Great Fast Week 2: Temptation Sunday
OBJECTIVE
The gospel reading of the second Sunday of the Great Fast (Matt. 4:1-11) gives us the joy of victory over the one who tempts us. For our sake and on our behalf, our Lord was victorious over Satan. The Church reminds us that our journey has many temptations, because Satan, our adversary, "walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). But with the Lord we are victorious over our enemies.
INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 10 Minutes
Option One:
Pass around a tray with fruit on one side and candy on the other, without watching them. Tell the children to only take a piece of fruit, but not any of the candy. After they have passed around the tray, ask the students: "Did any of you want to take the candy? Did any of you take the candy when I wasn't looking?" If they did, ask them to please return it to the tray.
Discuss with your students how when we really wanted to take the candy, that feeling is called temptation. Many times we are tempted to do things that would be disobedience and sin. We are tempted because we are human. Any time we disobey a teacher or a parent, we are not just sinning against them, but also against God.
Our Lord Jesus Christ was tempted to sin, just like we are tempted everyday Let's take a closer look at how our Lord Jesus Christ responded.
Option Two:
Divide the class into two groups and play a quick game of "tug of war." Put each group on opposite ends of the rope. When you call "go", allow each team to try to pull the other forward. After the game, talk about how it feels to be pulled in two directions. Discuss how temptation is when Satan is trying to pull you into the wrong direction. Only the Word of God can help us keep our feet firmly in place.
In today's reading, the second week of the Great Fast, we are going to learn about how Satan even tried to lead our Lord Jesus Christ into temptation. Let's take a closer look at how our Lord Jesus Christ responded.
HOLY SCRIPTURE - 5 Minutes
Please read the gospel reading of Saint Matthew 4:1-11 aloud with your students.
Memory Verse - "But He answered and said, 'It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.''" Matthew 4:4
CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 15 Minutes
Our Lord Jesus Christ chose to be tempted to give us His life as a model for our lives. The Holy Spirit led our Lord Jesus Christ to the wilderness to be tempted not by chance, but to complete the Divine plan to save us. The Holy Spirit did not lead our Lord Jesus Christ to the wilderness to be tempted without His will, as the will of the Holy Trinity is One.
The reason behind the temptation of our Lord Jesus Christ is to teach us how we can overcome our temptation by His victory of His temptation. One of the main and powerful weapons that is set by our Lord Jesus Christ, is to face the temptation and be able to answer the devil with verses from the Holy Bible.
God also allows us to be tempted in order to teach you that you can become stronger, to continue in your humility, and to gain the promised heavenly treasures.
Our Lord Jesus Christ fasted for forty days and forty nights just like Moses and Elijah. Moses represents the Law and Elijah represents the prophets in the Old Testament. Our Lord Jesus Christ fasted for forty days to teach us the importance of fasting in the New Testament.
The answers of our Lord Jesus Christ in all the temptation started with the statement: "It is written". This statement was mentioned in verses 4, 7, and 10, as a sign for the importance of the Holy Bible in our lives
The kinds of the temptation which our Lord faced in His forty days fasting were
1: The stones become bread
When the Lord answered the devil and said: 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God", we can understand that, yes we do need to eat to live, but we need to know the importance of the spiritual food more. This includes partaking of the Holy Communion
2: Throwing down our Lord Himself from the pinnacle of the temple
Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'" The devil here used the verse in a wrong way, the original of the verse was mentioned in Psalm 91:11-12. The devil is trying to confuse us, by using Bible verses in the wrong way. It is so important not to misunderstand the verses of the Bible, we need to read all the verses together with the explanation of our holy fathers of our Church. Remember that you can always ask your parents, Abouna, or your Sunday school teachers if you have any questions about what the Bible means.
3: That Our Lord Jesus fall down and worshiping the devil
Our Lord Jesus Christ said to him, "Away with you, Satan For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve'". The devil is not saying the truth here, he does not own all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. He may own some of these kingdoms, as he owned the two cities Sodom and Gomorrah, which the Lord destroyed because of their sins, as we read in Genesis 19:23-25. However the city of Nineveh was saved from the hands of the devil because they repented and the Lord accepted them, as we read in Jonah 3.
This temptation is last because it is the most difficult one, it symbolizes the easy way of gaining anything we want. We need to worship the Lord our God, and Him only we should serve, we should not be slaves to the love of anything from this world. We are not from this world as Saint Paul said in Philippians 3:20, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ".
These three temptations were the same temptations that our father Adam and our mother Eve were subjected to while being in the paradise, they were subjected to:
- 1: The want of eating which is not allowed
- 2: The desire of being gods
- 3: The want of owning the tree of knowledge
All humanity falls in these temptations, but our Lord Jesus Christ was able to conquer these temptations We had been saved by our Lord Jesus Christ for the everlasting life, He offers His victories to be our victories
DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 10 Minutes
Share the first icon attached below with the children and ask them what they see. Encourage them to take a close look and share their observations. Some things to make sure are covered...
- Our Lord Jesus Christ is centered and the largest part of the icon to demonstrate His might.
- The cross within the halo or light around our Lord Jesus Christ
- The devil is defeated and is sent down and away from our Lord. He is also on the left of our Lord Jesus Christ. The devil is a green color, in iconography green is usually a symbol of evil.
- The angels are on the right of our Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 11 says, "...angels came and ministered to Him."
- The background shows the kingdoms of the world, that the devil used to tempt the Lord in the third temptation.
Next, look at the second icon. Have the children point out what elements are similar or different. The first icon was taken from the reading we shared today. Let's take a look at the same story in the gospel of Saint Mark 1:12-13.
"Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him."
Ask the children: How does this abbreviated story from Saint Mark differ from Saint Matthew's telling? How do the icons reflect each reading?
LIFE APPLICATION - 5 Minutes
Despite the difficulty of the trials, yet we are joyful, because our powerful God conquered the devil. No matter how strong our enemy may seem, and no matter how hard things get, yet he is a defeated enemy compared to our Lord's might and the power of His life-giving Cross. Remember to always count on the Lord to get you through any temptation or problems in your life, He will never let you down.
ACTIVITY - 10 Minutes
Option One: Crossword Puzzle
Distribute copies of the Crossword puzzle in attachments below. Allow the children to work in pairs with a Bible to find the answers and fill in the puzzle. Have them copy their memory verse on the back to take home and review.
Option Two: Paper Game
Distribute a copy of the Paper Game to every student. Hand out scissors to cut it out and then follow the folding directions. On the innermost six diamonds, write the following verses to help them combat temptations in their daily life.
- Lying: "Therefore, putting away lying, 'Let each one of you speak truth...'" Ephesians 4:25
- Unforgiving: "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." Ephesians 4:32
- Disobedience: "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice." I Samuel 15:22
- Laziness: "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men" Colossians 3:23
- Discouraged: "But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles..." Isaiah 40:31
- Lonely: "And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you" Deuteronomy 31:8
If you're having trouble with the folding, refer to this video (start at 1:55, about 6 min). Many of the students will already be familiar with this paper game.
Option Three: Psalm 150
Have the children repeat after you and sing through the verse a few times together. Encourage the children to listen for it in Church during Communion every week throughout the Great Fast.
Treasures of the Fathers, Essay on LACopts.org
Sermon by Bishop Daniel on Temptation in the Wilderness - See PDF attached below
PARENTS CORNER/HOMEWORK
Review the Temptation in the Wilderness story with your children at home. Talk about what temptations your child may face with them and good ways to overcome it. Remind them that they are not alone and that prayer and the Word of God are their most powerful defenses. Continue prayer and Bible reading routines at home to emphasize the importance of having God in their lives.