Luke 4:1-13 (ESV)
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and
was led by the Spirit in the wilderness [2] for forty days, being tempted by
the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he
was hungry. [3] The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command
this stone to become bread." [4] And Jesus answered him, "It is
written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone.' " [5] And the devil took him
up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, [6] and
said to him, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for
it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. [7] If you, then,
will worship me, it will all be yours." [8] And Jesus answered him,
"It is written, " 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only
shall you serve.' " [9] And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the
pinnacle of the temple and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw
yourself down from here, [10] for it is written, " 'He will command his
angels concerning you, to guard you,' [11] and " 'On their hands they will
bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.' " [12] And Jesus
answered him, "It is said, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the
test.' " [13] And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed
from him until an opportune time.
Questions for Reflection
1. Why do people laugh when they hear someone say, “I can resist anything except temptation”?
2. After forty days of fasting and facing temptations, how did Jesus feel? (4:2)
3. How did the devil challenge Jesus to prove He was the Son of God? (4:3, 9-10)
4. How did Jesus reply when the devil urged Him to turn a stone into bread? (4:4)
5. Where did Jesus get the answers He gave the devil? (4:4, 8, 12)
6. What physical needs or desires make us vulnerable to temptation?
7. How might we be tempted to worship the devil in exchange for power or position?
8. In what situations are you sometimes tempted to put the Lord to the test?
9. What did Jesus use repeatedly in resisting the devil’s temptations?
10. How can a person become skillful at using the Bible as Jesus did?
