1. JESUS, THE WINNER OF TEMPTATIONS
Mark 1:12-13
Background: Jesus faced three temptations in the
wilderness: 1) the temptation of unsatisfied needs, i.e. the
terrible hunger of 40 days, 2) the temptation of power: would he
be content with the way of the cross or would he take the kingdom
before his time from the hand of Satan and 3) the temptation of
unbelief: would he take his difficult situation from the hand of
God the Father or would he demand a miracle to support his faith.
Questions
- Why did the Holy Spirit drive Jesus to the same situation as
Eve had been at the beginning of the world?
- What do you think: does the Holy Spirit lead us to be tempted
by Satan and if so, for what purpose?
- Why did Jesus’ temptation have to take place in the
desert, not in the Garden of Eden?
- What was common and what was different in the temptations
experienced by Eve and Jesus?
- Which temptation was stronger: the one that Eve experienced
or the one that Jesus experienced? Give reasons for your answer.
- Why did Eve experience only one temptation, but Jesus had to
experience three of them?
- Mark is the only evangelist to mention animals in this
context. What does he try to say by that?
- What does it mean that angels served him or took care of him
in the desert?
- What do you think; will angels serve you when you are in
great temptation? Give reasons for your answer.
- Why does Paul call Jesus “the last Adam” (1 Cor.
15:45)?
Concluding questions
- Why does everyone have to be tempted? (What would we be like
if we were not tempted to sin and we didn’t fall into it?)
- Why did Jesus have to experience the same temptations as Eve
and each one of us?
- Where is the glad tidings in this text?
Glad tidings: Eve fell into her temptation, Adam
fell into his temptation, and you and I have fallen into
temptations for a million times. However, Jesus overcame all our
temptations for us as our substituteand suffered the punishment
that we have earned by our disobedience.