Bible Study – First Sunday in Lent “Seeking Another Way”
Share: Your highs (something that made you happy) and lows (something that made you sad) this week with others around you or write them down.
Lent invites us to step off our mental treadmills, take a breath, and look around. Lent invites us to ask: Where are we demanding solutions? Where can we risk staying in tension? Where are we blind just not noticing? What do we thirst for? Where are we bound or stuck? What will we risk doing during these 40 days of Lent to clear a space in which Easter can break through?
A good deal of the media around us assures us that if we get it right, wear the latest styles, and gather the most toys we will have arrived. What if there was another way?
Today’s passage includes a lively discussion between Jesus and the Devil. Although it is clear that evil is loose in the world, the dualism implicit in evil as a person (the Devil) is a problem for many. Have you ever had the experience of arguing with yourselves: having an idea and then noticing that it is not a good idea after all?
Think of ways you can get off the consumer wagon. How are decisions about what we think we need influenced by television, media, what we see in computer ads, etc? What might be some alternative responses? (Plain t-shirts rather than designer t-shirts, tap water rather than bottled water, healthy snacks rather than junk food, etc.)
Opening Prayer: Thank you, God, for this time to notice things we want to either stop doing or begin doing so we can become closer to you. Amen.
Please open your Bibles to Matthew 4:1-11 and read or read the scriptures below.
Matthew 4:1-11
Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness
4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[c]”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[d]”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[e]”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Questions (Answers at the Bottom of the Page):
- Why do you think Jesus went out into the wilderness?
- What does the fact that Jesus was tempted tell us about the kind of person he was?
First Temptation:
- What would have been good about turning stones into bread?
- What was the problem with turning stones into bread?
- What do we think Jesus meant by his answer (verse 4b)?
Second Temptation:
- What could have been good about the second temptation?
- What was not good about this temptation?
Third Temptation:
- What could have been good about Jesus getting to be in charge of the whole world?
- What was not so good about this?
What does this say to us today?
- Are there things we might do that start out good and then go bad?
- How could wanting to get good grades end up turning out bad?
- What other situations can you think of that could start out good and end up bad?
Memory Verse: Matthew 4:10 - Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.
Click here for the young learner’s lesson.
Videos (Click on url)
A Test in the Desert: Jesus is Tempted Matthew 4: 1-11 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJcP_gDxMh8
Book of Matthew Summary: A Complete Animated Overview (Part 1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dv4-n6OYGI
Song: B-i-b-l-e- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg582srC7cg&list=RDWg582srC7cg&start_radio=1
Activities:
Lenten Activities: What things could you either given up for Lent or taken on for Lent? Write what you think on a piece of paper. You can talk it over with God in private prayer. Also what can you do if you decide on a discipline and then discover that you have blown it. What can you do when you notice? (Oops! Tell God about it.) What do you think God will do? (Forgive us because God loves us.) Remember, you can always start again – that is what forgiveness is about.
Following is the 40 Realistic Family Activities for Lent website link: Print it out and try and to do the suggestion for each day for yourself or with your family. For example Day 1: Collect money in a money jar throughout Lent and donate at Easter; Day 2: Wake up with a smile and a hug
https://askmamamoe.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/40-Realistic-Family-Activities-for-Lent-1.pdf
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/92042386128162885/
Resist the Devil: Write or draw a picture that represents a temptation on paper. Then write what the BIBLE says about that temptation and how to Resist the Devil. Then write a pray to resist the devil when he tries to lead us astray.
The Temptation of Christ - Crossword: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/the-temptation-of-christ-1
The Temptation of Christ – Word Search: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/the-temptation-of-christ-4
The Temptation of Christ – Alphabet Soup: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/the-temptation-of-christ
The Temptation of Christ – Multiple Choice: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/the-temptation-of-christ-2
The Temptation of Christ – Jumble: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/the-temptation-of-christ-3
Prayer: Thank you, God, for showing us that your way is the right way and that you are not far from us. We ask you to bless us as we move through Lent, especially those things we name before you now in silence… (the silent prayer is considering doing or not doing during Lent.) Guide us and direct us in all we do. Amen.
Answers to the Questions Above:
- Why do you think Jesus went out into the wilderness? (He needed a place where he could think and figure out what he was supposed to do with his ministry.)
- What does the fact that Jesus was tempted tell us about the kind of person he was? (He really was a human being. All people are tempted by something.)
First Temptation:
- What would have been good about turning stones into bread? (Lots of hungry people would have benefited.)
- What was the problem with turning stones into bread? (God had not sent Jesus to do magic tricks, but to show people things they could do themselves.)
- What do we think Jesus meant by his answer (verse 4b)? (There is more to life than just getting your fill of food. And it is not just about being a winner.)
Second Temptation:
- What could have been good about the second temptation? (He sure would have gotten everyone’s attention.)
- What was not good about this temptation? (It would have made Jesus into a show-off. Jesus did not come to show people how to be big powerful people.)
Third Temptation:
- What could have been good about Jesus getting to be in charge of the whole world? (He would have done a much better job of governing than anyone else has.)
- What was not so good about this? (Jesus came to show people that God is right here and how to take responsibility for ourselves, living the life God has shown us.)
What does this say to us today?
- Are there things we might do that start out good and then go bad?
- How could wanting to get good grades end up turning out bad? (Cheating to get the grade? Refusing to help another as we spend all our time on our project? Spending all our time studying and not getting any exercise and fresh air?)
- What other situations can you think of that could start out good and end up bad?
