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If Thou Be the Son of God

Pressure lines that start with “if,” the wilderness and a hometown told as one story, and comeback lines that actually work

  • 🔥 Youth 14–15
  • Week 5
  • 📅 Sunday, January 31, 2027
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Jesus knew who He was and whose He was, so neither Satan’s “ifs” nor His hometown’s labels could move Him, and knowing who I am as a child of God and a disciple of Christ helps me stand too.

I can answer pressure the way Jesus did: with the truth about who I am and what God has said.

Study it yourself firstRead Matthew 4; Luke 4–5 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Matthew 4; Luke 4–5)
Know the chapters

Right after His baptism, Jesus went into the wilderness to fast. The Joseph Smith Translation says He went “to be with God,” in JST Matthew 4:1. Its footnotes also clarify that the Spirit, not the devil, took Jesus to the temple’s pinnacle and the high mountain. The devil came to Him there. Notice how Satan opens two of the three temptations: “If thou be the Son of God,” in Matthew 4:3 and 6. Before he asks for anything, he pokes at identity. Every time, Jesus answers with scripture. He says, “It is written,” in 4:4, 7 and 10, quoting Deuteronomy. The manual shares a prophet’s summary of three kinds of temptation. Appetites and passions. Pride and vanity. A hunger for riches or power. Hebrews 4:15 says Jesus was tempted in all points like we are, yet without sin. Being tempted isn’t a sin. Your youth need to hear that plainly.

Back home in Nazareth, Jesus stood in the synagogue and read Isaiah’s prophecy of the Anointed One. That’s Luke 4:18–19, quoting Isaiah 61:1–2. He said, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears,” in Luke 4:21. The crowd admired His words, then shrank Him to a label: “Is not this Joseph’s son?” That’s 4:22. He reminded them that God had blessed outsiders like the widow of Sarepta and Naaman. They tried to throw Him off a cliff. He walked right through the middle of them, in 4:28–30. Hometowns, group chats and old reputations can do the same to teens. They freeze them as who they used to be.

In Luke 5, tired fishermen have caught nothing all night. They obey a strange instruction, “Launch out into the deep,” and their nets break with fish. Simon Peter falls to his knees. He says, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord,” in 5:8. Jesus answers, “Fear not,” and gives him a new identity: a fisher of men. That’s 5:10 and Matthew 4:19. Satan says “if.” Jesus says “fear not.” That contrast is the heart of this lesson. Fourteen- to sixteen-year-olds are always being told who they are by feeds, friends and their own worst moments.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Matthew 4:1–11 and Luke 4:16–30. Open with “The Pressure Starts with If.” Tell the seven story scenes from the screen with their questions, then say Matthew 4:4 together. Talk through two or three Comeback Lines. Have everyone silently finish the sentence “God says I am…” and bear a short testimony.

What to bring2 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Read Matthew 4:1–11 and Luke 4:16–30. Then read the seven story scenes so you can tell them in your own words.
  2. Mark Matthew 4:4, 7 and 10 and Luke 4:18 and 21–22 in your scriptures.
  3. Think of one honest label someone put on you as a teen, or one you put on yourself. You’ll share it briefly during the story.

If your class is wild

  • Teens can smell a lecture. Let them name the real pressure lines they hear. Don’t supply cheesy ones.
  • The story is long enough to lose them. Keep it moving with one or two answers per question.
  • In Comeback Lines, ban “I’d just walk away” as a first answer. Make them find actual words.
  • If one youth takes over every discussion, use the Name Spinner for the next few answers.
  • Keep the testimony cards private. Nobody reads anyone else’s.

The 25-minute plan23 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Steps that mention Teach Mode, the Sound Board or other class games refer to the Gospel Sparks app; on the web you can play Forehead Guess and Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

The Pressure Starts with “If”

3 min

Youth feel how much pressure hides in the word “if” before they see Satan use it on Jesus.

  1. SAY“I’ll read a line. Show me with your fingers how much pressure it would put on someone your age. One to five.”
  2. Read three lines. “If you were really my friend, you’d send it.” “If you had a testimony, you’d never have questions.” “If God really loved you, this wouldn’t be happening.”
  3. After each one, ask what the line is really attacking. Listen for loyalty, faith and God’s love. Then take one or two real lines they’ve heard.
  4. SAY“Satan used this exact move on Jesus. Before he asked for anything, he went after who Jesus was.”
🌪️ If they start shouting edgy lines, say, “Real, but keep it class-safe.” Then move on.

Class screen: 🎯 “If you really were…” How much pressure is that? · Rate it 1–5 with your fingers · What is the line really attacking?

2. Story

The Story: Who He Was

8 min

Hearing the temptations and Nazareth as one story shows that Jesus knew who He was, so neither Satan’s “ifs” nor His hometown’s label could move Him.

  1. SAY“Two scenes today. In one, Satan tries to make Jesus prove who He is. In the other, His own hometown tries to shrink Him. Watch how He answers both.”
  2. Tell each scene in your own words as the screen shows it. Ask its question and take one or two answers.
  3. At “Is not this Joseph’s son?” share your own label in a sentence or two.
  4. At the end, point out that they couldn’t shrink Him or stop Him. He knew who He was.
🌪️ If a youth asks how Jesus could be tempted, read Hebrews 4:15. He was tempted like we are, yet without sin. Being tempted isn’t sinning.

Class screen: 🏜️ Satan said “if.” Nazareth said “just Joseph’s son.” Jesus knew better. · The wilderness · The hometown

3. Scripture

Scripture Spotlight: It Is Written

4 min

Youth learn Matthew 4:4 and see that Jesus answered temptation with scriptures He already knew.

  1. SAY“Satan made three pitches. And every time, Jesus answered the same way. ‘It is written.’ Let’s learn His first answer.”
  2. Teach the motions for Matthew 4:4 and say it together.
  3. Read what Elder Jorge F. Zeballos noticed: “He always answered Satan having scriptures in His mind, quoting them, and applying them at the right moment.”
  4. Ask: “What does it take to have a verse ready when you need it?” Take two answers. Then say the verse with the screen hidden.

Class screen: 📜 “It is written.” Man shall not live by bread alone. · 🍞 Appetite · 🏛️ Showing off · 👑 Power

4. Talk it over

Comeback Lines

5 min

Pairs practice real, non-cringe answers to modern pressure, the way Jesus answered with truth.

  1. SAY“Your turn to answer an ‘if.’ Short, calm, true. Not preachy, not mean. Something you’d actually say.”
  2. Show one line at a time. Pairs get about twenty seconds to build a comeback. Use the Name Spinner to pick who shares.
  3. The class rates each comeback on their fingers. One is cringe. Five is “I’d actually say that.”
  4. SAY“Jesus’s comebacks were short, calm and true. That’s the goal.”
💬 Ask the class
  • “If you were really fun, you’d stay out later.” What’s your comeback?
  • “If God cared, He’d answer faster.” What’s your comeback?
  • “If you were smart, you’d just copy the test answers.” What’s your comeback?
  • “If you were confident, you’d post more.” What’s your comeback?
  • Jesus answered with what God had said. What truths about who you are could you answer with?
🌪️ Don’t accept “I’d just walk away” as a first answer. Make them find actual words.
🎡 Name Spinner (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🥊 Comeback Lines: short, calm, true · 20 seconds to build it · 1 = cringe · 5 = I’d actually say that

5. Testimony

God Says I Am

3 min

A private, reverent moment to replace a label with what God says is true.

  1. SAY“On one side of your card, write a label or an ‘if’ that gets to you. Nobody will see it.”
  2. SAY“On the other side, write ‘God says I am…’ and finish it. Child of God. Forgiven. Called. Not done yet.”
  3. Give about forty-five seconds of quiet.
  4. Briefly testify that Jesus Christ knows who you are and who you can become. Point to the challenge and invite a youth to pray.

Class screen: 🪪 Flip the card: “God says I am…” · Private. Nobody sees it.

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Index cards or scrap paper and pens, one per person

  1. SAY“Look down or close your eyes. Think of one label or ‘if’ that gets to you. Keep it private.”
  2. SAY“Now, in your head, answer it. ‘God says I am…’ Child of God. Forgiven. Called. Not done yet.”
  3. Give about thirty seconds of quiet.
  4. Briefly testify that Jesus Christ knows who you are and who you can become. Invite a youth to pray.

Class screen: 🪪 In your head: “God says I am…”

6. Wiggle break

Three Pitches, Three Corners

3 minBONUS

Walking to a corner for each modern temptation reviews the three pitches and gets everyone moving.

  1. SAY“Three corners. Bread means appetite. Temple means showing off. Kingdoms means money and power. I’ll name a modern pitch. You walk to the one it matches.”
  2. Call out pitches. A risky video for views. Staying up all night gaming. Running the group chat. Brand-name everything. A dare at a party.
  3. When people split, one person defends their corner in a sentence.

Class screen: 🧭 Bread, temple or kingdoms? Walk to the pitch. · 🍞 Appetite · 🏛️ Showing off · 👑 Money and power

7. Game

Scripture Showdown: Wilderness to Galilee

4 minBONUS

A fast team quiz reviews the temptations, Nazareth and the call of the fishermen.

  1. SAY“Two teams. You get ten seconds to confer on each question. Then answer.”
  2. Tap Scripture Showdown.
  3. The losing team decides whether the last question is worth double.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown: Wilderness to Galilee

Story and questions

Who He Was: The Wilderness and the Hometown

Matthew 4:1–11; Luke 4:16–30 ↗

Scenes

  1. 🏜️🙏 Forty days in the wilderness

    Right after His baptism, Jesus went into the wilderness. The Joseph Smith Translation says He went to be with God. He fasted forty days and forty nights. Afterward, He was hungry and alone. That’s when the tempter came.

    🙌 Ask: “Why would Satan wait until Jesus was hungry and alone?”

  2. 🪨🍞 “If thou be the Son of God…”

    Satan’s first pitch? If You’re really the Son of God, turn these stones into bread. Before he asked for anything, he went after who Jesus was. Jesus didn’t argue. He didn’t prove anything. He answered with scripture. Man shall not live by bread alone.

    🙌 A youth reads Matthew 4:3–4. Ask: “What was that ‘if’ really attacking?”

  3. 🏛️⬇️ The pinnacle of the temple

    On the high pinnacle of the temple, Satan pitched again. If You’re the Son of God, jump. The scriptures say angels will catch You. Now Satan was quoting scripture too. He twisted it into a dare to show off. Jesus answered, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

    🙌 Ask: “What does a ‘prove it, jump’ dare look like for teens today?”

  4. ⛰️👑 All the kingdoms of the world

    On a high mountain, Satan showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. All of this is Yours, he said, if You’ll fall down and worship me. Jesus answered, Get thee hence, Satan. Worship God, and serve Him only. Then angels came and ministered to Him.

    🙌 A youth reads Matthew 4:10. Ask: “Appetite, showing off, power. Which pitch works best on people our age?”

  5. 🕍📜 Back home: “This day is this scripture fulfilled”

    Later, Jesus came home to Nazareth. In the synagogue, He read Isaiah’s prophecy. It told of the One anointed to heal the brokenhearted and set captives free. He sat down. Every eye was on Him. And He said, today this scripture is fulfilled, right in front of you.

    🙌 A youth reads Luke 4:18. Ask: “Who did Jesus say He came for?”

  6. 🏷️🧓 “Is not this Joseph’s son?”

    At first the town was impressed. Then someone asked, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” Isn’t this just the carpenter’s kid? We watched Him grow up. They couldn’t fit the Messiah into the label they already had for Him.

    🙌 Briefly share your own label. Ask: “What labels stick to people at school or online?”

  7. ⛰️🚶 He passed through the midst of them

    Then He reminded them that outsiders like Naaman had believed before insiders did. The crowd got furious. They pushed Him to the edge of a cliff to throw Him off. But He passed right through the middle of them and went His way. They couldn’t shrink Him. And they couldn’t stop Him.

    🙌 Pause. Ask: “Satan’s ‘ifs’ and Nazareth’s label both failed. Why?”

Key verse

Matthew 4:4 ↗
“It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
In plain words: Starving and alone, Jesus didn’t argue or panic. He answered with what God had already said. We can too.
🙌 “It is written”: tap an open palm like a book. “Not by bread alone”: hold up an imaginary loaf, then set it aside. “Every word”: sweep a finger across an invisible page. “Out of the mouth of God”: point upward.

More verses

Matthew 4:3 ↗
“If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.”
In plain words: Satan’s first move was to make Jesus prove who He was. Pressure often starts with “If you really were…”
Luke 4:22 ↗
“Is not this Joseph’s son?”
In plain words: His hometown shrank Him to a label. People who knew you at eight don’t get the final word on who you are.
Luke 5:10 ↗
“Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.”
In plain words: Peter felt unworthy. Jesus didn’t argue; He gave him a bigger future than Peter could see.
Hebrews 4:15 ↗
“was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
In plain words: Being tempted isn’t a sin. Jesus knows exactly what it feels like, and He knows the way through.

Forehead Guess words16 words

  • 🏜️ Wilderness
  • 🍽️ Fasting
  • 🐍 Tempter
  • 🍞 Stones to Bread
  • 🏛️ Pinnacle
  • 📜 It Is Written
  • 🏘️ Nazareth
  • 🕍 Synagogue
  • 📖 Isaiah
  • ⛰️ Cliff
  • 🎣 Simon Peter
  • 🕸️ Nets
  • 🌊 Launch Out into the Deep
  • 🐟 Fishers of Men
  • 🏷️ Label
  • 💪 Fear Not
Clues for each word
  • Wilderness: Where Jesus fasted forty days
  • Fasting: Going without food to be close to God
  • Tempter: Opened with “If thou be the Son of God”
  • Stones to Bread: The first temptation, about appetite
  • Pinnacle: The very top of the temple
  • It Is Written: How Jesus began every answer
  • Nazareth: Jesus’s hometown
  • Synagogue: Where Jesus stood up to read on the Sabbath
  • Isaiah: The prophet whose scroll Jesus read
  • Cliff: Where the angry crowd took Him
  • Simon Peter: Said, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man”
  • Nets: So full of fish they broke
  • Launch Out into the Deep: Jesus’s strange fishing advice
  • Fishers of Men: What Jesus said the fishermen would become
  • Label: What “Joseph’s son” was
  • Fear Not: What Jesus told Peter
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown9 questions

  1. How did Satan begin two of his three temptations?
    • A. “If thou be the Son of God”
    • B. “Behold, I bring gifts”
    • C. “Nobody will know”
    Show answer

    ✅ A. “If thou be the Son of God” Matthew 4:3, 6. He went after Jesus’s identity before asking for anything.

  2. How did Jesus answer every temptation?
    • A. He ran away
    • B. With scripture: “It is written”
    • C. He stayed silent
    Show answer

    ✅ B. With scripture: “It is written” Matthew 4:4, 7, 10. He quoted Deuteronomy each time.

  3. What does the JST say Jesus went into the wilderness to do?
    • A. Hide from Herod
    • B. Find His disciples
    • C. Be with God
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Be with God JST Matthew 4:1. He fasted to be close to His Father before His ministry.

  4. What did Satan offer if Jesus would worship him?
    • A. All the kingdoms of the world
    • B. A crown of gold
    • C. Twelve legions of angels
    Show answer

    ✅ A. All the kingdoms of the world Matthew 4:8–9. Money and power, the third kind of pitch.

  5. Whose scroll did Jesus read in the Nazareth synagogue?
    • A. Moses
    • B. Jeremiah
    • C. Isaiah
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Isaiah Luke 4:17–19. A prophecy about the Anointed One, fulfilled that day.

  6. What label did Nazareth put on Jesus?
    • A. “The rabbi’s student”
    • B. “Joseph’s son”
    • C. “The fisherman”
    Show answer

    ✅ B. “Joseph’s son” Luke 4:22. They couldn’t see past who they thought He was.

  7. What did Nazareth try to do to Jesus?
    • A. Crown Him king
    • B. Throw Him off a cliff
    • C. Send Him to Egypt
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Throw Him off a cliff Luke 4:29–30. He passed through the midst of them and went His way.

  8. What did Peter say after the nets broke with fish?
    • A. “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man”
    • B. “Let’s sell these!”
    • C. “Do it again tomorrow”
    Show answer

    ✅ A. “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man” Luke 5:8. He felt unworthy; Jesus answered, “Fear not.”

  9. What did Jesus say Peter and Andrew would become?
    • A. Kings of Israel
    • B. Rich fishermen
    • C. Fishers of men
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Fishers of men Matthew 4:19. They left their nets straightway and followed Him.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

From general conference

“He always answered Satan having scriptures in His mind, quoting them, and applying them at the right moment.”

— Elder Jorge F. Zeballos, “Building a Life Resistant to the Adversary,” October 2022

Read in the “It Is Written” scripture step, right after the class says Matthew 4:4 together.

Read the talk ↗

Songs

  • Come, Follow Me Hymns, no. 116

    The manual points to this hymn for the call of the fishermen; it’s about following Him every day, not just once. Find it ↗

  • I Need Thee Every Hour Hymns, no. 98

    A quiet prayer for strength when temptation comes. Good for the testimony moment. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Have Your “It Is Written” Ready

Pick one pressure you’ll face this week. Find a verse that answers it, like Matthew 4:4 or 1 Corinthians 10:13. Put it where you’ll see it, like your lock screen, your mirror or your notes app. When the “if” comes, answer with it.

Text the parents

This week in class we saw Satan tempt Jesus with “If thou be the Son of God.” His hometown shrank Him to “Joseph’s son.” And Jesus told a discouraged Peter, “Fear not.” Your teen is picking one verse to have ready for a pressure they face. Ask them: what labels do people your age get stuck with, and what does God say instead?

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

🎣 Launch Out into the Deep · 5 min

  1. Read Luke 5:1–11 together. Point out that Peter was a pro who’d fished all night and caught nothing.
  2. Ask why Peter might doubt a carpenter’s fishing advice. Then read verse 5: “nevertheless at thy word.”
  3. Ask: “What does the Lord ask that doesn’t make sense to you yet? What would ‘nevertheless’ look like?”
  4. Share the manual’s idea in your own words. When we turn our lives over to God, He makes far more of us than we could alone.

🍽️ Why Fast? · 4 min

  1. Read Matthew 4:1–2 and the JST footnote. Jesus went into the wilderness “to be with God.”
  2. Ask: “How could going without food help someone feel closer to God?”
  3. Invite anyone who wants to share an experience with fasting. Suggest a purpose for next fast Sunday.

📜 Jesus’s Mission Statement · 4 min

  1. Read Luke 4:18–19. List the five groups Jesus came to help.
  2. Each pair picks one group. They think of someone at school or church who fits it, without using names.
  3. Ask: “How could we join His mission this week?”

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

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