Welcome to May!
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May, Week 1
Day 1
Primary
1. Read Luke 12:1-48.
2. God cares about each and every person in the world. It doesn’t matter how small you are or how unimportant you feel, he loves you very much.
3. Listen to the song “Books in the New Testament.” This time, listen to the whole song.
4. Listen to the song “I am a Child of God.”
Youth
1. Read Luke 12:1-48.
2. As the Savior stood in front of a great multitude, He taught His disciples to beware of hypocrisy. (Hypocrisy means claiming moral standards that you don’t follow. For instance, if you preached to everyone about keeping the Sabbath holy and criticized people who didn’t, and then spent your Sundays out shopping and eating at restaurants and stealing food from orphans, that would qualify as hypocrisy.)
3. He also reminded them that all hidden things would one day be revealed and that God knows and watches over His children. Why do you think so many people commit their sins in secret? How would our behavior change if we remembered that God can see everything we do?
4. Verse 48 says, “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” What do you think that means? How can we interpret the saying that people who have been given much are required to do more?
5. Listen to the song “Books in the New Testament.” This time, listen to the whole song.
Day 2
Primary
1. Read Luke 15.
2. Jesus taught three parables, one about a lost sheep, one about a lost coin, and one about a son who left home and then came back. Read the scripture story section “Jesus Teaches Three Parables.” Then:
3.
- Watch the video about the lost sheep.
- Watch the video about the lost coin.
- Watch the video about the lost son.
4. Why do you think Jesus wanted to make so sure that people understood that he was happy when lost people came back to him?
Youth
1. Read Luke 15.
2. The Pharisees and scribes complained about the Savior’s association with publicans and sinners. The Savior responded by giving the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. These parables were meant to both give hope to the sinner as well as condemn the hypocrisy and self-righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.
3. The sheep, the coin, and the son were all lost in different ways. President David O. McKay spoke on the reasons that some become lost:
I desire to refer to the conditions that contributed to [the sheep, the coin, and the prodigal son] being lost. …
I ask you tonight, how did that sheep get lost? He was not rebellious. If you follow the comparison, the lamb was seeking its livelihood in a perfectly legitimate manner, but either stupidly, perhaps unconsciously, it followed the enticement of the field, the prospect of better grass until it got out beyond the fold and was lost.
So we have those in the Church, young men and young women, who wander away from the fold in perfectly legitimate ways. They are seeking success, success in business, success in their professions, and before long they become disinterested in Church and finally disconnected from the fold; they have lost track of what true success is, perhaps stupidly, perhaps unconsciously, in some cases, perhaps willingly. They are blind to what constitutes true success. …
In [the case of the lost coin] the thing lost was not in itself responsible. The one who had been trusted with that coin had, through carelessness or neglect, mislaid it or dropped it. There is a difference, and this is the one-third, which I think applies to us tonight. Our charge is not only coins, but living souls of children, youth, and adults. They are our charges. Some of them may be wandering tonight because of the neglect of the ward teachers. …
[Regarding the prodigal son:] Here is a case of volition, here is choice, deliberate choice. Here is, in a way, rebellion against authority. And what did he do? He spent his means in riotous living, he wasted his portion with harlots. That is the way they are lost.
Youth who start out to indulge their appetites and passions are on the downward road to apostasy as sure as the sun rises in the east. I do not confine it to youth; any man or woman who starts out on that road of intemperance, of dissolute living will separate himself or herself from the fold as inevitably as darkness follows the day. (in Conference Report, Apr. 1945, 120, 121–22, 123)
4. What can we learn from these parables about how Heavenly Father responds to those who return to Him by repenting? (If we return to Heavenly Father by repenting and seeking His forgiveness, He will rejoice and welcome us back with open arms.)
5. Watch the video “The Prodigal Son.”
Day 3
Primary
1. Read Luke 17.
2. In Jesus’s time, there was no cure for leprosy, a very contagious disease that would kill its victims with a slow and painful death. Because it was so contagious, lepers were required to stay away from people and could not live in cities with their families. As Jesus went to a village, a group of lepers called to him, asking Jesus to cleanse them. Jesus told them what to do to be cleansed. While all of the lepers were cleansed, only one came back to thank Jesus for healing him. Why do you think it is important for us to show gratitude for our blessings?
3. Watch the video “The Ten Lepers.”
4. Listen to the song “Keep the Commandments.”
Youth
1. Read Luke 17.
2. During Biblical times, it would have been a great challenge to suffer from leprosy. There was no cure for leprosy, and it could lead to disfiguration and death. Because it was so contagious, lepers were separated from the rest of society to protect the health of others; and they were required to call out “Unclean!” to warn anyone approaching them. One day when Jesus approached a village, a group of lepers called to him, asking him to heal them. What did Jesus tell the lepers to do?
3. What happened to the lepers as they obeyed Jesus’s instructions? Afterward, one of the lepers came back to thank Jesus for the miraculous healing. Why do you think the other lepers did not come back? Why is it important to show gratitude for our blessings?
4. President Gordon B. Hinckley spoke of the importance of gratitude:
The habit of saying thank you is the mark of an educated man or woman. …
… Let a spirit of thanksgiving guide and bless your days and nights. Work at it. You will find it will yield wonderful results. (“A Prophet’s Counsel and Prayer for Youth,” Ensign, Jan. 2001, 4, or Liahona, Apr. 2001, 32)
President David O. McKay also taught how we should express gratitude:
Gratitude is deeper than thanks. Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts. (“The Meaning of Thanksgiving,” Improvement Era, Nov. 1964, 914)
Day 4
Primary
1. Read John 11.
2. Jesus was friends with a family that had two sisters and a brother: Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. While Jesus was away in another place, Lazarus got sick and died. Jesus came to his sisters after Lazarus had died. They said if Jesus had come sooner, Lazarus would not have died. Jesus told them that Lazarus would live again. They went to where Lazarus had been buried and opened the tomb. Jesus called Lazarus to come forth. Lazarus came out from the tomb. He was alive again.
3. How did this experience help Mary, Martha, and Lazarus (as well as all the people who were there) know that Jesus was the Son of God?
4. Watch the video “Jesus Brings Lazarus Back to Life.”
5. Listen to the song “Families Can Be Together Forever.”
Youth
1. Read John 11.
2. Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that their brother Lazarus was sick. While Jesus could have traveled there immediately, or healed Lazarus from a distance, He delayed His journey and arrived four days after Lazarus had died. With love and compassion, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. This dramatic display of divine power emphasized that Jesus was the chosen Messiah and had power over death. After learning of this miracle, the chief priests and Pharisees plotted to kill Jesus and Lazarus.
3. Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of the significance of Lazarus having been dead for four days.
Decomposition was well under way; death had long since been established as an absolute certainty. … To the Jews the term of four days had special significance; it was the popular belief among them that by the fourth day the spirit had finally and irrevocably departed from the vicinity of the corpse. (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1965–73], 1:533)
After four days, it was widely believed that it was too late for anyone, possibly even Jesus Christ, to do anything about Lazarus’s death.
4. Despite this, Martha exercised faith in Jesus Christ. (Read verses 21-27.) How can we draw strength from her example and remember to exercise faith in our trials?
5. Watch the video “Lazarus is Raised from the Dead.”
Week 2
Day 1
Primary
1. Read Matthew 19:13-15 and Mark 10:13-16.
2. Why do you think the apostles didn’t want the children to bother Jesus? What did Jesus say instead? Jesus loves little children, and wants to bless them.
3. Watch the video “Jesus Blesses the Children.”
4. Listen to the song “I am a Child of God.”
Youth
1. Read Matthew 19:1-15 and Mark 10:1-16.
2. In New Testament times, some people argued that the law of Moses justified divorce for even minor or selfish reasons. The Savior taught important truths about marriage in response to questions from the Pharisees about divorce. One of the truths we can learn from the Savior’s teachings is that marriage between a man and a woman is a sacred relationship established by God and is meant to endure forever.
3. While divorce is common in today’s world, President Dallin H. Oaks taught, “For most marriage problems, the remedy is not divorce but repentance.” (“Divorce,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2007, 71) Our Heavenly Father has made it possible for marriages to be eternal and for spouses to be happy and fulfilled as they strive to keep their covenants, to live the teachings of the Savior, and to apply the principle of repentance regularly. Unfortunately, sometimes divorce is necessary. As President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) explained, “There may be now and again a legitimate cause for divorce.” (“What God Hath Joined Together,” Ensign, May 1991, 74) While we should refrain from judging the decisions made by others, each of us can better prepare ourselves for a future marriage that will endure forever by trusting in Heavenly Father and His Son and learning to follow Them with all of our heart.
4. Paul pointed to the love of the Savior for the Church as an example of the love that should exist in a marriage. Read Ephesians 5:25, and imagine what a marriage would look like if the husband and the wife cared for each other the way the Savior cares for members of His Church.
5. At the end of today’s reading, we find a very small story, but one important enough that it was recorded twice. The people brought their children to Jesus, and the apostles tried to send them away. Why do you think the apostles thought the people should not have brought their children to see Jesus? How did Jesus respond, instead? What can we learn about Jesus Christ from this response?
Day 2
Primary
1. Read Matthew 19:16-30.
2. A rich young man came and asked what he should do to get to heaven. Jesus told him to keep the commandments. The young man said that he already did that. Then Jesus told him he could sell everything he had and give it to the poor, then come follow Jesus. The young man was sad because he didn’t want to do that. Why do you think the young man wasn’t willing to do what Jesus told him to do?
3. Watch the video “The Rich Young Man.”
4. Listen to the song “Keep the Commandments.”
Youth
1. Read Matthew 19:16-30.
2. A rich young man came to see Jesus. What did he ask? how did Jesus respond at first? (Matthew 19:16-19) What did the young man ask next? (Verse 20)
3. Read Mark 10:21 to see what happened next. How did the young man respond? (Mark 10:22) Christ invited this young man to come with him, to follow him, but the young man was unwilling to part with his physical possessions.
4. Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–1985) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained some possible consequences of the young man’s decision.
We are left to wonder what intimacies [the young rich man] might have shared with the Son of God, what fellowship he might have enjoyed with the apostles, what revelations and visions he might have received, if he had been able to live the law of a celestial kingdom. As it is, he remains nameless; as it might have been, his name could have been had in honorable remembrance among the saints forever.
(Bruce R. McConkie, “Obedience, Consecration, and Sacrifice,” Ensign, May 1975, 51)
5. What does a camel going through the eye of a needle mean? Some have asserted that the eye of the needle was a small door in the Jerusalem city wall, requiring a camel to be stripped of its load in order to enter. There is no evidence that such a door ever existed. Others have proposed that altering one letter in the Greek text would change the scripture to mean that a rope, not a camel, would have to pass through the eye of a needle. However, when Jesus Christ referred to a camel passing through the eye of a needle, it was likely an example of hyperbole, an intentional exaggeration to teach that a rich man can only with difficulty enter into the kingdom of heaven.
5. Watch the video “Christ and the Rich Young Ruler.”
Day 3
Primary
1. Read Matthew 20.
2. Jesus told a story about a man hiring people to work in his vineyard. He hired more people all through the day, but at the end he paid them the same amount of money. Some of the men, who had been working all day long, thought it wasn’t fair that men who had only worked an hour or two received the same amount of pay. This story represents people coming to Heavenly Father and making covenants. It doesn’t matter whether you have kept the commandments since you were a little child or only learned to do right when you were old – everyone will receive the same reward, which is eternal life with Heavenly Father.
3. Listen to the song “Families Can Be Together Forever.”
Youth
1. Read Matthew 20.
2. As you study this parable, it is helpful to know that a normal workday in New Testament times was likely about 12 hours, starting early in the morning and finishing in the evening. The word penny in these verses refers to a denarius, the Roman coin typically used to pay a laborer for a full day of work. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained, “In the time of the Savior, an average man and his family could not do much more than live on what they made that day. If you didn’t work or farm or fish or sell, you likely didn’t eat.” The men who were hired at the beginning of the day knew that they had work and would be able to feed their families. What do you think the men who were waiting in the marketplace for hours without a job felt?
3. Do you think it was fair for the men who were hired last to be paid the same as the men who worked all day? Since this is a parable, we understand that this story is about more than a man hiring workers and how much they were paid. Instead, it is about coming to our Heavenly Father and making covenants which allow us to receive the blessings of eternal life.
4. We can choose to repent and keep our covenants even if we may have made poor choices in the past. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said:
[The parable of the laborers in the vineyard] — like all parables — is not really about laborers or wages any more than the others are about sheep and goats. This is a story about God’s goodness, His patience and forgiveness, and the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a story about generosity and compassion. It is a story about grace. It underscores the thought I heard many years ago that surely the thing God enjoys most about being God is the thrill of being merciful, especially to those who don’t expect it and often feel they don’t deserve it. …
… However late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made … , or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines. …
… Even if you feel you are the lost and last laborer of the eleventh hour, the Lord of the vineyard still stands beckoning. …
… His concern is for the faith at which you finally arrive, not the hour of the day in which you got there. (“The Laborers in the Vineyard,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 32–33)
5. Watch the video “Laborers in the Vineyard.”
Day 4
Primary
1. Read Luke 18.
2. In this chapter Jesus talked about prayer. Why was the widow’s request answered? (Because she didn’t give up.) When we need something, we should pray for it, and we shouldn’t give up either.
3. Jesus told another story, too, about two men who prayed differently. When we pray, it is important to be humble, and pray to talk to Heavenly Father, not to show off in front of everyone.
4. Watch the video “The Pharisee and the Publican.”
Youth
1. Read Luke 18.
2. In this chapter, Jesus taught two parables about prayer. These parables taught if we are sincere and persistent as we exercise faith in the Lord, we can obtain His mercy.
3. Luke stated the main message of the parable of the importuning widow and unjust judge — ‘men ought always to pray, and not to faint’ (Luke 18:1). The Greek word translated as ‘to faint’ means to become discouraged or weary or to tire of something. In the parable, praying without giving up is represented by a widow who repeatedly appeals to a judge to remedy an injustice. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:
‘When lonely, cold, hard times come, we have to endure, we have to continue, we have to persist. That was the Savior’s message in the parable of the importuning widow. … Keep knocking on that door. Keep pleading. In the meantime, know that God hears your cries and knows your distress. He is your Father, and you are His child.
Perseverance is rooted in the foundational gospel principles of faith and hope. Perseverance reflects our faith that our actions will bring the Lord’s blessings into our lives.
4. President Howard W. Hunter explained the difference between the prayer of the Pharisee and the prayer of the publican:
Could there be greater contrast in the prayers of two men? The Pharisee stood apart because he believed he was better than other men, whom he considered as common. The publican stood apart also, but it was because he felt himself unworthy. The Pharisee thought of no one other than himself and regarded everyone else a sinner, whereas the publican thought of everyone else as righteous as compared with himself, a sinner. The Pharisee asked nothing of God, but relied upon his own self-righteousness. The publican appealed to God for mercy and forgiveness of his sins.
… The publican, the despised tax collector, ‘went down to his house justified, rather than the other.’ (Luke 18:14.) In other words, the Lord said he was absolved, forgiven, or vindicated. …
Humility is an attribute of godliness possessed by true Saints. It is easy to understand why a proud man fails. He is content to rely upon himself only. … The proud man shuts himself off from God, and when he does he no longer lives in the light. …
… History bears record that those who have exalted themselves have been abased, but the humble have been exalted. On every busy street there are Pharisees and publicans. It may be that one of them bears our name. (“The Pharisee and the Publican,” Ensign, May 1984, 65–66)
5. What lessons can we learn from these parables? Why is it important to be persistent, and to humbly exercise faith in the Lord?
Week 3
Day 1
Primary
1. Read Matthew 21:1-11 and John 12:12-19.
2. Before entering Jerusalem for the last time, Jesus asked His disciples to bring Him a donkey’s foal, also known as a colt. The disciples covered the donkey and colt with their clothes, and they set the Savior on the colt. Many people offered shouts of “Hosanna,” which is a Hebrew word “that means ‘please save us.’ What do you think the people wanted Jesus to save them from? What did Jesus actually come to save them from?
3. Watch the video “The Savior Goes to Jerusalem.”
Youth
1. Read Matthew 21:1-11 and John 12:12-19.
2. Prior to entering Jerusalem for the final time, Jesus asked His disciples to bring Him a donkey’s foal, also known as a colt. The disciples covered the donkey and colt with their clothes, and they set the Savior on the colt. Many people offered shouts of “Hosanna,” which is a Hebrew word “that means ‘please save us’ and is used in praise and supplication.
3. Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained the meaning of the people’s reaction to the Savior’s entry into Jerusalem:
Only kings and conquerors received such an extraordinary token of respect as this. … Amid shouts of praise and pleas for salvation and deliverance, we see the disciples strewing our Lord’s course with palm branches in token of victory and triumph. This whole dramatic scene prefigures that yet future assembly when “a great multitude” … shall stand “before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands,” crying with a loud voice, “Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” ( Rev. 7:9–10 )
(Doctrinal New Testament Commentary [1965], 1:578)
4. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a young donkey, many people recognized this as a public declaration that He was not only the promised Messiah but also the promised King of Israel. Many saw it as a fulfillment of scriptural prophecies such as the one recorded in Zechariah 9:9. Many thought the Messiah would be a great military leader who would save them from Roman oppression. They misunderstood the Savior’s saving mission. What did Heavenly Father send Jesus Christ to save us from?
5. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:
Traditionally, palms are a sacred symbol to express joy in our Lord, as in Christ’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, where “much people … took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him.” [ John 12:12–13 ; see also Matthew 21:8–9 ; Mark 11:8–10 ] … In the book of Revelation, those who praise God and the Lamb do so “clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands” [ Revelation 7:9 ]. Along with “robes of righteousness” and “crowns of glory,” palms are included in the Kirtland Temple dedicatory prayer. [see Doctrine and Covenants 109:76 ]
(Gerrit W. Gong, “Hosanna and Hallelujah—The Living Jesus Christ: The Heart of Restoration and Easter,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 53)
6. Watch the video “The Lord’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.”
Day 2
Primary
1. Read Matthew 21:12-46.
2. Once he was back in Jerusalem, Jesus cleansed the temple for a second time. Do you think the people learned anything or changed after Jesus cleaned them out of the temple the first time, since they were back and selling things there again?
3. The temple is a sacred place, special and holy. The temple is a place where we go to make promises with God, seek answers to prayers, and feel close to God. What do we to when we go to the temple to show respect for Heavenly Father?
4. Listen to the song “Keep the Commandments.”
Youth
1. Read Matthew 21:12-46.
2. While in Jerusalem during the last week of His life, Jesus visited the temple. Worshippers who came to Jerusalem needed to exchange their money for currency that could be used at the temple to purchase animals for the sacrifices that would be made in their behalf by the priests. Even though this business was necessary and served a good purpose, handling it at the temple was disrespectful and irreverent. The phrase “a den of thieves” suggests that the moneychangers and merchants were more interested in making a financial profit than in worshipping God and helping others worship. Jesus cleansed the temple a second time, suggesting that these people did not change their ways after he cleansed the temple the first time.
3. President Russell M. Nelson taught about the sacred nature of the house of the Lord:
The temple is the house of the Lord. The basis for every temple ordinance and covenant — the heart of the plan of salvation — is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Every activity, every lesson, all we do in the Church, point to the Lord and His holy house. …
… Our Redeemer requires that His temples be protected from desecration. No unclean thing may enter His hallowed house. Yet anyone is welcome who prepares well.
(Russell M. Nelson, “Personal Preparation for Temple Blessings,” Ensign, May 2001, 32–33)
4. After cleansing the temple, Jesus healed some faithful people who were around the temple. Later, the Savior was hungry, and a fig tree in the distance looked like a source of food. But as Jesus approached the tree, He found that it bore no fruit. In a way, the fig tree was like the hypocritical religious leaders in Jerusalem: their empty teachings and outward demonstrations of holiness gave no spiritual nourishment. The Pharisees and scribes appeared to keep many commandments yet missed the two greatest commandments: to love God and to love thy neighbor as thyself.
Day 3
Primary
1. Read Matthew 22.
2. There is a doctrinal mastery scripture in this chapter! Matthew 22:36-39.
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
3. Seeking to test the Savior, one of the Pharisees asked which commandment in the law was greatest. In response, the Savior taught that the first commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and that the second is to love our neighbor as ourselves. What does it mean to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind?
4. Watch the video “The Greatest Commandment.”
5. Listen to the song “I am a Child of God.”
Youth
1. Read Matthew 22.
2. There is a doctrinal mastery scripture in this chapter! Matthew 22:36-39.
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
3. Seeking to test the Savior, one of the Pharisees asked which commandment in the law was greatest. In response, the Savior taught that the first commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and that the second is to love our neighbor as ourselves. What does it mean to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind? What are some examples from the life of Christ when He showed that He loved God in this way?
4. President Russell M. Nelson explained how our love for God is connected with our love for others.
When we love God with all our hearts, He turns our hearts to the well-being of others in a beautiful, virtuous cycle.
(Russell M. Nelson, “The Second Great Commandment,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019, 97)
5. Elder Peter M. Johnson of the Seventy taught that the two commandments work together.
Remember that the first and great commandment is to love God with our heart, might, mind, and strength [see Matthew 22:37–38 ]. All that we do should be motivated by our love for Him and for His Son. As we develop our love for Them by keeping Their commandments, our capacity to love ourselves and to love others will increase. We will begin to serve family, friends, and neighbors because we will see them as the Savior sees them—as sons and daughters of God [see John 3:16 ; 1 John 4:19 ; Mosiah 2:17 ].
(Peter M. Johnson, “Power to Overcome the Adversary,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019, 111)
6. Watch the video “The Greatest Commandment.”
Day 3
Primary
1. Read John 12.
2. Read John 12:44-46. How can those who believe in Jesus Christ be blessed? If we believe in Jesus Christ, we do not have to live in spiritual darkness. How can Jesus Christ be our light?
3. Listen to the song “Families Can Be Together Forever.”
Youth
1. Read John 12.
2. Six days before the Passover, Jesus ate supper with some friends in Bethany. Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, anointed Jesus’s feet with expensive ointment. Many people heard that Jesus was in Bethany and came to see Him and Lazarus, whom Jesus had previously raised from the dead.
3. Read John 12:10-11. What did the priests want to do to Lazarus? Why? (Raising Lazarus had been indisputable evidence that Jesus Christ had power over death.)
4. Read John 12:44-46. How can those who believe in Jesus Christ be blessed? If we believe in Jesus Christ, we do not have to live in spiritual darkness.
5. Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught about the protection made available by the light Jesus Christ provides:
We are engaged in a battle between the forces of light and darkness. …
“The Lord is our light and, literally, our salvation (see Psalm 27:1). Like the sacred fire that encircled the children in 3 Nephi (see 3 Nephi 17:24), His light will form a protective shield between you and the darkness of the adversary as you live worthy of it. You need that light. We need that light. Carefully study the scriptures and For the Strength of Youth and listen to the teachings of your parents and leaders. Then, by obedience to wise counsel, learn to claim the protective light of the gospel as your own” (“Out of Darkness into His Marvelous Light,” Ensign, May 2002, 70).
Week 4
Day 1
Primary
1. Today read the Joseph Smith Translation of selections from Matthew.
2. Jesus taught his apostles that he would come again someday. We call this “the Second Coming.” No one knows exactly when Jesus will come again, but he gave us some signs to look for.
3. One of the signs that the Second Coming is approaching is that the Gospel will be taught to the whole world. Today, missionaries travel all over the world to preach the Gospel in a partial fulfillment of this prophecy.
4. Watch the video “The Second Coming.”
5. Listen to the song “Families Can Be Together Forever.”
Youth
1. Today read the Joseph Smith Translation of selections from Matthew.
2. Joseph Smith — Matthew, located in the Pearl of Great Price, is the Joseph Smith Translation of the last verse of Matthew 23 and all of Matthew 24. Joseph Smith’s inspired revisions restore precious truths that had been lost. Verses 12–21 refer to the destruction of Jerusalem anciently; verses 21–55 contain prophecies about the last days.
3. It can be unsettling to read about the events leading up to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. But when Jesus prophesied of these events, He told His disciples to “be not troubled” (Joseph Smith — Matthew 1:23). How can you “be not troubled” as you hear about earthquakes, wars, deceptions, and famines?
4. Read this quote by Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and visualize what he says and think about your own attitude about the Second Coming.
The thought of His coming stirs my soul. It will be breathtaking! The scope and grandeur, the vastness and magnificence, will exceed anything mortal eyes have ever seen or experienced.
In that day … He will appear “in the clouds of heaven, clothed with power and great glory; with all the holy angels” [ Doctrine and Covenants 45:44 ]. … The sun and the moon will be transformed, and “stars [will] be hurled from their places” [ Doctrine and Covenants 133:49 ]. …
… We will kneel in reverence, “and the Lord shall utter his voice, and all the ends of the earth shall hear it” [ Doctrine and Covenants 45:49 ]. …
In that day the skeptics will be silent, “for every ear shall hear …, and every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess” [ Doctrine and Covenants 88:104 ] that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior and Redeemer of the world.
… May we prepare for His coming by rehearsing these glorious events over and over in our own minds and with those we love.
(Neil L. Andersen, “Thy Kingdom Come,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 122)
6. Look for the Savior’s teachings about how we can prepare for His Second Coming (see verses 22–23, 29–30, 37, 46–48). What can we do to follow this counsel?
Day 2
Primary
1. Read Matthew 25:1-13.
2. According to Jewish wedding customs, the groom, or bridegroom, accompanied by his close friends, would go at night to the bride’s house for the wedding ceremony. Following the ceremony, the wedding party would proceed to the groom’s house for a feast. Wedding guests who joined the procession were expected to carry their own lamps or torches to indicate they were part of the wedding party and to add to the brightness and beauty of the occasion. Ten young women were invited to the feast, but they did not know when it would begin. Some were prepared for a long wait with extra oil, but others were not.
3. The oil in the lamps is sometimes said to represent our testimonies or spiritual preparedness. We do not know when Jesus will return. Instead, we have to prepare spiritually and make sure we are ready no matter how long it takes.
4. Watch the video “The Ten Virgins.”
5. Listen to the song “Keep the Commandments.”
Youth
1. Read Matthew 25:1-13.
2. According to Jewish wedding customs, the groom, or bridegroom, accompanied by his close friends, would go at night to the bride’s house for the wedding ceremony. Following the ceremony, the wedding party would proceed to the groom’s house for a feast. Wedding guests who joined the procession were expected to carry their own lamps or torches to indicate they were part of the wedding party and to add to the brightness and beauty of the occasion. Ten young women were invited to the feast, but they did not know when it would begin. Some were prepared for a long wait with extra oil, but others were not.
3. Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught who the ten virgins represent:
The ten virgins obviously represent members of Christ’s Church, for all were invited to the wedding feast and all knew what was required to be admitted when the bridegroom came. But only half were ready when he came” (“Preparation for the Second Coming,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 8).
4. Why did the wise virgins not give their oil to the foolish virgins? Read the following statement by President Spencer W. Kimball. Look for what the oil can represent and why it could not be shared.
This was not selfishness or unkindness. The kind of oil that is needed to illuminate the way and light up the darkness is not shareable. How can one share obedience to the principle of tithing; a mind at peace from righteous living; an accumulation of knowledge? How can one share faith or testimony? How can one share attitudes or chastity, or the experience of a mission? How can one share temple privileges? Each must obtain that kind of oil for himself. …
In the parable, oil can be purchased at the market. In our lives the oil of preparedness is accumulated drop by drop in righteous living. … Each act of dedication and obedience is a drop added to our store.” (Faith Precedes the Miracle [1972], 255–56)
5. Jesus Christ will come when we do not expect it. President Spencer W. Kimball explained:
The foolish virgins were not averse to buying oil. They knew they should have oil. They merely procrastinated, not knowing when the bridegroom would come. …
Midnight is so late for those who have procrastinated. (Faith Precedes the Miracle [1972], 256)
6. Watch the video “The Ten Virgins.”
Day 3
Primary
1. Read Matthew 25:14-46.
2. Jesus told a parable about a man who gave his servants talents and then left on a long journey. In Jesus’s day, talents referred to money, but today talents can mean our gifts and abilities. When the man came back, some of the servants had increased the talents that they had by using them to make good investments. One foolish servant buried his talent instead of using it. When the man came back, he was happy with the servants who had worked to increase their talents. He was not happy with the man who did not use the talent he was given.
3. How can we apply this parable to ourselves? What do you think we are supposed to do with the “talents” we have been given?
4. Watch the video “The Talents.”
Youth
1. Read Matthew 25:14-46.
2. Jesus told a parable about a man who gave his servants talents and then left on a long journey. In Jesus’s day, talents referred to money, but today talents can mean our gifts and abilities. What did the master give each servant? What do you think it means that they were given different amounts?
3. Read Matthew 25:19-23 Even though one had been given more and the other had been given less, the first two servants worked faithfully to increase what they had been given. When the master returned and they showed what they had done, both were given praise for their efforts, even though one had larger results. No matter what “talents” we have, if we faithfully use the gifts and abilities the Lord has given us, then we can fulfill our divine potential and receive eternal life.
4. Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles saod:
The growth in our own talents is the best measure of personal progress. … Comparing blessings is almost certain to drive out joy. We cannot be grateful and envious at the same time. If we truly want to have the Spirit of the Lord and experience joy and happiness, we should rejoice in our blessings and be grateful. (“Rejoice!” Ensign, Nov. 1996, 29, 30)
5. Read Matthew 25:24-30. What did the last servant do, and how did the master respond? (Usury means interest.) Even though the servant had not lost any of his master’s money, what was wrong with the servant’s actions? How do you think the master would have responded to the servant if he had brought back two talents?
6. Elder Sterling W. Sill of the Seventy spoke about why we lose gifts and abilities if we do not use them for good.
[The third servant’s] loss was not because he did anything wrong, but rather because his fear had prevented him [from] doing anything at all. Yet this is the process by which most of our blessings are lost. …
… When one fails to use the muscles of his arm he loses his strength. … When we don’t develop our abilities, we lose our abilities. When the people in past ages have not honored the Priesthood, it has been taken from them. … Neither spiritual, mental nor physical talents develop while they are buried in the earth. (The Law of the Harvest [1963], 375)
6. Watch the video “The Parable of the Talents.”
Day 4
Primary
1. Read Mark 12:28-44.
2. While Jesus was at the temple, He witnessed individuals bringing money to the temple treasury as an offering to God. One of the people he saw was an old widow, who gave two mites. Mites were the smallest coin they had, like a penny. Why would some people thing that two pennies was not very much to give to God? Why did Jesus say her offering was worth more than that of the rich men?
3. Watch the video “The Widow’s Mites.”
4. Listen to the song “I am a Child of God.”
Youth
1. Read Mark 12:28-44.
2. In an attempt to discredit the Savior, the Pharisees and scribes asked Him difficult questions while He taught in the temple. After the Savior responded to their questions, He denounced the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and scribes. While Jesus was at the temple, He witnessed individuals bringing money to the temple treasury as an offering to God. What did the Savior see at the treasury? A mite was the smallest bronze coin used by the Jews, similar to a penny.
3. How might someone feel if they could give only two mites as an offering to God? What did the Savior say about the widow’s offering compared to the offerings of the others? Why do you think the Savior considered her offering to be “more” than the other offerings? If we are willing to give all that we have to the Lord, He will accept our offering even if it appears small in comparison to that of others.
4. Elder James E. Talmage (1862–1933) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained why the Lord commended the widow even though her offering was a relatively small donation:
The rich gave much yet kept back more; the widow’s gift was her all. It was not the smallness of her offering that made it especially acceptable, but the spirit of sacrifice and devout intent with which she gave’ (Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed. [1916], 561–62). Elder Talmage also stated: ‘Whether it be the gift of a man or a nation, the best, if offered willingly and with pure intent, is always excellent in the sight of God, however poor by other comparison that best may be. (The House of the Lord, rev. ed. [1968], 3) (New Testament Student Manual [Church Educational System manual, 2014], 128–29)
5. Watch the video “Jesus Teaches About the Widow’s Mites.”
You have finished May! Please proceed to June!
