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Reply to "COMPUTER and COOKING Workshop Lessons & Ideas for Temptation in the Wilderness"

The Temptation of Jesus

Computer Workshop Lesson

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Uses the software programs- Life of Christ Software and Let's Talk (Sunday Software)

It's common to find both in a Rotation Model computer lab because they both cover a lot of stories and lesson ideas. In fact, I thought up the idea for Let's Talk on a drive home from church one Sunday having JUST USED Life of Christ CD, and wishing I had another program I could have used to FOLLOW UP and reflect on what we had learned. Let's Talk is that program

Let's Talk is now FREE to supporting members at Rotation.org. Learn more.

You could substitute the Life of Christ software portion of the lesson with another type of presentation about Jesus' temptation, such as the scene for the movie SON OF GOD (2016).

Scripture Reference:

Matthew 4: 1-11
"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”


Leader Preparation:

  • Read the scripture ahead of time.
  • Gather the materials.
  • Explore the software.

Supplies List:

  • Life of Christ CD
  • Let's Talk  (Sunday Software) Now free to supporting members. Learn more.


LESSON PLAN

Opening:

Welcome your students and explain to them what you hope they will learn today and how they will be learning it.

Software Time:

STEP 1. Use Life of Christ Lesson #12, "Three Temptations" (Matthew 4:1-11)
Summary: "Jesus is tempted by Satan in the wilderness and what those temptations meant. How do you prepare yourself to fight off temptation?"

View the presentation together and take the six question quiz at the end of the presentation. Have them do the quiz again if they don't get them all right.

[At the end of this lesson you'll have the option to view Lesson 13 "New Wine out of Water" (John 2:1-11), the Wedding at Cana. WHY? I think it's a VERY INTERESTING counterpoint to the Temptation story. When being tempted to help himself, and change who he was obedient to, Jesus resisted. But when asked to turn water into wine by a concerned member/friend of the family FOR THE GUEST and FAMILY, Jesus performs the miracle!]

STEP 2: Play the "Temptation Excuses Game" using Let's Talk's "TALK NOW" module

After a brief discussion (below), the kids and you will be playing a game using Let's Talk software to give voice to the excuses people use to give in to temptation. Whatever the kids type, their animated character that they created will speak OUT LOUD from the computer. (It's like a fun way to get your kids to answer your questions!

Teach the kids the following concept:

Share: There are the simple temptations, such as taking something that doesn't belong to you. But then there are the Temptations to do things which ON THE SURFACE don't really look that bad because you come up with a GREAT EXCUSE TO DO THEM (or avoid doing them). These kinds of tempations usually come with an EXCUSE:

"I can take $10 from my mom's purse because I am a good kid and she won't miss it. Plus I've been helping her a lot lately."

"I can lie to my friend about not inviting them to my party because I don't want to have to tell them my other friends don't like them."

"I will pretend to be too tired to go to church because I had a big game Saturday."

Jesus could have said, "I should make myself Bread because, afterall, I am the Messiah and it's such a small thing."

Many temptation are rarely about doing something really BAD, but rather, making something BAD seem like it is the RIGHT THING TO DO! The problem is that the excuse usually takes away something from you, like your integrity, your honesty. And it "diminishes" the other person from whom you're taking away. It can undermine your relationship with them and lead to bigger LIES. It also affects what you think of God. Since God can see what you do, all disobedience is OPEN disobedience to him! Nobody else may find out, but YOU and JESUS know it. Jesus knew that by giving into the "devil", he would be taking away from his loyalty to God. He would be using his powers to satisfy himself, and that would be a betrayal of all he stood for. He knew he was out there to prepare himself, not to look for the EASY WAY OUT.

"Bread" = because he's hungry and we all need to eat. So maybe I should stop thinking about God out here and take care of my belly.

"Kingdoms of the World" =because then Jesus would be in charge and tell people what to do.

And that's what Excuses often are all about: finding an easy way out of doing the right thing.

The Excuses Temptation Game:

The teacher will reveal the following temptation scenarios one at a time. The students will type into their Let's Talk "TALK NOW" screen their answer. They are to come up with a REASONABLE EXCUSE for giving into the temptation. (Notice how I have mixed the tempations we face, with those Jesus faced.)

1. Situation:
You are Jesus, you've been in the wilderness for days with little food, it would be okay to use your powers for yourself and turn a rock into some bread because...

Excuse:

2. Situation:
It's okay to hate a bad person because...

Reasonable Excuse:

3. Situation:
I need $10 to go to the movies but don't have the money, and I found $10 laying near a wallet, so I take it because....

Reasonable Excuse:

4. Situation:
Mom wants me to go with her to church this Sunday, but between school, sports and friends I'm pretty busy, so I resist going because....

Reasonable Excuse:

5. Situation:
It's okay to call somebody a jerk to their face and talk bad about them if...

Reasonable Excuse:

6. Situation:
It's okay for Jesus to use his powers to force everyone to believe in him because...

Excuse:

7. Situation:
If I were the Messiah, I would go to Washington DC and jump off the Capitol Building while being broadcast on CNN in order to win everyone over with this giant miracle, and that would be okay because...

Excuse:


Closing:

Have the students type into the TALK NOW module of Let's Talk a plea-prayer to God to help them resist temptation, and be aware of when they are making EXCUSES. Play them back. -and Amen!

Alternate Ending Activity...if you have time...

At the end of this lesson view Lesson 13 in Life of Christ CD: "New Wine out of Water" (John 2:1-11), the Wedding at Cana. WHY? It's a VERY INTERESTING counterpoint to the Temptation story. When being tempted to help himself, and change who he was obedient to, Jesus resisted. But when asked to turn water into wine by a concerned member/friend of the family FOR THE GUEST and FAMILY, Jesus performs the miracle!

Last edited by Luanne Payne
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