(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?