https://www.lds.org/manual/new-testament-seminary-teacher-manual?lang=eng
Lesson 51: Luke 10:38–Luke 12:59
Introduction
The Savior taught Mary and Martha in
Martha’s home. Later, He taught many truths to His disciples about prayer and
warned against hypocrisy and covetousness.
I.
Luke 10:38–42
Jesus teaches Mary and Martha
---Ask students to think about the
choices they made yesterday. Invite them to take one minute to list as many of
those choices as they can in their class notebooks or scripture study journals.
Ask several students to report some of their good choices to the class.
- What are some situations in which we might have to decide between two good choices?
---As we study Luke 10:38–42, look for a principle the Savior
taught that can guide us in our decisions—particularly when more than one good
choice is available to us.
---After teaching the parable of the
good Samaritan, the Savior traveled to Bethany and visited the home of a woman
named Martha.
---Read Luke 10:38–40
looking for what Martha and her sister, Mary, each chose to do while the Savior
was in the home.
- What did Mary do while the Savior was in the home?
- What did Martha do? (Point out that the word cumbered in verse 40 refers to being burdened.)
---Display the picture Mary and Martha (Gospel Art Book [2009], no. 45; see also LDS.org). Explain that hospitality was very important in Jesus’s
day. Martha was trying to do what would normally have been expected of her as
the hostess. She was focused on temporal concerns such as preparing and serving
the meal.
- According to verse 40, what did Martha ask the Savior that indicates she was worried about temporal matters?
- What might the Savior have meant when He said, “One thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part”?
---Invite a student to read aloud
the following statement by Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the
Twelve Apostles:
“It was praiseworthy for Martha to be ‘careful and troubled
about many things’ (v. 41), but learning the gospel from the
Master Teacher was more ‘needful’”
(“Good, Better, Best,” Ensign or Liahona,
Nov. 2007, 104).
- What might the Savior have meant when He said the “good part” that Mary had chosen would “not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42)? (By choosing to listen to the Savior rather than focus on temporal concerns, Mary would receive spiritual blessings, which are everlasting.)
- What principle can we learn from the Savior’s words to Martha? (Students may state it differently, but they should identify the following principle: If we choose to devote ourselves to spiritual matters over temporal concerns, then we will receive lasting blessings.)
- How can we devote ourselves to spiritual matters and still take care of other things that are “needful” (Luke 10:42) but less important?
---Invite a student to read aloud
the following statement by Elder Oaks:
“As we consider various choices, we should remember that it
is not enough that something is good. Other choices are better, and still
others are best. …
“Consider how we use our time in the choices we make in
viewing television, playing video games, surfing the Internet, or reading books
or magazines. Of course it is good to view wholesome entertainment or to obtain
interesting information. But not everything of that sort is worth the portion
of our life we give to obtain it. Some things are better, and others are best” (“Good,
Better, Best,” 104–5).
---Ask students to review the list
of the choices they made yesterday and to label each positive choice as “good,”
“better,” or “best.” Invite one or two students to testify of how they have
been blessed for putting spiritual matters ahead of temporal concerns.
II.
Luke 11 Jesus
teaches His disciples about prayer
---Invite students to imagine they
are full-time missionaries teaching an investigator who has tried praying
several times and feels that God has not responded. The investigator is
thinking of giving up on prayer.
- Based on your own experiences, how might you respond to this concern?
---As we study Luke 11 look for truths that could help
someone who feels God has not answered his or her prayers.
---Luke 11:1–4 says that after listening to the
Savior pray, one of His disciples asked if He would teach them how to pray, and
the Savior did so.
---Explain that after the Lord
taught His disciples how to pray, He used analogies to teach additional truths
about prayer, including God’s willingness to answer prayers.
---Invite students to study Luke 11:5–13 in pairs, looking for what the Lord
taught about prayer. Point out the Joseph
Smith Translation additions to verses 5 and 13. These additions are found in Joseph Smith
Translation, Luke 11:5–6 (in Luke 11:5, footnote a) and Joseph Smith
Translation, Luke 11:14 (in Luke 11:13, footnote a). After sufficient
time, ask the class:
- In the parable you read in verses 5–8, what did one friend ask of another? Why?
- Why do you think the second friend honored the request of the first? (You may want to explain that the word importunity in verse 8 refers to the man’s persistence in asking even when his friend initially refused his request.)
- If the man in need represents us, and his friend with the bread represents our Father in Heaven, what did the Savior suggest we must do in times of need?
---Write the following incomplete
statement on the board:
If we persistently pray and seek
Heavenly Father’s blessings in times of need …
- According to verse 13, what does Heavenly Father give to those who persistently pray and seek His blessings?
- Based on the Savior’s teachings in Luke 11:5–13, how would you complete the statement on the board? (After students respond, complete the statement on the board so that it conveys the following truth: If we persistently pray and seek Heavenly Father’s blessings in times of need, then He will answer our prayers in ways that bless us most.)
---Consider inviting students to
share examples of when they have received answers to their prayers as they have
persistently sought Heavenly Father’s blessings.
---In Luke 11:14–54 Jesus cast a devil out of a man, counseled the
people to hear the word of God, and chastised the Pharisees and scribes for
their spiritual ignorance and wickedness.
III.
Luke 12 The
Savior warns against hypocrisy and covetousness
---Read the following questions to
the class, and invite students to silently ponder their responses:
- Have you ever wanted something so badly that you thought about it all the time?
- What negative effects can this type of thinking have on us?
---Luke 12:1–13 tells us that as the Savior stood in
front of a great multitude, He taught His disciples to beware of hypocrisy. He
also reminded them that all hidden things would one day be revealed and that
God knows and watches over His children. A man then asked the Savior if He
would speak to the man’s brother and persuade the brother to divide an
inheritance with him.
- What warning did the Savior give to the people who were with Him?
---Covetousness means to excessively
desire something.
---Write on the board the following
truth:
The Lord commands us not to covet
worldly possessions.
- Why should a person avoid covetousness? How can this truth help us to live happier lives?
---After the Savior told His
disciples to avoid covetousness, He gave a parable to illustrate the importance
of this commandment.
---Read Luke 12:16–19 silently,
looking for the number of times the man in the parable uses the words I and my.
Ask students to report what they find.
- What does the man’s frequent use of I and my teach us about his concerns?
- In what ways might we be tempted to be like this man?
---Read Luke 12:20–21
looking for what God said about the man’s greed and covetousness. Ask students
to report what they find.
---Write on the board the following
statement by Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles. (This statement is found in “What Matters Most Is What Lasts Longest,” Ensign
or Liahona, Nov. 2005, 44):
“What matters most is what lasts
longest” (Elder
M. Russell Ballard).
- In what ways did the rich man in the parable fail to focus on “what matters most”?
- Why might this man’s actions be considered foolish?
---In Luke 12:22–30 the Lord emphasized that His
disciples did not need to be overly concerned about their temporal needs.
---Read Luke 12:31–34
aloud. Invite him or her to also read Joseph Smith Translation, Luke 12:34 (in Luke 12:31, footnote a). Ask the class to
follow along, looking for what the Savior counseled His disciples to seek
rather than focusing on their own selfish desires.
- What did Jesus counsel His disciples to seek?
- What were they promised if they sought to bring forth the kingdom of God?
- How would you summarize the Savior’s teachings in Luke 12:31–34 as a principle? (Students may use their own words, but they should identify the following principle: If we seek to bring forth God’s kingdom and His righteousness, He will help provide for our needs and prepare a place for us in His kingdom.)
- In what ways can we seek to bring forth God’s kingdom? (As students respond, you may want to refer to the principle they identified earlier about devoting ourselves to spiritual matters over temporal concerns.)
---Testify of how you have been blessed
as you have sought to prioritize spiritual matters over temporal concerns and
to bring forth God’s kingdom. Encourage students to ponder whether they are
focused more on spiritual matters or on temporal concerns.
---Invite them to write in their
class notebooks or scripture study journals what they will do to prioritize
spiritual matters over temporal concerns and to bring forth God’s kingdom.
---In Luke 12:35–59 the Savior taught His followers to prepare for
His Second Coming. He helped them understand that where “much is given, … much
[is] required” (verse 48), and He explained that His gospel
would cause great divisions among people.
Commentary
and Background Information
Luke
10:38–42. “Mary hath chosen that good part”
“Hospitality was very important in
Jewish society, and a woman’s honor and reputation depended partly on how well
she fulfilled cultural expectations regarding the role of hostess. Because of
these social customs, Martha’s complaint that her sister, Mary, had left her to
serve alone (see Luke 10:40) would have been seen as justified by
many people of the time. But the Savior responded to Martha by commending her
sister’s choice: ‘Mary hath chosen that good part’ (Luke 10:42). One of the things the Savior’s
response clarified is that there are higher priorities than social customs,
even if they are good customs” (New Testament Student Manual [Church
Educational System manual, 2014], 160).
When Martha complained, “Lord, dost
thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone” (Luke 10:40), she allowed herself to inaccurately
view the Lord as uncaring. If we allow our priorities to become twisted, we may
begin to have thoughts or feelings toward the Lord that are spiritually
unhealthy. Jesus’s gentle rebuke was designed to help Martha reconsider her
priorities and seek the blessings He lovingly desired her to receive.
Luke
10:42. Choosing the better part
Sister Bonnie D. Parkin, former
Relief Society general president, referred to the account of Martha and Mary to
teach the importance of choosing the better part:
“The Savior’s response strikingly
clarified what mattered most. On that evening in Martha’s home, the good part
was not in the kitchen; it was at the Lord’s feet. Dinner could wait. …
“… We all are trying to choose
the good part which cannot be taken from us, to balance the spiritual and the
temporal in our lives. Wouldn’t it be easy if we were choosing between visiting
teaching or robbing a bank? Instead, our choices are often more subtle. We must
choose between many worthy options. …
“… One thing is needful, to
follow Him each day. Choose ye therefore Christ the Lord. Choose to feast upon
His word. Choose to trust in Him above. Choose to wait upon His love. Choose to
give Him all your heart. Choose ye therefore that good part” (“Choosing Charity: That Good Part,” Ensign or Liahona,
Nov. 2003, 104, 106).
Luke
11:5–10. The parable of the friend at midnight
Elder James E. Talmage of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles noted the differences between the friend in this
parable and our Heavenly Father:
“The Lord’s lesson was, that if man,
with all his selfishness and disinclination to give, will nevertheless grant
what his neighbor with proper purpose asks and continues to ask in spite of
objection and temporary refusal, with assured certainty will God grant what is
persistently asked in faith and with righteous intent. No parallelism lies
between man’s selfish refusal and God’s wise and beneficent waiting. There must
be a consciousness of real need for prayer, and real trust in God, to make
prayer effective; and in mercy the Father sometimes delays the granting that
the asking may be more fervent” (Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed.
[1916], 435).
© 2016 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Right margin
extras:
Encourage
students to apply the truths they learn
If a gospel principle is learned but
not applied, learning is not complete. Application takes place when a person
accepts a truth in his or her heart and mind and then acts according to that
truth. Encourage students to act upon spiritual promptings they receive to
apply the gospel truths they learn.
Lesson 52: Luke 13–14
Introduction
Jesus taught about repentance and
the kingdom of God, and He healed on the Sabbath. He also used parables to
teach about humility and the cost of discipleship.
I.
Luke 13:1–14:14
Jesus heals on the Sabbath and teaches about humility and caring for
the less fortunate
---Read the following scenario
aloud:
You are
sitting at lunch with several friends, and they notice a poorly dressed student
sitting alone. One person in your group makes a rude comment about the
student’s appearance, and your friends laugh.
---Invite students to ponder how
they would feel in this situation.
- What are several different ways in which you could react in this situation?
---Look in Luke 13–14 for what the Savior taught about
interacting with people who are less fortunate than us.
---In Luke 13:1–14:6 the Savior related a parable about a fig tree
that would be cut down if it failed to produce fruit, which teaches that we
will perish if we do not repent. He healed a woman on the Sabbath and taught
about the kingdom of God and those who will be allowed to enter it. He also
mourned over the impending destruction of Jerusalem. In Luke 14:1–6 we read that the Savior was invited
to dine at the house of one of the chief Pharisees on the Sabbath. Before the
meal, the Savior healed a man who suffered from dropsy, which is a disease that
caused the man’s body to be swollen with fluid.
---Divide students into pairs.
Invite one student in each pair to read Luke 13:15–16 silently and the other student to
read Luke 14:5–6 silently. Ask students to look for
the Savior’s responses to the Pharisees who accused Him of breaking the Sabbath
by healing these individuals. Invite students to report what they find to their
partners.
---After sufficient time, ask the
class:
- What phrases describe the things the Pharisees would do for their animals on the Sabbath? (Loose them from bonds and pull them out of pits.)
- What can we learn from the Savior’s example about honoring the Sabbath day and keeping it holy? (Ministering to people in need is appropriate on the Sabbath day. The Savior’s righteous example contrasts with the attitudes of some Pharisees who justified helping animals but not people on the Sabbath.)
---Luke 14:7–11 says that after healing the man who
suffered from dropsy, the Savior chastised the other dinner guests for trying
to exalt themselves by sitting in the most honorable seats, which were closest
to the host.
- What counsel did the Savior give to this Pharisee?
- What are some possible reasons why people invite their friends and rich neighbors to dinner?
---In the Savior’s day, those who
were maimed, lame, or blind often struggled to provide for themselves and were
poor as a result. Some of the Pharisees looked down on these people (see Luke 16:14–31).
- What are some reasons why people today might look down on others?
- What principle can we learn from Luke 14:14 about trying to help people who are less fortunate than we are? (The following is one principle students may identify: If we try to help people who are less fortunate than we are, the Lord will reward us at the Resurrection.)
---Point out that in addition to
rewarding us at the Resurrection, the Lord will also bless us in this life when
we try to help people who are less fortunate than we are.
- In what ways can we help people who are less fortunate than we are?
- When have you, or someone you know, been blessed by trying to help people who are less fortunate?
---Invite students to ponder ways in
which they can help people who are less fortunate than they are. Encourage them
to write in their scripture study journals or class notebooks a goal to serve
those who are less fortunate than they are.
II.
Luke 14:15–35 Jesus gives the parable of the great feast
and teaches about the cost of discipleship
---Invite students to write on the
board some things they might be asked to sacrifice or give up as disciples of Jesus Christ.
- What are some excuses someone might be tempted to use to avoid making these sacrifices?
---As we continue to study Luke 14 look for principles that teach what
Jesus Christ requires of His disciples.
---After the Savior counseled the
Pharisee to invite the less fortunate to meals, someone in the room said to
Him, “Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God” (Luke 14:15). In response to this statement, the
Savior related the parable of the great supper.
---Read Luke 14:16–24
aloud with their partners from earlier in the lesson. Ask one student in each
partnership to look for the invitation that the people in the parable received.
Invite the other student in each partnership to look for the excuses made by
the people who rejected the offer. After sufficient time, ask the class:
- How is the gospel of Jesus Christ like a great feast? (Answers might include the following: the gospel is a gift that has been prepared for us; it can fill us and satisfy our needs; we have been invited to partake of it; and we can accept or refuse the invitation to partake of it.)
- What excuses were given by the people who did not accept the invitation to the great supper?
- What do these excuses reveal about these people’s priorities?
---According to verse 24, what is the consequence of placing
other priorities above the Lord and His gospel? (Students may identify a
principle such as the following: If we place other priorities above the Lord
and His gospel, we will lose blessings that we could have received.)
---Look at the list on the board of
sacrifices you might be asked to make as disciples of Jesus Christ.
- What blessings could we lose if we are not willing to make these sacrifices?
---After teaching this parable, the
Savior spoke to the multitude about what He requires of His disciples. Invite a
student to read Luke 14:25–27 aloud. Instruct him or her to also
read the Joseph Smith
Translation of verse 26 (in Luke 14:26, footnote b) and of verse 27
(in Luke 14:27, footnote b). Ask the class to
follow along, looking for what the Savior said His disciples must be willing to
do.
- What did the Savior say His disciples must be willing to do?
---Explain that one definition of
the Greek word translated as hate is to “love less” (James Strong, The
Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
[1890], “misĕō,” 48). The Savior was explaining that for His disciples,
devotion to family or even one’s own life must come after
devotion to Him (see also Matthew 10:37). To take up one’s cross refers to
crucifixion and represents a required willingness to give one’s life for
Christ, who gave His life for us (see also Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew
16:26 [in Matthew 16:24, footnote e]).
- What truths about being disciples of Jesus Christ can we learn from these verses? (Students may identify a variety of truths, but make sure they identify a truth similar to the following: Disciples of Jesus Christ must be willing to sacrifice everything to follow Him. You may want to invite students to write this truth in the margin next to Luke 14:25–27.)
- Why do you think disciples of Jesus Christ need to be willing to put Him before all things, including their family members and their own lives?
- What do you think the phrase “settle this in your hearts” means? (Explain that in this context to settle means to resolve or firmly decide.)
- What does the Savior want us to settle in our hearts?
- What principle can we learn from the Joseph Smith Translation of Luke 14:27? (Students should identify a principle similar to the following: As we settle in our hearts to do what Jesus Christ teaches and commands us, we become His disciples.)
---Provide students with copies of
the following statement by Elder Larry W. Gibbons of the Seventy. Invite a
student to read it aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what we
can do to live this principle.
“As you begin to set your priorities in life, remember, the
only true security in life is living the commandments. …
“… What a great thing it is to decide once and for all
early in life what you will do and what you will not do with regards to
honesty, modesty, chastity, the Word of
Wisdom, and temple marriage.
“Brothers and sisters, stay on the straight and narrow path.
No, stay in the middle of the straight and narrow path. Don’t drift; don’t
wander; don’t dabble; be careful.
“… Living the commandments will bring you the happiness
that too many look for in other places”
(“Wherefore, Settle This in Your Hearts,” Ensign
or Liahona, Nov. 2006, 103, 104).
- What is a commandment that you have firmly resolved to obey? How have you been blessed by making the decision to obey that commandment?
---Encourage students to settle in
their hearts “what [they] will … and … will not do with regards to honesty,
modesty, chastity, the Word of
Wisdom, and temple marriage.” You may want to invite students to
write their decisions in their class notebooks or scripture study journals.
---After teaching these principles
about discipleship, the Savior gave two analogies.
---Invite a student to read Luke 14:28–30
aloud and another student to read Luke 14:31–33
aloud. Ask the class to follow along and consider what these two analogies
illustrate.
- What do you think these two analogies illustrate?
---Both analogies illustrate the
importance of counting, or determining, the cost of a course of action before
beginning it to determine whether you will be able to finish it. The Savior
wanted His followers to thoughtfully consider whether they were willing to
sacrifice whatever was necessary so they could continue to the end as His
disciples. (See also Joseph Smith Translation, Luke 14:31 [in Luke 14:30, footnote a].)
---Ask students to reconsider the list
of sacrifices on the board. Invite a few of them to explain why they are
willing to make these sacrifices as disciples of Jesus Christ.
---Consider inviting students to
mark verse 33, which provides a simple summary of
the Savior’s teachings in this chapter. Testify of the truths you have
discussed.
Commentary
and Background Information
Luke
14:12–14. If we try to help people who are less fortunate than we are, the Lord
will bless us
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of
the First Presidency explained some of the blessings we can receive as a result
of helping others:
“As we extend our hands and hearts
toward others in Christlike love, something wonderful happens to us. Our own
spirits become healed, more refined, and stronger. We become happier, more
peaceful, and more receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit” (“You Are My Hands,” Ensign or Liahona, May
2010, 75).
Luke
14:15–24. The parable of the great supper
To learn more about the parable of
the great supper, see the commentary in the New Testament Student Manual
(Church Educational System manual, 2014), 164).
Supplemental
Teaching Idea
Luke
13:1–14:6. The Lord will reward those who help the less fortunate
After students identify the
principle that if we try to help people who are less fortunate than us, the
Lord will reward us at the Resurrection, you may want to read aloud the following experience
that Werner Adler, a Church member from East Germany, had with President
Thomas S. Monson:
“‘I am a big man, just about the
same size as President Monson, so I guess that’s how I attracted his
attention,’ Brother Adler said. ‘He noticed that I was wearing a very old,
nearly worn-out suit. In our country at that time, it was hard for just about
anybody to buy new clothes; for a man my size, it was nearly impossible. After
the conference, President Monson asked me to wait a few minutes. He stepped into
a little room, took off his suit and came out dressed in an extra pair of
trousers he had in his bag and a shirt. He said, “Here, I think this will fit
you.”’
“Brother Adler said President Monson
offered to give him his shoes, also. ‘But I looked down at his feet and said,
“I think your shoes are too big for me.”’ Another member standing nearby said
he thought the apostle’s shoes would fit his son. So he sat down and took off
his shoes and gave them to the other man.
“‘I’ll never forget that day,’
Brother Adler said. ‘Apostle Thomas S. Monson had come to our conference
dressed in a fine suit and was wearing practically new shoes. He left wearing a
pair of old trousers, a shirt and old shoes’” (Gerry Avant, “Lives to Serve
Others: Real Humanitarian” Church News, Aug. 27, 2005, 6).
- How would you have felt toward President Monson if you had been in Brother Adler’s situation?
- Why do you think President Monson did what he did?
© 2016 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Right margin
extras:
Use
scripture study aids
The Church has prepared a number of
scripture study aids and included them in the standard works for some
languages. These study aids include footnotes, a topical index, pictures, and
maps. They are valuable resources for use while studying the scriptures.
Encourage students to use these study aids in their personal scripture study.
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