Scripture Story Sketch Notes · Matthew 4:1–11; Luke 4:1–14
The Temptations of Jesus
“It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4
Forty days with God in the wilderness, then three temptations and three answers from scripture. Walk the map, look closer, and match each temptation to His answer.
Right after His baptism, Jesus went into the wilderness “to be with God” (Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 4:1). He fasted, going without food, for forty days. When He was hungry and weak, the devil came and tempted Him three times: to turn stones into bread, to jump from the high corner of the temple so angels would catch Him, and to worship the devil in exchange for all the kingdoms of the world.
Each time Jesus refused and answered with scripture, beginning, “It is written.” Then the devil left, and angels came and cared for Him.
Who’s who
Jesus: just baptized, preparing to begin His ministry
The devil: the tempter, never drawn here, only shown as a gray shadow
Angels: who came and served Him afterward
Where and when
The wilderness of Judea, then the temple in Jerusalem, then a high mountain.
Watch for the Savior
Each temptation begins with doubt, “If thou be the Son of God,” and each answer comes from scripture (Deuteronomy Matthew 8:3; Matthew 6:16; Matthew 6:13).
Eight stops, from the river to the mountain. Scroll, or tap a number on the map.
Part 2 of 7
The story, plainly
Four scenes: the wilderness, the temple, the mountain and the angels. Look for the Savior in each one.
Read it plainly
The words that trip people up
Tap any dotted word for its meaning. The scripture stays exactly as written.1
Matthew 1:2 “he was afterward Meaning: hungry.”
Matthew 1:5 “a Meaning: a high corner or wing of the temple wall. (See Part 3.) of the temple”
Matthew 1:6 “He shall give his angels Meaning: command, responsibility. concerning thee”
Matthew 1:7 “Thou shalt not Meaning: test, put to the proof. (See Part 5.) the Lord thy God”
Matthew 1:10 “Get thee Meaning: away from here., Satan”
Matthew 1:11 “angels came and Meaning: served, cared for. unto him”
Part 3 of 7
Look closer
This is a true account, not a parable. Some cards are details in the text; others share insights from prophets and Church resources, and each card says which.
0 of 9 turned
All nine. Bread, the written word, the pinnacle, the kingdoms, the mountain, a twisted psalm, the word if, a firm no, and angels. Matthew 4:1–11
Part 4 of 7
Where are you in the wilderness?
Temptation comes as appetite, pressure to prove ourselves, or the wish for more. Which feels most like your wilderness right now?
A next step for you
Your choice is saved only on this device.
Try it
It is written
Three times the tempter pushed, and three times Jesus answered with scripture. Tap a temptation on the left, then find His answer on the right.
Behind every answer: the word of God.
Part 5 of 7
Their world, their words
A little background, and the Joseph Smith Translation, help us read these verses well. Outside sources are labeled.
Scripture · JST
To be with God
The Joseph Smith Translation teaches that Jesus “was led up of the Spirit, into the wilderness, to be with God,” and that the tempting came after He “had communed with God.”10
He went into the wilderness to be with His Father.
Church manual
Forty days
“In the Bible, the number 40 is associated with several notable events.” Moses and Elijah also fasted and communed with the Lord for forty days.10
He prepared for His ministry as prophets had: fasting and praying.
Church manual
Which corner?
“Some researchers believe that the southwestern corner of the wall may have been the pinnacle of the temple.” The southeastern corner is the more traditional site.10
The text doesn’t say which corner.
Apostle · Hunter
Weary and hungry
Elder Hunter: “Such a time is always the tempter’s moment—when we are emotionally or physically spent, when we are weary, vulnerable, and least prepared to resist.”9
Jesus faced temptation at His weakest, and still overcame.
Word study · Greek
peirazō πειράζω · “tempt” (Matthew 4:1, 7)
Bible Hub: “to make proof of, to attempt, test, tempt.”12Outside · lexicon
The same word covers tempting and testing. Scripture Helps: “Afterward the devil came to tempt, or test, Him.”10
The accuser’s first move was doubt: “If thou be the Son of God.”1 Each time, Jesus answered with what God had said.
What the text does not say
Scripture never describes what the tempter looked like, so we draw only a shadow. The Joseph Smith Translation clarifies that the devil did not carry Jesus around; Scripture Helps says the devil did not “have power to transport Jesus Christ to tempt Him.”10 Luke tells the last two temptations in the opposite order.2
Part 6 of 7
Look to Him
He was tempted as we are, and He did not give in. Because He overcame, He knows how to help us.
Elder Howard W. Hunter: “We should take strength for this battle from the fact that Christ was victorious not as a God but as a man.”
“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind.” Alma 7:11
Another Testament
So He can help
“That he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.” Alma 7:12
Part 7 of 7
Seek Him today
His answer
“Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Matthew 4:10
Jesus answered with verses He already knew. Which verse could you learn by heart this week, ready for your own wilderness?
Try it today
Small daily answers to the tempter. It saves on this device, one day at a time.
0 of 6 today
This week:0 of 7 days
Six days of answering with the word. Come again tomorrow.
A quiet moment
“Was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
Read Hebrews 4:15–16 slowly. The Savior knows what temptation feels like. Pray now and tell Him about yours; then listen. Hebrews 4:15
A verse to hold
Talk about it
Why do you think Jesus went into the wilderness “to be with God” before His ministry began?
Jesus was hungry, and bread isn’t bad. What made this a temptation?
Why do you think Jesus answered with scripture each time?
What can you do when you feel tempted, like Jesus did?
Open
For adults and deeper study
Go deeper
Longer readings, harder questions, and where to study next. Each one says what it is before you click.
Apostle
Elder Howard W. Hunter, “The Temptations of Christ” (1976)
A close reading of each temptation, the meaning of the word “if,” why the Savior’s victory was real, and how we can live unspotted in a world of temptation.9
Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Inconvenient Messiah” (1982)
The temptations as appeals to appetite, the spirit and the price, and the encouragement that the hardest seasons often precede the greatest blessings.11
Quotations checked against the linked pages on October 7, 2026. Scripture is quoted from the King James Version as published in the Gospel Library.
“It is written”
He was hungry, tested and offered the world. He answered with His Father’s word and worshipped Him only. He knows your wilderness, and He will help you through it. Matthew 4:4
Everything on this page as a 11-page letter-size PDF: the map, scenes, cards, activity, word studies, tracker, Go deeper and sources. For home, class or a quiet Sunday.
The Temptations of Jesus is part of the Scripture Story Sketch Notes for the New Testament, set alongside Come, Follow Me for January 25–31, 2027 (Matthew 4; Luke 4–5).
Independent study notes from Weak Things, not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version. This is a true account, not a parable; the insights in “Look closer” are labeled by source.
