Lesson 16: Matthew 13:24–58
Introduction
The Savior gave parables to teach
about the kingdom of heaven, the Restoration and growth of His Church in the
latter days, the gathering of the righteous, and the destruction of the wicked
at His Second Coming.
I.
Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43 The Savior teaches and explains the
parable of the wheat and the tares
---Before class, write the following
questions on the board:
Have you ever been frustrated or
upset because there is so much evil in the world?
Why doesn’t the Lord just remove the
evil that surrounds us?
Why should I choose to be righteous
when some people around me don’t seem to experience negative consequences of
their unrighteous choices?
---Ponder the questions on the board
and share your thoughts with the class.
---As we study Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43 look for a truth that
will help you find comfort while striving to live righteously in a wicked
world.
---Display the accompanying picture
of wheat and tares, or draw it on the board.
---Tares are a type of poisonous
weed. Wheat and tares are almost identical when they sprout, but they can be
distinguished once they mature. The Savior taught a parable about wheat and
tares.
---Read Matthew 13:24–30
and from the portion of Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 13:29, found in
Matthew
13:30, footnote b.
looking for what happened to the
wheat and the tares.
- What happened to the wheat and the tares? (They were sowed [planted] and allowed to grow together. Then the wheat was gathered to the barn and the tares were bundled and burned.)
- Why do you think the sower of good seed told his servants to allow the wheat and tares to “grow together until the harvest”? (If reapers tried to pull out the tares before the wheat and tares matured, they would likely destroy much of the wheat as well.)
- According to Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 13:29, which was gathered first—the wheat or the tares?
---After the Savior gave the parable
of the wheat and the tares, His disciples asked Him to explain its meaning.
- Who sowed, or planted, the good seed? (The Savior.)
- Who sowed, or planted, the tares? (The devil.)
- What did the wheat and tares represent? (The righteous and the wicked. Explain that the wicked are those who choose not to repent [see Doctrine and Covenants 29:17].)
---The Joseph Smith Translation
clarifies that “the harvest” or “the end of the world” mentioned in verse 39 refers to the destruction of the
wicked at the Savior’s Second Coming. The Joseph Smith Translation also helps
us understand that in the last days the Lord will send forth angels and
messengers to help separate the righteous from the wicked (see Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 13:39–44 [in
the Bible appendix]).
- According to this parable, what will happen to the righteous and the wicked in the last days? (Students may use different words, but make sure they identify the following truth: The Lord will gather the righteous during the last days and then destroy the wicked at His coming. Using students’ words, write this truth on the board.)
- How might this truth bring us comfort while we live in an evil world? (The Lord will eventually remove wickedness from the earth and reward the faithful.)
---Because of our agency, we
determine by our choices whether we will be gathered with the righteous or
suffer with the wicked.
- What must we do to be gathered by the Lord?
---Read aloud the following
statement by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
“The Lord gathers His people when they accept Him and keep
His commandments. …
“… The Lord gathers His people to worship, to build up
the Church, for a defense, and to receive counsel and instruction. …
“The Prophet Joseph Smith declared that in all ages the
divine purpose of gathering is to build temples so that the Lord’s children can
receive the highest ordinances and thereby gain eternal life [see
Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 416–17]” (“The Spirit and Purposes of Gathering” [Brigham
Young University–Idaho devotional, Oct. 31, 2006], byui.edu).
- According to Elder Bednar, what do we need to do to be gathered by the Lord?
- What blessings have come into your life as you have been gathered by the Lord?
---Display the pictures Missionaries: Elders; Missionaries: Sisters; and Salt Lake Temple (Gospel Art Book [2009],
nos. 109, 110, 119; see also LDS.org).
- What can we do to assist the Savior in gathering Heavenly Father’s children?
- What blessings have you received as you have helped the Lord gather the righteous through missionary work or temple work?
---Because we all make mistakes, the
Savior invites us to repent so that we can be gathered with the righteous. Ponder
what you can do to gather themselves, their families, and others to the Savior
and His Church. Act on any promptings you receive.
II.
Matthew 13:31–35, 44–52 Jesus uses parables to teach about the
kingdom of heaven
---Display pictures of the following
items or draw them on the board: a
mustard seed, leaven or yeast (or bread—explain that leaven is used in cooking
and is added to bread dough to help it rise before baking), a pearl, a small
treasure chest, and a net.
---In several different parables the
Savior compared each of these items to the kingdom of heaven. Remember that the
kingdom of heaven represents the Savior’s Church and gospel.
---Write the following references on
the board:
---Divide students into pairs or
small groups, and assign each pair or group one of the references on the board.
Invite each pair or group to complete the following activities (you may want to
provide this list on a handout):
- Read your assigned verses together.
- Discuss what object(s) the Savior likened to His Church and His gospel.
- Discuss what truth you think the Savior was teaching in this parable about His Church and His gospel. Write that truth in your class notebooks or scripture study journals.
---After sufficient time, invite a
student assigned to the parable of the leaven and a student assigned to the
parable of the mustard seed to read their parables aloud to the class.
---Invite a few students to read to
the class the truths they wrote down. (Students may use different words, but
make sure they identify a truth similar to the following: The
restored Church of Jesus Christ
will grow from a small beginning to fill the whole earth. Write this truth on the board.)
---Read this statement by President
Joseph F. Smith, who taught how followers of Jesus Christ can be likened
to leaven:
“While it may be said, and it is in a measure true, that we
are but a handful in comparison with our fellowmen in the world, yet we may be
compared with the leaven of which the Savior spoke, that will eventually leaven
the whole world” (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 74).
- What can we do as Latter-day Saints to help the Savior’s Church grow?
---Invite a student assigned to the
parable of the treasure in a field, a student assigned to the parable of the
pearl of great price, and a student assigned to the parable of the net to read
their parables aloud to the class.
---Invite a few students to read to
the class the truths they wrote down. (Students may use different words, but
make sure they identify a principle similar to the following: Because
the blessings of the gospel are of eternal value, they are worth any sacrifice. Using students’ words, write this truth on the board.)
---To help students understand this
principle, write the following headings on the board:
Blessings of the gospel
|
Sacrifices to obtain blessings
|
---List some of the blessings of the
gospel (examples may include knowledge from the scriptures, guidance from
living prophets, saving ordinances, and eternal marriage). For each blessing
listed, ask students to explain what sacrifices they may need to make to obtain
that blessing. Write students’ responses on the board.
---Ask students to choose a blessing
listed on the board and explain why obtaining that blessing is worth any
sacrifice.
- When have you or someone you know sacrificed something in order to receive a blessing of the gospel?
---Write the following questions on
the board and invite students to respond to them in their class notebooks or
scripture study journals:
What blessing of the gospel do you desire to obtain?
Why do you desire that blessing?
How might you have to sacrifice to receive that blessing?
III.
Matthew 13:53–58
Jesus teaches in Nazareth and is rejected by His own people
---Matthew 13:53–58 states that the people of
Nazareth rejected the Savior and His teachings. Because of their unbelief, the
Savior did not perform many miracles among them (see also Moroni 7:37).
Commentary
and Background Information
Matthew 13.
The gathering of Israel
The Prophet Joseph
Smith summarized the topic of Matthew 13 when he taught the following:
“The sayings of the Savior, recorded
in the 13th chapter of His Gospel according to St. Matthew, … afford us as
clear an understanding upon the important subject of the gathering, as anything
recorded in the Bible” (in History of the Church, 2:264).
President Russell M. Nelson of
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that we can help gather Israel on both
sides of the veil:
“This doctrine of the gathering is
one of the important teachings of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints. … We not only teach this doctrine, but
we participate in it. We do so as we help to gather the elect of the Lord on
both sides of the veil. …
“… We gather pedigree charts,
create family
group sheets, and do temple work vicariously to gather individuals unto the
Lord and into their families” (“The Gathering of Scattered Israel,” Ensign or Liahona,
Nov. 2006, 80–81).
The following chart shows how the
parables of Matthew 13 teach about the gathering of
Israel and the growth of the Savior’s Church from the days of His mortal
ministry to His Second Coming.
Parable
in Matthew 13
|
The
Gathering
|
Sower (verses 3–23)
|
Jesus Christ and His Apostles
sowed the seeds of the gospel in their day.
|
Wheat and tares (verses 24–30, 36–43)
|
The righteous and wicked grew
together in New Testament times, eventually leading to the Great Apostasy. In
the latter days, the righteous will be gathered into the Church and the
wicked will be destroyed.
|
Mustard seed (verses 31–32)
|
The Church of Jesus Christ will be
restored. From small beginnings it will grow, spread, and become a majestic
worldwide Church.
|
Leaven (verse 33)
|
The latter-day Church will spread
throughout the earth, aided by the leaven of the testimonies of the Three
Witnesses and the latter-day scriptures.
|
Hidden treasure (verse 44) and pearl of great price (verses 45–46)
|
The righteous will gather to the
kingdom of God. Latter-day Saints will sacrifice and work to build Zion.
|
Net (verses 47–50)
|
All types of people will be
gathered into the Church. At the end of the world, the wicked will be cast
out and destroyed.
|
(Adapted from New Testament Student
Manual [Church Educational System manual, 2014], 43–44.)
Matthew
13:31–32. The parables of the mustard seed and leaven
The Prophet Joseph Smith provided
the following explanation of the parables of the mustard seed and leaven:
“‘The Kingdom of Heaven is like a
grain of mustard seed. …’ [Matthew 13:31.] Now we can discover plainly that
this figure is given to represent the Church as it shall come forth in the last
days. …
“Let us take the Book
of Mormon, which a man took and hid in his field, securing it by his
faith, to spring up in the last days, or in due time; let us behold it coming
forth out of the ground, which is indeed accounted the least of all seeds, but
behold it branching forth, yea, even towering with lofty branches and God-like
majesty, until it, like the mustard seed, becomes the greatest of all herbs.
And it is truth, and it has sprouted and come forth out of the earth, and
righteousness begins to look down from heaven [see Psalm 85:11; Moses 7:62], and God is sending down His powers,
gifts, and angels to lodge in the branches thereof. …
“‘… The Kingdom of Heaven is
like unto leaven. …’ [Matthew 13:33.] It may be understood that the
Church of the Latter-day Saints has taken its rise from a little leaven that
was put into three witnesses. Behold, how much this is like the parable! It is
fast leavening the lump, and will soon leaven the whole” (Teachings of
Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 301, 302–3).
Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught how followers of Jesus Christ can be
likened to leaven:
“We are to live in the world but not
be of the world. We must live in the world because, as Jesus taught in a
parable, His kingdom is ‘like leaven,’ whose function is to raise the whole
mass by its influence (see Luke 13:21; Matthew 13:33; see also 1 Corinthians 5:6–8). His followers cannot
do that if they associate only with those who share their beliefs and
practices” (“Loving Others and Living with Differences,”
Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 25).
Supplemental
Teaching Ideas
Matthew 13. Video presentation—“The Sower”
To help students learn how to
understand the Savior’s parables, consider showing the video “The Sower” (12:10), which demonstrates how to
understand parables by using the parable of the wheat and the tares as an
example. This video is available on New Testament DVD Presentations 1–25 and on
LDS.org. Invite students to listen and watch for suggestions that will help
them understand the Savior’s parables. Because of the length of the video, you
might consider showing it on another day when you have more time.
Right margin
extras
Help
students understand the content of the scriptures
Ask questions that help students
analyze and understand the content of the scriptures. For example, you might
ask questions that help them (1) examine one scripture passage in the
light of other passages or gospel principles, (2) clarify the meaning of
words or phrases, or (3) analyze the details of the story line for greater
meaning. As students answer such questions, they will be prepared to identify
doctrines and principles.
Lesson 17: Matthew 14
Introduction
After learning of John the Baptist’s
death, Jesus sought solitude but was followed by a multitude of people. He had
compassion on them, healed their sick, and miraculously fed more than five
thousand of them. That night, Jesus walked on the sea to His disciples who were
struggling on the Sea of Galilee against a powerful storm.
I.
Matthew 14:1–21
Jesus seeks solitude and then feeds more than five thousand people
---Think of a time when you
experienced great sadness. Reflect on what you did to endure and overcome your
sadness.
- What are some different ways people try to endure and overcome sadness?
---As we study Matthew 14 look for ways you can endure and
overcome sorrow, trials, and doubts.
---Matthew 14:1–11 tells us that at the urging of
his new wife (Herodias), King Herod had unjustly imprisoned John the Baptist.
After his wife’s daughter (Salome) danced before him, Herod publicly promised
that she could have “whatsoever she would ask” (Matthew 14:7). The daughter consulted with her
mother and asked for the head of John the Baptist, and as a result, Herod had
John beheaded.
---Remember that John the Baptist
was a friend and relative of Jesus Christ and was
chosen by God to be the prophet who would prepare the way for the Messiah.
- Imagine being a close friend of John the Baptist. How would you have responded upon hearing of his unjust death?
- What did Jesus do when He heard about John’s death? ( “a desert place apart” refers to a solitary place [see Mark 6:31, footnote a].)
- What happened when Jesus tried to be alone?
- How would you feel if you were sad and wanted to be alone, but others were seeking your attention?
- What example did the Savior set for us to follow when we experience sadness? (Students may use different words, but make sure they identify the following truth: By showing compassion for others even when we are experiencing sadness, we follow the example of Jesus Christ.)
- Why can it be difficult to show compassion for others when we are suffering?
- How can showing compassion for others help us when we ourselves are suffering?
- When have you or someone you know experienced great sadness and still demonstrated compassion for another? In what ways did serving someone else help?
---Read Matthew 14:15–21
looking for how Jesus continued to show compassion for the multitude. (Note:
The miracle recorded in Matthew 14:15–21 will be taught in greater depth
in the lesson that addresses Mark 6:35–44.)
- How did Jesus continue to show compassion for the people who had followed Him?
II.
Matthew 14:22–36
Jesus walks on the sea during a storm
---I need two students to read the
following scenarios aloud:
- A young woman feels helpless as she watches her mother suffer from a terminal illness. She begins to question if Heavenly Father is aware of her family’s pain. She desperately wants to believe in God, but her doubts are beginning to overwhelm her.
- A young man has recently joined the Church. Many of his old friends have been openly critical of his decision to join the Church. He is starting to wonder whether he should continue to be an active and faithful member of the Church.
- What are other ways people may experience doubt or fear as they seek to follow Jesus Christ?
---Look for truths as we study the
remainder of Matthew 14 that can help you overcome fears,
doubts, and discouragement.
---In Matthew 14:22 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
looking for where Jesus went once He had sent the multitudes away. Invite them
to report what they find.
---Read Matthew 14:24–25
and look for what happened while the disciples were crossing the Sea of
Galilee.
- What happened to the disciples while they were crossing the Sea of Galilee?
- What does it mean that “the wind was contrary”? (verse 24). (It was blowing in the opposite direction of their destination.)
---According to verse 23, it was evening when Jesus was
alone on the mountain and the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee. The
distance to cross the sea was about five miles and should have been crossable
in two to three hours in good weather.
- According to verse 25, when did the Savior come to the disciples on the water? (The fourth watch was from 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.)
- About how long had the disciples likely been fighting the wind to cross the sea? (Likely around 9 to 12 hours.)
---Read Mark 6:47–48
silently, looking for additional details Mark provided about this event. Ask
students to report what they find.
- Could Jesus have spared the disciples from their struggles sooner? What might have been the purpose of letting the disciples struggle for a time before they were delivered?
- What truth can we learn about our own struggles from these accounts of the disciples trying to cross the sea? (Students may use different words but should identify the following truth: Even though God might not always spare us from struggles, He knows what we are experiencing and will, in His own time, come to our aid.)
- What good can come from our struggling for a time rather than being immediately delivered from our trials by the Lord?
- How can knowing that the Lord is aware of our struggles strengthen our faith in Him even when He does not immediately deliver us from them?
---Visualize being on a fishing boat
in the middle of the night, struggling against powerful wind and waves for many
hours, and then seeing someone walking on the water.
- What might you be thinking or feeling if you were in this situation?
- How did the disciples react when they saw Jesus?
- How did Jesus respond to their fear?
---Read Matthew 14:28 and look for what Peter desired to
do when He heard the Lord’s voice.
- What did Peter desire to do when he heard the Lord’s voice?
---Hold up a picture of Jesus in
front of the class
---Imagine that you are Peter in the
boat.
---Read Matthew 14:29–30. After each verse is read, ask
students what they might be thinking or feeling if they were Peter.
- Why did Peter begin to sink?
- What could the wind and waves in this account represent in our lives that can lead us to experience fear or doubt?
- What can we learn from Peter’s experience about how to avoid being overcome by our fears and doubts? (Students may use different words, but make sure it is clear that 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.)
---Read the following statement by
President Howard W. Hunter, and listen for 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).
- How do you think we can “fix our eyes” on Jesus Christ, as Peter did initially?
- When have you seen an individual’s faith in Jesus Christ enable him or her to avoid being overcome by fear or doubt?
---Testify that as we “fix our eyes”
on Jesus Christ and maintain our faith in Him, we will find hope and courage to
face our challenges.
---Consider changes you can make in your
lives to better focus on and maintain their faith in Jesus Christ and to set a
goal to make those changes.
---Like Peter, we might sometimes
fail to maintain our faith in Jesus Christ and might succumb to fear, doubt,
and discouragement.
---Display a picture of Jesus Christ
walking on the water (see
Gospel Art Book [2009], no. 43; see also LDS.org).
- According to verse 30, what did Peter do when he realized he was sinking?
- What can we learn from this account about what the Lord will do if we seek His help when our faith wanes? (Students may use different words, but they should identify the following principle: If we seek God’s help when our faith wanes, He can lift us from our fears and doubts.)
- In what ways does God lift us from our fears and doubts?
---Read Matthew 14:33
and look for how the disciples in the boat responded after Jesus and Peter got
into the boat.
---Matthew 14:33–36 states that after this event,
Jesus and His disciples continued their journey and arrived on the far shores
of Galilee. When the people learned that Jesus was there, they brought to Him
people who were suffering from disease. Many were healed simply by touching the
hem of His clothing.
---Apply what you learned in this
lesson by acting on any impressions you have received.
Commentary
and Background Information
Matthew
14:25. “In the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them”
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 D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles spoke of a personal trial he faced for which there was no quick
solution from the Lord:
“Though I suffered then, as I look
back now, I am grateful that there was not a quick solution to my problem. The
fact that I was forced to turn to God for help almost daily over an extended
period of years taught me truly how to pray and get answers to prayer and
taught me in a very practical way to have faith in God. I came to know my
Savior and my Heavenly Father in a way and to a degree that might not have
happened otherwise or that might have taken me much longer to achieve. … I
learned to trust in the Lord with all my heart. I learned to walk with Him day
by day” (“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread” [Church
Educational System fireside, Jan. 9, 2011], LDS.org).
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).
Supplemental
Teaching Idea
Matthew 14:28–31. Video presentation—“Mountains to Climb”
To help students understand the
importance of calling upon the Lord when they experience struggles, consider
sharing the video “Mountains to Climb” (5:05). This video is
available on LDS.org. Ask the class to watch for how the Lord can lift us above
our struggles.
Right margin
extras:
Ask
questions that help students identify doctrines and principles
As students develop their
understanding of the context and content of the scriptures, they are better
able to identify the doctrines and principles they contain. Questions that
require analysis can help students draw conclusions and articulate the
doctrines and principles found in the text they are studying.
Help
students visualize accounts in the scriptures
Visualizing occurs as students
picture in their minds what is taking place in the scriptural account.
Visualizing can help make a scriptural account more vivid and real for the
students.
No comments:
Post a Comment