Lesson 1: Jesus in the wilderness.
Passage: Matthew 4:1-11 - Jesus goes into the wilderness to fast and is tested three times by the Villain. First, he is tempted to turn stones into bread; second, he is tempted to test God’s protection of him by jumping off a high cliff; and third, he is tempted to worship the Villain in order to receive all the kingdoms of the world. Jesus overcomes each one of these temptations by leaning on Scripture and trusting in God.
Big Idea: Jesus overcomes challenges.
For Teachers:
Lesson plan.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: Marshmallow Test Video — Activity Leader
Show the class the “Marshmallow Test” on YouTube, to illustrate the concept of being tempted.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we’re starting a brand new series! We’ve been talking about the different teachings of Jesus, but now we’re going to talk about some of the times when Jesus went through a bunch of different challenges.
Does anyone know what a challenge is?
Have you ever had any challenges, something that was hard that you had to go through?
In today’s story we’ll find out about one time when Jesus went through a hard test or challenge.
Let’s watch our video to find out more about the story…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
In the story we heard that there was someone called the Villain that was testing Jesus, and there were three tests, can you remember any of them?
Do you think it might have been hard for Jesus to say no to the Villain when he was being tested?
Why do you think Jesus was able to beat all of the Villains tests? Where do you think Jesus got his strength to say no when he was tested?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the story we heard today about how Jesus was challenged and tested by the Villain, but always won in the end. Thank you that we know that when we go through something that’s hard or challenging, that we can beat it just like Jesus did when we trust in you, and ask you to help us and give us strength. Help us to always do our best to do the right thing even when it’s hard. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Colouring Pages — Activity Leader
Colouring pages will be available.
If a child is uninterested in the activity, allow them to move to free play.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: Marshmallow Test Video — Activity Leader
Show the class the “Marshmallow Test” on YouTube, to illustrate the concept of being tempted.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we’re starting a brand new series! We’ve been talking about the different teachings of Jesus, but now we’re going to talk about some of the times when Jesus went through a bunch of different challenges.
Does anyone know what a challenge is?
Have you ever had any challenges, something that was hard that you had to go through?
In today’s story we’ll find out about one time when Jesus went through a hard test or challenge.
Let’s watch our video to find out more about the story…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
In the story we heard that there was someone called the Villain that was testing Jesus, and there were three tests, can you remember any of them?
Do you think it might have been hard for Jesus to say no to the Villain when he was being tested?
Why do you think Jesus was able to beat all of the Villains tests? Where do you think Jesus got his strength to say no when he was tested?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the story we heard today about how Jesus was challenged and tested by the Villain, but always won in the end. Thank you that we know that when we go through something that’s hard or challenging, that we can beat it just like Jesus did when we trust in you, and ask you to help us and give us strength. Help us to always do our best to do the right thing even when it’s hard. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Resisting Temptation Plate Spinners — Activity Leader
As a group, talk about the things we might be tempted to do (hit our sibling, say rude words, steal friend’s things, sneak a cookie, etc), as well as the things we can do to help us resist temptation (pray, tell a parent, go for a walk, scream into pillow, write in journal, etc).
The kids will make paper plate spinners with these options for resisting temptation written or symbolically drawn into pie slices with an arrow spinner in the middle.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Introduce yourself, welcome the kids to class.
Warm Up Activity: Marshmallow Test Video — Activity Leader
Show the kids the “Marshmallow Test” on YouTube to illustrate the idea of being tempted.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we’re starting a brand new series called Challenger. So far we’ve learned about the stories, miracles, and teachings of Jesus, and now we’re moving on to learn about some of the times when he went through different challenges and opposition from those around him.
Can you think of a big challenge that you’ve faced before?
Today’s story is all about a time when Jesus was challenged by someone who we will call the Villain, that is, the enemy of God.
Let’s watch our video to find out more about the story…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Can anyone tell me what the three tests were that the Villain put Jesus through? Which one do you think would be the hardest and why?
When Jesus was tempted to turn stones to bread when he was hungry, do you think that the problem is the bread or eating? What do you think was the deeper meaning behind that test?
What do you think is the deeper meaning before the two other tests?
What do you think helped Jesus to overcome temptations?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the story we heard today about how Jesus was tempted by the Villain but overcame every test that was thrown at him. Thank you that we can also overcome all the challenges we face with the help and strength that you give us. Please help us to remember that you are always with us even in the difficulties, challenges, and tests that we might go through. And please help us to stay strong in what we believe and to do what is right even when it’s not easy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Resisting Temptation Plate Spinners — Activity Leader
As a group, talk about the things we might be tempted to do (hit our sibling, say rude words, steal friend’s things, sneak a cookie, etc), as well as the things we can do to help us resist temptation (pray, tell a parent, go for a walk, scream into pillow, write in journal, etc).
Make paper plate spinners with these options for resisting temptation written or symbolically drawn into pie slices with an arrow spinner in the middle.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
For Parents:
Follow-up questions.
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Do you remember some of the ways that Jesus was tested? What did he do?
Where do you think Jesus got all his strength to go through those hard tests?
What do you think you can do when you go through a hard challenge?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Can you remember the different ways Jesus was tested? What did he do?
Where do you think Jesus got all his strength to say no to the Villain?
What do you think is the biggest challenge you’ve had? What did you do?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Can you remember what the story was all about? What did you think of it?
What do you think it says about Jesus that he was able to resist all those temptations?
Have you ever been tested or challenged in a big way? How do you face those challenges when they happen?
