https://www.lds.org/manual/new-testament-seminary-teacher-manual?lang=eng
Lesson 6: Matthew 1–2
Introduction
Matthew gave the genealogy of Jesus Christ, and an angel declared Jesus’s divine parentage to Joseph.
Wise men from the East traveled to find and worship the young Jesus. Joseph was
told in a dream to take his family to Egypt to avoid Herod’s slaughter of children in
Bethlehem.
---Display
a photograph of your parents and ask students if they can spot any traits you
inherited from them.
---You
could also invite a few students to bring in photographs of their parents and
ask the class to guess whose parents they are.
---Ask
students to discuss with each other any traits they inherited from their
parents (such as eye color, hair color, or height).
---As we study Matthew 1–2 look for truths about the Savior’s parents
and traits He inherited from them.
---This activity should prepare
students to understand the truths that Jesus Christ is the divine Son of
Heavenly Father and Mary and that He is the Only Begotten of the Father in the
flesh.
---Matthew 1:1–17
lists the Savior’s ancestors. Verse 1
mentions that Jesus Christ was a descendant of David and of Abraham.
---Old Testament prophecies declared that the Messiah would be a
descendant of David (see 2 Samuel 7:12–13;
Isaiah 9:6–7;
Jeremiah 23:5–6) and that
an offspring of Abraham would bless “all the nations of the earth” (Genesis 22:18;
see also Abraham 2:11). Matthew
wanted readers to know that Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecies concerning
the Messiah (see Matthew 1:22–23;
2:5, 15, 23;
26:55–56). The
genealogy given in Matthew 1:1–17 shows that Jesus was the promised
Messiah and the rightful heir to the throne of David.
Matthew 1:1–17. The genealogy of Jesus
“Jesus was not Joseph’s son, but Joseph’s genealogy is
essentially Mary’s genealogy, for they were cousins; Jesus inherited from his
mother, Mary, the blood of David and therefore the right to David’s throne.
Jesus was born in the royal line, and as Elder James E. Talmage has
explained, ‘Had Judah been a free and independent nation, ruled by her rightful
sovereign, Joseph the carpenter would have been her crowned king; and his
lawful successor to the throne would have been Jesus of Nazareth, the King of
the Jews.’
Matthew 1:16 aloud and follow along and look for a title given to Jesus
and to report what you find.
---The word Christ is the Greek form of the Aramaic word Messiah, which means “the
anointed.”
- In the premortal existence, what was Jesus Christ anointed or chosen to do? (He was anointed by Heavenly Father to be our “Prophet, Priest, King, and Deliverer” [Guide to the Scriptures, “Messiah,” scriptures.lds.org; see also Bible Dictionary, “Anointed One”].)
---Notice that Matthew 1:16
also mentions that Mary was Joseph’s wife. According to Matthew 1:18,
Joseph and Mary were espoused. This
means they were betrothed, or engaged, and legally bound to each other but not
yet living together as husband and wife. However, before the wedding, Joseph
learned that Mary was pregnant.
Matthew 1:19 looking for what
Joseph intended to do.
- What did Joseph intend to do when he learned that Mary was pregnant? (“to put her away privily” means Joseph planned to cancel the engagement privately without forcing Mary to face public humiliation or the possible penalty of stoning.)
- What does this verse teach us about Joseph’s character?
Matthew 1:20 looking for what happened to Joseph while he was
considering ending the betrothal to Mary.
- Why did the angel tell Joseph not to be afraid to proceed with his marriage to Mary?
---Elder Bruce R. McConkie of
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
“Just as Jesus is literally the Son of Mary, so he is the
personal and literal offspring of God the Eternal Father. … Matthew’s
statement, ‘she was found with child of the Holy Ghost,’ properly translated
should say, ‘she was found with child by the power of the Holy Ghost.’ (Matt.
1:18.) … Alma perfectly describes our Lord’s conception and
birth by prophesying: Christ ‘shall be born of Mary, … she being a virgin, a
precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power
of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.’ (Alma
7:10.)” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary,
3 vols. [1965–73], 1:82).
- What do we learn about Jesus’s parentage from these teachings? (Jesus Christ is the divine Son of Heavenly Father and Mary. Write this doctrine in the margin of their scriptures next to Matthew 1:18–25.)
---Refer to the photograph of your
parents and reiterate some of the traits you inherited from them.
---Read the quote by Elder
James E. Talmage of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and listen for why
it is important to understand that Jesus is the divine Son of Heavenly Father
and Mary.
“That Child to be born of Mary was begotten of Elohim, the
Eternal Father. … In His nature would be combined the powers of Godhood with
the capacity and possibilities of mortality. … The Child Jesus was to inherit
the physical, mental, and spiritual traits, tendencies, and powers that
characterized His parents—one immortal and glorified—God, the other human—woman” (Jesus
the Christ, 3rd ed. [1916], 81).
- What traits did Jesus inherit from His Father? What traits did He inherit from His mother?
---Because Jesus was the Son of an
immortal Father and a mortal mother, He had the capacity to live eternally if
He chose, as well as the ability to die. This divine nature uniquely qualified
Him to be able to suffer for our sins, die on the cross, and be resurrected.
---Display three wrapped gifts in
front of the class or draw a picture of three gifts on the board.
- Who brought gifts to the Savior after He was born?
---The Gospel of Matthew is the only
Gospel to include an account of the Wise Men.
---Distribute the following quiz as
a handout or write the questions on the board before class. Give students a few
minutes to read the questions and write their answers.
How
much do you know about the Wise Men?
- How did the Wise Men know the Messiah had been born?
- Why did the Wise Men want to find the Messiah?
- How did the chief priests and scribes know where the Messiah would be born?
- What did Herod want the Wise Men to do after they found Jesus?
- What did the Wise Men do instead?
---Who wants to share anything new you
learned about the Wise Men?
---Details in verses 11 and 16 suggest that it may have been as long as two years after
Jesus’s birth when the Wise Men were led to the holy family (the Wise Men found
Jesus in a house, not a manger, and He was a “young child,” not a baby). Point
out that the reason Herod wanted the Wise Men to report where they found the
Messiah was so he could kill Him (see Matthew 2:13).
- How did the Wise Men know where to find the Messiah?
- What can we learn from the example of the Wise Men seeking the Savior? (If we sincerely and diligently seek the Savior, we will be guided to Him.)
- How can we diligently seek the Savior?
- What did the Wise Men do once they found the Savior? Why? (One purpose for presenting gifts to the Savior was to worship Him.)
- What can we learn from the example of the Wise Men offering gifts to the Savior? (Students may use different words but should identify the following truth: We can worship the Lord by offering meaningful gifts to Him.)
---Elder D. Todd
Christofferson:
“In ancient times when people wanted to worship the Lord and
seek His blessings, they often brought a gift. …
“Is there something in you or in your life that is impure or
unworthy? When you get rid of it, that is a gift to the Savior. Is there a good
habit or quality that is lacking in your life? When you adopt it and make it
part of your character, you are giving a gift to the Lord. Sometimes this is
hard to do, but would your gifts of repentance and obedience be worthy gifts if
they cost you nothing?” (“When Thou Art
Converted,”
Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 12).
- What can we offer as meaningful gifts to the Savior?
---Ponder Elder Christofferson’s
statement and answer the following questions in your JOURNALS:
What gifts
do you feel you should offer the Savior? How will you give these gifts to Jesus
Christ?
---According Matthew 2:13–23,
Herod became angry after the Wise Men “departed into their own country” (Matthew 2:12)
without telling him where the Messiah was. Hoping to kill the Messiah, he
ordered that all children two years old and younger in Bethlehem and the
surrounding area be killed.
---Invite students to report what they
find.
- Where did Joseph take Mary and Jesus?
---In Matthew 2:15–23
Joseph, Mary, and Jesus stayed in Egypt until Herod died. God instructed Joseph
through dreams to take his family back to Israel, and they settled in the city
of Nazareth.
- How did Joseph’s sensitivity to spiritual things bless others’ lives?
- What principle can we learn from Joseph? If we are sensitive to the Spirit, we can receive revelation and guidance.
---Ponder what you can do to be more
sensitive to the Spirit. Make it a goal to act on any promptings you receive.
Commentary
and Background Information
Matthew
1:1–17. The genealogy of Jesus
“Jesus was not Joseph’s son, but
Joseph’s genealogy is essentially Mary’s genealogy, for they were cousins;
Jesus inherited from his mother, Mary, the blood of David and therefore the
right to David’s throne. Jesus was born in the royal line, and as Elder James E.
Talmage has explained, ‘Had Judah been a free and independent nation, ruled by
her rightful sovereign, Joseph the carpenter would have been her crowned king;
and his lawful successor to the throne would have been Jesus of Nazareth, the
King of the Jews.’”
Matthew
1:18. “Mary was espoused to Joseph”
In ancient Israel, marriage between
a young man and a young woman was arranged and agreed to by the heads of the
respective families—usually the fathers. Once a prospective wife had been
identified by the groom’s father or family head, negotiations were begun. They focused on, but were
not limited to, the size of the ‘bride price,’ a kind of dowry in reverse, paid
by the groom’s father or family head to the bride’s family. Once the marriage
was agreed upon, the wedding consisted of two stages: betrothal (also called
espousal; see Matthew 1:18)
and a wedding ceremony.
Betrothal was legally and
religiously more significant than the subsequent marriage ceremony, after which
the couple began living together. Betrothal was regarded as the final part of a
solemn covenant. It carried the force of a covenant to be honored between
God-fearing parties (see Genesis 2:24;
Ezekiel 16:8;
Ephesians 5:21–33). Though betrothed couples were legally regarded as husband
and wife (see Deuteronomy 22:23–24), between the time of betrothal and the wedding ceremony, a
strict code of chastity was enforced (see Matthew 1:18, 25).
Matthew
1:18–25. The spiritual sensitivity of Joseph
“When Mary was found to be with
child, Joseph, knowing he was not the father, had several options. First, he
could have subjected Mary to a public divorce and perhaps even execution, for
people would have presumed that Mary was guilty of adultery—a crime punishable
by death under the law of Moses (see Leviticus 20:10;
John 8:5).
Second, Joseph could have had his betrothal to Mary privately annulled before
two witnesses. A third option was to proceed with the marriage. Joseph was
inclined to show mercy to Mary by quietly annulling the betrothal agreement
(see Matthew 1:19).
However, when assured by an angel that Mary’s child was the Son of God, Joseph
elected to marry her, though doing so could have brought upon him public shame
and ridicule (see Matthew 1:20–25;
Luke 3:23;
John 8:41).
“Gerald N. Lund, who later
became a member of the Seventy, discussed Joseph’s visions and spiritual
sensitivity: ‘Matthew tells us that [Joseph] was of the lineage of King David,
that he was a just and considerate man, that in a dream an angel told him who
Jesus would be, that he was obedient, and that he gave Jesus his name, which
means savior. (See Matt. 1.)
We know that he took Mary to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. (See Luke 2:4–6.)
Less than two years later, Joseph took his family into Egypt to escape Herod,
after being warned in a dream. In Egypt, a dream again told him when to return,
and another dream told him to go to Galilee. (See Matt. 2:13–15, 19–22.) Four dreams from God! Joseph must have been an
exceptionally visionary and spiritually sensitive man’ (Jesus Christ, Key to the
Plan of Salvation [1991], 51–52)” (New Testament Student Manual [Church
Educational System manual, 2014], 13–14).
Old Testament prophecies declared that the Messiah would be
a descendant of David and that an offspring of Abraham would bless “all the
nations of the earth.” Matthew wanted readers to know that Jesus fulfilled Old
Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah. The genealogy given in Matthew
1:1–17 shows that Jesus was the promised Messiah and the rightful
heir to the throne of David.
Matthew
1:1–17. The genealogy of Jesus
“Jesus was not Joseph’s son, but Joseph’s genealogy is
essentially Mary’s genealogy, for they were cousins; Jesus inherited from his
mother, Mary, the blood of David and therefore the right to David’s throne.
Jesus was born in the royal line, and as Elder James E. Talmage has
explained, ‘Had Judah been a free and independent nation, ruled by her rightful
sovereign, Joseph the carpenter would have been her crowned king; and his
lawful successor to the throne would have been Jesus of Nazareth, the King of
the Jews.’
Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
“Just as Jesus is literally the Son
of Mary, so he is the personal and literal offspring of God the Eternal Father.
… Matthew’s statement, ‘she was found with child of the Holy Ghost,’ properly
translated should say, ‘she was found with child by the power of the Holy
Ghost.’ (Matt. 1:18.) … Alma perfectly describes our
Lord’s conception and birth by prophesying: Christ ‘shall be born of Mary, …
she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and
conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the
Son of God.’”
Elder James E. Talmage of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
“That Child to be born of Mary was
begotten of Elohim, the Eternal Father. … In His nature would be combined the
powers of Godhood with the capacity and possibilities of mortality. … The Child
Jesus was to inherit the physical, mental, and spiritual traits, tendencies,
and powers that characterized His parents—one immortal and glorified—God, the
other human—woman.”
Elder D. Todd Christofferson:
“In ancient times when people wanted to worship the Lord and
seek His blessings, they often brought a gift. …
“Is there something in you or in
your life that is impure or unworthy? When you get rid of it, that is a gift to
the Savior. Is there a good habit or quality that is lacking in your life? When
you adopt it and make it part of your character, you are giving a gift to the
Lord. Sometimes this is hard to do, but would your gifts of repentance and
obedience be worthy gifts if they cost you nothing?”
How
much do you know about the Wise Men? (hands down?)
1.How did the Wise Men know the Messiah had been born?
2.Why did the Wise Men want to find the Messiah?
3. How did the chief priests and scribes know where the
Messiah would be born?
4. What did Herod want the Wise Men to do after they
found Jesus?
5. What did the Wise Men do instead?
6. How did the Wise Men know where to find the Messiah?
7. What can we learn from the example of the Wise Men
seeking the Savior?
8. How can we diligently seek the Savior?
9. What did the Wise Men do once they found the Savior?
Why?
10. What can we learn from the example of the Wise Men
offering gifts to the Savior?
Lesson 7: Matthew 3
1st
Grouping
I. Matthew 3:1–12
John the Baptist preaches in Judea
---Imagine how you would feel if one
of the students in the class were to get up and begin taking personal items
that belong to the other students. Then imagine that after taking each item,
the offending student apologizes but continues to take items from other
students.
- What would you think about this student’s apologies?
- How might this student’s actions be similar to trying to repent insincerely?
---Read Matthew 3:1–4 and look for what happened that would help prepare the
people for the Savior’s ministry.
- Who was John the Baptist?
- What was John doing?
- What did John exhort his listeners to do?
---John’s mission had been foretold
by Isaiah (Esaias) and other prophets (Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1; 1 Nephi 10:7–10). John was to prepare the way for the Messiah (Jesus
Christ) by declaring repentance and baptizing with water.
- How do you think declaring repentance and baptizing with water helped prepare the way of the Lord?
2nd
Grouping:
---Read Matthew 3:5–6 looking for how people responded to John’s message.
- How did people respond to John’s message? ---Read Matthew 3:7 looking for whom John spoke to.
- According to this verse, whom did John speak to?
- What did John call them?
---This Palestinian viper it is the
most common poisonous snake in Israel. Vipers are active at night and typically
hunt by hiding and then sneaking up on their prey. When they feel threatened,
vipers will coil their body, hiss, and strike at their opponents.
- Why do you think John referred to the Pharisees and Sadducees as vipers?
---The Joseph Smith Translation contains additional words that John spoke to
the Pharisees and Sadducees.
---Read Joseph Smith Translation,
Matthew 3:34–36 (in the Bible appendix).
These verses are a translation of Matthew 3:8–9.
- According to John, if the Pharisees and Sadducees rejected his preaching, whom would they also reject?
- How would you summarize John’s message to them?
3rd grouping:
Bring forth fruits
meet for repentance.
---In
the scriptures people are sometimes symbolized by trees that produce either good
fruit or bad fruit. Fruit represents our desires and actions. The phrase “meet
for” means “worthy of” (see Matthew 3:8, footnote b).
---Remember the scenario you imagined
at the beginning of the lesson (a student taking personal items from other
students and then continuing to do so, even after apologizing).
- Did the student appropriately demonstrate the principle of repentance through his or her desires and actions? Why not?
- How would you summarize what it means to “bring forth … fruits meet for repentance”? (Matthew 3:8).
We demonstrate true repentance to
the Lord as we change ______________________________________________.
- What desires and actions indicate that we have truly repented of our sins?
Cheating
in school, being mean to siblings, being unkind to or bullying other students,
using bad language, and viewing pornography.
---How might someone who has repented of
these sins think and act?
---Report
what you find to your group. Being “hewn down, and cast into the fire” implies
that unrepentant individuals lose the influence of the Spirit of God and
eventually forfeit the blessings of the celestial kingdom.
---Ponder any desires or actions you
may need to change in order to truly repent. You can demonstrate true
repentance by changing any desires and actions that are not in accordance with
God’s teachings.
- According to verse 11, what would Jesus do that John could not?
---Verse 12
symbolically describes what will happen to the righteous who accept Jesus
Christ (the wheat) and to the wicked who reject Him (the chaff).
4th grouping:
---Reflect on your own baptism.
---Matthew 3:13–17
recounts the baptism of the Savior. Look for similarities between your baptism
and the Savior’s as you study these verses.
By
whom?
How?
Why?
- Who baptized Jesus?
- Why did Jesus travel from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist?
- What phrase in verse 16 indicates how Jesus was baptized?
---Imagine that you were at the
Jordan River when Jesus came to be baptized.
- Why was John initially reluctant to baptize the Savior?
- According to verse 15, why did Jesus say He needed to be baptized?
- What do you think this phrase means?
---“To fulfil all righteousness”
means doing all that Heavenly Father requires of us so that we can live with
Him again. This includes receiving the ordinances of salvation, which God
requires of all of His children, including Jesus. By being baptized, Jesus set
the perfect example for us to follow, demonstrated humility, obeyed the
commandments of His Father, and received an ordinance necessary to attain
eternal life (see 2 Nephi 31:4–11).
---Use the answers to the three
questions on the board to identify a doctrine we can learn from Matthew 3:13–17.
Baptism by ________________________
by one _________________________________ is essential for ____________________________.
- How does your baptism compare with the example the Savior set for us?
5th grouping:
---Matthew 3:16–17
also helps us learn doctrine about the Godhead. Reread these verses silently,
looking for what they teach about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
- Where was each member of the Godhead during the Savior’s baptism?
- What doctrine do these verses teach us about the Godhead?
The Father, the Son, and the Holy
Ghost are three _____________________________________________________.
---Many people do not have a correct
or complete knowledge of the Godhead. The more we understand the true nature of
the Godhead, the greater love we can feel for Them and the better we will be
prepared to teach and testify of Them to others.
---To help students gain a better
understanding of the identity of each member of the Godhead, divide them into
groups of three and ask them to look up “God” in the Bible Dictionary. For every group, assign each of
the three students a member of the Godhead. Invite students to read the entry,
looking for information about the member they have been assigned. After
sufficient time, ask students to teach what they learned to their group and to
explain why those truths are important for us to know.
---To conclude the lesson, consider
inviting students to share with the class their testimonies of the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Matthew
3:16. The sign of the dove
The Prophet Joseph Smith explained that the Holy Ghost did not appear as a dove
after the baptism of Jesus Christ. Rather, the descending dove signified that
the Holy Ghost was present on that occasion. Joseph Smith taught:
“The sign of the dove was instituted
before the creation of the world, a witness for the Holy Ghost, and the devil
cannot come in the sign of a dove. The Holy Ghost is a personage, and is in the
form of a personage. It does not confine itself to the form of the dove, but in
sign of the dove. The Holy Ghost cannot be transformed into a dove; but the
sign of a dove was given to John to signify the truth of the deed, as the dove
is an emblem or token of truth and innocence” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 81).
Scenario
1
Read aloud the following scenario:
One of your friends is being taught
by the full-time missionaries. She approaches you and says, “In the last
lesson, the missionaries invited me to be baptized. I believe in Jesus Christ
and accept what the missionaries are teaching me. But I don’t understand why I
need to be baptized, since I was already baptized in my church as a child.”
Discuss with your partner how you
would respond to this friend using Matthew 3:13–17.
Be prepared to share what you discuss. (See also Doctrine and Covenants 22 to learn how the Lord responded to some who expressed the
same concern in the early days of the Restoration).
Scenario
2
Read aloud the following scenario:
You and one of your friends, a Christian, are having a religious discussion. He turns to you and says,
“I believe that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all one being. Do you
believe something different? If so, why?”
Discuss how you would respond to
this friend using Matthew 3:13–17.
Be prepared to share what you discuss. (Along with the account in Matthew 3,
consider using John 17:20–22.
These verses record that Jesus prayed that the Father would make all of His
followers one, as He and the Father are one [unified in purpose]. Jesus was not
suggesting that all disciples of Christ become one being.)
© 2015 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
All rights reserved.
After sufficient time, assign pairs
who received Handout 1 to work with pairs who received Handout 2. Ask
each pair to take turns reading their scenarios aloud and teaching the other
pair as though they were the person in the scenario.
Matthew 3:13–17. Video presentation—“The Baptism of Jesus”
To help students visualize the
baptism of Jesus Christ, you may want to show the video “The Baptism of Jesus” (2:55) from The Life of Jesus Christ Bible Videos. This video is available on
LDS.org.
---Read Matthew 3:1–4 and look for what happened that would help prepare the
people for the Savior’s ministry.
- Who was John the Baptist? (He was the son of Zacharias and Elisabeth, who was Mary’s relative. He held the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood [see D&C 13; 84:27–28].)
- What was John doing?
- What did John exhort his listeners to do?
Matthew 3:5–6 looking for how people responded to John’s message.
- How did people respond to John’s message? (They confessed their sins and were baptized. Being willing to confess one’s sins to Heavenly Father and, when necessary, to designated priesthood leaders is essential to repentance [see True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference (2004), 134].)
- Why do you think John referred to the Pharisees and Sadducees as vipers? (You may want to point out that the Pharisees and Sadducees felt threatened by John, as he drew many people away from their evil influence and false teachings.)
- Did the student appropriately demonstrate the principle of repentance through his or her desires and actions? Why not? (The student continued to take items from other students even after apologizing.)
- How would you summarize what it means to “bring forth … fruits meet for repentance”? (Matthew 3:8). (Students may use different words but should identify the following truth: We demonstrate true repentance to the Lord as we change our desires and actions to follow His teachings.)
- What desires and actions indicate that we have truly repented of our sins?
- According to verse 11, what would Jesus do that John could not? (Jesus would baptize “with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.” John was referring to receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, the second half of the covenant and ordinance of baptism. The Holy Ghost sanctifies and refines our souls as if by fire [see 2 Nephi 31:13–14, 17].)
---Divide students into pairs. Ask
each partnership to take turns reading aloud from Matthew 3:13–17, looking for the answers to these three questions. After
sufficient time, ask:
- Who baptized Jesus? (Write John the Baptist on the board next to By whom?)
- Why did Jesus travel from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist? (Remind students that John held the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood and was the only man at that time who had the authority to perform the ordinance of baptism. Write Proper authority on the board next to John the Baptist.)
- What phrase in verse 16 indicates how Jesus was baptized? (Make sure students understand that Jesus coming immediately “out of the water” indicates He was baptized by immersion—meaning He was covered completely by the water. Write By immersion on the board next to How?)
---Imagine that you were at the
Jordan River when Jesus came to be baptized.
- Why was John initially reluctant to baptize the Savior? (He knew that Jesus’s position and authority were greater than his own.)
- According to verse 15, why did Jesus say He needed to be baptized? (“To fulfil all righteousness.” Write this phrase on the board next to Why?)
- What do you think this phrase means?
---“To fulfil all righteousness”
means doing all that Heavenly Father requires of us so that we can live with
Him again. This includes receiving the ordinances of salvation, which God
requires of all of His children, including Jesus. By being baptized, Jesus set
the perfect example for us to follow, demonstrated humility, obeyed the
commandments of His Father, and received an ordinance necessary to attain
eternal life (see 2 Nephi 31:4–11).
---Use the answers to the three
questions on the board to identify a doctrine we can learn from Matthew 3:13–17.
(
Baptism by immersion by one holding
authority is essential for salvation.
---Matthew 3:16–17
also helps us learn doctrine about the Godhead. Reread these verses silently,
looking for what they teach about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
- Where was each member of the Godhead during the Savior’s baptism? (Jesus Christ was in the Jordan River, the Holy Ghost descended upon Him like a dove, and Heavenly Father spoke from heaven. The Holy Ghost did not actually transform into a dove. Rather, the dove was a sign or symbol that the Holy Ghost had descended upon Jesus.)
- What doctrine do these verses teach us about the Godhead? (Students may use different words but should identify the following doctrine: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three distinct and separate beings.)
---To help students gain a better
understanding of the identity of each member of the Godhead, divide them into
groups of three and ask them to look up “God” in the Bible Dictionary. For every group, assign each of
the three students a member of the Godhead. Invite students to read the entry,
looking for information about the member they have been assigned. After
sufficient time, ask students to teach what they learned to their group and to
explain why those truths are important for us to know.
---To conclude the lesson, consider
inviting students to share with the class their testimonies of the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Lesson 8: Matthew 4
Introduction
Following His baptism, Jesus spent 40 days fasting and communing with Heavenly
Father in the wilderness. After this experience, the devil tempted Jesus. Using
scripture, Jesus resisted each temptation. The Savior went to Galilee, where He
called Peter and others to follow Him and went about teaching, preaching, and
healing.
MAP of the area
---VOLUNTEER. Challenge the student
to focus on an item in the room for 30 seconds without looking away. Once the
student begins, try to distract him or her from looking at the item. For
example, you might display brightly colored items, make loud noises, or offer
the student food. After 30 seconds, ask the student:
- How did you do? Why were you able, or unable, to maintain your focus?
- What did you think about during the 30 seconds?
Ask the class:
- How is this experience like our efforts to stay focused on obeying Heavenly Father’s commandments? What could the attempts to distract this student represent? (Efforts to tempt us to sin.)
- Why does Satan tempt us to sin? (See 2 Nephi 2:17–18, 27.)
---Think about the ways Satan tempts
you to sin. As we study Matthew 4
look for a principle you can apply to help you resist temptation.
---Following His baptism, the Savior
had an experience that helped prepare Him for His earthly ministry.
---Read Matthew 4:1–2 aloud, using the corrections from the Joseph Smith Translation in the footnotes for both verses looking for
what Jesus experienced in the wilderness. (the word commune means to “be with” or to have a close, spiritual
interaction.)
- How would fasting and communing with Heavenly Father have helped Jesus prepare for His earthly ministry?
- After Jesus had spent this time in fasting and communion with His Father, what did Satan seek to do?
---The Joseph Smith Translation
corrects the statements in Matthew 4:5, 8 to show that the Spirit, not the devil, took the Savior to
the different locations described in these verses (see also Joseph Smith Translation,
Luke 4:5 [in Luke 4:5, footnote a]; Luke 4:9 [in Luke 4:9, footnote a]).
---Pair up. Copy the chart in your
class notebooks, read the verses and complete the chart:
|
What
Satan tempted Jesus to do
|
How
Jesus responded to the temptation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
---After students have completed the
chart, invite several pairs to report what they wrote in each box. You might ask
the following questions:
- What desire did Satan try to appeal to when he tempted Jesus, who had been fasting, to turn the stones into bread? (He tried to appeal to the desire to satisfy physical appetite.)
- What was false about Satan’s offer to give Jesus the kingdoms of the world? (Satan promised rewards that were not his to give and that he could not provide.)
- What else does this account illustrate about the devil’s strategies to tempt us to sin? (Satan targets our weakest or most vulnerable areas and repeatedly tempts us.)
---Speaking of the temptations the Savior experienced in the wilderness,
President David O. McKay said:
“Classify them, and you will find that under one of those
three nearly every given temptation that makes you and me spotted … comes to us
as (1) a temptation of the appetite; (2) a yielding to the pride and
fashion and vanity of those alienated from the things of God; or (3) a
gratifying of the passion, or a desire for the riches of the world, or power
among men” (in Conference Report, Oct.
1911, 59).
---Jesus would eventually satisfy
His hunger and even turn an earthly substance into food (see John 2:1–11). He
would also receive divine confirmation of and assistance with His ministry (see Matthew 17:1–5; Luke 22:41–44), and He will one day rule the world (Zechariah 14:9; Revelation 11:15). However, for Jesus to have obtained these desired ends in
the ways Satan tempted Him—instead of waiting for the right time and the right
way—would have been a selfish abuse of the Savior’s power. Jesus would
establish His divine identity as the Son of God in ways that aligned with
Heavenly Father’s will, not with Satan’s bidding. (See Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Inconvenient
Messiah,”
Ensign, Feb. 1984, 68–73.)
- What was similar about the Savior’s responses to each temptation? (Jesus responded to each of Satan’s temptations by quoting from the scriptures.)
---Invite students to work in their
pairs to write a principle we can learn from the Savior’s example of resisting
the devil’s temptations. Ask several students to write the principles they
identified on the board. As students share the principles they identified,
emphasize the following principle: When we recall and apply truths
taught in the scriptures, we can resist the devil’s temptations. If this truth isn’t clearly represented among the
students’ principles, add it to the statements on the board.
---The Savior not only recalled
scriptures that clarified the right course of action for each temptation, but
He also applied the truths taught in those scriptures.
- Considering the principle we identified about the power of recalling and applying truths taught in the scriptures, why is it important to regularly study the scriptures?
---Give each pair of students a
sheet of paper and ask them to make three columns on it. Instruct them to write
in the first column three sins that youth their age might be tempted to commit.
Ask them to write in the second column a way Satan tries to entice someone to
commit each sin they wrote in column one. Direct students to exchange papers
with another pair. Then instruct them to find a specific scripture reference
that teaches truths someone could recall and apply when being tempted to commit
each sin listed on the paper they received. (You might invite students to refer
to scripture mastery passages, such as Genesis 39:9;
John 14:15;
or Doctrine and Covenants 10:5.) Ask students to write the scripture references in the
third column.
---After several minutes, invite a
student from each pair to report the scripture reference they found for one of
the temptations on their paper. Ask them to explain how that scripture could
help us when we experience that temptation.
- When have you been strengthened and able to resist a temptation because you recalled and applied truths taught in the scriptures? (Remind students that they should not share experiences that are too personal or private.)
---Write
in your class notebooks a scripture reference that you will recall and apply
the next time you are tempted to sin.
---Encourage
them to memorize the scripture they chose.
VIDEO CLIP of the YM and
their texting club
---Matthew 4:12–15
says that following His experience in the wilderness, the Savior went to
Galilee and dwelt in the city of Capernaum. Matthew noted that the Savior’s
ministry in Galilee fulfilled a prophecy made by Isaiah. The Savior began to
preach repentance in preparation for the kingdom of heaven being established
among the people.
---The
two men at the front of the boat are Peter and his brother Andrew.
- What are they doing with the net?
---While other people likely viewed
Peter and Andrew as ordinary fishermen, Jesus Christ saw their great potential
and knew what they could become.
- In what ways are we like Peter and Andrew?
---As we continue to study Matthew 4 look for what we must do to become all that
the Lord wants us to become.
- What did the Savior call Peter, Andrew, James, and John to do? What is a “[fisher] of men”? (verse 19).
- What would these men be sacrificing to follow the Savior and assist in His work? Why might this be difficult for them?
---Ponder how you would have
responded if they had been one of these men.
- What did you notice about the response of these men? What does their immediate response to the Savior’s invitation show about their character?
- Would these men do more good in their lives as fishermen or as “fishers of men”? Why?
---In this quote by President Ezra
Taft Benson listen for how the Lord can make more out of our lives if we follow
Him.
“Men and women who turn their lives over to God will
discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will
deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their
muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their
opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace.
Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life” (“Jesus Christ—Gifts and
Expectations,”
Ensign, Dec. 1988, 4).
- What can happen if we immediately respond to the Savior’s invitations to follow Him? (If we immediately respond to the Savior’s invitations to follow Him, He can make more out of our lives than we can on our own.)
- When have you, or someone you know, experienced similar blessings for leaving behind worldly concerns in order to follow the Savior?
- As you consider the blessings we receive by following the Savior, why do you think it is important to respond immediately to the Savior’s invitations to follow Him?
Matthew
4:20. “They straightway left their nets, and followed him”
---Read aloud the following
statement by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin and listen for the question he posed
for us regarding our “nets.”
“‘If the Savior were to call you today, would you be just as
willing to leave your nets and follow Him?’ …
“Nets come in many sizes and shapes. …
“… We might define a net as anything that entices or
prevents us from following the call of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.
“Nets in this context can be our work, our hobbies, our
pleasures, and, above all else, our temptations and sins. In short, a net can
be anything that pulls us away from our relationship with our Heavenly Father
or from His restored Church” (“Follow Me,” Ensign, May 2002, 15).
- How would you summarize Elder Wirthlin’s definition of “nets” in our lives?
- What are examples of how such “nets” can prevent someone in our day from immediately responding to the Savior’s invitations to follow Him?
---Write in your class notebooks a
response to the following question:
- How can I better respond to the Savior’s invitations to follow Him?
---Remember to apply what you wrote.
---Pass out worksheet on Apostles
glue-in.
---Testimony of the truths students identified in the lesson.
President David O. McKay:
“Classify them, and you will find that under one of those
three nearly every given temptation that makes you and me spotted … comes to us
as (1) a temptation of the appetite; (2) a yielding to the pride and
fashion and vanity of those alienated from the things of God; or (3) a
gratifying of the passion, or a desire for the riches of the world, or power
among men” (in Conference Report, Oct.
1911, 59).
President Ezra Taft Benson:
“Men and women who turn their lives
over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than
they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds,
strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings,
increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour
out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal
life”
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin:
“‘If the Savior were to call you today, would you be just as
willing to leave your nets and follow Him?’ …
“Nets come in many sizes and shapes. …
“… We might define a net as anything that entices or
prevents us from following the call of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.
“Nets in this context can be our
work, our hobbies, our pleasures, and, above all else, our temptations and
sins. In short, a net can be anything that pulls us away from our relationship
with our Heavenly Father or from His restored Church.”
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