Posted by Chester Morton / Friday, 11 March 2016 / No comments
The temptation of Jesus according to Matthew
After his baptism, Jesus was led into the wilderness, by the Holy Spirit, to be tempted by the devil. He had fasted for forty days and forty nights and was therefore hungry.
In the first temptation, the
devil told Jesus that if he was really the son of God, he should turn stones
into bread. Jesus replied that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every
word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
In the second temptation, the
devil took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and told him ‘If you are
the son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written that “He will give his
angels charge of you so that you do not dash your feet against any stone.”’
Again Jesus replied that one should not tempt the Lord.
In the third temptation, the
devil took Jesus to a high mountain and showed him the kingdoms of the world
and their glory. The devil then told Jesus that he would give him all if only
he bowed down to worship him. Again Jesus told the devil that “You shall
worship the Lord your God and him only shall you worship.”
Immediately, the devil left Jesus
and angels came to minister to him.
Note that in the account by Luke, the second temptation comes third and the third one rather was mentioned as the second temptation. So when the examination question is specific about Matthew’s account, arrange the temptations as they are here. When they ask you to write Luke’s account the second temptation was the one that the devil took him to a high mountain.
THE TEMPTATION WAS SIGNIFICANT FOR MANY REASONS.
1. It confirmed the divinity of Jesus.
2. Jesus accepted suffering as a means of fulfilling God’s
purpose of redeeming the world.
3. The story assures Christians that they can also defeat
the devil with the word of God.
4. The experience prepared Jesus for his ministry.
5. The temptation
shows that Jesus was not a political or economic Messiah.
SAMPLE QUESTION(S)
1. a. Narrate the story of the temptation of Jesus according to Matthew.
b. In what two ways were the temptations significant for Jesus in his ministry?
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS
Test One
1. In the
first temptation of Jesus, the devil intended him to become
A.
an economic Messiah
B. a wonder-worker
C. a
conquering Messiah
D. a
political Messiah
2. The
temptations of Jesus Christ in the wilderness were
A.
internal conflicts going on in his mind
B. a
preparation for his further ministry
C. a very
serious warning to human pride
D. a demonstration
of his power
3. By asking
Jesus to turn stone into bread, Satan wanted Jesus to
A. be a
conquering Messiah
B. be a
magician
C. prove his
power
D.
use divine power to satisfy human needs
4. According
to Luke, the third temptation of Jesus by the devil was that he should
A.
throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple
B. command the stone to become bread
C. command
stone to become bread
D. throw
himself down from the peak of the mountain
5. The first
temptation of Jesus was to make him
A. known to
the world
B. doubt his
true identity
C.
feed himself
D. bow to
Satan
6. “If you
are the son of God, command this stone to become bread”. Bread here refers to
A.
food
B. wealth
C. word of
God
D. luxuries
7. How many
days did Jesus fast before he was tempted by the devil?
A. Thirty
days
B.
Forty days
C. Fifty
days
D. Sixty
days
8. According
to Luke, the second temptation by the devil was that Jesus should
A. jump down
from the high mountain
B.
bow and worship him
C. order the
stone to become bread
D. throw
himself down from the pinnacle of the temple
9. Satan
assured Jesus that god would give his angels charge of him if he should
A. command the stone to become loaves of bread
B. strike
his foot against a stone
C. fall down
and worship him
D.
throw himself down from the temple
10. In the
story of the temptation of Jesus, only Mark reported that Jesus was
A. hungry
and tired
B. angry
with the devil
C.
with the wild beast
D.
victorious over the devil
