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AS A LITTLE CHILD (Matthew 18:1-5, Mark 10:13-16)
ICEBREAKER
For an icebreaker to our first section of scripture, begin by asking some “Who is the Greatest” questions. For example, you could ask who is considered to be the greatest baseball player, or football, or greatest basketball player of all time and then just allow them to give their answers and their opinions. You know is it Michael Jordan or LeBron James for example and you could have a lot of fun with this for just a couple of minutes. And it doesn’t have to be just sports. Who is the greatest investor? Warren Buffett? Or who is considered to be the greatest president of the United States in their opinion? Is it Abraham Lincoln or George Washington or Roosevelt? And then make the point that we live in a society that is obsessed with who's the best and who is the greatest. And we do all kinds of things to honor these people who we regard so highly. Who goes into the Hall of Fame and who gets all the awards. And we give these people our money and we wear their names on our shirts. We are preoccupied with greatness.
TRANSITION
Well the people in Jesus's day were no different so I guess it’s just kind of human nature. Even the early apostles were gripped by this idea, and they had a “Who is the greatest” question of their own.
SEARCH
Can you find that question in Matthew 18:1-5?
They asked: Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
And to answer their question, Jesus showed them an object lesson? What was it?
He finds a little child and places them right in the middle of the crowd and says:
Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
Now that probably would have been a bit humbling for the apostles, wouldn’t it? A little child? And they might ask why? A child? What do you mean Lord? They have no ambition. They have no status. They have no fortune, no power, no expertise, or genius. What makes them so great? What do they have?
And that’s the real question isn’t it? Why would Jesus say that? And not only does he tell them that little children are the greatest in his kingdom, but he charges them to be like them. To aspire to their qualities. And we need to keep in mind that Jesus here is asking us to be childlike and not childish. There’s a difference there. There are probably some qualities you could come up with about children that may not be positive. We're not interested in those. We're looking for the positive qualities that little children possess, that Christ would have us develop. Personally, I believe that there are many more positive qualities in little children than there are negative.
What are some of those qualities? That’s the activity. Brainstorm that as a class. Here are some of my own.
Humble
And we’ll begin with the specific quality that Jesus mentions about little children. Little children are humble. I don’t think little children get too worked up about status or climbing the ladder of success or being in charge. Little children recognize that they don’t have all the answers and that they need help with things. They’re always watching and learning from those around them. We too would do well to be humble enough to look to our Father in Heaven and our older Brother for help and inspiration. We must be humble enough to recognize that we may not have all the answers. As opposed to being like teenagers, sometimes, who start to question everything, or challenge the older generation, or feel like they’ve got it all figured out. A true disciple of Christ is humble like a little child, and is willing say, “Lead me, guide me, walk beside me, help me find the way.”
Innocent
Little children are innocent. They are pure and blameless before God. We could sit around and argue, like the early apostles did, about who’s the greatest in our ward or community. Arguments could be made like, “Well I've been a bishop or a Relief Society president. I served a mission and baptized this many people. I've never given in to such and such a sin, etc. We could debate all of our qualifications, and worthiness, and accolades. And then, all it would take would be for a six-year-old to walk into the middle of us all and say, “Well, I'm sinless”. And who can really compete with that. Now we too should seek to be innocent and pure like little children. And you know what, we can if we apply the atonement of Christ in our lives.
Loving
Little children are loving. Love comes easily and naturally for them. One of my favorite things about being a father when my children were little was saying good night to them. And they reach their little arms up around your neck and say with such sincerity and sweetness, I love you daddy, and give you a big kiss on the cheek. Ahhh, it just melts your heart. Children can be so loving, and I think Christ would have us be that way as we seek to love God and love our fellow man.
Trusting-Believe Easily
Little children are trusting. If you tell them about Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny or the tooth fairy, they will believe you. If you tell them to jump and you will catch them, they will jump! Without even thinking, knowing that you would never ask them to do something that would hurt them. I’ve taken my children climbing and rappelling at very young ages, and they trust me. I find them much more trusting than teenagers and adults that I’ve taken out. And some will refuse to go over the edge, they don’t trust that they will be safe. But little children? Oh ok, if you say it’s safe, then it must be. We too need to develop that childlike faith in our Heavenly Father and his commandments. You want me to do such and such, live such and such a commandment, make such and such a sacrifice? I believe you. You would never ask me to do something that wasn’t right.
Willing to Volunteer-Eager
One of my favorite qualities that little children possess is that they are eager to volunteer. If I walked into the primary or a classroom full of six- or seven-year-olds and said, “All right kids, I need a volunteer!” what would they do? You know what they would do. They would all jump up and down on their chairs and raise their hands as high as they can and say, “Oh pick me, pick me. I want to do it! Oh please!” I think our Heavenly Father would like us to have that same eagerness to volunteer when he calls on us to keep some commandment or to serve in a calling or to do some act of service. I know that a lot of young men and young women are like that when they're called to serve missions. They raise their hands and say, like little children, “Pick me, pick me, I'll go!” We too, should strive to be eager to volunteer.
No Prejudice or Judgment
Little children have no prejudice or judgment. If I were to take a white child and a black child and a Hispanic child and an Asian child and a child from a poor family and a child from a rich family and a Christian child and a Muslim child and a Jewish child, and put them all into one room full of toys, what do you think they would do? Would they divide up into little cliques, or look mistrustingly at those who were different, or start persecuting those they felt were beneath them? No, they would just play, and they wouldn’t care about any of those differences. They might worry about who got what toy, but I don't think it would even register in their mind that those other children were different in any way. They wouldn’t be thinking about all of those labels that we adults seem to worry about so much. We should strive to be like little children in this way too.
Quick to Forgive
Little children are forgiving. I remember when my children were little, I could put my son into a timeout for bad behavior and he would be really frustrated and fuming and then five minutes later, it was as if nothing had ever happened. They could get into a fight with their siblings and then again, five minutes later it was all water under the bridge. Little children are quick to forgive, and so should we.
Filled with Joy
Little children are filled with joy. There is something wonderful about a child’s approach to life. They have a freshness of life in them that is healing and instills hope in even the weariest of hearts. They tend to live in the now and they don’t get too worried about the future or the past. They seize life with vigor and excitement, every day. They don’t get worked up about schedules and deadlines and bills, but find joy in the playground, dessert, cartoons, recess, coloring and playing with toys. Maybe we could live a little more like that and find joy in the simple things. Men are that they might have joy.
Inclined to Imitate
And then finally my favorite quality about little children that I think God wants us to have is that they love to imitate. I can think of many instances where my children would come and try to do the exact same thing that I was doing. I believe I’ve shared this with you before, but I remember going out to mow the lawn one day and my little son coming out with his plastic lawnmower and followed my exact motions in getting it ready. And then, he walked five feet behind with his little plastic lawnmower, making the exact same movements that I was making back and forth across the lawn. I believe our Heavenly Father wants us to learn to imitate in the same way. Bruce R. McConkie once said that “Perfect worship is emulation. We honor those whom we imitate.” Well, remember that Christ said, “What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.” (3 Nephi 27:27) So if we want to be childlike we should look to Jesus Christ as our perfect example and seek to imitate him.
Now your students may come up with many others, but that list could at least get you thinking or provide you with some examples to get them started.
VIDEO
Another quick teaching idea here. There is a fun, little video that you could show your classes here. It’s really old, but it’s still delightful and my students always have enjoyed it when I’ve shown it. It’s called, “The Mouths of Babes”. It’s a church classic, and what it is, is there’s an interviewer who asks little children gospel questions. And some of the stuff they say is just hilarious. And some of it is sweet, and some of their answers are quite profound. You get the sense that these little children possess many of the qualities that we just discussed. I was able to locate this video on YouTube and I’ll provide a link to it here and in the video description below. If you haven’t seen it before, you’re in for a treat.
TRUTH
Simply put. If I wish to enter into the kingdom of heaven, I must become as a little child. (I must develop childlike qualities)
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Which of the qualities on our list do you feel you should work on?
CONCLUSION
To conclude, I’d like to refer to another little story in the New Testament involving Christ and the little children. It’s in Mark 10:13-16. There, we see Jesus’s apostles trying to shoo away the little children that are being brought to the Savior. And he’s displeased with this and says, “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” And he gathers them up into his arms and gives them his full attention and blesses them. Jesus liked being around them. And you know, the Savior had so much to endure and to do, and he was always surrounded by people and their needs and their requests and their criticism. You sometimes get a sense of the heaviness of that burden as you read the New Testament. No wonder He would desire to be surrounded, for a little while at least ,by the innocent, joyful, untainted, and healing smiles of those tiny, precious faces. He needed that, and so do we. They are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And yes, it’s true that they have no real status, fortune, power, or expertise, do they? I mean, all they can really do is learn, and trust, and submit. And ahhh! That’s the Savior’s point right? If we ever wonder what we need to do or become like in order to return to our Heavenly Father's presence we need look no further than the little children around us. They are the perfect object lessons for our imitation. So let’s go out and be childlike.
UNTIL SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN (Matthew 18:23-35)
ICEBREAKER
Next, the parable of the unmerciful servant. I like to begin here with a question. You might ask them how they would feel if all of a sudden somebody came along and paid off all of your debts I mean your car your home your student loans credit cards everything how would that make you feel then let a few of them share and they'll probably say things like oh that would be such a relief or I would be so happy I would feel like a big weight had been lifted off of my shoulders and then you could ask how would you feel towards the person who did that for you and how would you react if they asked you for a small favor later on and they'll most likely say things like I would be so grateful to that person I would be more than happy to do anything that they asked of me.
TRANSITION
Well Jesus once told a parable about a man that had something very similar happen to him. Let's see
what he learned from that experience and what it can teach us. That parable is found in Matthew 18:23-35.
SEARCH
Now if you remember our lesson on parables a couple of weeks ago in Matthew 13, you might recall my three
step process for interpreting parables.
1. List the elements of the parable
2. Identify what they may represent
3. Ponder spiritual application
So for the first step of identifying the different elements of the story I’d invite my students to either read it personally, read it together as a class, read it to the as a teacher, or watch the following video that dramatizes the parable. I’ll provide you with a link to that video: (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2004-01-00T29-forgive-every-one-their-trespasses-the-parable-of-the-unmerciful-servant?lang=eng&alang=eng&collectionId=1b93c900893b43679f65e26f070806e2)
But however you do it, you can ask your students to identify the different elements. Now I’m not going to read through the parable verses by verse with you here, but I invite you to pause the video and do that now if you’re not already familiar with it. But in this this parable, the elements that I would highlight would be the king, the servant, the ten thousand talent debt, the forgiving of that debt, the fellow servant, the one hundred pence debt, the refusal to forgive that debt, and the tormentors.
Now the second step would be to identify what each element represents. What do they feel each element could represent? And verse 35 does give us some of the interpretation. The king would represent Jesus Christ, or God. The servant would be us. I always like to make the parables as personal as possible and seek to find myself within it. I believe the Lord intends us to see ourselves in the first servant. So YOU is the answer there. You are the servant with the 10,000 debt. What would that debt represent? Our sins. Our trespasses. Our weaknesses. Our shortcomings. Forgiving the debt would be God's forgiveness of those things. An illustration of his mercy. Now the fellow servant in the story would be our fellow man and the 100 pence debt would represent offenses committed against us. The things others do to us, or the ways in which they mistreat or take advantage of us. The refusal to forgive would be our unwillingness to forgive our fellow man. And then finally the tormentors you could say probably represents condemnation.
Now you can work from that framework to move to the third and most important step of interpreting a parable—pondering the spiritual applications of the parable. What spiritual truths do you feel Jesus was trying to teach us with this parable? And allow them to share. You, as the teacher should be prepared to discuss their findings or to help guide them a bit if they’re struggling. You might want to take them to verses 23 and 24 and ask them if they know how much money 10,000 talents is. Now I've heard lots of different calculations for how much that is, and I'll even provide you with an example of one of those here. But I’m not going to take the time to walk you through it all because it’s kind of beside the point. Because I don't think Jesus really intended us to break down all the economics and the actual dollar amount. This is an example of hyperbole in the story. All we need to know is that one talent is a lot of money and that 10,000 talents is an astronomically large amount of money. In Bible times, the number 10,000 was the number they often used to represent “A whole lot”. Nowadays, we might say something like, “Boy, I went to the concert last night and there must have been a billion people there.” That would be our comparable expression. Back then, that number was 10,000. So, really, the point that Jesus is making that this is an unrepayable debt. This man, in his condition as a servant could never pay off this debt even in numerable lifetimes.
So what’s one of the points or truths of this parable? If the debt represents our sins, or the justice required to justify our sins, then we all owe a debt that WE cannot pay on our own. Perhaps a way of showing us that none of us can earn our way into heaven, with our works, or our own efforts. We all need something from our Father in Heaven. What is it? Verse 27. We need his mercy. His grace. And this parable shows us just HOW merciful he is. He is incredibly merciful. He is the type of being that is not only capable of forgiving sins but “10,000 talent” kind of sins—big sins, many sins. And I love that that verse is so short because it almost seems to suggest that the king forgives this man’s huge debt easily and graciously and quickly. Like, “Oh, you owe me millions and millions of dollars? Well that's okay you don't have to pay me back. Don’t worry about it.” And I really do believe that our Heavenly Father is just that gracious with his forgiveness. Just pause for a minute and really let that truth sink deep into your heart. And perhaps the man in the story isn’t meant to represent all of us but stands as a bit of an extreme example of someone. I doubt that any of us are really guilty of “10,000 talent” kind of sin. But why use that as an example? Because it gives us all hope. If he can forgive 10,000 talent type of sins, then surely he can forgive mine. We would all be covered under that umbrella of that magnanimous grace. That’s something that I would want my students to understand from this parable.
TRUTH
God is INCREDIBLY gracious and merciful.
I don’t even think the word “incredibly” really captures the measure of it. He possesses “10,000 talent” type grace. And you know, I think it’s significant that the man didn’t even ask to be forgiven of the debt, but just more time to pay it off (even though it was a bit of a meaningless gesture considering the size of the debt). But the King is so gracious and understanding that he forgives the debt entirely. Verse 27 also tells us that the King was “moved with compassion”. There’s something wonderful about those words “moved” and “compassion”. He feels that compassion deeply for us. He’s moved by our pleas and our vulnerability. “I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me, confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.” (Hymn #193 “I Stand All Amazed”.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
You might ask your class if anybody has ever felt that forgiveness before. Encourage them not to confess any sins or anything but just to describe how that forgiveness feels. The man in the story would say that it felt like being released from a debt of millions of dollars. How would you describe that feeling? What metaphor would you use?
Our Part
Now that message of God’s mercy is only half of the power of this parable. It doesn’t end there. We would do well to remember that God's infinite mercy IS, in fact, conditional. There are two conditions suggested by the parable. What did the servant have to do to obtain forgiveness of his debt. Well one, he had to ask! Like the king says in verse 32:
“I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:” That means, just because you asked. And I know I’ve said this before, but I do believe that that is one of the simple requirements of forgiveness. We just ask with sincerity. But there is one more condition, and the rest of the parable illustrates it. What is it? In verse 28 we’re told how much the fellow servant of that man owed HIM. 100 pence. Now how much is 100 pence? The answer is in the footnotes. It tells us that it was approximately three months wages for a poor working man. So it's a much, much smaller debt than the ten thousand talents. But it's not an insignificant amount either. I think that's an important to point to make. He didn’t make the amount 1$ or even 100$, but three months’ worth of work. God isn’t trying to minimize the offenses that other people commit against us. They are serious and difficult to reconcile, but relatively speaking, quite smaller compared to what WE owe him. And yet, in the story, the man who was just forgiven a 10,000-talent debt refused to forgive a 100 pence debt. Therefore, what happened to him? The king’s initial grace is withdrawn, and he’s delivered to the tormentors.
TRUTH
So what is the moral or the truth of the second part of this story? What is the condition of forgiveness?
If I wish to be forgiven of my sins then I too must forgive others
So the Lord says to us, “I am gracious. I am merciful. I am compassionate. I can forgive both little sins and big sins—100 pence type sins and 10,000 talent type sins. And I will do it quickly, easily, and willingly. BUT, I only ask one small thing of you. And we say, “What is it, Lord? What can I do to thank you, to show my gratitude for your magnanimous mercy?” “Forgive others,” he says, “Show them the same mercy and compassion that I have shown you.”
I love this quote from President Spencer W Kimball, “He who will not forgive others breaks down the bridge over which he himself must travel.”
Until Seventy Times Seven
One more point here. Immediately preceding this parable, we see a little conversation between Jesus and Peter. Peter asks Jesus a question about forgiving our fellow man. What is it verse 21? He asks, “How oft shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? till seven times? So Peter is wondering if there was a limit to this forgiveness thing. Is there a point where somebody has offended me deeply enough or repeatedly enough where the requirement to forgive him is waived.
And what is Jesus’s response? No. Not seven times Peter. Verse 22, Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times, but, Until seventy times seven and then he tells the parable we just studied. Now I don’t believe that means that I keep a little tally notebook in my pocket and on the 491st time, I don't have to forgive you anymore. No, this is Jesus's way of saying, “Peter, you always forgive”.
And if that idea isn’t enough, add the Savior’s teachings from Luke 17:4
4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
So not only do we forgive seventy times seven, but if someone were to sin against us seven times in just one day, and they came asked for forgiveness, we would be expected to still forgive them.
And this isn’t to say that when we forgive somebody that we’re condoning their actions, or saying that what they did was ok, or we allow ourselves to be put into a position where they can hurt us again. We’re not letting them off the hook, so to speak, we’re just letting them off our hook, and giving their judgment over to Christ. Because he is the judge that can judge them perfectly, without spite, without vengeance, and WITH complete knowledge and understanding.
A helpful cross reference for this idea? Doctrine and Covenants 64:10-11
10 I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.
11 And ye ought to say in your hearts let God judge between me and thee, and reward thee according to thy deeds.
So the Lord says, “I release you from the need to judge. You don’t need to worry about. That’s my job. Your job is to forgive. That’s all you need to do. I’ll take on the burden of judging and condemning if needed.” Therefore, we forgive, and we put it in God’s hands and say to that person, “Let God judge between me and thee.” But as far I am concerned, I forgive.
But I don't leave it just at that. There is one additional point I always like to make. This commandment is also a reflection of our Heavenly Father's policy towards us. God is never going to ask us to do something that he isn’t willing to do himself. If he expects us to forgive until seventy times seven, then we can expect that same kind of grace from him. He is ALSO capable of forgiving US until seventy times seven. AND even seven times in the same day.
Remember the words of the Lord to Alma found in Mosiah 26:30—
30 Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me.
There is simply no limit to his grace.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Why do you think the Lord wants us to be forgiving people?
What things have helped you or others you know to forgive?
CONCLUSION
Well, my friends, I do believe that one day, like the man in the parable, we will all stand before the King and our accounts reviewed. We will all stand in the debtors position. And I believe that no matter who we are, we will owe the Lord much for the debts that we have accumulate throughout our lives. And at that moment, I hope and pray that I will be able to say something. I hope that I can look into that merciful face, and say, “Lord, I know that I owe you a lot and I plead for your understanding and grace, for I have nothing to pay. But I am pleased to tell you that nobody owes me anything. All debts have been forgiven. I have not demanded payment of my fellow servants. All have been loosed. There is none locked up in the prison of my heart.”
THE GOOD SAMARITAN (Luke 10:25-37)
ICEBREAKER
Next, the parable of the Good Samaritan. Perhaps one of the most well-known parables of our Lord. For an icebreaker to this story, I would have them do the following handout. Chances are all of your students are going to be somewhat familiar with the story so it shouldn’t be too hard for them to number the pictures from the story from 1 to 7 in the correct order.
So you have:
1. The picture of the man leaving on a journey.
2. The man being beaten by thieves.
3. The priest passing by the man. He’s the one dressed in white—priest’s clothing.
4. The Levite passing by the man.
5. The Good Samaritan stopping to help.
6. The Good Samaritan arriving at the inn with the injured man.
7. The Good Samaritan paying the innkeeper while the injured man recovers inside.
But then there’s another section here for them to complete which will require a little more thought. Here, you invite your students to read and ponder the story (or you could show the Church’s Bible Video of the parable: (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2011-10-0010-parable-of-the-good-samaritan?lang=engand) then fill in the boxes with their answers to the questions.
SEARCH
And if you had to sum up the major theme or topic of the parable of the Good Samaritan, what would you say that was? I would say service. That’s where I would focus my attention. And if that’s the major theme of the then what questions about service does it answer?
I would consider the following four. The parable helps us to understand . . .
Who should I serve?
How should I serve?
When should I serve?
And
Why should I serve?
Have them try to fill in at least one answer to each of those questions based on what they find in the parable. I also provide some “Help Questions” for each category to aid them in their pondering—get them thinking. And here are some my thoughts on these questions.
WHO?
Number one, Who should I serve? The help question: Who was the man to the Samaritan? What words describe their relationship? Well, the man was his neighbor. Jesus taught in verse 27 that we should love our neighbor as ourselves. But the lawyer who’s questioning prompts the parable responds by asking, “And who is my neighbor?” Because, in his mind, he felt the command was to love and serve his Jewish neighbor. So, why make the hero of the story a Samaritan? What does that suggest? The Jews and the Samaritans hated each other. They were enemies. Therefore, who should I be willing to serve? And who is my neighbor? Everyone. Even those of different nations, cultures, or faiths. Even my enemies. Like Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount. “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” (Matthew 5:44). Fascinating that this group of people that the Jews hated, this people that were despised, would forever after, to this day, be associated with goodness and service. If you were to ask someone on the street the first thing that came to their mind when they heard the word “Samaritan”, what would it be? They would probably say, “Good”. The Good Samaritan. By making the hero of the story a Samaritan, the Lord was teaching this Jewish man, and all of us the principles of love, tolerance, and understanding. How else could we answer that question? We should serve people who need help. We should serve people who are in trouble. We should serve people that can’t help themselves. Also, these two men were strangers to each other. We should be willing to serve strangers, not just the people that we’re familiar with.
WHEN?
When should I serve others? Well, when did the Good Samaritan serve. He served immediately. He served when he saw the need. The help question says: What explanations might the men who didn’t stop to help have given? If you were to interview them and ask, “Hey, why didn't you stop and help that poor man?” Then those answers can serve as a basis to show the circumstances in which the Good Samaritan was willing to serve. Maybe that priest or that Levite would have said things like, “Oh, I was too busy to stop and help. I had an appointment to get to. It was too dangerous to stop. I wondered if the thieves were still in the area. I had nothing to gain by stopping to help. It wasn’t my problem. I figured somebody else would stop.” When should I serve then? Even when I’m busy. Even when I may be putting myself at a bit of risk. Even when it’s inconvenient to me. Opportunities to serve rarely come at convenient times. When there’s nothing in it for me. When it’s not my problem. When I figure that somebody else can help. These are all times and circumstances WHEN we should serve.
HOW?
How should I serve? The help question: Is there anything in how the Good Samaritan helps the man that impresses you? He served him diligently. I love verse 34. Do you see all the “ANDS” in that verse? That suggests something. Look at all the things the man was willing to do to help.
34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
That’s a literary device there. All the “ANDS” are meant to slow you down and give you an idea of the volume of what’s being shared.
I also love verse 35. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
How did he serve the man here? He went the extra mile. He didn't just take him to an inn, but he paid so that he could be taken care of in the future as well.
He served him with sacrifice. He set him on his own beast and paid for the man’s care with his own money. He served selflessly.
WHY?
Our last question: Why? Why should I serve? The help question: What do you think motivated or did not motivate the Good Samaritan to help? Well, verse 33 tells us that he did it out of a sense of compassion. Not out of a sense of obligation. He didn’t do it begrudgingly. He didn’t do it for praise. He didn’t do it because he was assigned to do it. He did it from the heart. It’s like he said, “Here’s somebody who needs help, I can’t just leave him on the side of the road to die. This poor man. I’m going to help him.” We would also do well to consider why we reach out to help others. Hopefully, we too are inspired by a sense of compassion.
TRUTH
I can seek to serve all at any time, under any circumstance, and with diligence and compassion.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Have you ever had an experience where somebody was a good Samaritan to you? What happened and how did it make you feel?
Have you ever had an experience where you were a Good Samaritan to somebody else? What happened and how did it make you feel?
CONCLUSION
So did the parable inspire you in any way this time as we studied? I don’t think I come away from that parable ever without feeling like I don’t do enough. There are so many opportunities to serve out there, and often I think I just blind myself to them and get too wrapped up in my own concerns and schedule. But let’s see if can’t pour out our “oil and wine” a little more often—to look for those opportunities to give of our pence to care for our fellow man. We’re all in some way on the road to Jericho, a barren and rocky road full of dangers. And sadly, there are many that have fallen by the wayside. So maybe the most important question from this parable that we should consider is not, “Who is my neighbor?” but, “Where is my neighbor?” If the Lord came and asked us that question. Hopefully we wouldn't have to say, “Uh, the last time I saw him was on the side of the road,” but rather, “He's safely recovering at the inn.” The Good Samaritan wasn’t willing to pass him by, hopefully we can follow the Savior’s injunction to “Go and do thou likewise”.
MARY AND MARTHA (Luke 10:38-42)
ICEBREAKER
One more little story this week. This little encounter between Jesus and Mary and Martha here at the end of Luke 10. For an icebreaker to this story, I have a very simple activity. It’s almost become cliché for youth Sunday School classes, and I hardly ever use it. But, you can’t deny that it’s fun and people, for some strange reason seem to enjoy it. But, you could begin by playing a quick round of hangman. And I use the following template to play this game. But you know how this works. Students take turns guessing letters they think may show up in the secret word. If the letter appears, they get a chance to guess what the word is. If not, it adds a portion of our hangman’s noose. If they guess too many letters wrong before they figure out the phrase, and our poor little cartoon man gets hung, then the class loses. And I’ll usually give a little treat out to the person who figures out the phrase first.
And what is the secret balance?
TRANSITION
And I like to then ask my students how balanced they feel their lives are. How busy are you? How many different responsibilities and activities do you have on your plate? Do you feel stretched thin? Do you feel like you have enough time to relax and recharge? Do you ever feel like you don’t have enough time to do all the things you need to do, and want to do, and still keep up with your spiritual priorities as well? If that describes you, I believe this story can help.
SEARCH
To help my students study and ponder the message of this story, I use the following handout. All of the questions on it are multiple choice. But here’s the catch. This isn’t like a math test. Thank heavens. There are no “correct” answers. They are at liberty to ponder each question and choose one of the answers that they feel best represents their thoughts and conclusions about the story. And each multiple-choice question also has an option D, which offers them an open-ended “other” answer that they can fill in if they choose that none of the options represent their line thinking.
Now what this kind of activity does, is that it one, gives your students some food for thought as they consider the provided answers, but also allows for their own spiritual insights to surface. I’ve found that can help to generate more class discussion, even amongst some of my quieter classes that I’ve taught. After they’ve completed the handout, you as the teacher can ask any student you wish which option they chose, and then follow it up with a simple “why”. Why did you choose that answer? It’s also fun is to ask if there was anyone who came up with their own “other” answer and allow them to explain why they feel that way. And usually, those that have chosen the “other” response are typically eager to share why they thought of something different. Also, this allows you to share your own thoughts and opinions as the teacher as well. Just be careful not to approach it as if your ideas are the correct ones or the best ones. But that you are a part of the class too who would like to share your ponderings on the story as well.
So allow me to walk you through the questions and share some of my thoughts on this little story.
1. Why do you think Martha was so cumbered about much serving?
A. Because there were probably a lot of people present.
B. Because only Jesus was there, and she wanted his meal to be perfect.
C. Because she was the type of person that was always busy-always looking for more to do.
D. Other:
Personally, I would choose A for that question. Typically, when I’ve seen paintings of this story, there are usually only three people in the picture—Jesus, Mary, and Martha. Which, if that was the case, then yeah, I might be tempted to be more judgmental of Martha and say, “Come on, why so busy? It’s Jesus there!” But I’m not sure I really picture it that way. I imagine the house was filled with guests. Jesus was always with people. His apostles were with him constantly, and there were twelve of them. Disciples were always seeking to be near him. The gospels often describe how the people would throng Jesus and that crowds followed him in the streets. Mark 6:31 says that “there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.” Now we can’t know for sure, maybe the situation was more like B, where she wanted the meal to be perfect for him and so she was putting together all kinds of dishes and trying to make everything just right. But in my mind, I picture a room full of guests and Martha trying to make sure that everybody was taken care of and fed, and there’s Mary over there, just listening to the Savior, leaving her with all the work to do.
Or perhaps this was just a bit of her nature. I think there may be some truth to C. Jesus seems to suggest this in his statement that she was careful and troubled about many things—not just this meal.
2. How do you picture Jesus saying the words, “Martha, Martha”?
A. With frustration.
B. With gentleness and compassion
C. With condemnation.
D. Other:
I can’t imagine the Savior saying this with anything BUT gentleness and compassion. There is such tenderness and understanding in the two Martha’s. “Martha, Martha,” said with great love and pleading mildness. Not, “Martha, Martha, for heaven’s sakes, sit down and listen to me. Stop being so petty and irritable.” I just can’t see him responding to her in that tone. That’s not how Jesus worked with people. Jesus loved her. John 11:5 tells us, “Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister.” She was a great friend and her home in Bethany was a haven of peace for the Savior as he sought to escape the chaos and the animosity of Jerusalem just over the hill.
3. Which of the following statements do you feel best describes how Jesus felt about the situation?
A. What Martha was doing was wrong.
B. What Mary was doing was better than what Martha was doing.
C. Both were doing “good” things.
D. Other:
Now this question is key for me. I would choose C on this one. And allow me to explain why. I think we sometimes read verse 42 like this. “42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that better part, which shall not be taken away from her.” But that’s not what it says. It says, “Mary hath chosen that ‘good’ part. I think that suggests that both women had chosen good things. In my mind, Mary had certainly chosen a good part, but I don’t see anything in that story that suggests that Martha had done something wrong or even that she had chosen a lesser part. Is there something “lesser” about service? Is there something “lesser” about making people comfortable and trying to provide them with a good experience? There was absolutely nothing self-serving in what Martha was doing. She wanted everyone to be happy, taken care of, and well-fed. Being “careful” for people is a good thing. And do you know any Martha’s out there? My sweet wife is a good example of this. I’ve often seen her cumbered and careful in service. When we have guests, or a social gathering, she wants everything to be just right, for the meal to be delicious, and for everyone to go home uplifted. This is a “good” thing! So I never like to use this story as an excuse to bash Martha, or to call her out as a bad example. Or to say, “We all need to be more like Mary, and less like Martha.” I don’t think that Martha’s efforts to serve displeased the Savior at all. By the same token though, what is the message of the story then?
4. What do you think Jesus was trying to teach Martha?
A. Taking the opportunity to “sit at Jesus’s feet” is an important thing to make time to do.
B. She should be more like Mary
C. Her priorities were messed up
D. Other:
To me, A is the lesson that stands out most to me. I think the main thrust of the story is one of balance. The key word, in my mind, is “needful”. One thing is needful. And Mary hath chosen that “good part” right now. We too need to seek that balance. In our cumbered, careful, and troubled world, we also have a need to sit quietly at the feet of the Savior and be nourished by him. It’s needful for us to sit and study our scriptures, to worship and ponder in the temple, to pray, to be alone in nature, to meditate, to have lunch with a friend, or to just rest. It’s needful for us to have quiet time, free from distraction and busyness. Jesus himself is a good illustration of this principle. There are multiple examples in the New Testament of Jesus taking time away from the busyness of his ministry just to be alone and to pray. He understood the needfulness of “that good part” too aside from the other “good part” of service and sacrifice.
So now some more personal “liken the scriptures” type questions.
5. If Jesus stopped by your house, what do you imagine he would say to you?
A. Don’t worry so much about tomorrow.
B. Slow down-don’t be in such of a rush.
C. We need to spend more time together
D. Other:
6. To you, what message do you feel the Spirit most wants you to take from this story?
A. I need to seek a better balance between service and my own spiritual nourishment.
B. I need to make quiet time with God a more needful thing in my life.
C. I’m too cumbered, troubled, and careful right now. I need Christ’s help.
D. Other:
CONCLUSION
Well, I’d like to conclude with a quote from Gordon B. Hinckley that I feel corresponds perfectly with one of the major messages that I feel I need to take from this story of Mary and Martha. He said: We need to build ourselves spiritually . . . We live in a world of rush and go, of running here and there and in every direction. We are very busy people. We have so much to do. We need to get off by ourselves once in a while and think of the spiritual things and build ourselves spiritually....Think of all the Lord has done for you. How very blessed you are....Meditate and reflect for an hour about yourself and your relationship to your Heavenly Father and your Redeemer. It will do something for you" (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, p. 608-9)
As someone who often feels “very busy” in this world of rush and go I plead with myself and all of us to make sure we take the time to nourish our spirits—that we choose that needful part of rest, spiritual rejuvenation, meditation, and yes, even leisure. At the same time that we make it a priority to serve others, and to be anxiously engaged in good causes, and to be “careful” in our attention to others, may we seek balance between our Mary AND Martha sensibilities and priorities.
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