The Narrative of Jesus’ Life
The below account occurs right after Jesus’ baptism and just before Jesus starts his public teaching ministry.
Excerpt from the Gospel
Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. (ESV)
Sharing your Faith
- What are the commonalities between Jesus’ responses to the three temptations?
- Which of Satan’s temptations do you find the most challenging?
- Who ministers to you when you’ve faced difficult, even exhausting times?
Pray for One Another
Each person is invited to share a prayer request. Another participant will volunteer to offer the petition. Once everyone has chosen a prayer request, take turns offering the prayers aloud.
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This devotion is for the First Sunday in Lent, following the LCMS three-year lectionary. You can download a free copy of all the 2017-2018 Conversations about Faith & Life devotions on the Resources page.
Kevin Wilson 360 