Matthew CHAPTER 19 Jesus teaches about marriage and divorce—Eternal life is for those who keep the commandments—The Twelve Apostles will judge the house of Israel.
Matthew CHAPTER 20 Jesus gives the parable of the laborers in the vineyard—He foretells His crucifixion and resurrection—He came to give His life as a ransom for many.
Mark CHAPTER 10 Jesus teaches the higher law of marriage—He blesses little children—Jesus counsels the rich young man, foretells His own death, and heals blind Bartimæus.
Luke CHAPTER 18 Jesus gives the parables of the unjust judge and the Pharisee and publican—He invites little children to come unto Him and teaches how to gain eternal life—He tells of His coming death and resurrection and gives sight to a blind man.
Heavenly Father wants us to marry in the temple and have eternal families. (Younger children)
Read Mark 10:6–8 to the children, and display a picture of a married couple. Ask the children to point to the man and the woman when they hear you read the words male and female. Explain that Heavenly Father wants a man and woman to marry each other (see Genesis 1:27–28).
Display pictures of a family and a temple. Invite the children to talk about what they see in the pictures. Explain that Heavenly Father wants us to be sealed to our families in the temple so we can be with them forever. Be sensitive to children whose parents are not yet sealed.
Sing a song about families, such as “A Happy Family” (Children’s Songbook, 198). Consider singing the song several times. Invite the children to share fun things they have done with their families. Why are they thankful for their families?
Sing a song about the temple, such as “I Love to See the Temple” or “Families Can Be Together Forever” (Children’s Songbook, 95, 188). Let the children hold pictures of temples or families, and invite them to hold up their pictures when they sing “temple” or “family.” Help the children think of reasons why is it important to get married in the temple.
Heavenly Father wants us to marry in the temple and have eternal families. (Older children)
Ask one of the children to read Mark 10:6–8 out loud. Explain that cleave means to “stick to” or “hold tight to” something. Why is it important that husbands and wives join together, love each other, and work as partners?
Show some toothpicks or popsicle sticks and show how easily one by itself breaks. Stack them together and show that it is much more difficult to break them because they support each other.
United We Stand Pair up two people of relatively equal size. Have them sit on the floor back to back, arms linked. Have them stand up by pushing off each other. Repeat, but this time have only one person push. (They helped each other accomplish the goal.)
God has established families to bring happiness to His children, allow them to learn correct principles in a loving atmosphere, and prepare them for eternal life. The home is the best place to teach, learn, and apply gospel principles.
Help the children think of examples of things that do not last forever—food that spoils, flowers that wither, and so on. Show a picture of your family, and share how you feel about them. Testify that the Lord has made it possible, through the ordinances of the temple, for families to last forever.
Sing together a song about families, such as “Families Can Be Together Forever” (Children’s Songbook, 188). Share your testimony of eternal marriage and family with the children. Invite them to share their testimonies as well.
Jesus wants little children to come to Him so He can bless them.
In your own words, share the account in Mark 10:13–16. You might also show the video “Suffer the Little Children to Come unto Me” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Help the children think of times when they have felt Jesus’s love for them. Bear your testimony to the children that Jesus loves them and wants to bless them.
Display the picture Christ and the Children (Gospel Art Book, no. 47). Help the children imagine what it might be like to be one of the children sitting next to Jesus in the picture. Invite the children to share how they feel about Jesus.
Let the children draw pictures of themselves being blessed by Jesus (see Mark 10:16 and this week’s activity page).
Tell the story of the rich young man in Mark 10:17–22 to the children. (See also “Chapter 42: The Rich Young Man,” in New Testament Stories, 105–6, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.) Ask them to listen for what Jesus told the young man to do and how the young man responded.
Tell one or more stories about children who ask for advice or direction from their parents but don’t follow or obey.
“Lost in a Blizzard” (January 2004 Friend) Danny asks his dad if he can ride the snow mobile over a hill during a blizzard. His father tells him he needs to stay on the road. He doesn’t listen to his father and drives over the hill and gets lost in the blizzard.
“Listen to Learn” (July 1992 Friend) Elder Russell M. Nelson tells a story about a young woman who asked her father if it was okay to go out with a young man. Her father had a bad feeling about it so he asked her not to go. She went anyway and died in an accident after the young man drank alcohol and went too fast around a corner.
What are some things Heavenly Father asks us to do? How do we feel when we obey His commandments?
Primary 4 Manual: Book of Mormon “Lesson 16” Have the children draw lines that will connect each word on the left to a word on the right to make a statement about choosing the right.
Friend October 2018 “I was trick-or-treating with friends and found $200. I told my mom about it. Later as we were walking down the street, a lady was looking for $200 that she had lost. She was so happy that we found it, and she gave me $10 for being honest. I shared $5 with my friends. I felt warm and happy because I was honest and chose the right. Leah D., age 6, Kentucky, USA“
Friend July 2018 “Show and Tell” I was playing with a friend who showed me a video. At first it was funny, but then a character said a bad word. When I hear bad words, it feels bad in my body, so I asked him if we could do something else. He said OK. I felt happy inside! Javaan F., age 9, North Carolina, USA
Share experiences when you received personal promptings to do something to be better.
Friend April 2022 “Go Sit by Him” The Holy Ghost tells Sierra to go sit by a boy who had been bullied and was sad and alone. She felt peaceful all day after she listened to the Holy Ghost.
Story: Jesus Christ taught that we should help people in need (see Mark 10:17–22). Read “The Owl and the Orca” on page 8 to learn how a boy named Dieter followed Jesus.
Song: “Keep the Commandments” (Children’s Songbook, 146–47)
Activity: Go to page 12 and become a service superhero!
Friend May 2023 “The Owl and the Orca” During conference, Dieter heard Elder Jeffrey R. Holland tell about Jesus asking a rich young man to give all his money to the poor. Dieter wanted to help the poor too, so he asked his mom to draw an owl and then he painted it. His mom posted it on online for sale and wrote that Dieter would give the money to a shelter for people without homes. Lots of people wanted to buy it. He sold it to a restaurant and other stores asked for paintings too. He was glad he could help others. (See a photo of the painting at the link.)
Ask the children to find a verse in Mark 10:17–22 that describes the picture in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. Explain that the counsel Jesus gave to the young man was personal, and we can all receive personal direction from the Lord through the Spirit.
Read together Mark 10:17–22. Invite the children to write on the board the commandments that the Savior told the rich young man to obey (see verse 19). What else did Jesus ask him to do? (see verse 21). Encourage the children to think about things they might need to begin doing or stop doing to better follow Jesus. What are some ways we can find out what Jesus wants us to do?
New Testament Seminary Student Manual (2023) “Matthew 19:16–30; Mark 10:17–31” Take some time now to ask God what He would have you change in your life. It could be something that you should stop doing, start doing, or do differently. Then reflect on your life and write down thoughts and impressions that come to you. (If your answer does not come quickly, continue to ask over time with a determination to obey the answer when you receive it. God will answer at the right time and in the best way for you.)
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families “Matthew 19–20; Mark 10; Luke 18” What is the difference between having riches and trusting in riches? (see Mark 10:23–24). As you read verse 27, you may want to point out the Joseph Smith Translation: “With men that trust in riches, it is impossible; but not impossible with men who trust in God and leave all for my sake, for with such all these things are possible” (Joseph Smith Translation, Mark 10:26 [in Mark 10:27, footnote a]). As a family, how are we showing that we trust God more than material things?
Everyone can receive the blessing of eternal life, no matter when they accept the gospel.
It may be helpful to know that being hired by the lord of the vineyard in this parable can symbolize entering into a covenant with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. The pay can symbolize the blessings of eternal life.
The Master’s reward in the Final Judgment will not be based on how long we have labored in the vineyard. We do not obtain our heavenly reward by punching a time clock. What is essential is that our labors in the workplace of the Lord have caused us to become something. For some of us, this requires a longer time than for others. What is important in the end is what we have become by our labors.
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families “Matthew 19–20; Mark 10; Luke 18” To illustrate the principles in Matthew 20:1–16, you might set up a simple competition, such as a short race. After everyone has completed the competition, award everyone the same prize, starting with the person who finished last and ending with the person who finished first. What does this teach us about who receives the blessings of eternal life in Heavenly Father’s plan?
Matthew 20:25–28; Mark 10:42–45. What is the meaning of the phrase “whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant”? (Matthew 20:27). How did Jesus Christ exemplify this principle? How can we follow His example in
One day the Savior talked to some people who thought that they were more righteous than other people. Jesus told them a story.Two men went to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee. The other was a publican, which is a tax collector. People did not like tax collectors. They thought tax collectors were not honest.The Pharisee stood in front of others to pray. He thanked God that he was better than other people. He said that he fasted two times each week and paid his tithing. The publican stood by himself, bowed his head, and prayed, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”The Pharisee thought he was perfect and did not need God’s help. But the publican knew that he was not perfect and needed God’s help. He was humble and asked God to forgive him.Jesus said that people should be like the publican. They should not think they are better than other people. They should repent of their sins and ask God to forgive them.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Luke CHAPTER 12 Jesus teaches, Beware of hypocrisy; lay up treasures in heaven rather than on earth; prepare for the coming of the Lord; where much is given, much is required; preaching the gospel causes division.
Luke CHAPTER 13 Jesus teaches, Repent or perish—He gives the parable of the barren fig tree, heals a woman on the Sabbath, and likens the kingdom of God to a mustard seed—He discusses whether few or many are saved and laments over Jerusalem.
Luke CHAPTER 14 Jesus again heals on the Sabbath—He teaches humility and gives the parable of the great supper—Those who follow Him must forsake all else.
Luke CHAPTER 15 Jesus gives the parables of the lost sheep, the piece of silver, and the prodigal son.
Luke CHAPTER 16 Jesus gives the parable of the unjust steward—He teaches of service and condemns divorce—He gives the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.
Luke CHAPTER 17 Jesus speaks of offenses, forgiveness, and faith—Even the faithful are unprofitable servants—Ten lepers are healed—Jesus discourses on the Second Coming.
John CHAPTER 11 Jesus testifies that He is the Resurrection and the Life—Mary and Martha testify of Him—He raises Lazarus from the dead—Caiaphas speaks prophetically of the death of Jesus.
Heavenly Father wants all of His children to return to Him.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Luke 12–17; John 11” Think about the children in your class, including those who may not attend regularly. How can you help them feel Heavenly Father’s love? How can you inspire the other children to help you reach out to them in love?
Give one child a coin, another child a picture of a sheep, and another child a picture of the prodigal son (see ChurchofJesusChrist.org or this week’s activity page). Tell the three parables found in Luke 15 and invite the children to hold up their coin or picture when you mention it. You could invite the children to retell the parables to each other in their own words.
Ask the children to share a time when they lost something. How did they find it? Explain that people can become lost spiritually when they don’t follow Heavenly Father. Testify that God wants people who are lost to come to Him, and we can help them.
Friend March 2001 “The Good Shepherd Game” Play the game in family home evening by hiding a lamb and letting a member of the family find it. If you wish, you can bleat “baa” louder or softer as he or she gets closer to or farther from the lost lamb. If a lamb is lost, a good shepherd finds it and brings it back to the fold.
Invite the children to think of other children who don’t come to Primary. Help them color or write notes inviting these children to attend Primary or a Primary activity. How else can we help these children feel Heavenly Father’s love for them?
Friend July 2021 “Dear Friends” I enjoyed the activity to blow the sheep to Jesus from the Come, Follow Me ideas (Sept. 2020). Ari S., age 4, Texas, USA
Help the children read the parable of the lost sheep or the parable of the lost coin, found in Luke 15:1–10, and share what they learned.
The Lost Sheep
The Lost Coin
The Lost Son
Write these names on the board: father, older son, and younger son. Show the video “The Prodigal Son” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org) and pause it occasionally so the children can write on the board some of the feelings of the people listed. How do Heavenly Father and Jesus feel about those who have sinned?
New Testament Student Manual According to the customs of the Savior’s time, a son received his inheritance only after his father died. For a son to demand his inheritance before his father’s death (see Luke 15:12–13) would have been an enormous offense. The son’s request would have been seen as a rejection of his father, his home, his upbringing, and even his entire community.
(Symbolic of a son (or daughter) of God rejecting his Heavenly Father, his upbringing in the gospel and its teachings, and as a result suffered the miserable consequences of sin. The other son, who stayed faithful, enjoyed the blessings of living the gospel and being a faithful son and had knowledge and abilities that the younger son would now need to learn. But the younger son who has returned can once again enjoy all the blessings of the gospel.)
The Pharisees criticized the Savior for receiving and eating with sinners.
What do you think the Savior hoped the Pharisees would learn from this parable?
One truth we learn from this parable is that Heavenly Father values and loves all His children and is waiting with open arms to welcome all who will turn to Him.
Ask a child to leave the room while the other children hide a coin or paper sheep. Have the child return and look for the coin or sheep. What are some ways people can feel “lost” like the coin or the sheep? Invite the children to suggest ways they can reach out to them. Sing with the children a related song, such as “Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd” (Hymns, no. 221), and testify of the joy that comes when people return to God.
Friend March 2001 “The Good Shepherd Game” Play the game in family home evening by hiding a lamb and letting a member of the family find it. If you wish, you can bleat “baa” louder or softer as he or she gets closer to or farther from the lost lamb. If a lamb is lost, a good shepherd finds it and brings it back to the fold.
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “Luke 12–17; John 11” Do your family members understand what it feels like to lose something—or to be lost? Talking about their experiences could start a discussion about the parables of the lost sheep and lost coin. Or you could play a game in which someone hides and other family members try to find him or her. How does this activity help us understand these parables?
Explain that Jesus used the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son to represent people who are “lost” because they do not have the blessings of the gospel. Invite the children to think of people they know who don’t have these blessings in their lives. What can they do to help these people feel Heavenly Father’s love for them?
Play Search and Find. Ask a child to think of a place where he or she could get lost and write it on a piece of paper or whisper it to the teacher. Have the other children ask “yes” or “no” questions to determine where the child is located (Is it in a crowded place? Is it in the mountains? Is it under something?). Help the children understand that it takes time and effort to find someone who is lost, especially someone who is spiritually lost.
Tell the story of the ten lepers who were healed by Jesus. Show the picture found in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families and invite the children to count to ten on their fingers. Then ask them to put down nine fingers to show the one leper who thanked Jesus. Help the children think of someone they could thank for a kind or helpful action.
Invite each child to act out something he or she is grateful for, and have the rest of the children guess what it is. Ask the children to share ways we can show Heavenly Father that we are thankful for our blessings.
Story: Read the story “One Thankful man” on page 46. How can you show gratitude?
Song: “Thanks to Our Father” (Children’s Songbook, 20)
Activity: Cut out 10 strips of paper. On each strip, write (or draw) one thing you are grateful for. Loop the strips around each other and glue or tape the ends together to make a chain. Hang your gratitude chain somewhere you will see it often.
Play this gratitude guessing game with your little ones! Choose something you’re grateful for, but don’t say what it is yet. List reasons why you are grateful for that person or thing until your child guesses correctly. Then it’s their turn!
Leprosy, more common anciently than today, is a skin disease that can lead to physical disfiguration and death. In biblical times, people with leprosy were separated from the rest of society and were required to call out “Unclean!” to warn anyone approaching them (see Bible Dictionary, “ Leper,” “ Leprosy ”).
Read together the account of the ten lepers. How was the leper who gave thanks blessed for his gratitude? Why is it important to thank God for our blessings?
The Lord often blesses us more if we are grateful for what He has already given us.
Friend April 2019 “God’s Great Gift” President Nelson asked the person who daily fed some tropical fish if they had ever thanked her. He says that some people are like those fish. They are not aware of God and His goodness to them.
Invite the children to list things they are grateful for that start with each letter of their name.
Friend November 2017 “Family Night Fun” Ways you can look for blessings every day.
Display the empty cup, the spoon, and the container of water. Ask the children to think of the many blessings Heavenly Father has given them, and explain that each time they name a blessing they may take a spoonful of water from the container and put it into the cup.
Place the cup and the container of water in the pan or dish to catch spills, and place the pan or dish on a flat surface such as the table or floor.
You may want to use the following questions to help the children think of their blessings:
What are some of the beautiful creations Heavenly Father has given us?
Who are some special people he has blessed us with?
What things can our wonderful bodies do?
Have the children take turns naming blessings and putting spoonfuls of water in the cup until the cup is filled to overflowing. Explain that Heavenly Father loves us and has given us many blessings. When we think of these blessings, we are thankful and filled with love for Heavenly Father. Heavenly Father has given us so many blessings that we can overflow with love, just like the cup overflowed with water.
Ask the children to write thank-you notes to Heavenly Father for the blessings He gives them. They could hang the notes by their beds to remind them to express gratitude when they pray.
Summarize the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (see also “Chapter 43: Jesus Brings Lazarus Back to Life,” in New Testament Stories, 107–9, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
Show the children a dead branch and a living plant, and ask them which one is dead and which one is living. Bear your testimony that because of the power of Jesus Christ, people who are dead will be resurrected and live forever.
Help the children memorize the phrase that Jesus said to Martha: “I am the resurrection, and the life” (John 11:25). Explain that because of the Savior’s Resurrection, we will once again see our loved ones who have died.
Write on the board some statements spoken by people in John 11. Ask the children to identify who said each statement, and invite them to search John 11 to check their answers. How would they feel if they were Jesus, Martha, Mary, or Lazarus? How can believing in Jesus help us when we are sad or scared?
Read Martha’s testimony, found in John 11:20–27. Ask the children to look for words and phrases that show that Martha had faith in Jesus Christ. What can we do to have faith in Him?
We study and practice to develop the skills we need in any earthly endeavor. So also do we develop faith. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,” the Apostle Paul explains (Rom. 10:17). Elder Henry B. Eyring of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles observes that “simply hearing the words of doctrine can plant the seed of faith in the heart. And even a tiny seed of faith in Jesus Christ invites the Spirit” (“The Power of Teaching Doctrine,” Ensign, May 1999, 74).
Once the seed of faith has been planted in our hearts, it must be nourished. Our faith in Jesus Christ is nourished as we study, search, and ponder the scriptures; fast and pray; participate in sacred ordinances; keep our covenants; serve the Lord and others; sustain our Church leaders; and obey the commandments.
As our faith in Jesus Christ grows stronger, we learn to walk with faith in Him. “To have faith in Christ,” says Sister Sheri L. Dew, second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, “is to believe in Him, follow Him, and rely on Him. And it is to be blessed with the peace of conscience and mind that the Apostle Paul spoke of when he said, ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me’” (Philip. 4:13) (“Our Only Chance,” Ensign, May 1999, 67).
Help the children memorize John 11:25. Explain that everyone will be resurrected, but only the righteous will receive eternal life and live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again.
New Testament Seminary Student Manual (2023) “John 7” During the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, Jesus explained how anyone could know for themselves that the doctrine He taught was from Heavenly Father. The Feast of Tabernacles (also called the Feast of Booths or Huts) began and ended on a Sabbath and so was eight days long. Part of this celebration included building temporary huts made from tree branches. People stayed in these huts during the feast to remind them that God blessed His people for 40 years while they lived in the wilderness of Sinai.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “John 7-10” Jesus taught that we can gain a testimony of the truths He shared as we live them. The peace we feel when we obey the commandments helps us know they are true. Consider how you might teach the children this truth.
Summarize John 7:17 in words the children will understand. Help them know that obeying the commandments helps us feel closer to Jesus Christ. For example, you could sing together a song like “Keep the Commandments” or “Choose the Right Way” (Children’s Songbook, 146–47, 160–61). Ask the children to listen for how we will be blessed when we keep the commandments.
Share an experience when you gained a testimony that a commandment was from God because you lived that commandment, such as paying tithing or forgiving someone who was unkind. Invite the children to think of an experience they had when they obeyed a commandment. Ask them to share how they felt when they obeyed.
Friend August 2018 “Puddles and Blessings” Marcel doesn’t want to go on a hike in the rain with his mom and the Young Women. His mom tells him something good might happen because there are blessings from obeying parents. At the hike he finds that his friend Noah is there and they have a blast playing in puddles together.
Friend February 2015 “The Blessing Quest” Nathan wants to ride bikes with his friends instead of going to church, but he learns that commandments are meant to help us be happy. He goes to church and is blessed.
Ask the children to draw pictures of themselves obeying a commandment. (Help them think of examples.) Invite them to share their pictures with each other and talk about the happiness they get from obeying that commandment.
Keeping the commandments will help me know they are true. (Older Children)
You and the children you teach may have had experiences living gospel truths and learning that they are true. How can you build on those experiences as you teach?
Write each verse of John 7:14–17 on different pieces of paper, and display them in random order. Ask the children to put them in the correct order and check John 7:14–17 to see if they are right. Invite the children to split into pairs and share their understanding of each verse with their partner. How has obedience to God’s commandments helped them know the commandments are true?
Share examples from the scriptures showing how people were blessed for living gospel truths, such as Daniel (see Daniel 6) or Elisabeth (see Luke 1:5–14). What blessings have we been given for obeying commandments?
A few days before class, invite one of the children to write about a time when he or she gained a testimony of a commandment by living it. During class, ask the child to share what he or she wrote.
In some ways, gaining a testimony is like learning a skill—both require practice and experience. To illustrate this, you could invite class members who have a particular skill, such as juggling or playing a musical instrument, to explain how they developed their skill. Why isn’t it enough to read about the skill or watch someone else perform it? As a class, discuss how the effort involved in practicing a skill is similar to the spiritual pattern the Savior described in John 7:14–17. How is it different?
Perhaps class members could share experiences in which living a gospel truth helped them gain a testimony of it. Give class members time to think of a gospel principle they would like to gain a stronger testimony of, and then encourage them to set specific goals to live that principle more fully.
John 7:39 Why did John say that “the Holy Ghost was not yet given”?
John referred “only to the gift of the Holy Ghost not being present, since the power of the Holy Ghost was operative during the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus; otherwise no one would have received a testimony of the truths that these men taught [ Matthew 16:16–17 ; see also 1 Corinthians 12:3 ]” (Bible Dictionary, “ Holy Ghost ”).
Surely, the Savior did not condone [sin. But He also did not condemn the woman. He encouraged her to reform her life. She was motivated to change because of His compassion and mercy. The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible attests to her resultant discipleship: “And the woman glorified God from that hour, and believed on his name” [Joseph Smith Translation, John 8:11 (in John 8:11 , footnote c)].
(Dale G. Renlund, “Our Good Shepherd,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 30)
Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: New Testament 2023 “John 7-10” Sometimes we aren’t aware of ways in which we judge others. Here’s an activity to help class members overcome this tendency: Ask the class to help you create a list of ways we judge people (on their appearance, their behavior, their background, and so on). Give class members pieces of paper cut in the shape of a stone, and ask them to select a way of judging others that they feel they are guilty of and write it on a paper stone. What do we learn from the Savior’s words to the Pharisees in John 8:1–11? Invite the class to write on the other side of their paper stones something that will remind them not to judge (perhaps a phrase from John 8).
President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency taught, “In this context, the word condemn apparently refers to the final judgment.” President Oaks further explained that Jesus did not condone the woman’s sin, but He was allowing her time to repent and acknowledging that her final judgment would come later:
Jesus Christ always did things that pleased His Father in Heaven. How can you help the children find ways to follow His example?
Help the children repeat what Jesus said about Heavenly Father in John 8:29: “I do always those things that please him.” Ask them to share things Jesus did that made Heavenly Father happy. Show them some pictures from the Gospel Art Book to give them ideas.
Ask the children what makes them happy. Or invite a parent of one of the children to share an experience when the child did something that made the parent feel pleased, or happy. What can we do to make Heavenly Father happy? Invite the children to draw pictures of themselves doing those activities to take home and remind them.
One day Jesus was walking with His disciples. They saw a man who had been born blind. The disciples asked if the man was blind because he had sinned or because his parents had sinned.
The Savior said that neither the parents nor the man had sinned. The man was blind so that Jesus could heal him and show people God’s power.
Jesus made clay out of the dirt. He put it on the blind man’s eyes. Jesus told the man to go wash his eyes.
As soon as the man washed the clay from his eyes, he could see!
When his neighbors saw him, they were not sure who he was. He told them that Jesus had healed him. The neighbors took the man to the Pharisees. The man told the Pharisees that Jesus had healed him.
Some of the Pharisees thought Jesus must be a righteous man. Others thought He was a sinner. When the man said Jesus was a righteous person, some of the Pharisees were angry and threw the man out.
Jesus found the man. He asked the man if he believed in the Son of God. The man asked who the Son of God was. Jesus said that He was the Son of God, and the man worshipped Him.
Some people think that living the gospel restricts them. How can you use John 8:31–36 to help the children understand that living the gospel actually makes us free?
Invite the children to read John 8:31–36 and share what they think it means to be a servant of sin. How do the teachings of Jesus help us be free?
Show a lock to represent sin and a key to represent how truths of the gospel can make us free. For example, knowing about the Savior’s Atonement can give us freedom to repent and be forgiven of our sins. Or knowing about the Word of Wisdom can give us freedom to avoid addictions.
The parable of the good shepherd can help the children understand that Jesus loves them and knows who they are.
Give the children pictures that represent something in the parable of the good shepherd, like sheep, a shepherd, or a wolf. Select some verses from John 10:1–16 to read to the children, and ask them to hold up their pictures when they hear you read about the things in their pictures. Help the children think of ways Jesus is like a shepherd to us. Bear your testimony that the Savior loves us and will guide us back to Him.
Show the picture of Jesus and the lambs in this week’s outline in Come Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. How do we know Jesus loves the lambs? How can we tell that the lambs love Jesus? How can we show Jesus that we love Him?
Friend June 2018 “Apostles Testify of Jesus” “Shepherds lead their sheep to food, water, and shelter and protect their sheep from harm. Jesus taught that He is the Good Shepherd. When we choose to follow Him, He can lead us to safety and peace. Lead the sheep safely home through the maze!”
Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd. We are His sheep, and He loves each of us. Ask the children how they know Jesus loves children.
Make paper sheep, write on them the names of the children in the class, and hide them around the room. Display a picture of the Savior, and read Doctrine and Covenants 50:41–42. Help the children understand what these verses teach about how Jesus Christ feels about them. Let them find the sheep around the room and put them on the board near the picture of Jesus so “none of them … shall be lost” (verse 42).
Make a matching game using phrases from Doctrine and Covenants 50:40–46. For instance, you could write “Fear not, little children” on one card that would match with another card that says “for you are mine” (verse 41). Read Doctrine and Covenants 50:40–46 together. Then mix up the cards on the floor, a table, or the board, and ask the children to match the phrases. What do these phrases teach us about Jesus Christ?
To help the children understand how the Savior is like a good shepherd show the video “Jesus Declares the Parable of the Lost Sheep” and ask them to find something in the video that reminds them of what they read. How does Jesus rescue us? How can we be good shepherds to others?
Friend December 2020 “Sheep and Their Shepherd” When Elder Stanfill was young his job at the ranch was to take care of all the abandoned sheep babies. He would drive his little VW to the field and honk his horn and all the babies would run and jump in the car and he would take them to be fed. Just like the sheep knew the sound of that old Volkswagen, we can learn to hear Jesus’s voice. We will feel His love and learn to trust Him.
Story: Shepherds take care of their sheep and keep them safe. Jesus Christ is our Shepherd. He said, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep” (John 10:14).
Song: “I Feel My Savior’s Love” (Children’s Songbook, 74–75)
Activity: Play a sheep guessing game! Pick one person to be the shepherd. Everyone else will be sheep. The shepherd closes their eyes while one sheep makes a baa sound. Have the shepherd guess which “sheep” made the noise. Talk about how Jesus knows each of us by name.
Friend April 2023 Come, Follow Me Activities for Little Ones Have your little ones look into a mirror. Tell them that Jesus knows their names, what they look like, what makes them happy, and what makes them sad. Help your little ones say, “Jesus knows me and loves me.”
“In Jesus’s time, the Palestinian shepherd was noted for his protection of his sheep. Unlike modern sheepherders, the shepherd always walked ahead of his flock. He led them. The shepherd knew each of the sheep and usually had a name for each. The sheep knew his voice and trusted him and would not follow a stranger. Thus, when called, the sheep would come to him. (See John 10:14, 16.)
Show the children a picture of a lamb. Ask them to name some things a lamb needs to be safe and healthy, and encourage them to look in Psalm 23:1–4 for ideas. Then show a picture of a child. What do we need to be spiritually safe and healthy? Read together Psalm 23, and ask the children how the things the shepherd does in this psalm could be compared to what Jesus Christ does for us.
As you study the parable of the good shepherd, look for truths it teaches about our relationship with the Savior. How will knowing these truths bless the children? (In this parable, the sheep of the Good Shepherd are those who hear His voice and follow Him.)
Write good shepherd and hireling on the board. Explain that a hireling is someone who is hired to do a job for money. Ask the children to list differences they find in John 10:1–18 between a good shepherd and a hireling. Why would you want to follow the good shepherd rather than the hireling? How is Jesus like a shepherd to us? (Note: A hireling is someone whose primary motive for working is getting paid.)
What is the difference between the Good Shepherd and a hireling?
President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) taught:
“At night shepherds would bring their sheep to a corral called a sheepfold. High walls surrounded the sheepfold, and thorns were placed on top of these walls to prevent wild animals and thieves from climbing over.
Sometimes, however, a wild animal driven by hunger would leap over the walls into the midst of the sheep, frightening them. Such a situation separated the true shepherd—one who loved his sheep—from the hireling—one who worked only for pay and duty.
The true shepherd was willing to give his life for the sheep. He would go in amongst the sheep and fight for their welfare. The hireling, on the other hand, valued his own personal safety above the sheep and would usually flee from the danger.
Jesus used this common illustration of [H]is day to declare that He was the Good Shepherd, the True Shepherd. Because of His love for His brothers and sisters, He would willingly and voluntarily lay down His life for them. (See John 10:17–18 .)
Draw or show a picture of a door. Read together John 10:7–9, and ask the children how Jesus is like a door. According to verse 9, what blessings come to those who “enter in” the door? How do we enter the door that Jesus Christ provides us?
Why did Jesus say, “I am the door of the sheep”?
New Testament Seminary Student Manual (2023) “John 10” Shepherds in Israel stood at the entrance of a sheepfold and inspected each sheep as it entered, treating injuries as needed. After the sheep were gathered in the enclosure for the night, the shepherd would lie down to sleep in the entrance, barring the way so that predators or thieves could not hurt the sheep. The Savior’s statement “I am the door” makes clear that He was willing to “lay down [His] life for the sheep” ( John 10:7, 15) and that He ultimately will decide who will enter the kingdom of heaven. Using an image similar to a door, the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob declared that “the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel” and that “he employeth no servant there” ( 2 Nephi 9:41).
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “John 7-10”To involve family members in learning from the parable of the good shepherd, ask each of them to draw a picture of one of the following: a thief, a door, a shepherd, a hireling (a hired worker), a wolf, and a sheep. Invite them to read John 10:1–18, 27–29, and then discuss as a family what the Savior taught about the things they drew.
4-5. Jesus Christ did the works of the Father. The Father gave him His fulness.
7. He was in the beginning before the world was
8. He is the Word, the messenger of salvation.
9. He is the redeemer of the world, the Spirit of truth, and the world was made by him
10. Worlds were made by him, men were made by him, all things were made by him.
11. He is the only begotten of the Father. He is full of grace and truth. He dwelt in the flesh among us.
12-13. He received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace
14-15. He is the Son of God
17. He received all power in heaven and on earth, and the glory of the Father was with him.
21. He was in the beginning with the Father. He is the firstborn
Ask the children to listen for something they learn about the Savior as you summarize in your own words some of the truths taught in section 93. (You could also use “Chapter 33: A Revelation about Jesus Christ” [Doctrine and Covenants Stories, 126–27].)
Think of a creative way to encourage children to read about the Savior in section 93. You could write on strips of paper several references to verses from section 93 that teach truths about Jesus Christ (for example, see verses 5, 9–10, 17, 21). Place the strips of paper in a container, and ask the children to take turns selecting one and reading the scripture passage to the class. What do we learn about Jesus Christ from these passages?
Take turns leading family members through your house or somewhere outside. If it’s dark, have the leader use a flashlight or other light source. Talk about how we are blessed when we follow the Savior. Help your little ones say, “I can follow Jesus Christ.”
To help your family discuss what they learn in section 93about the Savior and themselves, you could play a matching game. For example, you could prepare one set of cards with verses from section 93 that teach truths about the Savior (see verses 3, 12, 21, 26) and another set that teaches something similar about ourselves (see verses 20, 23, 28–29). Family members could take turns picking a card from each set, reading the verses, and trying to find truths that match. How do these truths influence how we feel about the Savior and about ourselves?Doctrine and Covenants 93:12–13, 20.
What does it mean to receive “grace for grace” and to continue “from grace to grace”? (verses 12–13). What do these verses suggest about the way we grow and learn? How does knowing this affect the way we treat others—and ourselves?
Jehovah is one of the names of Jesus Christ and refers to the premortal Savior. The Joseph Smith Translation clarifies that the prophets Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew the Lord by this name (see Exodus 6:3, footnote c). Usually, when the phrase “the Lord” appears in the Old Testament, it refers to Jehovah. In Exodus 3:13–15, the title “I AM” is also a reference to Jehovah (see also Doctrine and Covenants 38:1; 39:1).
Find some truths about Jesus Christ in Hebrews 1:1–10; 2:8–10, 17–18, and write them on strips of paper. Hide the papers around the room, and invite the children to find them. Help the children read the truths written on the papers, and talk about what these truths mean. If necessary, explain that Jesus is called the Son of God because Heavenly Father is the father of both His spirit and His body. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Hebrews 1–6“)
The Red Crystal After they have found the pictures above and discussed them, they can add them to the matching faded pictures next to the picture of Jesus. Have them hold up this picture and say why he or she is thankful for Jesus Christ
Story: Jesus Christ is “the captain of [our] salvation” (Hebrews 2:10). A captain guides a ship on the sea. Jesus can also guide us to heaven so we can live with Him someday!
Song: “I Need Thee Every Hour” (Hymns, no. 98)
Activity: Draw a picture of a boat on the waves. Then write or talk about ways you can follow Jesus Christ. How does He guide you in your life?
Pretend you’re sailing a ship together. How will you know where to go? Talk about how Jesus Christ is like a captain (see Hebrews 2:10). When we believe in Him, He can guide us safely through life.
Create two sets of matching cards labeled with words that Jesus used to teach about Heavenly Father in John 5, such as love, life, and works (see John 5:20, 26, 36). Lay the cards face down, and ask the children to look for matches by flipping over two cards at a time. As each match is made, read the verse that contains the word, and ask the children what the word teaches us about Heavenly Father.
Ask the children to read John 5:30 and complete this sentence: “I seek not mine own will, but …” How did Jesus Christ do the will of His Heavenly Father? How can we do Heavenly Father’s will?
John 5: 23That all men should ahonour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that bhonoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
Ask the children to complete sentences like this one: “Because my parents love me, they …” Read John 3:16. Then help each child repeat John 3:16, replacing the words “the world” with his or her own name. Help the children notice what this verse says Heavenly Father did because He loves us. Invite the children to draw a picture of Jesus. Let them share their drawings with each other and express their love for the Savior.
Sing together a song about Jesus, such as “He Sent His Son” (Children’s Songbook, 34–35). Let the children hold up a picture of Jesus every time they sing a word like “Son,” “Jesus,” or “Savior.”
Ask the children to draw a picture of their favorite gift and the person who gave them that gift. Then ask a child to read John 3:16. What gift did Heavenly Father give us? How does this gift show His love?
Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “There is no greater evidence of the infinite power and perfection of God’s love than is declared by the Apostle John [in John 3:16]. … Think how it must have grieved our Heavenly Father to send His Son to endure incomprehensible suffering for our sins. That is the greatest evidence of His love for each of us!” (“Love and Law,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2009, 26).
Ask the children to find answers to the question “Why did Heavenly Father send us Jesus Christ?” as they read John 3:16–17 or sing or listen to “He Sent His Son” (Children’s Songbook, 34–35).
If we believe in Jesus Christ, which includes repenting of our sins and obeying His word, we can have everlasting life through His Atonement
Friend April 2017 “Family Night Fun” Object lesson to explain the Atonement.
Pour some salt onto a plate. This represents us before we sin.
Now sprinkle pepper on the salt. The pepper is like sin. It keeps us away from Heavenly Father.
Rub the spoon on a towel. Then move it slowly above the salt and pepper. The pepper will stick to the spoon. Jesus’s Atonement lets us repent and get rid of our sins
What are some of the things that “bear record of [Christ]”? (see also 2 Nephi 11:4). Consider inviting family members to share something that they see “in the heavens above” or “on the earth” that helps them learn about Jesus Christ. For example, how do trees, rocks, or the sun remind us of the Savior? What do the titles “living water” and “bread of life” teach us about Him? (John 4:10–14; 6:35).
All Nations Will Call Him Blessed
Psalm 72.David speaks of Solomon, who is made a type of the Messiah—He will have dominion—His name will endure forever—All nations will call him blessed—The whole earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord.
Psalm 72 was written by David about his son Solomon, but much of it can also apply to Jesus Christ. As your family reads this psalm, they could hold up a picture of the Savior when they find verses that remind them of Jesus Christ. How can we help fulfill the desire that “the whole earth be filled with his glory”? (Psalm 72:19; see also Doctrine and Covenants 65:2).
Jesus Christ Rescues Us from the Consequences of the Fall
Write two titles on the board: Because of Adam and Eve and Because of Jesus Christ. Help the children identify the consequences of the Fall as you read together Moses 4:25; 6:48; Romans 5:12; 2 Nephi 2:22–23. Let them write what they learn under the first title. Then help them identify how Jesus Christ overcame sin and death as you read together Moses 5:8–11, 14–15; 6:59; Alma 11:42. Let them write what they learn under the second title. Why are we thankful for Jesus Christ?
Show a video about the Savior’s Atonement, such as “Because of Him” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Invite the children to share how they feel about Jesus Christ.
Place the picture of Adam and Eve next to the one of God the Father and Jesus Christ. Explain that when Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, they could walk and talk with Heavenly Father and Jesus. To help the children understand why the result of Adam and Eve’s choice is known as the Fall, take the picture of Adam and Eve and move it down below the picture of God the Father and Jesus Christ as you tell of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit. Adam and Eve “fell” or were removed from the presence of God. Explain that because Adam and Eve could no longer freely associate with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, this is referred to as the Fall. Adam and Eve’s separation from Heavenly Father and Jesus began mortal life on earth and was an important step in the great plan of happiness.
At the top of a piece of paper or on the chalkboard write the words Because of Adam and Eve and invite the children to share ideas that fit under this heading, such as:
We could choose to be born on the earth.
We know good from evil.
We became separated from Heavenly Father.
We will someday die.Help the children understand that we were happy to have the chance to come to earth (see Job 38:7). We would not have had this opportunity if Adam and Eve had not partaken of the forbidden fruit. We needed a chance to prove that we could choose good over evil. Gaining a physical body, having the privilege of choice, being separated from God, and being subject to death were all part of Heavenly Father’s plan for us to become like him.Write another heading: “Because of Jesus Christ.” List and explain the following blessings:
We will live again after we die.
We can return to Heavenly Father if we will repent.
We have a perfect example to follow.Give the children each a piece of paper and pencil and have them write Because of Adam and Eve at the top and Because of Jesus Christ in the middle. Encourage the children to take the paper home and discuss with their families the things we have and the things we will be able to do because of Adam and Eve and Jesus Christ.
It is important that the children you teach learn who Jesus Christ is and why they should follow Him. Doctrine and Covenants 93:19 ” I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness. 20. For if you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fulness. You shall receive grace for grace.”
Show a picture of the Savior, and ask the children why it is important that we know about Jesus Christ. Invite them to look for additional answers in Doctrine and Covenants 93:19. Invite them to think of one way they can learn more about Jesus during the coming week, and give them a chance to share their ideas.
Choose several truths you learned about the Savior in section 93 that are inspiring to you. For each truth you choose, read to the children the verse where it is found, and give them a key word to listen for as you read. Share a brief testimony of the Savior, and allow the children to share their own.
Invite the children to draw pictures of themselves with their parents. Ask them to share what they have in common with their parents. Explain that when Hebrews 1:3 says that Jesus Christ is “the express image of [God’s] person,” it means that Jesus and Heavenly Father have the same qualities and attributes. Talk with the children about how following Jesus Christ brings us closer to Heavenly Father. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Hebrews 1–6“)
Pass out paper to each family member and instruct them to list on the paper the traits they’ve inherited from their parents, such as physical traits or personality traits. Discuss how these traits help you and your family members know who their parents are.
Next, have each family member list traits they inherited from Heavenly Father.
Explain that Jesus Christ is “the express image of [God’s] person,” it means that Jesus and Heavenly Father have the [exact]same qualities and attributes. When we follow Jesus we can come closer to God and we can develop more of His divine traits.
1. If I had been a little child when Jesus lived on earth, I would have liked to walk with Him and listen to His words, But as I search the scriptures I can hear His words of peace, And if I listen with my heart I hear the Savior’s voice.
2. I hear a living prophet speak the things that Christ would say If He were here upon the earth to talk with me today, The prophet teaches how to live in righteousness and peace, And if I listen with my heart I hear the Savior’s voice.
3. I feel the Holy Spirit as he teaches truth and right, He comforts me in times of need, He testifies of Christ, He speaks to me in quiet ways that fill my soul with peace, And if I listen with my heart I hear the Savior’s voice.
Place a picture of the Savior on one side of the room and have everyone sit on the opposite side of the room.
Choose a hymn or Primary song about Jesus Christ to sing together.
As each verse is sung, everyone moves closer to the picture of Jesus.
Once everyone is close to the picture, share testimonies of the Savior and what He means to you in your lives.
Some psalms are set to music. You might listen to Psalms 23 and 150 by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square as part of your activity. Follow the words from your scriptures.
Discussion: What verses from Psalms or other books of scripture remind us of what Jesus Christ has done for us and help us feel His power and love in our lives?
The Psalms point our minds to the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
PSALM 2 A messianic psalm—The heathen will rage against the Lord’s anointed—The Lord speaks of His Son, whom He has begotten.
Several of the Psalms point to the mortal life of Jesus Christ. Christians in New Testament times saw these connections too—for example, they recognized in Psalm 2 a reference to Jesus’s trials before King Herod and Pontius Pilate (see Acts 4:24–30). Consider reading Psalms 2 and 22 along with Matthew 27:35–46; Luke 23:34–35; and John 19:23–24. Imagine that you were a Jew in Jesus’s time who was familiar with the Psalms and saw connections to the Savior’s life. How might this knowledge have been a blessing to you?
While one family member reads this psalm, others could look for similarities in Matthew 27:35–46. Then they could share their feelings about Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us.
Watch the video “My Kingdom Is Not of This World” from The Life of Jesus Christ Bible Videos. This video is available on LDS.org.
Following His Resurrection, Jesus Christ appeared to His Apostles and taught them that He had fulfilled the prophecies concerning Him that were written in the psalms and other Old Testament passages (see Luke 24:44–46).
Match the scripture passage in Psalms that includes a prophecy about the Crucifixion with the phrase in the New Testament that records the fulfillment of that prophecy (see Matthew 27:26–43, 46; Luke 23:46; John 19:31–33, 36).
Share with the children “Isaiah the Prophet” (in Old Testament Stories). Pause periodically so the children can talk about what Isaiah knew about Jesus Christ many years before He was born. Read to the children Isaiah 9:6, and invite them to repeat with you each “name” that Isaiah said Jesus Christ “shall be called.”
Write on slips of paper a few of the titles of Jesus Christ found in Isaiah 9:6 (see this week’s activity page). Invite each child to pick one, and help the child read the title to the class. Talk to the children about what each title means to you. Give a picture of Christ to one of the children, and ask him or her to share something about Jesus and then pass the picture to another child. Repeat this activity until all the children have had a chance to share.
Ask the children to give examples of titles a person might have, such as titles associated with a job, a calling, a team, or a family. What do these titles say about the person who has them? Help the children find titles of Jesus Christ in Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6–7. What does each of these titles teach us about Him? What else do we learn about Jesus Christ from these verses?
POLICEMANFATHERFOOTBALL PLAYERPROPHET
“How can Jesus Christ be both the Father and the Son? It really isn’t as complicated as it sounds. Though He is the Son of God, He is the head of the Church, which is the family of believers. When we are spiritually born again, we are adopted into His family. He becomes our Father or leader. …(M. Russell Ballard, “Building Bridges of Understanding,” Ensign, June 1998, 66–67).
Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Write the following scripture references on separate pieces of paper: Isaiah 14:3; Isaiah 25:8; Isaiah 28:16; Matthew 11:28–30; 1 Corinthians 15:53–57; Helaman 5:12. Give the papers to the children, and invite them to write on the papers the truths they learn from the verses and work together to match the verses that teach similar truths. According to these verses, what great things has the Lord done for us?
Ask the children to choose a phrase from Isaiah 14:3; 25:8; or 28:16 that reminds them of Jesus Christ. Invite them to write the phrase on a piece of paper and draw a picture of the Savior that they can display in their homes.
Has your family ever experienced the blessing of a safe shelter during a storm or of shade on a hot summer day? (see verse 4). Talk about this as you read these verses and other descriptions of the Lord found in Isaiah 25:4–9. How is the Lord like these things?
Showing pictures of the Savior in Gethsemane, on the cross, and after His Resurrection can help your family see connections between these verses and Jesus Christ (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 56, 57, 58, 59). Invite your family to share why they “rejoice in his salvation” (Isaiah 25:9).
“Since the line of Jesse is the royal line of kings from David’s time on, is there any question as to who this ‘branch’ is?” (Rasmussen, Introduction to the Old Testament, 2:45.)
Isaiah 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
On the way back to Kirtland, Joseph Smith and other Church leaders had a life-threatening experience on the Missouri River (see Saints, 1:133–34).
The Lord used this opportunity to warn and instruct His servants. What do you find in Doctrine and Covenants 60:4; 61:1–2, 36; 62:1 that encourages you to put your trust in the Lord as you face your own challenges?
How could you help your family remember that the Savior is “in [our] midst”? (Doctrine and Covenants 61:36) You could decide together where to prominently display a picture of Him in your home. How can we invite the Savior into our daily lives?
What reason do we see in Doctrine and Covenants 61:36 to “be of good cheer”? (see also John 16:33). Perhaps your family could write or draw pictures of things that bring them joy and collect them in a “good cheer” jar. (Be sure to include pictures of the Savior and reminders of His love for us.) Throughout the week when family members need a reminder of reasons to be happy, they could choose something from the jar.
Share the account of the man with palsy from Mark 2:1–12. For help, see “Chapter 23: The Man Who Could Not Walk” (in New Testament Stories, 57–58, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Explain that the man with palsy could not walk. Help them recognize that this man was healed by the Savior.
Invite the children to talk about a time when they were sick. Tell one of the accounts of Jesus healing the sick, such as Matthew 8:1–4, 5–13, 14–15; Mark 3:1–5; Luke 7:11–16. Invite the children to retell the story in their own words. Testify that Jesus’s power can heal, bless, and comfort us.
Friend May 2016 “Bad Day in the Badlands” Topher and his classmates get sick on a school trip. Topher gets a priesthood blessing.
Friend May 2016
“Jesus Heals the Sick” (April 2015 Liahona and Friend) Figures to tell stories from New Testament about Jesus Healing the Sick.
Matthew 8:1–4 ; Mark 1:40–42Jesus heals a leper.A leper would have been shunned from society because leprosy was a painful, contagious, and sometimes deadly disease. Most people would have avoided approaching or touching him.
“Lesson 13: Jesus Christ Heals the Sick,” Primary 7: New Testament Explain that lepers suffer a terrible form of skin disease. Because leprosy was thought to be highly contagious, those with the disease were often not allowed to live in the cities and they were shunned by those without leprosy.
After Jesus healed the leper, what did He ask him to do? (Mark 1:43–44.) What does this tell us about how we should help others?
Matthew 8:5–8, 13Jesus heals a centurion’s servant.A centurion was a commanding officer of about 100 men in the Roman military. Many Jews in Jesus’s day hated Roman soldiers because of religious differences and because they represented the nation that had conquered them.
Jesus healed man with withered hand on the Sabbath.
What do you learn about Jesus Christ from these miracles?
Jesus can perform miracles in my life as I have faith in Him.
Ask the children to pick one of the following miracles to read about and draw: Matthew 8:1–4, 5–13, 14–15; Mark 2:1–12; 3:1–5; Luke 7:11–16. Invite the children to explain their drawings to the class. What do we learn about Jesus from these stories?
Ask the children to act out how they feel when they are sick, sad, afraid, or worried. How can Jesus help us when we have these feelings? Testify that Jesus can help the children in all of these situations.
Friend March 2019 “Missing Mom and Dad” Dylan’s mom and dad were going on a trip, and he was going to stay with his grandparents. He loved staying with his grandparents, but for some reason he was scared about being away from his mom and dad for so long. He decided to pray for help, and he received comforting thoughts and feelings.
Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation included a Savior to pay the price for our sins. Without Jesus Christ’s atonement we could not be forgiven of our sins. To help the children understand this concept show them the ten minute video of “The Mediator.” Ask the following questions after the video.
• In the video a man borrowed a large amount of money. He was warned by his friends not to take on the debt. What did the debt represent? Our wrong actions (sins) we commit on earth. The man in the video got into debt because he wanted to do and have the things he wanted right then. He thought he could pay the debt back later, just like some people think that they can commit sin and then repent and fix the sin later.
• Why was the man not able to pay back the debt? The debt was too big for him to handle. He also wasted time he could have put toward working to pay it back. Sin is too big for us to fix on our own, and sometimes we waste our opportunities to try and fix our mistakes.
• What did the settlement day (the day the loan was due) represent? Judgment Day, which is when we will be judged according to what we did in mortal life. We will be held accountable for our sins and have to pay the price for them.
• What was going to be the price the man had to pay because he couldn’t pay his debt? He was going to lose everything and go to prison.
• If justice demanded the man pay the debt, why would mercy interfere with justice? If mercy is extended then justice is not met.
• What is needed for both mercy and justice to be served? A mediator. Someone who will pay the contract price that is due.
• The man in the video had a friend who paid the debt for him, but the amount was probably a big sacrifice for his friend to pay. Why did the man’s friend pay his debt? The friend loved him and didn’t want to see him go to prison.
• Who did the friend represent? Jesus Christ
• How did Jesus pay our spiritual debt for sin? He took upon himself our sins and suffered and paid the price for them.
* Jesus Christ took upon himself our debt. How can we repay him? We can never repay the debt we owe the Lord, but He offers us forgiveness of our sins if we abide by the terms which He has set, which is to repent and keep the commandments.
Jesus Christ is the only one worthy to be my Savior. (Jr)
John learned from his vision that only Jesus Christ (represented by a lamb) could be our Savior and fulfill the Father’s plan (represented by the sealed book).
Before class, wrap up a copy of the Gospel Art Book using paper or string. Using a few key phrases from Revelation 5:1–10, describe the vision John saw. Show the children the book, and tell them that the only way to open the book is to find the picture of Jesus that you have hidden in the room. When they find the picture, open the book and share with the children some of the pictures in the book that represent blessings available because of Jesus Christ’s Atonement (such as a temple, baptism, and families). Testify that the Savior is the only one who could make those things possible. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Revelation 1–5”)
What can save us from death? A doctor, pharmacist, or scientist?
Jesus is the only one who can save us from death. He died and was resurrected so we can be resurrected.
Who can save us from our sins? The bishop, a policeman, our parents?
They can all have their own little book that they can pretend to cry and cheer when they open.
Atonement of Jesus Christ As used in the scriptures, to atone is to suffer the penalty for sins, thereby removing the effects of sin from the repentant sinner and allowing him or her to be reconciled to God. Jesus Christ was the only one capable of carrying out the Atonement for all mankind.
Only He could redeem us from our sins. God the Father gave Him this power (see Helaman 5:11). The Savior was able to receive this power and carry out the Atonement because He kept Himself free from sin: “He suffered temptations but gave no heed unto them” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:22). Having lived a perfect, sinless life, He was free from the demands of justice. Because He had the power of redemption and because He had no debt to justice, he could pay the debt for those who repent.
As the only person who has ever lived a completely sinless life, the Savior was a perfect sacrifice, a lamb without blemish.
Summarize the vision described in Revelation 5:1–10, and invite the children to act out how John and others felt during different parts of the vision. For instance, they might pretend to cry when no one could open the book, or they might cheer when the Savior opened it.(Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Revelation 1–5”)
Jesus Christ is the only one worthy to be my Savior. (Sr)
Invite the children to tell about a time when they needed someone to do something they couldn’t do for themselves. Ask them to read Revelation 5:1–10 and look for what needed to be done that only one person could do (explain that the Lamb is Jesus Christ and the book represents God’s plan). What did Jesus do for us that no one else could do?(Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Revelation 1–5”)
What can save us from death? A doctor, pharmacist, or scientist?
Jesus died and was resurrected so we can be resurrected.
Who can save us from our sins? The bishop, a policeman, our parents?
Show pictures of several people, including Jesus, and ask the children to find which of these people is our Savior. Read Hosea 13:4, and emphasize that there is no Savior except Jesus Christ. Testify that because of Jesus Christ’s Atonement, we can return to live with Heavenly Father again.
Let the children take turns holding a picture of Jesus on the cross or in the tomb and a picture of Jesus outside the empty tomb. Invite the children to talk about what the pictures show. Read from Hosea 13:14 the phrase “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death.” Testify that Jesus Christ saved us from death and that we can be resurrected.
Sing together a song about the Resurrection, such as “Did Jesus Really Live Again?” (Children’s Songbook, 64). Help the children recognize the Spirit as they sing.
Invite the children to read Hosea 13:4, 14, looking for words or phrases that describe Jesus Christ. What do these words teach us about Him? Invite the children to use the Topical Guide or Guide to the Scriptures to find and share other scriptures that teach about Jesus Christ as Savior and Redeemer. Share your testimony of the Savior, and give the children the opportunity to do the same.
To help the children understand how the Savior ransoms or redeems us from death, show the video “Handel’s Messiah: Debtor’s Prison” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). What do we learn from this video that helps us understand what the Savior has done for us?
To help your family talk about Joel 2:12–13, you could place a picture of the Savior on one side of a room and the word sin on the opposite side. Invite family members to take turns facing the sign and then turning toward the Savior as they share things that can help us turn to Him “with all [our] heart.” Encourage family members to think about all aspects of their lives, including activities, work, school, and relationships. (Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Old Testament 2022 “Hosea 1–6; 10–14 Joel”
Invite the children to imagine a situation in which they might need help (such as being sick or caught in a storm). Show several objects (or pictures of objects), some that would help them in the situation and others that would not. For example, an umbrella would help in a storm, but a glass of water and a pencil would not. Ask the children to pick the object that would help in that situation. Show pictures of the Savior to help the children talk about how He helps us.
What would help us if we are sick?
What would help us if we were caught in a storm?
Read to the children Isaiah 43:11, and ask them to point to a picture of Jesus when they hear the word “saviour.” Testify that because Jesus Christ suffered and died for us and was resurrected, He is the only one who can save us from our sins and from death.
What can save us from death? Medicine, exercise, science, eating healthy? These things may extend our life, but everyone eventually dies.
Who can save us from our sins? The bishop, a policeman, our parents?
Give each child a phrase from Romans 3:23–24, written on a piece of paper. Invite the children to put the phrases in the correct order and read the verses together. Ask the children what they learn from these verses. Explain that “grace” in verse 24 means the Savior’s gift of love and mercy, which makes it possible for us to receive forgiveness for our sins and become better.
Hang a picture high on a wall or in another place that the children cannot reach by themselves. Let them try to reach it, and compare this to what Paul taught in Romans 3:23. Then help them reach the picture. What has the Savior done for us that we cannot do for ourselves? Invite the children to share how they feel about the Savior when they think about what He has done and can do to help them.
The below picture depicts heaven and returning to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus. I thought it would be an appropriate picture to put up high to demonstrate we can’t reach it ourselves, we need the Savior’s atonement so we can be made clean.
19 And ano unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his brest save it be those who have cwashed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end. (3 Nephi 27:19)
The children of Israel intermarry with the Canaanites, worship false gods, and are cursed—Othniel judges the Israelites—They serve Moab and are delivered by Ehud, who slays Eglon.
Explain to the children that when the Israelites stopped keeping God’s commandments, they lost His protection and were defeated by their enemies. Read from Judges 3:9 the phrase “the children of Israel cried unto the Lord.” What did the Israelites do when they needed help? Share an experience when you prayed for help and God answered your prayer.
Read from Judges 3:9 the phrase “the Lord raised up a deliverer,” and invite the children to repeat it with you a few times. Explain that a deliverer is someone who saves us. Show the children several pictures of people, including a picture of Jesus Christ, and place the pictures face down on the floor. Let the children take turns turning over the pictures, finding the picture of Jesus, and holding it up. Testify that Jesus Christ is the Deliverer whom God has raised up to save us from sin and death.
Judges 3 describes a cycle that you can use to teach the children that God delivers us from sin through the Savior Jesus Christ.
Write the following on the board: “did evil,” “cried unto the Lord,” and “raised up a deliverer.” Invite some of the children to find these phrases in Judges 3:7–9, and invite others to find them in Judges 3:12–15. Explain to the children that over and over in the book of Judges, the Israelites “did evil.” Then, when their enemies attacked, they “cried unto the Lord,” and the Lord “raised up a deliverer” to help them. What do we learn about the Lord from this cycle?
Sing a song together that helps the children understand that Jesus Christ is their Redeemer and Deliverer, such as “He Sent His Son” (Children’s Songbook, 34–35). Invite the children to share their feelings about what the Savior has done to deliver us from sin, trials, sorrow, and death.
These verses summarize a pattern that occurs often throughout the book of Judges. As your family members read these verses, they could identify what Israel did to stray from the Lord and what the Lord did to deliver them. What might lead us to forget the Lord? How can He deliver us? How can we be more consistently faithful to Him. (Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Old Testament 2022 “Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16”)
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “2 Nephi 6-10” How will you help your children understand and feel that they need the Savior Jesus Christ? This week’s activity page could help. It uses a simple analogy of a pit and a ladder. Consider using 2 Nephi 9:21–22 to talk with your children about why you are grateful for Jesus Christ.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “2 Nephi 6-10” Tell the children a story of a person who fell into a pit so deep that he or she could not climb out. A man came along and lifted this person out of the pit. You may want to draw a picture of this story on the board or act it out with the children. Explain that this pit is like death and the man who helped the person is like Jesus Christ, who saved all people from death by giving us the gift of resurrection. Tell the children that this same person fell into another pit. This time the rescuer gave the person a ladder to use in climbing out of the pit. Explain that this pit is like sin and the ladder is the Atonement of Jesus Christ, which allows us to repent and be forgiven of our sins. Read 2 Nephi 9:22–23, and bear your testimony of Jesus Christ and His Atonement. (Ask the children to draw pictures of this story or act it out.)
The Red Crystal colored version
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “2 Nephi 6-10” One way to help your children understand why we need the Savior is to teach them about the Fall. You could show a picture of Adam and Eve, such as Leaving the Garden of Eden (Gospel Library), and a picture of Jesus Christ on the cross. Consider asking them to describe what is happening in each picture. How are we like Adam and Eve? Perhaps 2 Nephi 9:6–10 can help them see what Jesus Christ does for us. Consider inviting your children to share their feelings about Jesus Christ. A song like “I Feel My Savior’s Love” (Children’s Songbook, 74–75) could help.
Lesson 4: The Fall of Adam and Eve,” Primary 6: Old Testament Place the picture of Adam and Eve next to the one of God the Father and Jesus Christ. Explain that when Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, they could walk and talk with Heavenly Father and Jesus. To help the children understand why the result of Adam and Eve’s choice is known as the Fall, take the picture of Adam and Eve and move it down below the picture of God the Father and Jesus Christ as you tell of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit. Adam and Eve “fell” or were removed from the presence of God. Explain that because Adam and Eve could no longer freely associate with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, this is referred to as the Fall. Adam and Eve’s separation from Heavenly Father and Jesus began mortal life on earth.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained: If our separation from God and our physical death were permanent, moral agency would mean nothing. Yes, we would be free to make choices, but what would be the point? The end result would always be the same no matter what our actions: death with no hope of resurrection and no hope of heaven. As good or as bad as we might choose to be, we would all end up “angels to a devil” [2 Nephi 9:9]. (D. Todd Christofferson, “Moral Agency,” Ensign, June 2009, 50)
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “2 Nephi 6-10”As you read 2 Nephi 9:1–26, consider listing or marking in one color what would happen to us without the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Then, in another list or color, you could identify what we can receive through the Savior’s Atonement. Based on what you read, how would you explain why we need the Atonement of Jesus Christ?
Show them the monster face and explain that Jacob (Nephi’s younger brother) used the words “awful” and “monster” to explain what sin and death would be like if it weren’t for Christ’s Atonement.
Here are her instructions: Cut out the face parts and let the kids choose them one at a time to glue onto the monster face. As each is being glued, ask if it sounds like an awful, scary thing. Discuss what it means and how it describes how our lives would be different without Christ’s Atonement. · Christ: After helping kids realize how scary life without the Atonement sounds, hold up the picture of Christ and discuss how he can save us from these scary things (death and sin). · Talk about what the word “deliver” means. If you had been captured by this awful monster, what would it look like to be “delivered” from him? · Read 2 Nephi 9:10-13. Have them hold up both the monster and the Christ pictures. Tell them to listen carefully for the words “escape” and “deliver.” Whenever they hear those words while you read these verses, they can use the pictures to act out Christ chasing the monster away.
See more lesson ideas such as “Stuck in a Bucket with a Monster” at Come Follow Me Kid.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “2 Nephi 6-10” Ask the children to help you draw a path on the board, and invite them to add some obstacles or roadblocks along the path. Read together 2 Nephi 9:10, and invite the children to label the obstacles on the path with words from this verse that describe obstacles that could keep us from returning to God. Then talk about how Jesus Christ overcame these obstacles for us (see 2 Nephi 9:21–23), and as you do, invite the children to erase the obstacles.
Friend April 2017 “Family Night Fun” Object lesson to explain the Atonement.
Pour some salt onto a plate. This represents us before we sin.
Now sprinkle pepper on the salt. The pepper is like sin. It keeps us away from Heavenly Father.
Rub the spoon on a towel. Then move it slowly above the salt and pepper. The pepper will stick to the spoon. Jesus’s Atonement lets us repent and get rid of our sins
Help each child find a song about the Savior’s Atonement in either the hymnbook or the Children’s Songbook (the indexes in these books can help). Invite the children to find and share phrases from the song that describe what Jesus did for us. Ask the children to share their thoughts and feelings about the Savior’s Atonement, or share your testimony.
Look to Christ and Live (Moses and the Brass Serpent)
The children of Israel destroy those Canaanites who fight against them—The Israelites are plagued with fiery serpents—Moses lifts up a serpent of brass to save those who look thereon—Israel defeats the Amorites, destroys the people of Bashan, and occupies their lands.
Using this week’s activity page or the picture in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families, tell the children what happened when “fiery serpents” came into the Israelites’ camp (see Numbers 21:6–9). Help them see how the brass serpent is like Jesus Christ (see John 3:14–15). Then let the children take turns using the picture to tell the story to each other.
Ask the children to close their eyes while you place a picture of the Savior somewhere in the room. Then invite the children to open their eyes, find the picture, and look at it. Let them take turns being the one to place the picture. Each time the children find the picture, help them think of something they can do to look to the Savior.
Write on the board a question like What can we do to “look upon the Son of God with faith”? (Helaman 8:15). Give each of the children a piece of paper, and invite them to write as many answers to the question as they can think of. Collect the papers, read a few answers aloud, and invite the children to talk about how doing these things can help us when we need the Savior’s healing power.
Ask how each object helps grow or show faith in Jesus Christ as the family walks the path.
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
“That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:14–15.)
The correlative conjunctions as and so join the verbs lifted up, in the case of the serpent, and must be lifted up, in the case of the Savior. It is the two actions of lifting up that are being compared, together with the purpose of the lifting up—that of healing, the one for the healing of the Israelites from poisonous snake bites and the other for the healing of mankind from sin.
Moses raised up the image of a serpent on the pole because the Lord commanded him to do so. (See Num. 21:8.) It may be that the Lord used this symbol to point their minds toward faith in him as a means of healing them. If they would but look up at the serpent and exercise faith in the words of Moses, they would be healed. In the same way, a person who will look up to Christ and his atoning sacrifice, as culminated on the cross, and will exercise faith in Christ will be healed. Nephi, the son of Lehi, states that the Lord gave Moses the power to heal the people. The power of healing, therefore, was not in the Brazen Serpent but in obedience to the instructions of Moses. Note Nephi’s explanation:
“And as the Lord God liveth that brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and gave Moses power that he should heal the nations [tribes of Israel] after they had been bitten by the poisonous serpents, if they would cast their eyes unto the serpent which he did raise up before them …” (2 Ne. 25:20; italics added).
To be sanctified means to be made clean and pure. How can you help the children you teach understand that they can be sanctified when they follow Jesus Christ?
Invite one child to read Doctrine and Covenants 88:68 aloud and another to read verse 74. Ask the children to listen for a phrase that is in both of these verses. How do we “sanctify” ourselves? (If needed, help the children look up “Sanctification” in the Guide to the Scriptures.) Draw a picture of a heart, a hand, and a foot on the board. Help the children think of what it might mean to “purify” and “cleanse” our hearts, hands, and feet. How does the Savior help us do this? How can we use our hearts, hands, and feet to become more like Jesus?
Explain that the Lord wanted His people to be sanctified before they could go into the temple. Consider inviting a young man or young woman who has a temple recommend to visit the class. Invite him or her to show the children what a recommend looks like, discuss what they do to live worthy of it, and share why it’s important to have a temple recommend even if we don’t live close to a temple.
Show the children the white shirt you brought, and lay it on top of a spread out plastic garbage bag. Explain to the children that sin is like dirt and stains. Apply staining items to the shirt as you mention sins that stain our spirits, such as lying, stealing, hate, etc. (The garbage bag is to help prevent spills on the carpet.) Ask the children how they would feel if they had to wear the dirty shirt and how they would feel if they could never change the shirt or take a shower.
• Would it be difficult going out among people in that state? Would we feel comfortable in heaven being among spiritually clean people if we have stains of sin upon us?
Show the children the soap and explain that just like we have soap to clean our bodies and our clothes, Heavenly Father has provided a way for us to become clean from our sins. He provided a Savior for us who took upon himself our sins.
Show the children some white clothes (or a picture of some) and a picture of Jesus. Read Revelation 7:9, 13–14 to the children, and ask them to point to the picture and clothes every time they hear the word white. Explain that white clothes represent cleanliness and remind us that Jesus Christ can make us clean from our mistakes. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Revelation 6–14”)
Story: In a vision, John saw a crowd of people praising Jesus Christ (see Revelation 7:9–10, 13–15). They wore white robes to show that they were clean and pure.
Song: “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” (Hymns, no. 136)
Activity: Find some white objects, like a white rock, a white cloth, or some sugar or salt. Talk about what it means to be pure and clean. How does Jesus Christ help us become clean?
Show the children a piece of white cloth or piece of paper, and let them get it dirty by marking it with a pen or putting dirt on it. Explain that when we disobey the commandments, it can feel like having dirt on our clothes. Show a picture of Jesus in Gethsemane (such as Gospel Art Book, no. 56), put the dirty cloth or paper away, and show them a clean one. Testify that Jesus Christ can help us become clean. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Revelation 6–14”)
Cover the children (in the picture) with packing tape, or have the entire picture laminated. Teach the scripture, let the students mark the clothing with a dry erase marker. Then have everyone say “..made them white in the blood of the Lamb” and erase it. (Have wet wipes on hand, just incase) Give every student a turn while everyone says the scripture before they erase it. Bear testimony that it is through our Savior that we can repent and become clean again.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “Isaiah 1–12” Isaiah lived in a time when many of his people had turned away from the Lord. But the Lord promised them that their sins could be forgiven if they repented. He makes this promise to us as well.
Ask the children to read Isaiah 1:2–4 and talk about some of the reasons the Lord was not happy with the people of Judah. Then read Isaiah 1:16–19 together to learn what the Lord invited the people to do. As needed, help the children understand difficult words and phrases. To help them visualize verse 18, display something bright red and something pure white. What do we learn about Jesus Christ’s mercy from these verses? Invite the children to share how they feel about Jesus Christ’s gift of forgiveness, and share your feelings as well.
Help the children memorize Isaiah 1:18. Write the verse on the board, and invite the children to recite it several times, erasing one word each time until they can recite it from memory. You could also use paper strips with words from the verse written on them. Why is it important to always remember what this verse teaches? Discuss how being baptized and partaking of the sacrament make this promise available to us.
Have a child cover the words below with paper strips after each time the class repeats the scripture.
Let the children pass around a dirty shirt, and read Zechariah 3:3. Then pass around a clean shirt, and read verse 4. Talk with the children about how making wrong choices is like becoming dirty spiritually, but the Savior can make us clean again. How do we feel when we are clean? Share your testimony that because Jesus Christ suffered and died for us, we will be clean from our sins as we repent.
If possible, show the children a picture of someone they know dressed in white at his or her baptism (or see Gospel Art Book, nos. 103, 104). Why do we wear white at our baptisms? Sing a song about baptism, such as “When I Am Baptized” (Children’s Songbook, 103). Invite the children to draw themselves being baptized and share how they feel about being baptized someday.
Story: In a vision, Zechariah saw a man wearing dirty clothes. An angel came to the man and gave him clean clothes. (See Zechariah 3:3–5.) Putting on clean clothes can remind us of repenting. When we make a wrong choice, we can repent and be clean again.
Song: “I’m Trying to Be like Jesus” (Children’s Songbook, 78–79)
Activity: Talk about how repenting can lighten your load. Then do the activity on page 12. How do you feel when you repent?
Joseph Smith and other leaders of the Church were not perfect. Sometimes they argued and were impatient (see “Ezra Booth and Isaac Morley,” Revelations in Context, 133). But the Lord was merciful to them and always offered forgiveness if they repented.
Read with the children Doctrine and Covenants 60:7; 61:2, and ask them to find words that these verses have in common. Remind the children that these revelations were given to Joseph Smith and other Church leaders. What did the Lord want them to know? What do we learn from these verses about how the Savior feels about us when we make mistakes?
Friend August 2017 “Jesus Forgives” Jesus teaches Peter to forgive. Jesus forgave sins, and he forgave his crucifiers.
Friend May 2020 “Sister Squabble” Jaide’s little sister borrowed her tennis shoes without asking and accidentally got them muddy. Jaide was so mad that she told her sister, “I wish you weren’t my sister.” She felt terrible about what she said. She read a scripture about Jesus forgiving and healing someone (people who came to arrest him in Garden of Gethsemane), and she realized she needed to forgive and try and fix what she had done to her sister with her words.
Show a few pictures of Jesus from His earthly ministry [possibly where he is illustrating some of the other characteristics found in Doctrine and Covenants 60-62 such as forgiveness, mercy, power, succoring the weak] (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 34–61). Let the children help you explain what Jesus is doing in the pictures. Tell the children about one of your favorite scriptures that teaches about Jesus. Share how you feel about Jesus Christ. Ask the children to share why they love Jesus. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “Doctrine and Covenants 60–62”)
Invite family members to find or mark phrases that begin with “I am” or “I will.” What do we learn from the “I am” phrases about who Jesus Christ is and what He is like? What do we learn from the “I will” phrases about what He does? Encourage family members to share how these truths strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ.
If I ask of God, I will receive.
Friend February 2020 “Bright Idea: “We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ” (2 Nephi 25:26).” (Member children around the world saying Christ in their own language.)
Friend February 2017 “For Parents of Little Ones” Ideas for teaching little ones about Jesus.
Jesus Takes Care of Us Like a Hen Takes Care of Her Chicks
Friend March 2024 “The Hen and the Baby Chicks” Clara helped her dad pick out a hen to care for some baby chicks they had bought. She watched as the hen lifted up her wing and the baby chicks disappeared under it. Her dad explained that that was the way the hen protects and keeps the baby chicks safe and warm. Her dad shared the scripture of Jesus gathering us and protecting us and caring for us just like a hen gathers her chickens under her wings.
“How oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart.”*
Read Mormon 6:17 together. Talk about what it means that Jesus has “open arms to receive [us]” when He is not physically here with us.
Invite family members to draw a picture of themselves with Jesus. For younger children, use a coloring page from lessonhelps.ChurchofJesusChrist.org or the September Friend.
When the pictures are finished, fold them up and put them in a bowl. Take turns picking a picture at random.
When someone’s picture is chosen, have them talk about a time they have felt the Savior’s love or share something they can do to follow Jesus.
Discussion: Talk about what you can do as a family to help each other follow Jesus and feel closer to Him. How can we be His “arms” here on earth?
New Testament Seminary Student Manual (2023) Draw a stick figure representing a [child].(Or have each of the children draw a stick figure representing themselves on a paper. Draw, or have the children draw, a backpack on the stick figure’s back to represent the burdens and stresses [children] today face. Write, or have the children write, at least five of those burdens or stresses in, on, or around the backpack.
Jesus Christ said, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). A yoke helps two ani
Read Matthew 11:28–30, and show the picture of yoked oxen in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. Ask the children to point to the oxen and the yoke. Explain that yoked oxen can pull more weight together than each could separately. Testify that when we feel sad, worried, or scared, we can seek Jesus and He will help us.
Ask a child to lift a heavy object. When he or she struggles, offer to help. How does Jesus help us do hard things? Share an experience when you felt Jesus help you do something hard, and ask the children to share experiences of their own.
Activity: Ask someone to move a heavy object across the room.
Friend December 2021 “Carrying Spotty” Abbie got a new puppy. She helped him feel safe when he was scared. She carried him when he was tired. In Primary, Abbie learned that Jesus suffered for us and took upon him our sorrows. He can carry us through our trials. She realized that Jesus helps her kind of like she helps her puppy. He helped her feel safe when she was afraid of the dark. He helped her feel stronger when she was worried.
Jesus will help me as I come unto Him. (Older Children)
Invite the children to share a time when they were worried or anxious about something. Invite them to search Matthew 11:28–30 for counsel that can help them in similar circumstances. How does the Savior “give [us] rest”? (verse 28).
New Testament Seminary Student Manual (2023) Draw a stick figure representing a [child].(Or have each of the children draw a stick figure representing themselves on a paper. Draw, or have the children draw, a backpack on the stick figure’s back to represent the burdens and stresses [children] today face. Write, or have the children write, at least five of those burdens or stresses in, on, or around the backpack.
Jesus Christ said, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). A yoke helps two animals pull something together. When we choose to follow Jesus, He can help us with our trials.
Activity: Ask someone to move a heavy object across the room. Then have them move that object with someone’s help. Talk about how our burdens are lighter when we turn to the Savior for help.
President Russell M. Nelson taught: “You come unto Christ to be yoked with Him and with His power, so that you’re not pulling life’s load alone. You’re pulling life’s load yoked with the Savior and Redeemer of the world, and suddenly your problems, no matter how serious they are, become lighter” (“The Mission and Ministry of the Savior: A Discussion with Elder Russell M. Nelson,” Ensign, June 2005, 18).
Also see Red Crystal for additional teaching ideas.
Invite the children to draw pictures of things they are doing to come unto Jesus and learn of Him.
In order to receive the Savior’s help and the rest He offers, we must come unto Him. Consider watching “Come unto Christ: 2014 Theme Song” (4:48) to see examples of how someone can come unto the Savior. (Have the children look for how the teenagers come unto Christ when they have difficulties such as illness, loneliness, temptation, family contention, etc. Ideas include pray for help, repent of sins, study his words in the scriptures, follow Jesus’s example and serve others, go to church and learn of him, take the sacrament and think about what Jesus has done for us, commit to keeping his commandments and remembering him always, etc.) You may also have them look for the way the Lord helped ease the burdens of the teens as they came unto him.
Jesus loves us even when we sin and wants to help us repent.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then of the First Presidency, testified of the Savior’s power to heal spiritual illness.
Sometimes spiritual illness comes as a result of sin or emotional wounds. …Even the deepest spiritual wounds—yes, even those that may appear to be incurable—can be healed.
My dear friends, the healing power of Jesus Christ is not absent in our day. The Savior’s healing touch can transform lives in our day just as it did in His. If we will but have faith, He can take our hands, fill our souls with heavenly light and healing, and speak to us the blessed words, “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk” [ John 5:8 ].
Write How does Jesus feel about sin? and How does Jesus feel about us when we sin? on the board. Ask the children to think about these questions as they read together Mark 2:15–17 and then share their answers. (You may want to read together “Publican” in Guide to the Scriptures [scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org].–In ancient Rome, a collector of taxes for the government. Publicans were generally hated by the Jews. Some publicans readily accepted the gospel) Why is it important to know that Jesus loves us, even though we aren’t perfect? How can knowing this help us when we need to repent?
Show a picture of the Savior (such as one in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families), and ask the children what words they would use to describe Him. Invite them to find words that describe Him in Psalm 86:5, 13, 15. If needed, help them define these words. What could we say to a friend who feels that God is angry at them when they sin?
Sing with the children a song that you feel will help them understand the Savior’s forgiving nature, such as “I Stand All Amazed” (Hymns, no. 193). Share your testimony that Jesus Christ wants to forgive us.
Friend January 2023 “What’s on Your Mind?” Jesus Christ loves you perfectly. If you make a wrong choice, He still loves you. And He can help you repent and make things right again. He is always waiting for you to follow Him. He believes in you! (See more at link.)
If someone were to stray off a path, fall, and become injured, what would be some of the possible symptoms and effects of being injured? Answers might include: pain, shock, bruises, scrapes, cuts, bleeding, broken bones, sprain, concussion, etc.
Just like a person would suffer the effects of being injured, a person who had sinned would also suffer the consequences and results of that sin. What are some of the consequences that can occur because of sin? Answers might include: guilt, loss of the Spirit’s help and guidance, possible loss of freedom, loss of other’s trust, damaged relationships, possible loss of good health, loss of inheritance in the kingdom of God, etc.
Show the children some medical items and ask what they are used for. (To help treat and heal physical injuries and sickness.)
Who is the master physician that can heal our spiritual wounds, small or large? (Jesus Christ) The Savior said: ‘Will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you? … If ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life.’”
A few days before class, invite one of the children and a family member to come to class prepared to share the account in Luke 7:36–50. They could draw pictures depicting parts of the story to show the class. Discuss with the children what the Lord might want us to learn from this story.
Jesus Christ helps me overcome the effects of sin.
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “2 Nephi 1-2” To help your children understand Lehi’s invitation to “shake off the chains” of sin, maybe you could work together to make a chain from slips of paper. On the slips, your children could help you write some things Satan tempts us to do. Then you could read together 2 Nephi 1:13, 15, 23 as they act out some of the phrases in these verses—including shaking off the paper chain. How is sin like a chain? How does Jesus help us “shake off the chains” of sin?
Explain that when we first make a mistake or sin we are easily able to break free of its grasp and repent. But Satan knows that if he can get us to do the sin again and again, that eventually the sin will become a habit or an addiction and then we are bound in captivity to the sin.
3 Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him—
4 Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified;
5 Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life.
Write several words and phrases found in Doctrine and Covenants 45:3–5 on separate pieces of paper. Give the children a minute to study these verses in their scriptures, and then invite them to close their scriptures and put the words on the papers in the order they appear in the verse. According to these verses, what does the Savior say to plead our cause before Heavenly Father?
Help the children define the word advocate, perhaps by looking it up in a dictionary. What did the Savior do that made it possible for Him to be our Advocate? Share your feelings about what Jesus Christ has done for us, and let the children share their feelings.
Jesus Christ Knows How I Feel. He has Descended Below All Things.
Friend November 2024 “Praying for Alejandro” Gerardo is worried about his brother who has cancer. His brother needs surgery but is too old for the Children’s hospital. So Gerardo prayed for help for his brother. They watched a video together about Jesus suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, and he wondered why Jesus had to hurt so much. He learned that Jesus felt all the pain we go through so he can know how to help us. Gerardo felt warm inside knowing that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ knew how to help Alejandro. The next day they learn that the children’s hospital would do Gerardo’s brother’s surgery.
In Liberty Jail, Jesus Christ told Joseph Smith that He had descended below all things (see Doctrine and Covenants 122:8). This means that He knows what we are going through and we can turn to Him.
To help the children learn to turn to Christ when they experience hard things, ask them to show you what their faces look like when they are sad or hurt or scared. Who can help us when we feel this way? Read Doctrine and Covenants 122:8, and explain that this means that Jesus Christ knows how we feel, and He can help us.
Sing together “Jesus Once Was a Little Child” (Children’s Songbook, 55), and testify that Jesus Christ can help us because He knows how we feel.
Who has felt the pain of all of these trials? Imagine how it would feel to carry them all.
Discussion: In what ways does the Lord understand us, help us, and turn our trials into experiences that “shall be for [our] good”? (Doctrine and Covenants 122:7). For ideas, see Jeffrey R. Holland, “Lessons from Liberty Jail,” Ensign, Sept. 2009, 29–32.
Joseph Smith learned that none of the adversity he experienced during his mortal life would ever equal what Jesus Christ suffered during His mortal mission.
Jesus descended to be tempted, mocked, scourged, cast out, and disowned, even though He was all-powerful.
He descended to be judged of the world, even though He was the Judge of the world.
He descended to be lifted on the cross and slain for the sins of the world, even though no man could take away His life.
“Jesus, in the course of the Atonement, experienced all of the heartache and sorrow, all of the disappointments and injustices that the entire family of man had experienced and would experience from Adam and Eve to the end of the world in order that we would not have to face them so severely or so deeply. However heavy our load might be, it would be a lot heavier if the Savior had not gone that way before us and carried that burden with us and for us.”
“Furthermore, we note that not only has the Savior suffered, in His case entirely innocently, but so have most of the prophets and other great men and women recorded in the scriptures. The point is this: if you are having a bad day, you’ve got a lot of company—very, very good company. The best company that has ever lived” (“Lessons from Liberty Jail,” 31).
“And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men.”2
Friend February 2008 “Gospel Light” The scriptures teach about the light of the gospel. Fill in the missing words in these scriptures about light. The picture next to each scripture stands for the circled letter. When you know what letter each picture stands for, fill in the secret code at the bottom of the page to discover the greatest light of all. (Answer: “Jesus Christ”)
Use the picture in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families to tell the story of Jesus and the woman at the well (see John 4:5–15). Ask the children to retell the story.
Show a glass of water, and talk with the children about why we need water. Briefly summarize John 4:5–15, and testify that Jesus Christ and His gospel give life to our spirits, just as water gives life to our bodies.
Why do we need to drink water every day? How is the gospel the same?
Using John 4:5–23, write summary sentences from the story of the woman at the well. Ask the children to refer to these verses to put the sentences in the correct order. What was Jesus trying to teach the woman?
What Is the Living Water? The living water is the gospel of Jesus Christ. “The fountain of living waters … [is] a representation of the love of God” (1 Nephi 11:25).
David A. Bednar, “A Reservoir of Living Water” The living water referred to in [ John 4:10 ] is a representation of the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel. And as water is necessary to sustain physical life, so the Savior and His doctrines, principles, and ordinances are essential for eternal life. You and I need His living water daily and in ample supply to sustain our ongoing spiritual growth and development.The scriptures contain the words of Christ and are a reservoir of living water to which we have ready access and from which we can drink deeply and long. You and I must look to and come unto Christ, who is “the fountain of living waters” ( 1 Nephi 11:25 ; (David A. Bednar, “A Reservoir of Living Water” [Church Educational System fireside for young adults, Feb. 4, 2007], 1, broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
What do people sometimes turn to for happiness and fulfillment that can leave them feeling spiritually thirsty or unsatisfied? (TV Shows and Movies, Sports, Video Games, Etc)
Give the children a drink of water, and ask them to share experiences when they were thirsty. Talk about how it felt to finally get a drink of water. Invite the children to name things that, like a cup of water, satisfy us for the moment. What things are like “living water” that can satisfy us forever?
Write on the board How is the gospel like water? Ask the children to think about how they would answer this question as they read John 4:5–23.
Why do we need to drink water every day? How is the gospel the same?
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “John 2-4” Rebirth is just the beginning of the path of discipleship. Christ’s words to the Samaritan woman at the well remind us that if we continue on this path, eventually the gospel will become “a well of water” inside us, “springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).
Jesus Christ is my King. (The Israelites Want a King)
Samuel’s sons take bribes and pervert judgment—The Israelites seek for a king to rule over them—Samuel rehearses the nature and evils of kingly rule—The Lord consents to give them a king.
As you read 1 Samuel 8, notice how the Lord felt about the Israelites’ desire for a king other than Himself. What does it mean to choose the Lord to “reign over [you]”? (1 Samuel 8:7). You might also consider ways you are tempted to follow the unrighteous trends of the world instead of following the Lord. How can you show that you want Jesus Christ to be your Eternal King?
David offers to build a house for the Lord—The Lord, through Nathan, says He has not asked David to do so—The Lord will establish David’s house and kingdom forever—David offers a prayer of thanksgiving.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “2 Samuel 5–7; 11–12; 1 Kings 3; 8; 11” When David was the king of Israel, the Lord told him that his “throne shall be established for ever” (2 Samuel 7:16). This promise referred to Jesus Christ, our Eternal King, who was born through David’s posterity. (Perhaps your family would enjoy creating homemade crowns while discussing why you are grateful that Jesus Christ is your Eternal King.)
Invite one of the children to pretend to be a king or queen. If possible, give the child simple props to hold. What is a king or queen? What do they do? Tell the children that David was a king, and he was an ancestor of Jesus Christ, who we call the “King of kings” (Revelation 19:16). Help the children think of ways we can show that we believe Jesus Christ is our Eternal King.
As the children complete this week’s activity page, sing or play recordings of songs that refer to Christ as our King, such as “He Died That We Might Live Again,” “Called to Serve,” “Rejoice, the Lord Is King!” or “I Believe in Christ” (Children’s Songbook, 65, 174–75; Hymns, nos. 66, 134). Ask the children to listen for the word “King” and hold up a picture of Jesus when they hear it. How do we feel when we sing about Jesus?
Invite the children to read what the prophet Nathan told King David in 2 Samuel 7:16–17, and ask them what they think this prophecy might mean. How could David’s kingdom have no end? Help the children find and read scripture passages that teach that Jesus Christ, a descendant of David, is a King, such as Luke 1:32–33; John 18:33–37; and Revelation 19:16. How is Jesus Christ like a king? What are some ways that we can show that Jesus Christ is our Eternal King?
Friend May 2020 “How to Hear Jesus Christ” During the First Vision, God the Father pointed to Jesus Christ and said, “This is my Beloved Son. Hear Him!” That message to Joseph Smith is for each of us.
Exodus 5:2. And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.
What might it mean for us to “know” the Lord? How do we come to know Him? (for example, see Alma 22:15–18). How does our relationship with Him affect our desire to obey Him? (see also John 17:3; Mosiah 5:13).
Read to the children from Moroni 10:32, “Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him,” and invite the children to repeat the phrase with you. Ask them to close their eyes while you place a picture of Jesus somewhere in the room. Then let them open their eyes, find the picture, and gather around it. Discuss with the children the ways we can come unto Christ (see, for example, Articles of Faith 1:3–4). Repeat this activity, letting the children put the picture somewhere in the classroom.
Write on the board a question like What does it mean to come unto Christ? Help the children search Moroni 10:32–33 to find possible answers. Work together to list what Christ wants us to do and what He promises to do for us.
Review with the children the Prophet Joseph Smith’s words from the introduction to the Book of Mormon: “A man would get nearer to God by abiding by [the Book of Mormon’s] precepts, than by any other book.”Help the children decorate heart-shaped badges that say “I love God with all my might, mind, and strength” (see Moroni 10:32). How do we show God that we love Him?
Before home evening, put a picture of Jesus on one side of the room. (You could use the picture on page 69 of *CFM.) Then sit on the other side of the room and read “Jesus Blesses the Children” on page FJ4. How can we “come unto Jesus” like in the story?
Have everyone stand up and take turns saying what they can do to come unto Jesus by following Him.
With each idea, take a step toward the picture of Christ. Keep helping each other think of good things until everyone is with Jesus together! Then talk about what it means that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. (See *CFM, page 66.)
Hide a picture of Jesus somewhere in the room, and invite the children to find it. Read the words “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found” from Isaiah 55:6. Ask the children to name some ways they can seek the Lord—which means that they try hard to learn about Him and come close to Him. Each time a child gives an answer, hide the picture again, and invite the child to “seek” for it.
Story: Isaiah taught, “Seek ye the Lord” (Isaiah 55:6). That means we should pray, keep the commandments, and learn about the gospel. This will help us feel closer to Jesus Christ.
Song: “Seek the Lord Early” (Children’s Songbook, 108)
Activity: Choose one person to be the seeker. While their eyes are closed, hide a picture of Jesus. Softly sing a Primary song while the seeker looks for the picture. When they get closer, sing louder and louder until they find it. Take turns being the seeker. How can you seek Jesus Christ?
Help the children learn the words to the song “Seek the Lord Early” (Children’s Songbook, 108) or another song about coming closer to the Savior. Use this week’s activity page to help the children choose something they will do to “seek … the Lord.”
Read the phrase “Call ye upon him while he is near” from Isaiah 55:6. How do we call upon Heavenly Father? Ask the children to talk about what they say in their prayers. Testify that Heavenly Father loves them and hears them when they pray.
Hosea 10:12 uses the images of sowing, reaping, time, and rain to invite us to seek the Lord. As you read this verse, what creative ideas come to mind that could inspire the children to seek Him?
Read Hosea 10:12 to the children, and invite them to do simple actions to help them understand the verse, such as pretending to plant seeds, pick vegetables from a plant, or stand in the rain. Or show pictures of seeds, plants, and rain. Help the children compare planting a seed and reaping good food to living righteously and receiving the Lord’s blessings. Testify of the blessings the Lord has rained upon you as you have tried to seek Him.
Draw a clock on the board, and ask the children to share ways we can seek the Lord at different times of the day. Invite the children to repeat with you the phrase “It is time to seek the Lord” (Hosea 10:12). Help them understand that it is always time to seek the Lord. Share what you do to remember Him all the time.
Friend December 2023 “Come, Follow Me Activities for Little Ones” Ask someone to go outside and knock on your front door. Help your little ones open the door, greet the person who knocked, and warmly invite them in. Talk about how we can welcome Jesus Christ into our lives when we think about Him.
Invite the children to tell you about times when they waited for someone to visit their home who they were excited to see. What was it like waiting for that person to knock on the door? What if we never let the person inside? Read Revelation 3:20, and let the children take turns holding a picture of Jesus and pretending to knock on a door. The other class members could pretend to open the door. What can we do to let Jesus be near us, even though we can’t see Him?.(Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Revelation 1–5”)
As you read Revelation 3:20, show the picture of the Savior at the door from this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. To help the children draw meaning from the picture, invite them to work in pairs to answer questions like these: Why do you think Jesus is knocking on the door? Why isn’t there a doorknob on the outside of the door? What does it mean to let Jesus into our lives? (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Revelation 1–5”)
Show the picture of the Savior knocking at the door (see the end of this outline) as your family reads Revelation 3:20. Why does Jesus knock instead of just coming inside? Family members could take turns knocking on a door. Then someone else in the family could suggest a way we can “open the door” to the Savior and let the family member in. How would it feel to have the Savior in our home? (Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “Revelation 1-5”)
Ask the children to write on the board different ways to “open the door” to Jesus. Some examples might include serving others, reading the scriptures, keeping the covenants we make at baptism, and partaking of the sacrament. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Revelation 1–5”)
If you want to use this for senior primary, don’t use the children, but instead, write on top of the door, ways to open the door. Like: serving others, reading the scriptures, and partaking of the sacrament. I would have a copy for each kid to write their own goals they want to work on, to let the Savior more into their lives this week.
What can you do to help the children you teach feel God’s presence in their lives?
As you read Doctrine and Covenants 88:63, invite the children to act out some of the words they hear. For example, they could pretend to look for something or knock. (You might play a hiding game to discuss the phrase “seek me diligently and ye shall find me”)
Ask a child to hold a picture of Jesus at the front of the room as the other children stand at the back of the room. Invite the children to take a step forward each time you say something we can do to come closer to the Savior and take a step backward each time you say something that distances us from the Savior. Bear your testimony that when we try to get closer to the Lord, He comes closer to us.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “John 14–17” Jesus Christ taught that “life eternal” is to know “the only true God, and Jesus Christ.” As the children you teach come to know Them, they will find spiritual strength that will bless them throughout their lives and help them achieve eternal life.
Read John 17:3, and ask the children to listen for who Jesus wants us to know. Show a few pictures that represent ways we can come to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, such as pictures of the scriptures, a family learning together, and someone serving another person. Put the pictures face down, and invite the children to take turns turning them over and describing what is in the picture. How do these things help us know Heavenly Father and Jesus?
Talk with the children about things they do to get to know their friends better. How do we get to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ better? Share ways you have done this.
Think of an important figure in your nation’s history.
What are some things you know about that person?
How would you describe the differences between your knowledge about the historical figure and how well you know a close family member?
Now take some time to record in your study journal how you feel about your knowledge of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Is it based only on facts you know about Them, or is it becoming more personal than that? How do you think it would bless your life to know Them on an even more personal level?
Display a plant (or a picture of one) as the children take turns reading verses in John 15:1–9. How is Jesus like a vine? How are we like branches? What can we do to “abide in,” or stay close to, the Savior?
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “John 14–17”It might be fun to read these verses outside next to a vine, a tree, or another plant. What happens to a branch when it is removed from the plant? You could talk about how we are like branches and what it means to “abide” in the Savior and “bear fruit.”
Jesus said that He was like a vine. His disciples are like branches of the vine. Only a branch that is firmly attached to the vine can produce good fruit.
Jesus promised His Apostles that if they lived the gospel, their fruit (their works) would be good. If they did not follow Him, they would be like branches cut off from a plant and produce nothing.
What is your “fruit” that shows that you are attached to the vine, which represents Jesus Christ?
“Jesus said, ‘Without me ye can do nothing’ [John 15:5]. I testify that that is God’s truth. Christ is everything to us and we are to ‘abide’ in Him permanently, unyieldingly, steadfastly, forever. For the fruit of the gospel to blossom and bless our lives, we must be firmly attached to Him, the Savior of us all, and to this His Church, which bears His holy name. He is the vine that is our true source of strength and the only source of eternal life. In Him we not only will endure but also will prevail and triumph in this holy cause that will never fail us” (“Abide in Me,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 32). Jeffery R. Holland
Read aloud John 17:3. Ask the children what they are doing to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Share how you are coming to know Them.
Think of an important figure in your nation’s history.
What are some things you know about that person?
How would you describe the differences between your knowledge about the historical figure and how well you know a close family member?
Now take some time to record in your study journal how you feel about your knowledge of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Is it based only on facts you know about Them, or is it becoming more personal than that? How do you think it would bless your life to know Them on an even more personal level?
If you want to stay close to someone who has been dear to you, but from whom you are separated, you know how to do it. You would find a way to speak to them, you would listen to them, and you would discover ways to do things for each other. The more often that happened, the longer it went on, the deeper would be the bond of affection. If much time passed without the speaking, the listening, and the doing, the bond would weaken.
God is perfect and omnipotent, and you and I are mortal. But he is our Father, he loves us, and he offers the same opportunity to draw closer to him as would a loving friend. And you will do it in much the same way: speaking, listening, and doing.
Proverbs 4 describes wisdom and righteousness as a “path” or a “way” (see also Proverbs 3:5–6). As you read this chapter, you might find passages that help you ponder “the path of thy feet” (verse 26) and how your steps are drawing you closer to the Lord. For example, what do verses 11–12 and 18–19 teach about the blessings of following the right path? What do verses 26 and 27 mean to you? See also 2 Nephi 31:18–21.
Place a picture of the Savior on one side of a large open area or room.
Stand on the opposite side of the room. Take turns blindfolding each family member, spinning them in a circle, and then seeing if they can walk to the picture of Jesus Christ without any help.
Discussion: What types of help have we been given in this life to keep us on a path that leads to Jesus Christ? For further discussion, read Proverbs 3:5–6. What actions do we need to take to trust the Lord with all our hearts?
The Lord promises to be with Israel and drive out the people of the land—The tabernacle of the congregation is moved away from the camp—The Lord speaks to Moses face to face in the tabernacle—Later, Moses sees the glory of God but not His face.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “Exodus 24; 31–34” After Moses destroyed the golden calf, “the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.” Knowing this can build the children’s faith that the Lord is a real person who loves them.
Tell the children how you feel when you talk with a good friend, and ask them how they feel. Read to them the first sentence of Exodus 33:11. Ask the children how they think the prophet Moses might have felt. Tell the children about times when you have felt close to the Lord, even if you didn’t see Him with your eyes.
Sing together a song that expresses how Heavenly Father or Jesus feels about us, such as “Jesus Is Our Loving Friend” (Children’s Songbook, 58). Show pictures of the Savior showing love to others (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 36, 41–43, 46–47). Encourage the children to share how they feel about Heavenly Father and Jesus.
Isaiah 61:1–3 gives a powerful description of the Savior’s mission of teaching and healing. Ponder how you might best use Isaiah’s words to strengthen the children’s testimonies of Jesus Christ as their Savior and Redeemer.
Let the children hold pictures of Jesus teaching, healing, and helping others as you read Isaiah 61:1 (see the Gospel Art Book). Explain that God sent Jesus Christ to do these things for all of us. Ask the children to share their feelings about Jesus Christ. Testify of the Savior’s love for each of the children. (Or you could tape them to the board and let the children choose one they think best described each line of the scripture.)
Give the children a few minutes to read Isaiah 61:1–3 on their own. Then invite them to write on a piece of paper or in a study journal what these verses teach them about Jesus Christ. Invite a few of the children to share their thoughts.
Invite the children to share a phrase from these verses that is especially meaningful to them and explain why. How do these verses help us understand what Jesus Christ was sent to earth to do?
Isaiah 61:3 describes those who listen to and obey the Lord as “trees of righteousness.” Draw a tree on the board, and invite the children to think of righteous things they can do. For each idea, let the children draw a leaf on the tree.
Primary 4: Book of Mormon“Lesson 28: Nephi and Lehi in Prison,” Explain that before a building is built, the workers make a strong foundation for the building to rest on for support. Have the children compare the stability of a rock and sand as foundations to build on. Put a medium-sized rock and a box lid or shallow pan with sand or salt in it on the table. Blow on the rock and then blow on the sand or salt.
Friend August 2020 “Come Follow Me for Little Ones” Read Helaman 5:12 together and help your little ones say, “Jesus Christ can help me be strong.” Make two piles on a table—a pile of torn pieces of paper, and a pile of small stones. Let your children try to blow the paper and stones away. Testify that Jesus is strong, like the stones. He can help us be strong too.
Ask the children if they were building a home why they would choose rock rather than sand for a foundation. Explain that the scriptures compare Jesus Christ to the rock as being a strong foundation on which to build our lives. We build our lives on the rock foundation of Christ when we choose to live his teachings.
Bring to class a few kinds of materials that can represent weak or strong foundations (such as cotton balls or a flat stone or tile). Invite the children to build a tower using blocks or other materials on the different kinds of foundations. What makes some foundations stronger than others? Read together Helaman 5:12, and ask the children why they think Jesus Christ is “a sure foundation” for our lives. How can we build our lives on Him? Invite them to search Helaman 3:27–29 and 35 and Articles of Faith 1:4 to find ideas.
To help your family visualize what it means to have “a sure foundation,” perhaps you could build a small structure together and place it on different kinds of foundations. You could then create a “mighty storm” by spraying water on it and using a fan or hair dryer to create wind. What happened to the structure when it was on the different foundations? How is Jesus Christ like “a sure foundation” in our lives?
Read the first few lines of Helaman 5:12, and ask the children to raise their hands when they hear who the “rock” is that should be our foundation.
Invite the children to do actions as you read Helaman 5:12. For example, they could wave their arms when you read about the devil’s “mighty storm” and stand in one place when you read about the “rock of our Redeemer.”
Talk to [the children] about how Jesus Christ should be the foundation of our lives. Ask the children to share things they can do to follow Jesus Christ, and let them add a block to the structure’s foundation for each thing they share.
The prophet Helaman taught that we need to build our foundation on Jesus Christ. That way when the storms of life come, we can stand strong. (See Helaman 5:12.)
Now build two different kinds of houses, one out of paper or cards and the other with building blocks.
Next blow on both houses as hard as you can. Do both houses stand strong against the wind? How does building your life on Jesus Christ make you strong?
Friend October 2021 “Our Strong Foundation” President Nelson talks about the Salt Lake Temple foundation needs strengthened to shore up weak areas. Then he says, “We must build the foundation of our lives on the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Then when spiritual earthquakes happen, we will be able to stand strong.”
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “2 Nephi 20-25” How can you help your children “rejoice in Christ”? Maybe you could tell a story about Jesus Christ bringing joy to others, or you could show a video such as “Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind” or “Suffer the Little Children to Come unto Me” (Gospel Library). Your children could point out joyful moments in the story or video. Then, as you read together 2 Nephi 25:26, they could talk about why they “rejoice in Christ.”
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “2 Nephi 11-25” Put a picture of the Savior on the board, and read together 2 Nephi 25:26. Why did Nephi talk and write so much about Jesus Christ? Let each of the children write on the board, near the picture of Jesus, one thing about the Savior that brings them joy.
Ask the children to think of someone they would like to “persuade … to believe in Christ” (2 Nephi 25:23). How can we express to others the joy that the Savior brings into our lives? Let the children write or role-play some things they might do to help the person they thought of believe in Jesus Christ.
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Book of Mormon 2020 How can you help your family members “rejoice in Christ”? Maybe you could invite them to write on slips of paper things about the Savior that bring them joy. Then, during future family home evenings or family scripture study, someone could read a slip. Family members could add slips throughout the year.
Come Follow Me Kid “We Rejoice in Christ”“Delight In” Treats – What does it mean to “delight in” something? Talk about things we “delight in” (the park, puzzles, games, treats, etc.). Set out some of their favorite treats/snacks. My kids are obsessed with hot chocolate, so we’ll probably get some of that and while we’re drinking it, talk about how warm and happy it makes us feel. When we “delight in” something, it makes us feel warm and happy like that. What do you think Nephi said he “delights in”? Nephi said that his soul delights in proving unto his people the truth of the coming of Christ (2 Nephi 11:4). Show a picture of Christ. Why do you think Christ is so important and how can He help us feel happy?
“Smiley Face Hat” Cut apart the pieces for the smiley face hat below. Explain what it means to “rejoice.” Put the smiley faces in a pile and let kids take turns choosing one. As each piece is chosen, discuss how that is something that can make us happy and rejoice. Glue them onto the hat after discussing.
52 And now the year of my redeemed is come; and they shall mention the loving kindness of their Lord, and all that he has bestowed upon them according to his goodness, and according to his loving kindness, forever and ever.
53 In all their afflictions he was afflicted. And the angel of his presence saved them; and in his love, and in his pity, he redeemed them, and bore them, and carried them all the days of old;
These verses describe some of the many ways the Lord has shown His “loving kindness” to His people. What can you do to help the children feel the Savior’s love for them?
Display a picture that shows that Jesus is loving and kind (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 42, 47). Ask the children to share other things that Jesus has done to show His love and kindness. Read the phrase “they shall mention the loving kindness of their Lord” (verse 52), and help the children think of ways they can tell others about the Savior’s love.
Sing a song about the Savior’s love, such as “Jesus Is Our Loving Friend” (Children’s Songbook, 58). Share your testimony of how the Savior has shown His love for you.
Use the picture Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda (Gospel Art Book, no. 42) to tell the children the story in John 5:1–9. Or show the video “Jesus Heals a Man on the Sabbath” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Ask the children to imagine that they are the person Jesus healed. How would they feel when Jesus healed them?
Ask the children to name some things that are hard for them or that make them sad. Tell them about a time in your life when you received help from the Savior during a difficult trial. Testify that Jesus knows about all our problems and wants to help us.
Friend August 2017 “Ralphie’s Amazing Find” A boy is upset that his best friend is moving. He takes his dog for a walk, and his dog discovers a beautiful waterfall. The boy feels God’s love for him.
Friend April 2019 “God’s Great Gift” President Nelson asked the person who daily fed some tropical fish if they had ever thanked her. He says that some people are like those fish. They are not aware of God and His goodness to them. We need to express gratitude for his blessings, especially for the gift of our Savior Jesus Christ. Activity: Color in a sun ray after you read each sentence about what Jesus has done for us.
Gifts for Jesus
Friend December 2017 “Family Night Fun” Make these cute gift boxes, and write a gift you want to give Jesus, like being kind, and put it in your gift box to remember!
The Living Christ
Friend January 2019 “The Living Christ” The prophets and apostles wrote “The Living Christ” to tell the world about Jesus. Read part of it each month and memorize the words in red. Fill in the blanks with words from the picture to learn more about this first quote. Also, color the card and collect a new one each month.
Friend March 2019 Following Jesus example of helping others. Make a map of where you walk and ways you can help.
Friend April 2019 “The Living Christ” He instituted the sacrament as a reminder of His great atoning sacrifice. He gave His life to atone for the sins of all mankind.
Friend May 2019 Jesus’s life didn’t begin when he was born nor end when he died. Look up the scriptures about His life before birth, his life on the earth, and his life after death and then fill in the crossword puzzle.
Friend June 2019 Jesus was resurrected and lives. Discuss the pictures of him visiting people after his death.
Friend July 2019 Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery saw a vision of Jesus Christ in the Kirtland Temple. Jesus said, “I am he who liveth.”
Friend August 2019 The Prophet Joseph Smith’s testimony of the resurrected Jesus.
Friend September 2019 Write the names of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on the foundation stones.The foundation of a building keeps it strong. The most important foundation stone is called the cornerstone. The prophets and apostles are like the foundation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jesus Christ is like the most important stone, the cornerstone.
Friend November 2019 “The Living Christ” The apostles bear testimony of Jesus .Use the hints page to fill in the blanks. The highlighted letters give the final message!
Friend December 2019 “The Living Christ” Like light shining through a window, the Savior brings light and hope to a world that sometimes seems dark. Color this stained-glass window, then visit ComeUntoChrist.org/Christmas to learn how you can share Christ’s light!
Names of Jesus
Write on slips of paper a few of the titles of Jesus Christ found in Isaiah 9:6 (see this week’s activity page). Invite each child to pick one, and help the child read the title to the class. Talk to the children about what each title means to you. Give a picture of Christ to one of the children, and ask him or her to share something about Jesus and then pass the picture to another child. Repeat this activity until all the children have had a chance to share.
Ask the children to give examples of titles a person might have, such as titles associated with a job, a calling, a team, or a family. What do these titles say about the person who has them? Help the children find titles of Jesus Christ in Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6–7. What does each of these titles teach us about Him? What else do we learn about Jesus Christ from these verses?
Friend November 2019 “Funstuff: Names of Jesus” There are many different names used for Jesus Christ in the scriptures. Can you find some of these names in the word search?
Invite each child to say his or her name, and point out that in addition to our names, we can be called other things, like sister or brother or friend. Invite the children to think of other examples. Read Isaiah 9:6 to the children, emphasizing the names that refer to Jesus Christ: “Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Help the children understand what these names tell us about Jesus.
Give each child a paper star, and invite the children to hold their stars up when you read the following phrase from Numbers 24:17: “there shall come a Star out of Jacob.” Invite the children to share how Jesus is like a bright star that shines to all the world. Sing together a song about the star that appeared when Jesus was born, such as “Stars Were Gleaming” (Children’s Songbook, 37) or “The First Noel” (Hymns, no. 213). (Jesus is our source of light to guide us in the paths we should follow.)
There are several names for Jesus Christ in 2 Nephi 11:4–7; 17:14; 19:6. Help your children find them and talk about what they mean. For example, “Christ” means “the anointed” and “Immanuel” means “God with us.” What do these names teach us about Jesus?
Using paper or other supplies, create an ornament shaped like the chosen symbol and display it in a special place to remember the Savior.
Study the scripture references listed with each symbol above.
Discussion: What does each symbol teach about the Savior? What does Jesus Christ mean in your life?
At the end of studying the Old Testament this year, invite the children to share their favorite stories or scriptures from the Old Testament. What do these stories or scriptures teach us about Jesus Christ? Why are we grateful to have the Old Testament?
Bread of Life
“The Bread of Life” (February 1995 Friend) An article about the importance of bread in ancient times.
Matthew CHAPTER 15 The scribes and Pharisees contend against Jesus—He heals the daughter of a gentile woman—He feeds the four thousand.
Matthew CHAPTER 16 Jesus warns against the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees—Peter testifies that Jesus is the Christ and is promised the keys of the kingdom—Jesus foretells His death and resurrection.
Matthew CHAPTER 17 Jesus is transfigured before Peter, James, and John on the mount—Jesus heals a lunatic, tells of His coming death, and pays taxes in a miraculous manner.
Mark CHAPTER 7 Jesus reproves the Pharisees for their false traditions and ceremonies—He casts a devil out of the daughter of a Greek woman—He opens the ears and loosens the tongue of a person with an impediment.
Mark CHAPTER 8 Jesus feeds the four thousand—He counsels, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees—He heals a blind man in Bethsaida—Peter testifies that Jesus is the Christ.
Mark CHAPTER 9 Jesus is transfigured on the mountain—He casts out an unclean spirit—He teaches concerning His death and resurrection, who will be greatest, and the condemnation of those who offend His little ones.
I can gain a testimony that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Ask the children to listen for what Peter said as you read Matthew 16:15–17. (See also “Chapter 32: Peter Testifies of Christ,” in New Testament Stories, 76–77, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.) Explain that Peter was bearing his testimony of Jesus Christ. Read the verses again. (Or show the video again.) This time ask the children to listen for who told Peter that Jesus Christ was the Son of God.
Ask the children what they would say if someone asked them, “Who is Jesus?” Invite the children to read Matthew 16:13–17 to find out how Peter answered that question. How did he gain his testimony of Jesus? What can we do to strengthen our testimonies?
“Faith in Jesus Christ” (August 2019 Friend) Make a path through your home that includes objects representing how you show faith in Jesus Christ.
(Or you could have pictures or objects of ways you can show your faith. Have the children choose one and tell how it shows their trust in God. Some additional ideas: a picture of people going to church, picture of a child praying, a picture of the ten commandments or children being kind and obeying the commandments.
Help the children compare the way we know spiritual truths with the ways we know other truths. For example, how do we know how tall a person is or what the weather is like? How do we know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Tell the children how the Holy Ghost has testified to you of the Savior.
Peter saw and heard the Savior’s teachings. However, he received his testimony of Christ through revelation rather than through his physical senses—his “flesh and blood” (see Matthew 16:13–17).
Gather a few objects (see ideas below). Take turns being blindfolded. Have each person use their other four senses to guess what the object is.
Ideas:
Smell a flower
Taste a treat
Listen to a song
Touch a soft sweater
Discussion: Read Doctrine and Covenants 6:14–15 and 8:2–3. How can we learn truth through the spiritual sense of revelation rather than only relying on our physical senses? Note that everyone receives a testimony through the Holy Ghost but that some feel that influence differently than others. How can personal revelation through the Holy Ghost deepen our testimonies of Christ?
Friend September 2015 “A New Feeling” – Child feels Holy Ghost while reading about Jesus in the scriptures
Friend June 2020 A testimony is a good feeling from the Holy Ghost telling you that something is true.
Bear your testimony of Jesus Christ, and challenge the children to gain or strengthen their own testimonies of Him.
Jesus Christ gives prophets and apostles priesthood keys to lead His Church.
Show the children a rock as you read Matthew 16:18 with them. Repeat with them the phrase “upon this rock I will build my church,” adding actions to go along with the words. Explain that the Church is built upon the “rock” of revelation.
President Howard W. Hunter (1907–95) taught: “‘And upon this rock I will build my church.’ Upon what rock? Peter? Upon a man? No, not upon a man, upon the rock of revelation, the thing which they were talking about. He had just said, ‘… flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.’ This revelation that Jesus is the Christ is the foundation upon which he would build his Church” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1965, 112; see also Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 195).
Show the children some keys, and ask what we use keys for. Explain that Peter and the other Apostles received priesthood keys from Jesus. These keys “unlock” blessings for us and open the way to heaven. For example, priesthood keys allow us to be baptized and take the sacrament (also receive temple blessings & gift of Holy Ghost). Give the children paper keys, and have them write some blessings that priesthood keys “unlock.”
Write Matthew 16:19 on the board, leaving out a few words, including the word “keys.” Ask the children to find the missing words.
Show the video “Where Are the Keys?” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org), or review “Keys of the Priesthood” in Guide to the Scriptures (scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org). What are priesthood keys? How are priesthood keys like real keys?
A key unlocks the door to a house. We cannot appropriately enter a house unless we receive the key or the owner’s permission. Likewise, except for the right that husbands and fathers have to bless their families, a man who holds the priesthood can use it only when he receives proper permission. A priest, for example, has the authority to ordain another to an office in the Aaronic Priesthood, but he cannot do it without receiving permission to do so from his bishop or branch president. This power to give permission is called the keys of the priesthood.Duties and Blessings of the Priesthood: Basic Manual for Priesthood Holders, Part B, (2000), 8–18:
President Joseph Fielding Smith explained: ‘These keys are the right of presidency; they are the power and authority to govern and direct all of the Lord’s affairs on earth. Those who hold them have power to govern and control the manner in which all others may serve in the priesthood. All [worthy men] may hold the priesthood, but [it] can only use it as authorized and directed so to do by those who hold the keys” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1972, 98; or Ensign, July 1972, 87).”
Help the children list on the board some people who have priesthood keys. “Keys of the Priesthood” in Guide to the Scriptures (scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org) has a list that can help them. Invite someone in your ward who holds priesthood keys to briefly share with the class why these keys are important.
New Era May 2012 “Priesthood Keys”Who has priesthood keys? Members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles hold all the keys necessary for governing the Church. Only the President of the Church has the right to exercise all of those keys. He delegates these keys to others who preside in the Church—temple presidents, mission presidents, stake presidents, district presidents, bishops, branch presidents, and quorum presidents, including deacons and teachers quorum presidents.
Hide several keys (or pictures of keys) around the room, and invite the children to find them. After each key is found, help the children think of blessings we enjoy because of priesthood keys (for example, eternal families, baptism, and the sacrament).
Invite the children to draw pictures of the event described in Matthew 17:1–9. Ask them to explain their pictures to each other. (See “Chapter 33: Appearing in Glory: The Transfiguration,” in New Testament Stories, 78–79, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.)
Give the children time to ponder what the account in Matthew 17:1–9 teaches them about Jesus Christ. Invite them to write their thoughts on the board. Invite the children to share how they know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Read Matthew 17:19–20 with the children. Invite them to take turns drawing big mountains and small seeds on the board. Explain that the mountains are like things that are hard for us to do. What are some things that can feel like mountains to us? Use this week’s activity page to help the children think about how faith can help them do things that God wants them to do.
Friend May 2019 “Keeping the Orphans Warm” George Muller, a Christian, served God by helping orphans. He had strong faith that God would help him help them. Once, when the heater went out in one of his orphanages, he prayed that a warm wind would come to keep the children warm and that the workers would have a desire to get the work done quickly. His prayer was answered.
Friend January 2016 “Windows before Winter” St. George members do all they can to raise money for tabernacle windows, and they have faith the Lord will help them with what they lack.
Friend March 2022 “Overcoming Your Challenges”President Dallin H. Oaks discusses the challenges he faced growing up, such as having his father die when he was seven, or being bullied and made fun of by other kids because he couldn’t spell or do math very well. Heavenly Father and Dallin’s family helped him and things got better. President Oaks wants the children to know that Heavenly Father will help them and to not give up. (Coloring page “I Can Overcome Challenges”)
Place a picture of a mountain on one side of the room. Ask the children to name some things they can do to gain more faith in Jesus Christ. Let each child who suggests something move the mountain closer to the other side of the room. Read Matthew 17:19–20, and testify of the power of faith in your life.
Faith is a firm belief or trust in something. To have faith includes hoping for and believing in things that are true, even when we can’t see them or completely understand them (see Hebrews 11:1; Alma 32:21).
Having faith in Christ means having confidence in Him. It means relying completely on Him—trusting in His power, intelligence, and love. It also includes believing and following His teachings.
Sing together a song about faith, such as “Faith” (Children’s Songbook, 96–97). Give each child a seed to take home. Invite them to plant the seed and put it somewhere where they can watch it grow to help them remember to have faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
Matthew CHAPTER 14 John the Baptist is beheaded—Jesus feeds the five thousand and walks on the sea—Those who touch the hem of His garment are made whole.
Mark CHAPTER 6 Jesus sends forth the Twelve—John the Baptist is beheaded by Herod—Our Lord feeds the five thousand, walks on the water, and heals multitudes.
John CHAPTER 5 Jesus heals an invalid on the Sabbath—He explains why men must honor the Son—Jesus promises to take the gospel to the dead—Man is resurrected, judged, and assigned his glory by the Son—Jesus obeys the divine law of witnesses.
John CHAPTER 6 Jesus feeds the five thousand—He walks on the sea—He is the living manna sent from God—Salvation is gained by eating living bread—Jesus explains how men eat His flesh and drink His blood—Peter testifies that Jesus is the Messiah.
Use the picture Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda (Gospel Art Book, no. 42) to tell the children the story in John 5:1–9. Or show the video “Jesus Heals a Man on the Sabbath” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Ask the children to imagine that they are the person Jesus healed. How would they feel when Jesus healed them?
Ask the children to name some things that are hard for them or that make them sad. Tell them about a time in your life when you received help from the Savior during a difficult trial. Testify that Jesus knows about all our problems and wants to help us.
Friend August 2017 “Ralphie’s Amazing Find” A boy is upset that his best friend is moving. He takes his dog for a walk, and his dog discovers a beautiful waterfall. The boy feels God’s love for him.
Create two sets of matching cards labeled with words that Jesus used to teach about Heavenly Father in John 5, such as love, life, and works (see John 5:20, 26, 36). Lay the cards face down, and ask the children to look for matches by flipping over two cards at a time. As each match is made, read the verse that contains the word, and ask the children what the word teaches us about Heavenly Father.
Ask the children to read John 5:30 and complete this sentence: “I seek not mine own will, but …” How did Jesus Christ do the will of His Heavenly Father? How can we do Heavenly Father’s will?
John 5: 23That all men should ahonour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that bhonoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
Show the children a basket and some bread as you tell the story in Matthew 14:13–21. Explain that even though Jesus had tried to find a place to be alone, the people wanted to be near Him. Share the rest of the story with the children, and ask them to listen for what Jesus did to show kindness and love for the people.
Ask the children to share ways in which someone has been kind to them. Then help them think of things they can do this week to be kind to others. For every answer they give, draw a loaf of bread or a fish on the board. Tell the children that when they do these things, they are following the example Jesus set when He fed the five thousand people who were hungry.
New Testament Seminary Student Manual (2023) After Jesus Christ learned that John the Baptist had been beheaded, He traveled with His Apostles to a solitary place. They were followed by a multitude. Even though He was suffering, the Savior had compassion on the crowd and taught and fed the people—5,000 men plus women and children. This lesson can help you be more compassionate and selfless like Jesus Christ.
We can follow the example of Jesus Christ by showing compassion and serving others even while we are experiencing our own difficulties.Note that a “desert place” ( verse 13) is a solitary place, and “victuals” ( verse 15) means “food.”
Help the children imagine how large a crowd of five thousand people would be. What would it be like to feed that many people with only five loaves of bread and two fish?
New Testament Student Manual The Greek text of Mark 6:44 makes clear that the phrase “five thousand men” meant five thousand males. Matthew 14:21 makes this unmistakable by adding the statement “beside women and children.”
Story: Once Jesus Christ spent all day teaching people. Everyone was hungry. But they only had five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus blessed the bread and fish, and the disciples shared it with the people. There was enough food for more than 5,000 people! (See Matthew 14:15–21).
Song: “I’m Trying to Be like Jesus” (Children’s Songbook, 78–79)
Activity: Make your favorite bread recipe, or try the one on page 8. Notice how something as small as yeast makes the whole loaf of bread bigger. How has Jesus made your small efforts big?
Invite a child to tell the story of the feeding of the five thousand in his or her own words. Emphasize that it was a young boy who provided the bread and fish that the Lord used to perform this miracle. How can we be like the boy described in John 6:9? Invite the children to draw loaves and fish on paper and write on them some things they can give to the Lord to help in His work.
New Testament Seminary Student Manual (2023) Because of Jesus Christ your humble offerings will be enough. When we offer the Savior all that we have, He can multiply our efforts to accomplish His purposes.
Have you ever felt your talents and gifts were too small for the task ahead? I have. But you and I can give what we have to Christ, and He will multiply our efforts. What you have to offer is more than enough—even with your human frailties and weaknesses—if you rely on the grace of God.
(Michelle D. Craig, “Divine Discontent,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 54)
What are different ways we can “give what we have to Christ”?
Giving Talks, Singing, Playing Instruments, Help Clean the Church
Friend February 2015 “Juliana Gives a Talk” Juliana is scared to give a talk, but Heavenly Father helps her.
Friend February 2015Friend February 2015Friend February 2015Friend February 2015
Friend June 2018 “A Baptism Song” Elizabeth and her sister sang at a baptism which helped those attending to feel the Spirit.
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Friend December 2018 “Ellie Helps Clean the Church” Ellie’s family goes to clean the church and she wonders how she can help. Also includes a matching activity:
Match each sentence with a picture. In the blank spot, draw yourself helping at church.
I can put away a hymnbook.
I can pick up trash I see.
I can help hold up a picture.
I can sit so reverently!
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Give the children a small puzzle to complete. What would happen if one of the pieces of the puzzle were missing? Explain that we are each like a puzzle piece—we are all important, and we all need each other. Help the children name reasons they are important in their families, their Primary class, God’s family, and other groups.
Show the picture in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families (see also Gospel Art Book, no. 43) as you tell the story from Matthew 14:22–33 in your own words. Consider using this week’s activity page to help the children tell the story back to you. You could also bring a small bowl of water and invite the children to pretend to “walk” their fingers across the surface of the water.
Show the video “Wherefore Didst Thou Doubt?” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org), and ask the children why Peter was afraid. Then ask them to tell about times when they felt afraid and share what helped them. Help them see that faith in Jesus Christ helps us overcome fear.
Show the picture in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families (see also Gospel Art Book, no. 43). Ask the children to find phrases in Matthew 14:22–33 that describe the picture.
Ask the children to look for signs of faith and signs of fear as they read Matthew 14:22–33. You could also show the video “Wherefore Didst Thou Doubt?” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). What does it mean to have faith in Jesus Christ? Help the children think of times when their faith helped them overcome fear.
Ask the children to imagine they were present and had a camera when Jesus and Peter walked on the sea. Which moment would they choose to photograph and why? Suggest that they search Matthew 14:22–33 for ideas. Invite them to draw a picture of the moment they chose, share their pictures, and explain why they chose that moment.
Matthew CHAPTER 13 Jesus explains why He teaches with parables—He gives the parables of the sower, the wheat and the tares, the grain of mustard seed, the leaven, the treasure hidden in the field, the pearl of great price, and the net cast into the sea—A prophet is not honored by his own people.
Luke CHAPTER 8 Jesus gives and interprets the parable of the sower—He stills the tempest; casts out a legion of devils, who then enter the swine; heals a woman of an issue of blood; and raises Jairus’s daughter from death.
Luke CHAPTER 13 Jesus teaches, Repent or perish—He gives the parable of the barren fig tree, heals a woman on the Sabbath, and likens the kingdom of God to a mustard seed—He discusses whether few or many are saved and laments over Jerusalem.
I need to prepare to learn the teachings of Jesus.
Display different kinds of soil (or pictures of soil) as you summarize Matthew 13:3–8. Give each child a seed, and ask what they could do to help the seeds grow. Explain that our testimonies are like seeds. How do we help our testimony “seeds” grow?
Use this week’s activity page to help the children understand what each type of soil described in Matthew 13 teaches about our hearts. Ask the children which type of heart Jesus wants them to have in order to learn His teachings.
Read Matthew 13:9, 15, and invite the children to point to different parts of their body when they hear them mentioned. Draw an eye, ear, and heart on the board. How can we use these body parts to learn the teachings of Jesus?
9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. 15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Object Lesson: Take a moment to look for hidden items in the following image.
Assign each child to read about one of four types of soil in Matthew 13:4–8. Invite them to look for and share what happens to the seed in the type of soil they read about. How can our hearts be like the different types of soil? (see Matthew 13:19–23).
Show the children a picture of a garden. What does the soil need to be like in order for plants to grow in it? Show a picture of rocky or thorny soil. Why would plants have a hard time growing in this kind of soil? How can we make sure our hearts are like the good soil so that we can receive the Savior’s teachings?
Stony object lesson: Show the children two clear bowls with a cup of water in each. Also show them a rock and a cup of dry dirt (or sponge). Ask what would happen if you were to put the dry dirt into the water and then ask what would happen if you put the rock into the water. Demonstrate that the dirt soaked up the water and the rock did not. Then explain that when people harden their hearts, they don’t listen or try to understand, and the words of God fall by the wayside. Or, if people don’t put effort into learning and absorbing gospel truths, they might not have enough of the word of God in their heart and their testimony of the gospel withers away when difficulty or temptation comes.
The soil that soaked up water is like our hearts ready to soak up the word of God. How can we make sure we are ready to receive the word of God?
Choke out the word: When we love certain things more than we love God, such as sports, or video games, or recreational activities, we get so caught up in them that they become more important and choke out the desire to do the things of eternal importance and choke out the spirit in our lives.
Friend January 2017 “The Next Level” Max takes a week off from playing games and he learns new things, spends time with his family, serves, and feels the Spirit.
Invite the children to read Matthew 13:15–17. Draw an eye, ear, and heart on the board. How do we use each of these things to learn the teachings of Jesus?
Object Lesson: Take a moment to look for hidden items in the following image.
Which items were easy for you to find? Which ones required more effort?
In parables, Jesus compared familiar objects or situations to spiritual truths, and sometimes it takes effort to find the meaning.
If we seek for answers we can see, hear, feel, and understand
Ears: We can listen and pay attention when spiritual truths are being taught.
Hearts: We ca pray for the Holy Ghost to help us understand.
Eyes: We can study and read the footnotes in the scriptures or look up answers in good books or internet sites.
Mouth: We can ask questions like the apostles did.
Why do you think some people see, hear, and understand the Lord’s messages and others do not?
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 13; Luke 8; 13” How can you help your family members understand the importance of willingly receiving Christ’s word? To demonstrate “ears [that] are dull of hearing,” you might cover a family member’s ears while you quietly read Matthew 13:13–16. How much did that family member understand from the verses? What are ways that we can open our eyes, ears, and hearts to the word of God?
Let the children act out the parable of the wheat and the tares (see Matthew 13:24–30). Explain that the wheat represents people who make righteous choices, and the tares (harmful weeds) represent people who do not. One day, Heavenly Father will gather the righteous people to live with Him.
Give the children some examples of right and wrong choices. Ask the children to say “wheat choice” when you describe a right choice and “tare choice” when you describe a wrong choice.
Fighting with siblings/ Sharing with siblings
Doing chores when asked/ Complaining about chores
Getting angry after losing a game/ Choosing to congratulate the winner
Choosing to tell the truth about breaking something/ Choosing to lie so you don’t get into trouble.
Choosing to make fun of someone/ Choosing to be kind
Invite the children to draw different scenes from the parable of the wheat and the tares, found in Matthew 13:24–30, and share their drawings with the class. Ask them to label their drawings using the interpretation of the parable found in Matthew 13:36–43. You may need to explain that tares are harmful weeds.
If possible, display a picture of wheat and tares. Explain that the wheat and tares will grow together until the harvest (the end of the world). This teaches us that we live with both good and evil around us, and we must be careful to choose the right.
Ask the children to share how they can tell the difference between good and evil.
12 Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually.
13 But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.
16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.
17 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.
When a choice needs to be made, ask yourself, “Does it persaudeth men to do evil (from the devil) or does it inviteth to do good (from God).”
Read the situations below and ask the children to tell you what kind of reactions and thoughts would be from God, and what kind of reactions and thoughts would be from Satan.
Your friends have invited you to a movie. When you get there, you realize that it is not a good, wholesome one. Your friends decide to see it anyway.
Someone wants you to try drugs, smoke, or drink alcoholic beverages, saying that using such things will make you feel good.
Some of your friends won’t include you if you don’t swear with them.
Someone tells you some gossip about a friend and suggests you pass it on.
You break the cookie jar while getting some cookies. Your mother asks you what happened.
Your friends invite you to go to the circus on Sunday after your church meetings are over.
You don’t know an answer on a test at school. You promised your parents that you would try to get a good grade.
You’re very tired and get into bed before remembering to pray.
Your brother is being mean and teasing you.
My membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a treasure. (younger children)
What do the two men in these parables have in common? Are there additional things we should be doing as individuals and as a family to put the kingdom of God first in our lives?
Hide pictures of a treasure chest and a pearl in the room, and let the children find them. Use the pictures to teach about the parables in Matthew 13:44–46. Talk about why someone might give up everything they have for a beautiful pearl or a treasure in a field. Explain that sometimes we give up something good for something even better. Tell the children why the gospel is valuable to you.
Place in a box or chest several objects or pictures that represent “treasures” in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, such as the Savior, temples, or the Book of Mormon. Ask each child to choose an object or picture and talk about why it is a treasure.
Sing together “The Church of Jesus Christ” (Children’s Songbook, 77), and ask the children to talk about reasons they’re thankful for the Savior’s Church. Testify of the blessings you’ve experienced because of your membership in the Church.
My membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a treasure. (older children)
Invite the children to read Matthew 13:44–46 to themselves and share the parables in their own words with another class member.
Cut out several circles to represent coins, and put them in a treasure box. Invite the children to pick a coin and draw or write on it one thing they love about being a member of the Church. Ask the children to share what they put on their coin.
Blessings of the gospel Activity: Read the clues below (not the answer) and let the children pick which picture it is describing.
Prophet: Because of this blessing of the gospel we have the privilege to hear Gods words and direction about current issues and challenges we face. This gift is God’s living spokesman.
Book of Mormon: Because of this blessing of the gospel we know the purpose of life. We also know what we need to do to gain eternal salvation and how to live happy lives.
Temples: This blessing of the gospel allows us the opportunity to receive saving ordinances for ourselves and our dead. We can also be sealed to our family so that we can be with them forever.
Priesthood: Because of this blessing of the gospel we can receive healing blessings for the sick, blessings of comfort and guidance, and have authority to act in Gods name and perform saving ordinances, such as baptism.
Baptism Because this blessing of the gospel, when performed by proper priesthood authority, we can receive a remission of our sins and enter into the gate that leads to eternal life.
Holy Ghost Because of this blessing of the gospel we can receive personal revelation and guidance throughout our lives. We can also receive comfort during difficult times.
Invite a ward member to share his or her conversion story with the children and tell what he or she sacrificed to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Or ask the children to talk about sacrifices they make for the Lord and His Church.
Growing, Growing, Every Day As members of Jesus Christ’s restored Church, we are responsible to help grow the kingdom of God on earth. Matthew 13:31–32 says:
“The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
“Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree.”
Sit in a circle and curl up small like a tiny mustard seed.
Have everyone take turns naming an activity they might do each day to help the Church grow (bear their testimony, share a scripture on social media, share a gospel truth with a friend, etc.).
Each time someone mentions an activity that helps the Church grow, everyone sits up a little straighter and then begins to stand up until they are standing tall.
Discuss with your family why it is important for each person to do his or her part to contribute to the Church’s growth.
Jesus taught the gospel using stories called “parables.” One story He told was about how a tiny mustard seed can grow into a big tree (see Matthew 13:31–32). What was He teaching? What other parables did Jesus teach?
Matthew CHAPTER 11 Jesus acclaims John as more than a prophet—The cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum are rebuked for unbelief—The Son reveals the Father—The yoke of Christ is easy, and His burden is light.
Matthew CHAPTER 12 Jesus proclaims Himself Lord of the Sabbath and heals on the Sabbath day—He is accused of casting out devils through the power of Beelzebub—He speaks of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost and says that an evil and adulterous generation seeks signs.
Luke CHAPTER 11 Jesus gives the Lord’s Prayer—He discusses the casting out of devils—He acclaims Himself as greater than Jonah and Solomon—He rebukes the Pharisees and says that the blood of all the prophets may be required of their generation.
Jesus will help me as I come unto Him. (Younger Children)
New Testament Seminary Student Manual (2023) Draw a stick figure representing a [child].(Or have each of the children draw a stick figure representing themselves on a paper. Draw, or have the children draw, a backpack on the stick figure’s back to represent the burdens and stresses [children] today face. Write, or have the children write, at least five of those burdens or stresses in, on, or around the backpack.
Jesus Christ said, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). A yoke helps two ani
Read Matthew 11:28–30, and show the picture of yoked oxen in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. Ask the children to point to the oxen and the yoke. Explain that yoked oxen can pull more weight together than each could separately. Testify that when we feel sad, worried, or scared, we can seek Jesus and He will help us.
Ask a child to lift a heavy object. When he or she struggles, offer to help. How does Jesus help us do hard things? Share an experience when you felt Jesus help you do something hard, and ask the children to share experiences of their own.
Activity: Ask someone to move a heavy object across the room.
Friend December 2021 “Carrying Spotty” Abbie got a new puppy. She helped him feel safe when he was scared. She carried him when he was tired. In Primary, Abbie learned that Jesus suffered for us and took upon him our sorrows. He can carry us through our trials. She realized that Jesus helps her kind of like she helps her puppy. He helped her feel safe when she was afraid of the dark. He helped her feel stronger when she was worried.
Jesus will help me as I come unto Him. (Older Children)
Invite the children to share a time when they were worried or anxious about something. Invite them to search Matthew 11:28–30 for counsel that can help them in similar circumstances. How does the Savior “give [us] rest”? (verse 28).
New Testament Seminary Student Manual (2023) Draw a stick figure representing a [child].(Or have each of the children draw a stick figure representing themselves on a paper. Draw, or have the children draw, a backpack on the stick figure’s back to represent the burdens and stresses [children] today face. Write, or have the children write, at least five of those burdens or stresses in, on, or around the backpack.
Jesus Christ said, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). A yoke helps two animals pull something together. When we choose to follow Jesus, He can help us with our trials.
Activity: Ask someone to move a heavy object across the room. Then have them move that object with someone’s help. Talk about how our burdens are lighter when we turn to the Savior for help.
President Russell M. Nelson taught: “You come unto Christ to be yoked with Him and with His power, so that you’re not pulling life’s load alone. You’re pulling life’s load yoked with the Savior and Redeemer of the world, and suddenly your problems, no matter how serious they are, become lighter” (“The Mission and Ministry of the Savior: A Discussion with Elder Russell M. Nelson,” Ensign, June 2005, 18).
Also see Red Crystal for additional teaching ideas.
Invite the children to draw pictures of things they are doing to come unto Jesus and learn of Him.
In order to receive the Savior’s help and the rest He offers, we must come unto Him. Consider watching “Come unto Christ: 2014 Theme Song” (4:48) to see examples of how someone can come unto the Savior. (Have the children look for how the teenagers come unto Christ when they have difficulties such as illness, loneliness, temptation, family contention, etc. Ideas include pray for help, repent of sins, study his words in the scriptures, follow Jesus’s example and serve others, go to church and learn of him, take the sacrament and think about what Jesus has done for us, commit to keeping his commandments and remembering him always, etc.) You may also have them look for the way the Lord helped ease the burdens of the teens as they came unto him.
Help the children memorize the fourth article of faith. Talk with them about how each of the first principles and ordinances of the gospel helps us accept Jesus’s invitation, “Come unto me” (Matthew 11:28).
Read Matthew 12:10–13 out loud. Invite the children to stand up and sit down every time you say “Sabbath,” and repeat with them the phrase “It is [right] to do well on the sabbath days” (Matthew 12:12). What do they think that means?
Show a calendar to the children, and highlight the Sabbath day for them. What do we do on other days of the week? What can we do on the Sabbath to make it different from other days? (see Isaiah 58:13–14).
Print and cut out the images. Have the children take turns putting the things that fulfill the purposes of the Sabbath on the Sunday squares and put the other things on one of the weekday squares. Before deciding where a picture goes, ask the following question: “Does it bring me closer to Heavenly Father, increase my spiritual strength, or rest my body?” As you do the activity, pay attention to all the days on the calendar that the family has to do their work, sports, and recreation, and notice that there is only one day a week that we are to set aside as a holy day of worship.
Ask the children to draw good things they can do on the Sabbath day (see this week’s activity page).
Invite the children to come up with actions to help them remember ways we get ready for the Sabbath as they sing the song “Saturday” (Children’s Songbook, 196).
Draw eyes, ears, a mouth, and hands on the chalkboard. Ask the children to tell you what each of these parts of our bodies can do to keep the Sabbath day holy.
www.clipartengine.com
The Sabbath is a day to do good things that bring me closer to God.
Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: New Testament 2023 In their zeal to keep the Sabbath day holy, the Pharisees had implemented strict rules and man-made traditions, which eventually clouded their understanding of the true purpose of the Sabbath.
“What did the Savior mean when He said that “the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath”? [ Mark 2:27 ]. I believe He wanted us to understand that the Sabbath was His gift to us, granting real respite [or relief] from the rigors of daily life and an opportunity for spiritual and physical renewal. God gave us this special day, not for amusement or daily labor but for a rest from duty, with physical and spiritual relief.” (Russell M. Nelson, “The Sabbath Is a Delight,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 129)
Watch the video “Share Your Sabbath” (0:53), which shares several ways to “do good” on the Sabbath day.
Invite a child to pretend to be the man whose hand was healed by the Savior (see Matthew 12:10–13). Another child could ask him or her questions about the experience.
Read together Matthew 12:12. What are some good things we can do on the Sabbath? Let the children draw their ideas on this week’s activity page, cut out the pieces, and take turns putting each other’s puzzles together.
What are some of your favorite ways to come closer to Jesus Christ on Sunday?
Hide several pictures of people doing things that show love for Heavenly Father on the Sabbath day. Ask the children to find the pictures and share how doing the things in the pictures shows our love for God.
New Testament Seminary Student Manual (2023) “Luke 11:1–13” Jesus compared a mortal father’s desire to give gifts to his children to Heavenly Father’s desire to give us gifts. Jesus taught that if an imperfect mortal father “know[s] how to give good gifts unto [his] children” ( Luke 11:13), “how much more shall your heavenly Father give good gifts, through the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Joseph Smith Translation, Luke 11:14 [in Luke 11:13 , footnote a]).
Use an object lesson to illustrate the Savior’s teachings in Luke 11:11–13. For example, you could place a stone inside a bread bag or put a picture of a scorpion inside an egg carton. Ask the children to guess what is inside, and then show them. Invite them to replace the stone or picture with a piece of bread or an egg. Read Luke 11:11–13, and share your testimony that Heavenly Father loves us, answers our prayers, and gives us many blessings through His Spirit.
Friend March 2018 “Heavenly Father Listens” Elder Clayton felt the love of God as a teen when he prayed about some worries. Heavenly Father loves us and is interested in our lives just like a parent would be. (Activity page included: Find the hearts in the room of the girl who is praying.)
Find the things in the picture that show Heavenly Father and Jesus’s love for us.
Sing together a song about God’s love, such as “My Heavenly Father Loves Me” (Children’s Songbook, 228–29). What are some of the good gifts that He has given us? Ask the children to draw pictures of blessings from Heavenly Father that they are grateful for.
To illustrate what these verses teach, show the children a cup or other container that is clean on the outside but dirty on the inside. Help them think about what “the outside of the cup” might represent. What does the “inward part” represent? Why is it important to clean both the outside and the inside?
Object Lesson
What we think about and put into our minds affects what actions come out.
Demonstrate this with an empty toilet paper roll or paper towel roll. Shove some dirt covered paper towels into the cardboard roll as the children tell what things might make our spirits dirty, things such as what we see and hear or thoughts that are filled with hate and anger, dishonesty, greed, pride and vanity (thinking we are better than others in appearance, abilities, intelligence, etc.) selfishness, disobedience, etc.
Ask what would happen if you continued to shove dirty paper towels into the roll. (They would come out the other end.) What happens when we fill our minds with things that are unclean? They come out and manifest themselves through unclean actions.
Show another toilet paper roll and fill it with clean paper towels. Ask the children what will come out the other end. Explain that the clean paper towels represents thinking good thoughts by filling our minds with good things like reading our scriptures, listening to talks and lessons at church, praying, watching and listening to good, uplifting media and music, etc. When we fill our lives with things that are good and uplifting, our thoughts and actions become clean. (You can also push the dirty paper towels out with clean ones to demonstrate that we can clean out unclean thoughts by replacing what we see, hear, and think with good things.)
Read together some other scriptures that emphasize righteousness both in our hearts and our actions—for example, Psalm 24:3–5; Matthew 15:7–8; Moroni 7:6–9. Discuss why the Savior wants our hearts and private actions to be spiritually clean.
The things we do and think affect our happiness in this life and the life to come.
Print and cutout all the signs except for the top page. Using tacky wax or removable double sided tape, attach all the small words to a piece of cardstock in random order. Tape the faces to the board or wall. Explain that after Jesus visited the Nephites they kept their spirits clean for many years and they lived in happiness. Show the cardstock to children. Have them take off the words they associate with happiness and put them under the smiley face. Explain that the scriptures tell that these are the things they experienced as a result of keeping their spirits clean. After a long period of time, wickedness started to creep in and the Nephites started experiencing terrible things as a result of the wickedness. Tape the rest of the words on the cardstock under the frowning face.
Explain that when we keep our minds and thoughts clean, we make good choices and we are happy. We can also return to live with Heavenly Father and again and enjoy the blessings of eternal life (the kind of life Heavenly Father has).
Matthew CHAPTER 9 Jesus forgives sins, heals a paralytic, and calls Matthew—Jesus eats with sinners, heals a woman who touches His garments, and raises Jairus’s daughter to life—He opens the eyes of the blind, casts out a devil, and preaches the gospel.
Matthew CHAPTER 10 Jesus instructs and empowers the Twelve Apostles and sends them forth to preach, minister, and heal the sick—Those who receive the Twelve receive the Lord.
Mark CHAPTER 5 Jesus casts out a legion of devils, who then enter the swine—A woman is healed by touching Jesus’ clothes—He raises Jairus’s daughter from the dead.
Luke CHAPTER 9 The Twelve are sent out—Jesus feeds the five thousand—Peter testifies of Christ—Jesus foretells His death and resurrection—He is transfigured on the mount—He heals and teaches.
Tell the children the story of the daughter of Jairus (see Mark 5:22–23, 35–43). At the appropriate point in the story, read Jesus’s words “I say unto thee, arise” (verse 41), and invite the children to stand up. Help the children understand that Jesus has the power to heal people and give us eternal life.
Friend June 2017 “Jesus Healed People” Story of Jarius’s daughter being raised from the dead, and the story of the women with an issue of blood being healed when she touches the hem of Jesus’s robe.
Show a picture of the account in Matthew 9:20–22 as you read these verses. Help the children memorize the phrase “Thy faith hath made thee whole” (verse 22). To do this, you could assign each child a word, and then have the children say their words in order several times. How did the woman show that she had faith in Jesus Christ? What can we do to show that we have faith in Christ?
Ask the children to close their eyes and listen as you read from Matthew 9:27–30. When you read about Jesus healing the blind men, invite the children to open their eyes. Invite the children to talk about how they would feel if Jesus had healed them.
Friend June 2005 “Faith in Jesus Christ” Two blind men came to Jesus Christ and asked Him to heal them. Jesus asked if they believed that He could restore their sight. The men said, “Yea, Lord.” Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith be it unto you.” When they opened their eyes, they could see. (See Matt. 9:27–30.)
Use this week’s activity page to help the children learn the story of the Savior raising Jarius’s daughter from the dead.
Gather first-aid items and explain how they are used to heal us. Then explain that Jesus Christ’s power to heal is even greater. Describe one of the miracles in Matthew 9.
Read together the accounts of Jesus healing people found in Matthew 9:20–22, 27–30 and Mark 5:22–23, 35–43 (or show the videos “Jesus Heals a Woman of Faith” and “Jesus Raises the Daughter of Jairus” on ChurchofJesusChrist.org). How did the people in these stories show their faith in Jesus Christ? What do we learn about the Savior from these stories?
“This faithful, focused woman needed to stretch as far as she could to access His power. Her physical stretching was symbolic of her spiritual stretching. …When you reach up for the Lord’s power in your life with the same intensity that a drowning person has when grasping and gasping for air, power from Jesus Christ will be yours. When the Savior knows you truly want to reach up to Him—when He can feel that the greatest desire of your heart is to draw His power into your life—you will be led by the Holy Ghost to know exactly what you should do [see Doctrine and Covenants 88:63]. When you spiritually stretch beyond anything you have ever done before, then His power will flow into you. (Russell M. Nelson, “Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 41–42)
Invite the children to share experiences when they or someone they know received a priesthood blessing for the healing of the sick. How were they healed or blessed? Explain that sometimes a miraculous healing is not the Lord’s will, but we can still be blessed by His love and comfort.
Friend July 1988 “Power of Prayer” A pioneer father is inspired that something was wrong at home. When he arrives he finds that his daughter has fallen into the fireplace. He gives her a blessing and every promise is fulfilled.
Story: Jesus Christ performed many miracles. He healed a man who couldn’t walk. He brought a dead girl back to life. He healed blind men. (See Matthew 9.) What other miracles did Jesus do?
Song: “Tell Me the Stories of Jesus” (Children’s Songbook, 57)
Activity: Write down some of Jesus’s miracles on slips of paper and put them in a bowl. Pick a paper, read the miracle on it, and draw a picture of it. The others can guess which one it is!
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 9–10; Mark 5; Luke 9” Why the emphasis on physical healing? Certainly one obvious message is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, with power over all things, including our physical pains and imperfections. But another meaning is found in His words to the skeptical scribes: “That ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins” (Mark 2:10).
Summarize Matthew 10:1–10 in simple terms. Explain that Jesus calls Apostles to help Him build His Church. Let the children count the Apostles in the picture Christ Ordaining the Apostles (Gospel Art Book, no. 38) and in a picture of the current Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (see ChurchofJesusChrist.org or a general conference issue of the Liahona). Explain that we have twelve Apostles today, just as in Jesus’s time. Share your testimony of the Lord’s Apostles and of something they have taught recently.
Hide pictures of the modern-day Apostles around the room (for pictures, see a recent general conference issue of the Liahona). Invite the children to find the pictures, and tell them a little about each Apostle (see “Meet Today’s Prophets and Apostles” at ChurchofJesusChrist.org). (See also Latter Day Apostles)
Invite a child to hold up a picture of the First Presidency and a picture of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Ask the child to lead the other children around the room to a picture of Jesus. Testify that the prophets and apostles lead us to Jesus Christ.
What similarities did you notice between the things Jesus did and what He commanded His Apostles to do?
Why would accepting the Savior’s Apostles be like accepting the Savior? Matthew 10:40
Because the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles represent the Savior and are special witnesses of Him, studying their teachings is like studying the Savior’s teachings
I believe the Apostles of Jesus Christ are very important.
I want to hear what the Savior’s Apostles have to say, and I pay attention when I have the chance to listen to them.
I could share one or two things Apostles of Jesus Christ have recently taught.
Invite the children to write on the board the names of as many of the original Apostles as they can remember. Then ask them to list as many living Apostles as they can remember. Let them check their lists with Matthew 10:2–4 and a recent conference issue of the Liahona. You could also play a matching game in which the children match each living Apostle’s name with his picture. Pictures can be found at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Several days before class, invite a few children to come prepared to share a story told by one of the living Apostles (see issues of the Liahona or Friend for ideas). How did that Apostle use the story to inspire us to become more like the Savior?
Share several examples of modern-day Apostles’ testimonies of Christ with the children (see recent general conference messages or “The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles” [ChurchofJesusChrist.org]).
Friend January 2019 “The Living Christ” The prophets and apostles wrote “The Living Christ” to tell the world about Jesus. Read part of it each month and memorize the words in red. Fill in the blanks with words from the picture to learn more about this first quote. Also, color the card and collect a new one each month.
Friend November 2019 “The Living Christ” The apostles bear testimony of Jesus .Use the hints page to fill in the blanks. The highlighted letters give the final message!
Friend March 2019 Following Jesus example of helping others. Make a map of where you walk and ways you can help.
Tell the children about a time when you gave up something in order to get something better. Invite the children to share examples of their own. Then read together Luke 9:23–25. Explain that Jesus wants us to be willing to give up anything to follow Him. While He may not ask us to literally give up our lives, what does He ask us to give? (see Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 16:26 [in Matthew 16:24, footnote e]).To deny himself all ungodliness, and every worldly lust, and keep my commandments.)
For the Strength of Youth July 2022 “The Choice” Ben forgot to write a book report that was due the next day. He has to make a choice whether he will follow God or cheat and copy a book report from the internet.
Friend February 2020 “Matt & Mandy” When some kids find a wallet, Matt and his friend stand for the right by telling a boy, who wants to keep the money, that they need to return the wallet to its owner.
Write several Christlike qualities on pieces of paper and the opposites of those qualities on other pieces of paper (such as love and selfishness, humility and pride, and so on). Write the words save and lose as headings on the board, and invite the children to sort the qualities under the appropriate headings. Give the children time to ponder the Christlike qualities on the board and to choose one to develop more fully.
Matthew CHAPTER 8 Jesus heals a leper, cures the centurion’s servant and others, stills the tempest, and casts out devils—The devils enter a herd of swine.
Mark CHAPTER 2 Jesus forgives sins, heals a paralytic, eats with tax gatherers and sinners, and announces that He is Lord of the Sabbath.
Mark CHAPTER 3 Jesus heals on the Sabbath day—He chooses and ordains the Twelve Apostles—He asks, Can Satan cast out Satan?—Jesus speaks of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost and identifies those who believe as being members of His family.
Mark CHAPTER 4 Jesus gives the parables of the sower, the candle under a bushel, the seed growing secretly, and the mustard seed—He stills the tempest.
Luke CHAPTER 7 Jesus heals the centurion’s servant—Jesus raises from death the son of the widow of Nain—He praises John the Baptist as more than a prophet—A woman anoints Jesus’ feet, and He forgives her sins.
Share the account of the man with palsy from Mark 2:1–12. For help, see “Chapter 23: The Man Who Could Not Walk” (in New Testament Stories, 57–58, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Explain that the man with palsy could not walk. Help them recognize that this man was healed by the Savior.
Invite the children to talk about a time when they were sick. Tell one of the accounts of Jesus healing the sick, such as Matthew 8:1–4, 5–13, 14–15; Mark 3:1–5; Luke 7:11–16. Invite the children to retell the story in their own words. Testify that Jesus’s power can heal, bless, and comfort us.
Friend May 2016 “Bad Day in the Badlands” Topher and his classmates get sick on a school trip. Topher gets a priesthood blessing.
Friend May 2016
“Jesus Heals the Sick” (April 2015 Liahona and Friend) Figures to tell stories from New Testament about Jesus Healing the Sick.
Matthew 8:1–4 ; Mark 1:40–42Jesus heals a leper.A leper would have been shunned from society because leprosy was a painful, contagious, and sometimes deadly disease. Most people would have avoided approaching or touching him.
“Lesson 13: Jesus Christ Heals the Sick,” Primary 7: New Testament Explain that lepers suffer a terrible form of skin disease. Because leprosy was thought to be highly contagious, those with the disease were often not allowed to live in the cities and they were shunned by those without leprosy.
After Jesus healed the leper, what did He ask him to do? (Mark 1:43–44.) What does this tell us about how we should help others?
Matthew 8:5–8, 13Jesus heals a centurion’s servant.A centurion was a commanding officer of about 100 men in the Roman military. Many Jews in Jesus’s day hated Roman soldiers because of religious differences and because they represented the nation that had conquered them.
Jesus healed man with withered hand on the Sabbath.
What do you learn about Jesus Christ from these miracles?
Jesus can perform miracles in my life as I have faith in Him.
Ask the children to pick one of the following miracles to read about and draw: Matthew 8:1–4, 5–13, 14–15; Mark 2:1–12; 3:1–5; Luke 7:11–16. Invite the children to explain their drawings to the class. What do we learn about Jesus from these stories?
Ask the children to act out how they feel when they are sick, sad, afraid, or worried. How can Jesus help us when we have these feelings? Testify that Jesus can help the children in all of these situations.
Friend March 2019 “Missing Mom and Dad” Dylan’s mom and dad were going on a trip, and he was going to stay with his grandparents. He loved staying with his grandparents, but for some reason he was scared about being away from his mom and dad for so long. He decided to pray for help, and he received comforting thoughts and feelings.
During His mortal ministry, Jesus Christ healed the sick and the afflicted, but each person had to exercise faith in Him and act to receive His healing. Some walked for long distances, others extended their hand to touch His garment, and others had to be carried to Him in order to be healed. (Reyna I. Aburto, “Thru Cloud and Sunshine, Lord, Abide with Me!,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019, 58)
Having faith in Jesus Christ means relying completely on Him—trusting in His infinite power, intelligence, and love. It includes believing His teachings. It means believing that even though we do not understand all things, He does. Because He has experienced all our pains, afflictions, and infirmities, He knows how to help us rise above our daily difficulties.(Gospel Topics, “Faith in Jesus Christ,” topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
The Lord counsels us not to fear. Throughout the scriptures the Lord has counseled us to “be not afraid, only believe” (Mark 5:36). What are some actions that you could take to follow the Savior’s invitation to “be not afraid, only believe”? How will those actions help you face your fears?
Create a picture with the phrase “Be not afraid, only believe.” Put this picture in a place where it will help you remember to believe in Jesus Christ and not fear.
Fear and faith cannot coexist in our hearts at the same time. (Neil L. Andersen, “You Know Enough,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 14)
(See also the video “Widow of Nain” on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.) Share a time when someone showed love for you in a time of need and how you felt. Invite the children to share their experiences.
Show the video “Gordon Hinckley: Lessons I Learned as a Boy” or “The Coat” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). How did the children in these videos follow Jesus’s example? Invite the children to share other situations when someone might be in need. What can we do to help them?
Sing a song about showing love and kindness to others, such as “Kindness Begins with Me” (Children’s Songbook, 145).
Jesus loves us even when we sin and wants to help us repent.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then of the First Presidency, testified of the Savior’s power to heal spiritual illness.
Sometimes spiritual illness comes as a result of sin or emotional wounds. …Even the deepest spiritual wounds—yes, even those that may appear to be incurable—can be healed.
My dear friends, the healing power of Jesus Christ is not absent in our day. The Savior’s healing touch can transform lives in our day just as it did in His. If we will but have faith, He can take our hands, fill our souls with heavenly light and healing, and speak to us the blessed words, “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk” [ John 5:8 ].
Write How does Jesus feel about sin? and How does Jesus feel about us when we sin? on the board. Ask the children to think about these questions as they read together Mark 2:15–17 and then share their answers. (You may want to read together “Publican” in Guide to the Scriptures [scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org].–In ancient Rome, a collector of taxes for the government. Publicans were generally hated by the Jews. Some publicans readily accepted the gospel) Why is it important to know that Jesus loves us, even though we aren’t perfect? How can knowing this help us when we need to repent?
Show a picture of the Savior (such as one in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families), and ask the children what words they would use to describe Him. Invite them to find words that describe Him in Psalm 86:5, 13, 15. If needed, help them define these words. What could we say to a friend who feels that God is angry at them when they sin?
Sing with the children a song that you feel will help them understand the Savior’s forgiving nature, such as “I Stand All Amazed” (Hymns, no. 193). Share your testimony that Jesus Christ wants to forgive us.
Friend January 2023 “What’s on Your Mind?” Jesus Christ loves you perfectly. If you make a wrong choice, He still loves you. And He can help you repent and make things right again. He is always waiting for you to follow Him. He believes in you! (See more at link.)
If someone were to stray off a path, fall, and become injured, what would be some of the possible symptoms and effects of being injured? Answers might include: pain, shock, bruises, scrapes, cuts, bleeding, broken bones, sprain, concussion, etc.
Just like a person would suffer the effects of being injured, a person who had sinned would also suffer the consequences and results of that sin. What are some of the consequences that can occur because of sin? Answers might include: guilt, loss of the Spirit’s help and guidance, possible loss of freedom, loss of other’s trust, damaged relationships, possible loss of good health, loss of inheritance in the kingdom of God, etc.
Show the children some medical items and ask what they are used for. (To help treat and heal physical injuries and sickness.)
Who is the master physician that can heal our spiritual wounds, small or large? (Jesus Christ) The Savior said: ‘Will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you? … If ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life.’”
A few days before class, invite one of the children and a family member to come to class prepared to share the account in Luke 7:36–50. They could draw pictures depicting parts of the story to show the class. Discuss with the children what the Lord might want us to learn from this story.
When I am afraid or in danger, Jesus can help me feel peace. (Junior)
Help the children imagine that they are on the ship as you read Mark 4:35–41. (See also “Chapter 21: Jesus Commands the Winds and the Waves,” in New Testament Stories, 53, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.) Ask the children to describe how they might have felt if they had been there. When have the children been scared? How did they find comfort?
Friend March 2023 What are some things that scare your little ones? Calmly talk about one of those fears. Then help them say, “When I am afraid, Jesus can help me feel peace.”
Story: Read the story of Jesus Christ calming the storm on page 46 or in Mark 4:36–41. Talk about ways Jesus brings you peace.
Song: “I Feel My Savior’s Love” (Children’s Songbook, 74–75)
Activity: Stand in a circle and hold the sides of a blanket. Put a ball on the blanket and gently toss it around, like the ship was tossed on the waves. Take turns telling the group to go fast, slow down, or “be still.”
Invite the children to make the sounds of a storm and stop when someone says “Peace, be still.” Testify that just as Jesus can bring us peace when there is a storm outside, He can bring us peace in our hearts when we feel bad on the inside.
Friend March 2023 “The Earthquake Prayer” Violet woke up when she felt an earthquake. She and her family ran to the kitchen and crawled under the table. They had practiced what to do in an earthquake, but Violet was scared. She said a prayer, and felt like someone was giving her a hug. She was glad Heavenly Father helped her feel peace.
Teach the children actions to accompany the third verse of “Tell Me the Stories of Jesus” (Children’s Songbook, 57), and sing the verse together while doing the actions.
When I am afraid or in danger, Jesus can help me feel peace. (Senior)
Ask one of the children to use Mark 4:35–41 and the picture Jesus Calms the Storm (Gospel Art Book, no. 40) to tell the story of Jesus calming the storm. Ask the children to describe how they might have felt if they had been there.
Invite the children to share experiences when they felt peace after praying for help. Remind them that this peace comes from the Savior.
Friend March 2023 “The Earthquake Prayer” Violet woke up when she felt an earthquake. She and her family ran to the kitchen and crawled under the table. They had practiced what to do in an earthquake, but Violet was scared. She said a prayer, and felt like someone was giving her a hug. She was glad Heavenly Father helped her feel peace.
Give each child a paper rain cloud, and ask them to write on it a trial that someone might have. Put all of the clouds on the board, covering a picture of the Savior. Invite a child to remove one of the clouds and suggest ways we could help someone with that trial to find peace. When all the clouds are removed, testify of the Savior’s power to calm the storms in our lives.
Friend March 2023 “Peace from the Savior” President Eyring gives ideas on how to feel peace even during difficult times such as remembering the Savior and following him.
The Savior has the power to calm any storm in your life. He can heal your pain, ease your burdens, and provide light when you’re in darkness.
It’s important to remember that sometimes the Lord calms the storms in your life, and sometimes He instead calms and comforts you while the storm rages on. When you have faith in Him, you also trust in His will and timing. You believe that He will help you, regardless of when your peace and calm actually arrive.
When you’re lonely, sad, anxious, or waiting for promised blessings, remember this question: Are you waiting for “a great calm” with a fearful heart or with a faithful heart?
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