The temptation of Jesus

To tempt is to entice or persuade someone to do what he or she is not supposed to do. Therefore temptation is the process whereby one is enticed or persuaded to do what he is not supposed to do. The devil tempts us to do things against God’s will.

After Jesus had been baptized, he was led by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the devil in the wilderness. He fasted for forty days and nights while he prayed, and meditated on his future work as the Messiah and Saviour of mankind. At the end of the forty days, Jesus was hungry and wanted food to eat. The devil then came to tempt him.

In the first temptation, the devil asked Jesus to turn stones into bread if he was really the son of God. Jesus replied him that the scriptures said that man should not live by bread alone, but by every word that came out from the mouth of God.

In the second temptation, the devil took Jesus to the holy city, Jerusalem, sat on the highest pinnacle of the temple, and asked him to jump down if he was really the son of God. The devil added that the scriptures said, that God would tell his angels to bear him up, so that he would not dash his feet against stones, Jesus replied that the scriptures also said that thou shall not tempt the Lord your God.

In the third temptation, the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. The devil told Jesus that if he could bow down and worship him, he would give him all of them. Jesus replied that he should get away because the scriptures said that thou shall worship the Lord God and serve him only. After this, the devil left him alone, and angels came and worshiped him.

Evaluation:

1. After the baptism, Jesus was led by the power of the spirit into the——-
2. How many days and nights did Jesus fast before his temptations started?
3. What happened to Jesus after the temptation?
4. According to Matthew, where was Jesus taken to in the third temptation?

What did the devil ask Jesus to do in the first temptation

The significance of temptation of Jesus.

1. The first temptation was to make him false to his perfect humanity, i.e. to make him appear as Economic Messiah.
2. The second was to make him win men’s hearts not by love as required of the Messiah but by startling signs. i.e. to appear as  Miracle Messiah
3. The third was to make him not to win his kingdom through suffering as required of the Messiah i.e. to appear as Political Messiah.

Objective Questions

1. How many times was Jesus tempted in the Wilderness?

(a)1 (b)2 (c)3 (d)4 (e)5

2. The purpose of the first temptation was to make Jesus a…………. Messiah

• good (b) miracle(c)economic (d)absolute (e) political

3. Jesus fasted in the wilderness for how many days

(a) 30 (b) 40 (c) 50 (d) 20 (e) 7

4. Jesus’ response to the first temptation is

(a) get behind me Satan(b) thou shall not put the Lord your God to test (c) man shall not live by bread alone(d)worship the lord thy God  (e)I reject it in the name of God

5. That Jesus was tempted shows that

(a)Christian cannot be tempted (b) Christians are above temptation (c) Jesus was weak in strength (d) no one is above temptation (e) Satan is wiser than Jesus