Temptation - Kingdoms of the Worls

Temptation in the Wilderness, “Kingdoms”                                   19 March 2023                                                                       Young Adult/Early Career Bible Study                

  8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; 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, “Begone, Satan! for it is written,

‘You shall worship the Lord your God

and him only shall you serve.’”

1. What is going on in this reading?

2. St Luke’s final temptation is Matthew’s third, (tempting the Lord to throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple). Why would St. Matthew make this trial his final temptation in the wilderness?

3. What exactly is this temptation? To what do you equate this temptation in our “world”? How is it manifested in people? In what way is it different for Jesus? 

4. What sort of mountain would allow one to see all the kingdoms of the world (I can’t even see to Sacramento from Vacaville!)? Is the devil omnipresent or omniscient?

Look at Luke 4:5-7:

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 shall all be yours.”

5. See Daniel 10:12-14 (p. 772), Rev. 2:12, 13 (p. 1079). Does Satan “own” these nations? If this is so, how did he get ownership of them? How does this relate to temptations in the present day? See 1 John 3:8-10 (p. 1066).

6. How did the devil gain control of these kingdoms? How does this “ownership” relate to the Fall of Adam and Eve? See Romans 8;19-24 ((p. 983). Does the devil own America?

Look again at the top reading from Matthew

7. What would have happened had Jesus given in to this temptation (which, of course, the Lord never would do, but the devil foolishly thought he had a chance of winning out)?

8. Would Jesus truly rule over these kingdoms if he did not die on the cross? See Hebrews 2:14, 15(p. 1045), Revelation 1:17-18 (p. 1072).

9. How is a house blessing the opposite of the devil’s temptation? Luke 10:5 (p. 901). How about an exorcism? See Matthew 12:23-28 (p. 846). What about house blessings?  

10. Read Colossians 1:13-14. When will all this occur, or has it already occurred? See 1 Corinthians 15:25-28 (p. 1001-1002).

11. How does Jesus’ response to the devil instruct you in fighting temptation? 

12. How does the Lord’s response identify with your appropriate life decisions and responses to temptation? When we give in to temptation, what are we saying about the power of God? 

 

 

 

 (Pub. Friday, March 10, 2023)

Temptation in the Wilderness, “Pinnacle,” 12 Mar 2023

 Young Adult/Early Career Bible Study  

 

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying 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,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” 

7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

QUESTIONS

1. What ploy does the devil use in this temptation of Jesus in v. 5?

 

2. Have you ever thought that a change of “venue” would solve your problems? What does this teach us about the devil’s tactics in tempting us (or in us tempting ourselves)?

What was the outcome if you acted on such a “temptation”? 

 

3. Since Jesus refused to turn rocks into bread, what does the devil’s marvel of whisking Jesus to Jerusalem in the blink of an eye seem to communicate to Jesus about the tempter’s abilities and willingness to use his power? (“If you refuse to perform marvels, I shall have to oblige!’ )

 

4. Exactly what are the devil’s temptations for Jesus found in v. 6? How do the devil’s words deny the very mission of Jesus?

 

5. What would Jesus “accomplish” by throwing himself down? What is the rationale for his doing so? 

 

6. How is this temptation to perform a miracle different from, say, Jesus walking on water or turning water into wine? (None of which saved Jesus from the Cross.)

 

7. What do you think about the devil quoting Scripture against God? What is wrong with the devil’s interpretation of this passage of Scripture? See Psalm 91:9-12 (p. 516) for a complete rendering of the passage in question. What is the lesson for us here? Do we ever run into misuse of Scripture to justify falsely our actions?

 

8. This temptation bears a striking resemblance to an incident with the Israelites while they were in the desert 40 years. Discuss Exodus 17:1-7 (p. 60) and compare it to the temptation we are considering today. 

 

9. How does Jesus’ response expose the devil’s ploy? See Deuteronomy 6:16 (p. 158), Psalm 95:8, 9 (p. 518). How is the devil tempting God?

 

10. What are examples where groups have put God to the test by their religious practices? 

 

11. What is the difference between a leap of faith and a step of faith? How do we know we are doing one and not the other? How does the term “forcing God’s hand” relate to this temptation?

 

12. Could one ever use not putting God to the test as an excuse for serving the Lord?

 

13. What takes more faith, taking a drastic step to bring about an intended result or continuing along the steady, harder path? How does this relate to your faith in instances such as miraculous healings or trials of life?

Temptation in the Wilderness #2 “Bread,” 5 Mar 2023

 Young Adult/Early Career Bible Study #2 - The Temptation 

5 Mar 23

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 proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4:3, 4

Questions

1. Who is the devil? [See. 4:3, 4:10, 12:24 (p. 846), 13:19 (p. 847)]
2. What is the significance of the devil saying “If”? Relate to Mt. 27.39-44 (p. 864)
3. What is the devil’s goal in this temptation? 
1. Of all things possible with which to tempt Jesus, why did the devil select bread? See Exodus 16.13-16 (p. 60)
4. Of what is Satan trying to convince Jesus by this temptation? (Hint: consider why is the Lord is fasting in the first place?).
5. Have you ever felt God wanted you to do something, but you ran across some sort of resistance in doing it? Explain.
1. How does the devil test/tempt us with “If”? What is his endgame? See Gen 3.1ff. (p. 2) and James 1.5-8 (p. 1054)
6. How does Jesus stop the devil in his tracks? How can you do so? What is required in order for us to resist his temptations? 
7. What does “Man shall not live by bread alone” mean?
1. See Deuteronomy 8:3 (p. 159) , which Jesus quotes. What is missing from the quote? 
8. How do you live by every word from God’s mouth? How has this influenced your life? Why do Catholics appear to be deficient in their knowledge of Scripture as compared to some Protestants? Is this really so?
9. How does “not by bread alone” point out some truths regarding our teachings on the Eucharist? Also see John 6:48-51 (p.929) and John 15:5-7 (p.939)

 TEMPTATION IN THE WILDERNESS, Matthew 4.1-11

Meeting 1 - 26 Feb

 

Isaac of Syria 7th century

 

Regarding Temptations

 

Pray lest you enter into temptations of the soul. But for those of the body, make ready with all your strength and swim in them with every limb and muscle. Indeed apart from them it is not possible for you to draw near to God, for within them lies divine rest.

 

Whoever flees from temptation – not from temptation of desires but from tribulations – flees from virtue….

 

What virtue is accomplished without temptations? Or what temptation is more serious than the loss which He commands us to undergo for his sake? “He who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me (Mt. 10.38)),” and “Lead us not into temptation”; but throughout his teaching is scattered the entrance into temptations. For he has said: “Without temptations the kingdom of heaven will not be found (Luke 22.28; Acts 14.22). 

 

About which Temptations Must We Pray Not To Enter?

 

Pray that you do not enter temptation about your faith.

Pray that through your mind’s self-confidence you do not enter into 

    temptation with the demon of blasphemy and pride.

Pray that you do not enter into the manifest temptations of the senses which Satan knows how to bring upon you, when God permits him, on 

    account of the foolish opinions you have devised.

Pray that the [Angel] witness of chastity not withdraw from you and you be 

    tempted into the flams of sin and be separated from him. 

Pray that you do not enter into the temptation of being contemptuous of 

    anything. 

 

Pray therefore, that you do not enter into the temptations of the soul; 

namely, those which place the soul in struggle, in doubt and in 

provocations. But for those of the body, be ready with your whole body and with all your members, and swim with your eyes full of tears so that you may be found to b with your guardian [angel] amidst them. For without temptations God’s providence is not perceived, and familiarity with Him is not acquired, and wisdom of spirit is not learned and the love of God is not rooted in the soul.

 

Before being tempted one prays to God as a stranger. But when one has entered tribulations because of his love and has not undergone change, then, one who has laid obligations on God, he is considered God’s housemate and friend, who has contended for the sake of [God’s] will against the army of his enemies. This is the meaning of: “Lead us not into temptation.”

 

And again: Pray that you do not enter into temptations on account of your pride but rather because you love God, that his power may shine out in you. Pray that you not enter into these temptations because of the folly of your thoughts and our deeds, but that you may be proved a friend of God, and that his power may be glorified in your patience….

 

Furthermore, He uses this opportunity mercifully. If you consider the things of the body, you see that God gives heed to the weakness of nature, lest perhaps on account of the wretchedness of the body, we would not find strength before the violence of the temptations when they occur, and because of this also fall from truth when we are overcome by afflictions. Therefore He commands us insofar as possible one should not willfully let oneself fall into temptation. And not only this, but also, you should pray earnestly that you not be found intemptation by chance, if it is possible to please God without temptation.

 

But if it is necessary on account of great virtue that temptations assail, even the most terrible, and if only when one accepts them is it possible to achieve virtue, in this case it is not right for us to be partial to ourselves or to anyone. Not even because of fear may you abandon that great event upon which haggs the life of your soul, taking to disguise weakness…