We’re going through Lent spending time every day, not alone but with Jesus in the desert, not empty but full of his Spirit, not resting but wrestling with the things that get between us and God, not relying on ourselves but trusting in God to win every battle thanks to what Jesus did.

Matthew 4:5-6

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down. For it is written:

‘ “He will command his angels concerning you,

and they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”’

Can we picture the scene here, and how different it is from being in the desert?

Can we imagine how high the temple stood and what visitors expected from the experience of visiting?

How carefully constructed was the temple to guide people into God’s presence and help them remember how special he is?

What did it mean to use the temple as a platform for something different?

Can we relate to the idea of using religion as a platform, for ourselves, or to claim God’s support?

Can we relate to the possibility of doubting whether God might show up? Do we fear that God might not be there, or might not care?

Can we relate to the temptation to throw ourselves into a crisis? Do we ever feel we need this to make God show up, or to strengthen our faith?

How would we answer the devil here?

We're inviting you to spend a few days reflecting on this before we look at Jesus’ reply in our next episode.