Great Fast Week 2: Temptation Sunday

OBJECTIVE

The gospel reading of the second Sunday of the Great Fast (Matt. 4:1-11) give 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 - 5 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 - "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.

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 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."

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

DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 5 Minutes

Share the 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.

LIFE APPLICATION - 5 Minutes

Even with 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: Coloring Page

Produce copies of "Coloring Page" in attachments below. Have the children write their names and decorate the paper as they please. Make sure they take it home to practice the memory verse throughout the week.

Option Two: Victorious in our Lord

Materials: Yellow paper, white paper, glue, scissors, ribbon, markers, hole puncher.

Give each child a large yellow circle and smaller white circle or allow them to draw and cut out the circles independently.
In the white circle, use markers to write out "(their name) is Victorious in Christ"
Glue the white circle on top of the yellow circle to resemble a medal.
Use the hole puncher at the top of the medal and string with ribbon so the children can wear it.
Discuss how the medals are a reminder that with our Lord Jesus Christ we can resist any temptation

Option Three: Psalm 150 Response

Psalm 150 Response Text & Audio

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.

SERVANT RESOURCES

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.