The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 7: The Temptation of Jesus

Introduction

It might seem strange to include this scene from the Gospels in our advent calendar, especially if we are aiming it towards children. I think however that it is important not to sugar-coat the real struggles we might face in life, and to draw comfort from how we see Jesus facing the very things that we struggle with today.

In today's passage (Matthew 4:1-11) we see Jesus stepping into the battle that Adam, Israel, and all of us have failed to win. He faces real temptation, just as us adults and children do, yet he never gives in to it. This means when we struggle with temptation, we can know that our Saviour truly understands. And even more wonderfully, we can rest in his strength: he has overcome every temptation, and he does so as the One who stands in our place and fights on our behalf.

Assembling your stocking

This is a pretty straightforward stocking to complete. Think carefully about the placement of the angels who are ministering to Jesus, and work out where you'd like the rocks to go. I used a few different shades of grey and brown for the rocks, and you can add in as many or as little as you like. I've intentionally made the rocks look a little bread shaped to reflect the tempter's challenge and Jesus's response in verses 3-4:

And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Again, I have used gold thread for the angels, and Jesus's shape is meant to show him sitting down, recovering from his arduous ordeal as he is tended to by the angels.

You can watch a brief video of this stocking being assembled on my Facebook or Instagram.

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