Welcome to April!
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April, Week 1
Day 1
Primary
1. Read Matthew 14:14-21, Mark 6:33-44, and John 6:5-14.
2. How large would a crowd of five thousand people be? What would it be like to feed that many people with only five loaves of bread and two fish? It was a young boy who provided the bread and fish that Jesus used to feed the five thousand. How can you contribute to the work of the Lord?
3. Watch the video “Jesus Feeds 5,000 People.”
4. Listen to the song “Faith.”
5. Listen to the song “Books in the New Testament.” This time, listen to the whole song.
Youth
1. Read Matthew 14:14-21, Mark 6:33-44, and John 6:5-14.
2. Have you ever felt inadequate to meet all the needs you see around you—in your home, in your relationships, or in society? Jesus’s disciples must have felt inadequate when He asked them to feed over five thousand hungry people when there were only five loaves of bread and two fish available. As you read about the miracle that happened next, ponder how God might use your humble offerings of service to bless those around you. How has He magnified your efforts as you have served Him?
3. Consider this statement from Sister Michelle D. Craig:
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. (“Divine Discontent,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 54)
4. Watch the video “The Feeding of the 5,000.”
5. Listen to the song “Books in the New Testament.” This time, listen to the whole song.
Day 2
Primary
1. Read Mark 6:1-32 and Matthew 14:1-13
2. Just before Jesus performed the miraculous feeding of the 5,000, he heard the news that his cousin John the Baptist had been killed by the ruler Herod. Jesus loved his cousin and was very sad to hear of his death. He wanted to be alone, but the people followed him. (That was the multitude that Jesus fed). Despite his grief, Jesus took care of them.
3. Listen to the song “I Feel My Savior’s Love.”
Youth
1. Read Mark 6:1-32 and Matthew 14:1-13
2. The Herod mentioned in these verses is Herod Antipas, who governed the regions of Galilee and Perea following the death of his father, Herod the Great (the one that tried to have Jesus killed when he was a child). Herod Antipas had divorced his wife and married Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. This act was a blatant violation of Jewish law, and John the Baptist had vocally condemned it. John’s opposition to this marriage angered Herodias, so Herod imprisoned John to appease her.
3. What did Herodias want to do with John the Baptist? Why couldn’t she have him killed? Herod feared John and knew him to be a man of God. Herodias and her daughter worked together to trap Herod into making a promise to do what they wanted, and Herod did just that.
4. According to verse 26, how did Herod feel about killing John the Baptist? Why did Herod have John beheaded if he knew it was wrong and did not want to do it? It was “for their sakes which sat with him,” which indicates Herod was concerned about the opinion of those who sat with him. What principle can we learn from Herod’s choices about what happens when we try to please others instead of doing what is right? Seeking to please others instead of doing what we know is right can lead to wrong choices, sorrow, and regret.
5. Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles provided some ideas that can help youth resist negative peer pressure:
You can’t please God without upsetting Satan, so you will get pressure from those he tempts to do wrong. Individuals who do wrong want you to join them because they feel more comfortable in what they are doing when others do it also. They may also want to take advantage of you. It is natural to want to be accepted by peers, to be part of a group — some even join gangs because of that desire to belong, but they lose their freedom, and some lose their lives. One of the hardest things for you to recognize is how truly strong you already are and how others silently respect you. We have great confidence in you. You don’t need to compromise your standards to be accepted by good friends. The more obedient you are, the more you stand for true principles, the more the Lord can help you overcome temptation. You can also help others because they will feel your strength. Let them know about your standards by consistently living them. Answer questions about your principles when you are asked, but avoid being preachy. I know from personal experience that works.
No one intends to make serious mistakes. They come when you compromise your standards to be more accepted by others. You be the strong one. You be the leader. Choose good friends and resist peer pressure together. (“Making the Right Choices,” Ensign, Nov. 1994, 37)
Day 3
Primary
1. Read John 5:16-47.
2. In this story, some people were angry with Jesus because they thought he was saying things that were not true. Jesus explained that he was doing what God wanted him to do, and that he and God were father and son. Jesus also talked about how there were many witnesses that proved he was really God’s son. He said that if we want to live with God forever, we need to believe in him and follow him. Studying the scriptures can help us understand who Jesus is and what he wants us to do.
3. Listen to the song “Jesus Has Risen.”
Youth
1. Read John 5:16-47.
2. Read John 5:17-18. Why were the Jewish leaders angry with Jesus? The Savior taught the Jewish leaders that by healing the man, He was doing Heavenly Father’s work. The Savior then taught about His relationship to the Father. According to verse 18, what is another reason why the Jewish leaders were angry with Jesus? (They believed Jesus was guilty of blasphemy because He had said God was His Father and therefore claimed to be equal with God.)
3. What did the Savior teach about His relationship to our Heavenly Father? In all He does, Jesus Christ represents Heavenly Father and seeks to obey His will. The Savior invites us to do the same. Why is it important to understand that in all He does, Jesus Christ stands as the perfect representative of our Father in Heaven?
4. Despite having many witnesses of Jesus Christ, the Jewish leaders did not believe in Jesus’s divinity. In verse 39 that as Jesus spoke of the scriptures He said, “For in them ye think ye have eternal life.” What false belief was Jesus pointing out to the Jews? (Many Jews in Jesus’s day believed that merely studying the scriptures would allow them to receive eternal life. They failed to understand that the purpose of the scriptures was to point them to Jesus Christ. He said, in essence, “You think you have eternal life, but search the scriptures, for they testify of me.”)
5. What did the Jews needed to do to gain eternal life? Even though the Jews studied the scriptures, what did they refuse to do that would have helped them qualify to receive eternal life? According to the Savior’s teachings in verses 39 and 40, what must we do to receive eternal life? (Only by coming unto Jesus Christ can we receive eternal life.) Eternal life includes becoming like Heavenly Father and living forever with our worthy family members in His presence.
6. According to Elder James E. Talmage of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Savior’s response to the Jewish leaders recorded in John 5:17–47 “stands as the most comprehensive sermon in scripture on the vital subject of the relationship between the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ” (Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed. [1916], 208). In a doctrinal statement dated June 30, 1916, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:
Jesus Christ spoke and ministered in and through the Father’s name; and so far as power, authority, and godship are concerned His words and acts were and are those of the Father. (“The Father and the Son: A Doctrinal Exposition by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles,” Ensign, Apr. 2002, 17)
Day 3
Primary
1. Read Matthew 14:22-33
2. The story of Jesus Christ and Peter walking on water is a story of faith and fear. The Savior instructed His disciples to travel by ship to the other side of the Sea of Galilee while He sent the multitudes away. As they tried to cross the sea, a strong wind blew and a storm raged, making it difficult to reach the shore. In the early hours of the morning, Jesus came to them, walking on water. At first the disciples were afraid, thinking that it was a spirit, but then Jesus spoke to them and Peter asked to walk on the water to Jesus. At first, Peter was able to walk on the water, but then he became afraid of the storm and started to sink. Jesus saved him, and told him that he needed to have more faith.
3. Watch the video “Jesus Walks on Water.”
4. Listen to the song “Gethsemane.”
Youth
1. Read Matthew 14:22-33
2. The Savior instructed His disciples to travel by ship to the other side of the Sea of Galilee while He sent the multitudes away. Read Matthew 14:23. Where did Jesus go once He had sent the multitudes away? Meanwhile, the disciples were having a hard time crossing the sea. A ‘contrary’ wind blew the opposite way that they needed it to go. They had likely been fighting the wind nine hours or more before Jesus came to them.
3. The disciples thought at first that Jesus was a spirit. Read Matthew 14:28. What did Peter ask when he heard Christ’s voice? Peter was at first able to walk on the water, but then he began to sink. What changed? If we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ and maintain our faith in Him, we will not be overcome by our fears and doubts.
4. As we “fix our eyes” on Jesus Christ and maintain our faith in Him, we will find hope and courage to face our challenges. President Howard W. Hunter spoke of the danger of failing to maintain our faith in the Lord:
It is my firm belief that if as individual people, as families, communities, and nations, we could, like Peter, fix our eyes on Jesus, we too might walk triumphantly over ‘the swelling waves of disbelief’ and remain ‘unterrified amid the rising winds of doubt.’ But if we turn away our eyes from him in whom we must believe, as it is so easy to do and the world is so much tempted to do, if we look to the power and fury of those terrible and destructive elements around us rather than to him who can help and save us, then we shall inevitably sink in a sea of conflict and sorrow and despair. (“The Beacon in the Harbor of Peace,” Ensign, Nov. 1992, 19)
5. When we expect the Lord will give us quick solutions to our problems, we fail to see the greater purpose in the delay of His aid. Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said the following about the Savior’s awareness of His disciples’ toil to cross the Sea of Galilee in the storm:
From the mountaintop where he prayed … , Jesus saw the peril and strugglings of his beloved friends as they sought the safety of the western shore of the Galilean lake. … His awareness of their plight must have come by the power of the Spirit rather than the natural eye, for they were more than four — perhaps were five or six — miles away. …
… In some eight or ten hours they traveled less than four miles from the shore.
Their peril was great. Even strong men cannot resist indefinitely the battering waves and the rolling power of a storm at sea. It was now the fourth watch of the night, sometime between three and six A.M. Jesus had left them to struggle and toil till their strength was spent. Now he came to the rescue. (The Mortal Messiah, 4 vols. [1979–81], 2:358–59)
Why do you think Jesus did not come to their rescue right away? What does that mean for us in our own struggles?
6. Watch the video “Wherefore Didst Thou Doubt?”
Week 2, EASTER
Day 1
Primary*
1. Starting with Palm Sunday, one week before Easter Sunday, Jesus made the most of his final week of mortality. Each day, he did something to fulfill prophecy, teach his people, or prepare for the events surrounding his atonement, crucifixion, or resurrection.
2. Carefully read the events of each day in the timeline. What stories from this week do you already know? Which ones are new to you?
3. Print out the mini book about the last week of Christ’s life. Using the image from number 2, write at least one event on each page (not the cover) and make the book. (Here are instructions for cutting and folding.)
4. Watch the video “Jesus Suffers in the Garden of Gethsemane.”
5. Listen to the song “Gethsemane.”
Youth*
1. Starting with Palm Sunday, one week before Easter Sunday, Jesus made the most of his final week of mortality. Each day, he did something to fulfill prophecy, teach his people, or prepare for the events surrounding his atonement, crucifixion, or resurrection.
2. Carefully read the events of each day in the timeline. What stories from this week do you already know? Which ones are new to you?
3. Print out the mini book about the last week of Christ’s life. Using the image from number 2, write at least one event on each page (not the cover) and make the book. (Here are instructions for cutting and folding.)
4. Watch the video “Jesus Suffers in the Garden of Gethsemane.”
5. Listen to the song “Gethsemane.”
Day 2
Primary
1. Read Matthew 27:29-50.
2. Jesus had already paid for the sins of the world when he suffered the Atonement in the Garden of Gethsemane. Next, he would conquer death in the Resurrection. But first, he would go through a series of trials that would cause him to suffer great pain.
3. Watch the video “The Trials of Jesus.”
4. Watch the video “Jesus is Crucified.”
5. Listen to the song “I Feel My Savior’s Love.”
Youth
1. Read Matthew 27:29-50.
2. After a series of one-sided trials, Jesus Christ was sentenced to death by crucifixion. Roman soldiers mocked and scourged Him and nailed Him to the cross. But instead of condemning them, Jesus Christ begged His Father to “forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Even in His darkest moment, Jesus spoke of love and redemption. With His dying breath, Jesus addressed His Father. “It is finished,” He said (John 19:30). An unlikely testimony came from a Roman centurion and those who were with him: “Truly this was the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54). The realization is just as awe-inspiring today as it was then.
3. In 2022, President Russell M. Nelson suggested we end conflict in our personal life and forgive and seek forgiveness to help us maintain positive spiritual momentum:
I repeat my call to end the conflicts in your life. Exercise the humility, courage, and strength required both to forgive and to seek forgiveness. …
… I invite you to seek an end to a personal conflict that has weighed you down. Could there be a more fitting act of gratitude to Jesus Christ for His Atonement? If forgiveness presently seems impossible, plead for power through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ to help you. As you do so, I promise personal peace and a burst of spiritual momentum. (“The Power of Spiritual Momentum,” Liahona, May 2022)
4. Watch the video “Jesus is Condemned Before Pilate.”
5. Watch the video “Jesus is Scourged and Crucified.”
Day 3
Primary
1. Read John 20.
2. Jesus Christ died and was resurrected. Because he was resurrected, we will all be resurrected and live again, too.
3. Watch the video “Jesus is Risen.”
4. Listen to the song “Jesus Has Risen.”
Youth
1. Read John 20.
2. After all the trials of Gethsemane and the cross, Jesus Christ was resurrected and showed himself to his friends and apostles. The joy that must have followed their grief to see Him alive again must have been great. We, too, can have joy in Christ. Because he was resurrected, we will live again, too.
3. Watch the video “Jesus is Resurrected.”
4. Watch the video “The Risen Lord Appears to the Apostles.”
5. Watch the video “Blessed Are They That Have Not Seen, And Yet Have Believed.”
Week 3
Day 1
Primary
1. Read Matthew 15 and Mark 7:1-13.
2. In Jesus’s time, the people followed the law of Moses, which was scripture, but they also followed traditions that were not part of the law. When scribes and Pharisees asked why Jesus’s disciples did not follow their traditions, the Savior responded by rebuking those who use tradition as an excuse to break the commandments of God.
3. Listen to the song “Faith.”
Youth
1. Read Matthew 15 and Mark 7:1-13.
2. In the Savior’s day, Jewish leaders taught the written law of Moses as well as an oral law that was not given by God but was tradition among the people. This included things like counting steps on the Sabbath and excessively washing one’s hands before meals, which represented a person’s spiritual purity. Parts of the traditional law were being used for selfish reasons. For example, honoring your father and mother is a commandment in the law of Moses, but some individuals used the oral law to justify breaking this commandment by claiming that their money or resources were dedicated as “a gift” to God ( Matthew 15:5) and therefore not available to be used to help care for their elderly parents. These changes were not part of the original intent of the law and commandments and were not pleasing to God.
3. Improper traditions can lead people to reject or neglect the word of God, and if we desire to draw near to God, we must place His commandments above any traditions we might have.
4. President Cheryl C. Lant, former Primary General President, spoke about traditions.
What kinds of traditions do we have? Some of them may have come from our fathers, and now we are passing them along to our own children. Are they what we want them to be? Are they based on actions of righteousness and faith? Are they mostly material in nature, or are they eternal? Are we consciously creating righteous traditions, or is life just happening to us? Are our traditions being created in response to the loud voices of the world, or are they influenced by the still, small voice of the Spirit? Are the traditions that we are creating in our families going to make it easier for our children to follow the living prophets, or will they make it difficult for them?
(Cheryl C. Lant, “Righteous Traditions,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2008, 13)
Day 2
Primary
1. Read Matthew 16:1-19.
2. There is a doctrinal mastery scripture in this selection: Matthew 16:15-19. (There is a song for this scripture as well!)
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
3. Jesus asked his apostles who people thought he was. Some people thought Jesus was John the Baptist, or a prophet, or even a prophet from the Old Testament come back to life. Then he asked Peter who he thought Jesus was. Peter answered the Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus told Peter that this testimony had come from the Holy Ghost. We can also get our testimonies through the witness of the Holy Ghost.
4. Watch the video “Peter Testifies of Christ.”
5. Listen to the song “Jesus Has Risen.”
Youth
1. Read Matthew 16:1-19.
2. There is a doctrinal mastery scripture in this selection: Matthew 16:15-19. (There is a song for this scripture as well!)
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
3. Jesus asked His disciples who other people thought He was and what the Apostles themselves believed about Him. Peter responded by bearing his testimony that Jesus was the Christ, which he received by revelation through the Holy Ghost. If Jesus Christ asked people today, “Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” what might they say? How would you respond if Jesus asked you, “Whom say ye that I am?”
4. Imagine that someone said to you, “It’s great that Peter had a testimony, but he got to be with the Savior every day. How can I get a testimony of Jesus Christ without ever being with Him?” A testimony of Jesus Christ comes by revelation from Heavenly Father. Why is it important to know that our Heavenly Father is the source of revelation? Why might Heavenly Father want to reveal to us truth about Jesus Christ? This testimony of Jesus Christ that comes from the Father is revealed through the Holy Ghost (see 1 Corinthians 12:3).
5. President Russell M. Nelson taught:
The most important truth the Holy Ghost will ever witness to you is that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
“Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 96.
Day 3
Primary
1. Read Matthew 16:15-28 and Matthew 17:1-13.
2. The “keys of the kingdom of heaven” that the Savior promised to give Peter are priesthood keys. Jesus Christ holds all the keys of the priesthood. Under His direction, priesthood keys are given to men to use in specific callings for accomplishing God’s work. Today, the prophet holds all the priesthood keys, just as Peter did.
3. Matthew 17 tells of a time that Jesus was transfigured, or changed, and he shone with the glory of God. The apostles with him saw Moses and Elias and heard the voice of God.
4. Watch the video “Appearing in Glory: The Transfiguration.”
5. Listen to the song “I Feel My Savior’s Love.”
Youth
1. Read Matthew 16:15-28 and Matthew 17:1-13.
2. Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught about the importance of keys:
As the winter afternoon sun slid behind the expansive snow-covered ski hill, the freezing mountain air sharply bit our cheeks and noses, acting almost like a stern usher instructing us to find our cars and trucks in the ski resort parking lot. There in our comfortable cars, heaters would soon warm cold fingers and toes. The sound of the frozen snow crunching with each step we took confirmed that this was extreme cold.
Our family had enjoyed a fun-filled day on the ski slopes, which was now coming to a frosty close. Arriving at the car, I reached in my coat pocket for the keys and then another pocket and another. “Where are the keys?” Everyone was anxiously waiting on the keys! The car battery was charged, and all the systems—including the heater—were ready to go, but without the keys, locked doors would deny entrance; without the keys, the engine would not provide power to the vehicle.
(Gary E. Stevenson, “Where Are the Keys and Authority of the Priesthood?,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 29)
3. Think of any keys you use in your life. Why are they important? What would happen if they were lost? Read Matthew 16:18–19, looking for the answers to the following questions: What did the Savior promise to give Peter? What would Peter have the power to do?
4. What is the difference between priesthood and priesthood keys?
The priesthood is “the authority and power that God gives to man to act in all things for the salvation of man.”
(Guide to the Scriptures, “ Priesthood,” scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
Among other things, the priesthood allows us to receive the blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ through saving ordinances such as baptism, confirmation and receipt of the gift of the Holy Ghost, the sacrament, and being endowed and sealed in the temple.
Priesthood keys are the authority to direct the use of the priesthood on behalf of God’s children. The use of all priesthood authority in the Church is directed by those who hold priesthood keys. …
Jesus Christ holds all the keys of the priesthood. Under His direction, priesthood keys are given to men to use in specific callings for accomplishing God’s work.
(General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3.4.1, 3.4.1.1).
5. Six days after promising Peter priesthood keys, Jesus invited Peter, James, and John to join Him for a miraculous experience on what would later become known as the Mount of Transfiguration. The Guide to the Scriptures defines transfiguration as “the condition of persons who are temporarily changed in appearance and nature — that is, lifted to a higher spiritual level—so that they can endure the presence and glory of heavenly beings.” When reading scriptural accounts, it is important to keep in mind the difference between transfiguration, translation, and resurrection. In this account, Jesus was transfigured, or changed temporarily, so that he could converse with Moses and Elias.
Day 4
Primary
1. Read Mark 9:1-29.
2. After he was transfigured, Jesus helped a boy that had an evil spirit in him. The apostles had tried to heal him already, but they could not. Jesus asked the boy’s father if he had faith. He said he did, but he wasn’t sure if he had enough faith. He asked Jesus to help him have enough faith. Jesus healed the boy.
3. Watch the video “The Boy With an Evil Spirit.”
4. Listen to the song “Gethsemane.”
Youth
1. Read Mark 9:1-29.
2. Jesus Christ came upon a group of people questioning His disciples because the disciples could not cast an evil spirit out of a man’s son. How do you think the father felt when the Savior’s disciples couldn’t heal his son?
3. Read Mark 9:23-27 again. What did Jesus tell the father? How did the father respond?
4. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles emphasized important truths we can learn from this account:
When facing the challenge of faith, the father asserts his strength first and only then acknowledges his limitation. His initial declaration is affirmative and without hesitation: “Lord, I believe.” I would say to all who wish for more faith, remember this man! In moments of fear or doubt or troubling times, hold the ground you have already won, even if that ground is limited. … Hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes. …
… When doubt or difficulty come, do not be afraid to ask for help. … God will send help from both sides of the veil to strengthen our belief.
(Jeffrey R. Holland, “Lord, I Believe,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 93–94)
As we choose to believe in Heavenly Father and seek for His help through prayer, He will help us strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ.
Week 4
Day 1
Primary
1. Read Matthew 18:1-22.
2. Jesus talked to Peter about forgiveness. Some religious leaders in Peter’s time taught that you only had to forgive someone three times. Peter asked if they were supposed to forgive someone seven times – more than twice as many as the leaders taught. Instead, Jesus told him to forgive seventy time seven times – meaning to never stop forgiving others. Why is it so important to forgive other people?
3. Listen to the song “Gethsemane.”
Youth
1. Read Matthew 18:1-22.
2. Jesus instructed His disciples to humble themselves and become as little children. He also explained that those who “offend” little children, lead them astray, or cause them to stumble in the faith, would be subject to the justice of God. The Savior then counseled His disciples to remove from their lives those things that could offend them, or cause them to stumble.
3. Some religious leaders in Peter’s day taught that an individual did not need to offer forgiveness to another person more than three times. In asking the Lord if he should forgive someone seven times, Peter may have thought he was being generous. Read Matthew 18:22, looking for the Savior’s response to Peter.
4. Jesus told his disciples to forgive not only seven times, but seventy times seven. Do you think he really meant that you should forgive someone up to 490 times and then stop? Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught how Matthew 18:22 relates to situations involving Church discipline:
There is no limit to the number of times that brethren should forgive each other their personal trespasses upon conditions of true repentance. This, however, is not intended to mean that the Church itself shall continue times without end to forgive and fellowship its erring members. There are instances in which sinners must be cast out of the kingdom no matter how sorry they may be for their unrighteous acts. (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1965–73], 1:423)
Day 2
Primary
1. Read Matthew 18:21-35.
2. Watch the video “The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.”
3. The king or lord represents Heavenly Father, the servant represents us, and the fellow servant represents those who have wronged us. What does this story teach about how we should treat others?
4. Listen to the song “I Feel My Savior’s Love.”
Youth
1. Read Matthew 18:21-35.
2. Watch the video “The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.”
3. In Jesus’s day 10,000 talents equaled 100,000,000 denarii [Roman currency]. One denarius was a typical day’s wage for a common laborer. Working at a laborer’s wage, it would take the man 273,973 years to pay off the 10,000 talents he owed the king.
4. How much did the fellowservant owe the servant? (100 pence) 100 pence equaled 100 denarii. Therefore, the fellowservant owed the servant roughly 100 days’ worth of work, or nearly one-third of his yearly salary. Why do you think the king told the servant he was wicked for not forgiving his fellowservant this debt? If we want God to forgive us, then we must be willing to forgive others.
5. President James E. Faust of the First Presidency said,
We need to recognize and acknowledge angry feelings. It will take humility to do this, but if we will get on our knees and ask Heavenly Father for a feeling of forgiveness, He will help us. The Lord requires us ‘to forgive all men’ [D&C 64:10] for our own good because ‘hatred retards spiritual growth’ [Orson F. Whitney, Gospel Themes (1914), 144]. Only as we rid ourselves of hatred and bitterness can the Lord put comfort into our hearts. …
… When tragedy strikes, we should not respond by seeking personal revenge but rather let justice take its course and then let go. It is not easy to let go and empty our hearts of festering resentment. The Savior has offered to all of us a precious peace through His Atonement, but this can come only as we are willing to cast out negative feelings of anger, spite, or revenge. For all of us who forgive ‘those who trespass against us’ [Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 6:13], even those who have committed serious crimes, the Atonement brings a measure of peace and comfort. (James E. Faust, “The Healing Power of Forgiveness,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2007, 69)
6. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the First Presidency taught the following about forgiveness:
Remember, heaven is filled with those who have this in common: They are forgiven. And they forgive. (“The Merciful Obtain Mercy,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 77)
Day 3
Primary
1. Read Luke 10:1-37.
2. The parable of the good Samaritan can show us who our neighbors are and how we should treat them. Who is your neighbor? What did Jesus teach about how we should treat our neighbors?
3. Watch the video “The Good Samaritan.”
4. Listen to the song “Jesus Has Risen.”
Youth
1. Read Luke 10:1-37.
2. One day while Jesus Christ was teaching, a lawyer asked Him what he needed to do to receive eternal life. The Savior taught that in order to inherit eternal life, we need to love God with all our hearts and love our neighbor as ourselves. The lawyer then asked another question. Read Luke 10:29. How would you answer the lawyer’s question?
3. Jesus responded to the lawyer’s question by telling a parable known as the parable of the good Samaritan. As you study this parable, keep in mind that the Samaritans and Jews generally despised each other and often avoided interacting with each other. One reason the Jews considered the Samaritans unacceptable was because Samaritans were partly Jewish and partly gentile, and they mixed the religious beliefs of both.
4. Watch the video “The Parable of the Good Samaritan.”
5. The Savior’s use of the Samaritan in this parable suggests that our neighbor is not just someone who lives near us but is any of Heavenly Father’s children — including those who are most difficult for us to love. President Howard W. Hunter said:
We need to remember that though we make our friends, God has made our neighbors — everywhere. Love should have no boundary. … Christ said, ‘For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?’ (Matthew 5:46) (“The Lord’s Touchstone,” Ensign, Nov. 1986, 35)
6. President Thomas S. Monson counseled us to heed the Savior’s call to be like the good Samaritan:
Each of us, in the journey through mortality, will travel his own Jericho Road. What will be your experience? What will be mine? Will I fail to notice him who has fallen among thieves and requires my help? Will you? Will I be one who sees the injured and hears his plea, yet crosses to the other side? Will you? Or will I be one who sees, who hears, who pauses, and who helps? Will you?
Jesus provided our watchword: ‘Go, and do thou likewise.’ When we obey that declaration, there opens to our view a vista of joy seldom equaled and never surpassed. …
… When we walk in the steps of that good Samaritan, we walk the pathway that leads to perfection. (“Your Jericho Road,” Ensign, Feb. 1989, 2, 4)
Day 4
Primary
1. Read Luke 10:38-42.
2 After teaching the parable of the good Samaritan, the Savior traveled to Bethany and visited the home of women named Martha and Mary. During the Savior’s visit, Martha was busy serving food. Mary sat and listened to Jesus’s teachings. Martha wanted Mary to come help her serve, but Jesus said that it was good for Mary to be concerned about spiritual things. Sometimes in our lives, we have to choose between things that are good (like feeding guests) and better (like listening to the Savior). It’s important to remember which things are most important.
3. Listen to the song “Faith.”
Youth
1. Read Luke 10:38-42.
2. Jesus gently invited Martha to think differently about the way she was spending her time. After quoting these verses, Sister Carol F. McConkie taught:
If we would be holy, we must learn to sit at the feet of the Holy One of Israel and give time to holiness. Do we set aside the phone, the never-ending to-do list, and the cares of worldliness? Prayer, study, and heeding the word of God invite His cleansing and healing love into our souls. Let us take time to be holy, that we may be filled with His sacred and sanctifying Spirit. (“The Beauty of Holiness,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 11)
You may want to examine how you spend your time — even on good things. Is there something more “needful” (verse 42) that deserves more of your attention?
3. Read the following statement by Elder Oaks:
As we consider various choices, we should remember that it is not enough that something is good. Other choices are better, and still others are best. …
“Consider how we use our time in the choices we make in viewing television, playing video games, surfing the Internet, or reading books or magazines. Of course it is good to view wholesome entertainment or to obtain interesting information. But not everything of that sort is worth the portion of our life we give to obtain it. Some things are better, and others are best. (“Good, Better, Best,” 104–5)
Week 5
Day 1
Primary
1. Read John 7.
2. There is a Doctrinal Mastery verse in this chapter! John 7:17. (There is a song that goes with this verse, too!)
17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
3. Jesus taught that we can gain a testimony of the truths He shared as we live them. How can keeping the commandments help us know that the gospel is true? The peace we feel when we obey the commandments helps us know they are true.
4. Listen to the song “Faith.”
Youth
1. Read John 7.
2. There is a Doctrinal Mastery verse in this chapter! John 7:17. (There is a song that goes with this verse, too!)
17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
3. Jesus attended the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. During this eight-day feast, considered to be “the greatest and most joyful of all,” many Jews traveled to Jerusalem to commemorate God’s blessings upon the children of Israel when they sojourned in the wilderness, living in makeshift booths, or tabernacles, following their delivery from slavery in Egypt. The Jews also celebrated and gave thanks for the yearly harvest of fruits and grains. Jesus went to the temple and taught the people there how they could receive a witness that His teachings were from God the Father.
4. Read verses 14 and 15. Why did the people marvel? What did Jesus say the people could do in verses 16-18, to know that his teachings were true?
5. President James E. Faust of the First Presidency said:
We acquire a testimony of the principles of the gospel by obediently trying to live them. … A testimony of the efficacy of prayer comes through humble and sincere prayer. A testimony of tithing comes by paying tithing. (“Lord, I Believe; Help Thou Mine Unbelief,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2003, 22)
6. Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson of the Young Women general presidency taught:
Sometimes we try to do it backward. For example, we may take this approach: I will be happy to live the law of tithing, but first I need to know that it’s true. Maybe we even pray to gain a testimony of the law of tithing and hope the Lord will bless us with that testimony before we have ever filled out a tithing slip. It just doesn’t work that way. The Lord expects us to exercise faith. We have to consistently pay a full and honest tithe in order to gain a testimony of tithing. This same pattern applies to all the principles of the gospel, whether it is the law of chastity, the principle of modesty, the Word of Wisdom, or the law of the fast. (“Be Ye Converted,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 77)
Day 2
Primary
1. Read John 8.
2. The Pharisees brought a woman before Jesus who had sinned. They asked Jesus if she should be stoned (have stones thrown at her), like the law demanded. Jesus told the men that only someone without sin should throw the first stone at her. Everyone who had accused the woman left. They knew that they had sinned, too. Jesus told the woman to go, and not to sin anymore. We should remember not to judge other people for their sins, and to try every day not to sin.
3. Listen to the song “I Feel My Savior’s Love.”
Youth
1. Read John 8.
2. Watch the video “Go and Sin No More.”
3. While the Savior was in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, some scribes and Pharisees brought a woman to Him who was guilty of adultery, and they asked whether she should be stoned. They were seeking to discredit Jesus in front of the people and establish a reason to accuse Him because they wanted a reason to arrest Him and put Him to death. If Jesus said to stone the woman, He would have been endorsing a penalty that was unpopular among the Jewish people and prohibited by Roman law. If Jesus said not to stone the woman, He would be accused of disregarding the law of Moses.
4. According to verse 7, what was Jesus’s response? What do you think the Savior wanted these men to realize when He said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her”? What did these men acknowledge by choosing to walk away?
What truth can we learn from this account about how to avoid condemning others? Acknowledging our own imperfections can help us avoid condemning others.
5. The Savior continued teaching at the temple following the Feast of Tabernacles. He taught about freedom from sin. When Jesus Christ proclaimed He was the great Jehovah, the Jews tried to stone Him. Watch the video “I am the Light of the World.”
Day 3
Primary
1. Read John 9.
2. Jesus healed a man who had been born blind. After the blind man had been healed, some people disputed whether he was really the man who had been born blind. Others wondered how he had been healed and brought him to the Pharisees, who began questioning him. They didn’t like that Jesus had healed the man on the Sabbath, and tried to get the man to agree that Jesus had sinned. When he refused, the Pharisees cast him out of the synagogue. Jesus spoke to the man and testified that he was the Son of God.
3. Watch the video “Jesus Heals a Blind Man.”
4. Listen to the song “Jesus Has Risen.”
Youth
1. Read John 9.
2. Many people in the Savior’s day believed, as do some people in our day, that the adversities people face are the consequences of sins that they or their parents had committed. According to verse 2, what did the apostles ask? What did Jesus teach in response? While there may be many different causes of adversity in our lives, God can use our challenges to help accomplish His righteous purposes.
3. After the blind man had been healed, some people disputed whether he was really the man who had been born blind. Others wondered how he had been healed and brought him to the Pharisees, who began questioning him. What reaction do you think the Pharisees had to Jesus healing the man on the Sabbath?
4. The blind man’s parents were also brought before the Pharisees. His parents were afraid to answer because they knew they would be cast out of the synagogue, and told the Pharisees to ask their son how he had been healed (verse 22). Synagogues served as the religious and social center for many Jewish communities. Synagogues offered access to spiritual instruction and worship, as well as educational and social opportunities. Because the synagogue was so integral to Jewish society, to be cast out of the synagogue meant more than being excommunicated and losing fellowship with the religious community. It meant banishment from cultural and social affairs as well. This threat was apparently severe enough to keep the parents of the man born blind from getting too involved in the investigation of their son’s healing.
5. How did the man born blind defend Jesus (verse 33). Why do you think this man was willing to stay true to what he knew about Jesus Christ, even though it meant being cast out of the synagogue? What happened to this man’s testimony of Jesus Christ?
6. Watch the video Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind.
Day 3
Primary
1. Read John 10.
2. Jesus said that he was like a good shepherd. A good shepherd cares about his sheep. He takes care of them, and searches for them when they are lost. The sheep know his voice and listen to him. How are we like Jesus’s sheep? What can we do to follow him?
3. Watch the video “The Good Shepherd.”
4. Listen to the song “Gethsemane.”
Youth
1. Read John 10.
2. In the Savior’s day, shepherds led their flocks to food, water, and shelter during the day. At night, several shepherds gathered their individual flocks into a common sheepfold. A sheepfold is a cave or enclosure surrounded by rock walls that have sharp thorns placed along the top to prevent wild animals from entering. Read John 10:1-5. What are some things that a good shepherd does? How did the shepherd lead his sheep out of the sheepfold? Why would the sheep follow only their shepherd?
3. Shepherds in Israel stood at the entrance of the sheepfold and inspected each sheep as it entered, treating injuries as needed. After the sheep were gathered in the sheepfold for the night, the shepherd would lie down to sleep in the entrance, barring the way so predators or thieves could not hurt the sheep. In John 10:7-16, the Savior taught about the difference between himself and the Pharisees. What does it mean to be a hireling? How does a hireling act differently than a shepherd? As the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ knows each of us and laid down His life for us.
4. President Harold B. Lee taught about various ways we can hear the Savior’s voice:
If we will live worthy, then the Lord will guide us—by a personal appearance, or by His actual voice, or by His voice coming into our mind, or by impressions upon our heart and our soul. And oh, how grateful we ought to be if the Lord sends us a dream in which are revealed to us the beauties of the eternity or a warning and direction for our special comfort. Yes, if we so live, the Lord will guide us for our salvation and for our benefit. (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee [2000], 51–52)
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught about how we can follow the Savior:
How do we follow the Savior? By exercising faith. By believing in Him. By believing in our Heavenly Father. By believing that God speaks to man on earth today.
We follow the Savior by repenting of our sins—by experiencing sorrow because of them and forsaking them.
We follow the Savior by entering the waters of baptism and receiving a remission of our sins, by receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and allowing that influence to inspire, instruct, guide, and comfort us.
How do we follow the Savior? By obeying Him. He and our Heavenly Father have given us commandments—not to punish or torment us, but to help us come to a fulness of joy, both in this life and for the eternities to come, worlds without end. (“Follow Me,” Ensign, May 2002, 16–17)
5. Watch the video “The Good Shepherd and Other Sheep I Have.”
