Jesus is tempted
key words
biblical reference
Matthew 4:1-11
lesson objective
To teach the students that when Jesus was tempted by Satan, he decided to obey God. They can do the same thing when they are tempted to do wrong.
memory verse
“And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
In these times when some world cultures say that there are no absolutes, and that it is hard to say that something is really good or bad, children need to know that some decisions are wrong. The decision to disobey God is always wrong. God never changes. If he says something is wrong, it will always be wrong. However, Satan seeks to tempt human desires.
The current tendency is to prioritize the “I” and what satisfies us. God wants us to obey him and seek him in the first place. This lesson will help the children understand that, just as Jesus had to decide between obeying God or Satan, they will also have to make that decision. Encourage them to ask for God’s help to overcome temptation, because he knows and loves them. God understands our weaknesses and can give us strength when we are tempted.
This series of lessons about Jesus’ life will lead children to God. He is our example of obedience and devotion to the Creator.
biblical commentary
When Jesus was baptized, he publicly declared that he would carry out God’s plan. He was committed to completing God’s divine will. But in order to do that, he had to confront Satan, God’s enemy. With each temptation, Satan tried to convince him to take a shortcut in the completion of the mission. And in each temptation, he faced what it meant to be the Son of God.
Jesus was tempted to put his physical needs before God’s will, to change the stones into bread. Afterwards in his ministry, he would do miracles to feed thousands of people, but during the temptation, he chose not to accept the orders of the enemy.
Then, he was tempted to put God and his promises to a test, but he decided to trust in his heavenly Father.
Finally, he was tempted to enjoy his destiny before carrying out his ministry and going through the difficulties and suffering. Jesus knew that someday the Father was going to give him all the kingdoms of the word, he would be exalted, and everyone would bow before him. But before that, he would have to die on the cross. Being an obedient son, he did not want to take a shortcut to glory.
After resisting Satan using the scriptures, Jesus knew that he was prepared for the mission that his Father had given to him: to preach and teach the Good News that God is love and wants us to believe in him in order to be saved.
introduce the lesson
Important word
Before the session, write each letter of the word “temptation” on a card. Post them on the board in order, but without displaying the written letters. Then, write the definition on another card. In your group, tell your students that they will learn a new term. Ask them questions, giving everyone an opportunity to respond. Whoever answers correctly can turn over one of the letters. Prepare simple questions such as: “Should you obey your parents? Is it right to lie? Is it okay to drink something that does not belong to you? Should you hit your brother or sister? Is it correct to copy a classmate’s homework or exam?”
When they can see several of the letters, any child can try to guess what the word is. When someone correctly guesses the word, ask them if they know what “temptation” means. Allow them to express their opinions and then, if necessary, offer the following definition: “Temptation is everything that encourages us to disobey God, making it seem right”.
Tell them: “We all face temptations. Many times we have to choose between good and bad. Today our story speaks of someone who faced temptations. Let’s see if he made the right decisions. Allow time for the children to complete the crossed words in the student book. The questions that appear at the end will help you review the lesson.
Beat the clock
Get a kitchen timer or a stopwatch before the session. Program it to make it sound at the end of a minute. Write each word of the memory verse on cards. In your group, allow children to take turns putting the cards in order before the clock sounds. When finished, let everyone read the verse out loud.
Say: “This verse tells us how Jesus grew up. He prepared for his ministry by obeying God and showing us how to please God.”
Say: “Today’s Bible story shows us another way in which Jesus prepared himself to carry out God’s work on earth. Let’s see what happened after John baptized Jesus.”
teach the lesson
Give each child a sheet of paper and a pencil. Instruct them to fold the paper in half. Then, open it and fold it in half in the opposite direction. Thus the paper will be divided into four equal sections. Ask them to list them from 1 to 4. As you tell the story, pause at the end of each scene, and ask the children to draw a simple picture related to it.
A difficult test for Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11)
Scene 1: After John baptized Jesus, the Spirit of God led him into the desert. In preparation before beginning the work that God had entrusted to him, Jesus needed to know what it was like to be tempted to disobey his heavenly Father. For 40 days and 40 nights, he did not eat anything. Can you imagine the hunger that he would have? Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones be turned into bread.”
Jesus was very hungry, but he told the devil, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Scene 2: Then, the devil took Jesus to the city of Jerusalem. He put him in the highest place in the temple and tried to tempt him again, saying, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, because the Word of God says that the angels will take care of you if you fall. They will not let you get hurt.”
But Jesus answered him with the words of Deuteronomy 6:16: “It is written also, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”
Scene 3: Finally, the devil took Jesus to the top of a very high mountain. From there he could see many kilometers away. And he said, “I will give you all the kingdoms of the world if you bow down and worship me.”
But Jesus answered him, “Go away from me! The Scripture says that we should only worship God. Only before him should we bow and only he should we serve.”
Scene 4: Then the devil left and the angels came to Jesus to take care of him. He had successfully passed that great test. Every time the devil tried to tempt him, he decided to obey God.
After the story, allow some children to retell it briefly using their drawings.
connect the lesson
The mountain of obedience
Talk with the children about the ways we can obey God. (Possible answers: read the Bible, pray, put into practice what the Word says, do what is good, love and serve God, help others.)
Give the children Student Activity Sheet #213-A and #213-B. Then ask: “What does this illustration show us?” (Jesus on the mountain where the devil promised to give him the kingdoms of the world if he bowed and worshiped him.) Tell them to draw or write something they can do to obey God in the space provided.
Then, tell them to cut out the mountain and line B. Show them how to build the mountain. Help children who need assistance. Ask that some read what they wrote or show their drawing.
Help the children complete the “Crossing words” in Student Activity Sheet #213-B. Encourage them to show their work at home and to tell today’s story to family and friends.
practice the memory verse
“And Jesus grew in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52).
You will need a ball or a bag full of seeds.
Divide the group into two teams. They can sit or stand, one team in front of the other. Hand the ball or bag to the first child of one of the two teams. That child will say the first word of the verse. (For example: “And”), then he must throw the ball to the first child of the opposing team, and that child will say the second word (“Jesus”). The ball continues from child to child, from team to team, until everyone has said a word of the verse. When they reach the end of the passage and the reference, they will begin again. By repeating it, children will learn the verse by playing.
wrap-up
Pray
Ask the children if they have prayer requests. Pray for those requests and then for your students, asking God to help them overcome temptations as Jesus did.
Encourage
Encourage the children to tell other people today’s story.
Invite
Inspire the children to attend the next session by telling them some interesting things about it. Tell them that friends are also welcome.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™