promises, takes words out of context, and distorts the truth. He promises things that are not his (such as all the kingdoms of the world). (3) The devil dangerously misused Scripture, leaving out words in Psalm 91:1 1-12. The Bible is God's Word, and we should never do this!

What did we learn about how Jesus handled temptation? (1) Use God's Word to battle the devil and his lies. (2) Look to God to provide everything we need. (3) The devil tried to get Jesus to bypass the cross and take an easy way out. Jesus could have taken a different path at any time, but He would not have accomplished what God sent Him to do: pay for sin and defeat death and the devil. For us, Jesus fulfilled everything God demanded. He never sinned. (4) Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:16 appropriately:  “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test”. When we excuse our actions by saying "I can do this because God will keep me safe we sinfully tempt God to prove it. 

Christians are conscientious caretakers of all the Lord s blessings and trust God to make everything work out for our good despite our failures

We Live

Watch the video and "Brother" to hear about temptations people face.

All people sin and need a Savior, including every person in this video. All people have weaknesses. The devil tempts all of us. And each of us can know the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Read Hebrews 4:15-16 (on page 3 of the leaflet).

Why can we trust Jesus to help us when we are in need? We can trust Jesus because He was tempted as we are, but never sinned. He endured temptation and did not give in. He understands. He walked in our shoes. And He loves us so much that He gave up the joys of heaven to take flesh as our Savior. In love, He took our place on the cross and died for our sins. Who loves us more?

Question 137 (from the small catechism): How has Christ rescued you from the power of the devil? Christ has completely conquered the devil. Therefore the devil can no longer accuse me of my sins, and I can resist his temptations.

Read James 4:7 (in the leaflet)

Read "Temptations and Lies" on pages 30-31 of the Bible Exploration Guide.

Closing

On page 4 of the leaflet, read the sixth and seventh petitions of the Lord’s Prayer and what they mean.

Listen to the hymn "O Lord, throughout These Forty Days" .