Lesson 17 - Elementary

Memory Verse

"Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God"  (Matthew 4:10).

Notes

The Wicked One wanted Jesus to Do a Miracle

Jesus was in a lonely place forty days and forty nights, and had not had food. He was hungry. The devil knew it, and he thought it would be a good time to get Jesus to do the wrong thing. So he told Jesus to turn those stones into bread and eat it. Jesus could have done it very easily, but He would not do a miracle to please the devil. He would not do anything that the devil told Him to do, for Jesus knew the devil would not tell Him to do what was right. He never does tell men to do the right thing. Jesus said that men needed bread to eat, but they also needed to obey God's Word.

The Wicked One Wanted Jesus to Displease God

The wicked one took Jesus to the top of the high Temple and told Him to throw Himself down to the ground. He said that God would take care of Him and He would not be hurt. But Jesus again refused to do what the devil told Him to do, because He knew the devil did not tell Him the truth and only wanted Him to do what was wrong. God will take care of those who love and trust Him when they are in danger where they cannot help themselves, but He does not want people to get into needless danger and then expect Him to take care of them. Some people do that, but Jesus did not.

The Wicked One Wanted Jesus to Worship Him

Last of all, the devil took Jesus to a high mountain and showed Him many things, and said he would give it all to Jesus if He would fall down and worship him. It was a terrible thing for the devil to ask Jesus to do, and Jesus told him that God's Word said people should worship God only.

Angels Came to Jesus to Care for Him

When Jesus finally told the devil to go, he went away. Then angels came to Jesus; perhaps they brought Him food to eat, and took good care of Him. God was surely pleased with Jesus for not obeying the devil, and for doing only the things that He knew would please God. God said Jesus was His beloved Son in Whom He was well pleased.

Questions

1. How long did Jesus fast? [MAT:4:2].

2. Could Jesus have made bread out of stones? [MAT:28:18]; [PS:50:12].

3. Did the devil leave when Jesus told him to go? [MAT:4:11].

4. Who came to Jesus then? [MAT:4:11].

5. What should we do when Satan tempts us? [JAM:4:7].