“2 Nephi 11: Witnesses of Christ,” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual (2024)
“2 Nephi 11,” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual
2 Nephi 11
Witnesses of Christ
Who comes to mind when you think of witnesses of Jesus Christ? Nephi loved the witnesses of his brother Jacob and of the prophet Isaiah so much that he recorded them along with his own witness of Jesus Christ. This lesson can help strengthen your testimony of the reality of Jesus Christ.
Inviting students to testify of Jesus Christ. As students come to know and love Jesus Christ, invite them to share their feelings about Him. By doing so, they invite the Spirit to bear witness that what they have said is true. President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles emphasized that “the Spirit cannot be restrained when pure testimony of Christ is borne” (“Pure Testimony,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2004, 41).
Student preparation: Invite students to ask a friend or loved one to share how they gained their testimony of Jesus Christ.
Possible Learning Activities
The importance of witnesses
Consider using the following simple scenario to help students see the importance of witnesses. To help increase their interest, you could add details to the scenario. For example, a friend could want to know where students were. Or a crime could have been committed at that time, and students might need to provide an alibi.
Another option is simply asking students if they have ever needed to rely on witnesses to affirm that what they were saying was true.
Imagine that you needed to account for where you were last night from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
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How could you verify what you were doing at that time?
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Are there any witnesses who could verify where you were?
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Why are witnesses important when we are searching for truth?
Read 2 Nephi 11:2–3, looking for the witnesses Nephi mentioned and what experience they had.
Invite students to share what they found and their thoughts about it. If it would be useful, consider asking the following questions:
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Why would these three people be powerful witnesses?
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What would you want to learn from them?
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What truths do you learn about God in verse 3?
As students respond, consider writing the following partial sentence on the board: Heavenly Father sends witnesses to … You may complete the sentence with what students say.
Read 2 Nephi 11:4, 6, looking for what Nephi specifically wanted his people to know.
If students did not already complete the statement on the board with something similar to the principle below, consider adding it.
One of the truths we can learn from 2 Nephi 11 is that Heavenly Father sends witnesses to testify of the reality of His Son.
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Why do you think Heavenly Father uses witnesses to testify of His Son?
Take a moment to ponder your own beliefs and feelings about the Savior Jesus Christ. Think about witnesses of the Savior and how they have affected you and your beliefs about Him. As you continue this lesson, look for ways witnesses may help and strengthen you in your life.
Before 2 Nephi 11, Nephi included the teachings and testimony of his younger brother Jacob. After 2 Nephi 11, Nephi included the teachings and testimony of the prophet Isaiah. You might want to write “2 Nephi 9–10 is Jacob’s witness” next to Jacob’s name in verse 3 and “2 Nephi 12–24 is Isaiah’s witness” next to Isaiah’s name in verse 2.
Witnesses of Jesus Christ
This lesson can help you deepen your personal testimony of Jesus Christ. Whether you already know for yourself that He lives or you are still wondering if He is real, the Holy Ghost can help you come to know Him better through God’s chosen witnesses. The current depth of your testimony of Him is not as important as your desire to know Him better moving forward.
For the following study suggestion, consider placing students in groups of three with each student studying a different witness. After sufficient time, invite students to share what they learned with their group.
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Jacob—Find a teaching or testimony of Christ that is meaningful to you that Jacob shared in 2 Nephi 9–10. (Possible verses include 2 Nephi 9:10–12, 20–23, 41; 10:25.)
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Isaiah—Find a teaching or testimony of Christ that is meaningful to you that Isaiah shared in 2 Nephi 12–24. (Possible verses include 2 Nephi 16:1–3; 17:14; 19:6–7; 22:2; 24:3.)
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Nephi—Find a teaching or testimony of Christ that is meaningful to you from Nephi’s personal writings. (Possible verses include 1 Nephi 11:31–33; 19:8–10; 2 Nephi 4:18–21; 25:26, 29.
Modern witnesses of Christ
Recall that Nephi testified that “God sendeth more witnesses” (2 Nephi 11:3). Some of these witnesses are His latter-day Apostles. Watch the testimonies of at least two of the following modern witnesses of Jesus Christ. Be mindful of feelings and thoughts you may receive from the Holy Ghost as you watch. The full videos are available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Consider letting students choose which videos they would like to watch if there is not time for all five. You might give them time between each video to record what they learned or felt about Jesus Christ in their study journals.
“Special Witnesses of Christ—President Russell M. Nelson” (watch from time code 4:32 to 5:47)
“Special Witnesses of Christ—President M. Russell Ballard” (watch from time code 2:22 to 3:45)
“Special Witnesses of Christ—Elder Quentin L. Cook” (watch from time code 3:53 to 4:57)
“Special Witnesses of Christ—Elder Neil L. Andersen” (watch from time code 4:20 to 5:24)
“Special Witnesses of Christ—Elder D. Todd Christofferson” (watch from time code 4:30 to 5:51)
Your witness of Jesus Christ
Notice that Nephi chose a prophet he admired (Isaiah), somebody he knew personally (his brother Jacob), and his own testimony as three witnesses to testify of the reality of Jesus Christ.
Consider inviting students to record their thoughts about the following exercise in their study journals. It may be helpful to display the following bullet points while students are writing. Before beginning, consider reminding them to recall what they learned during the student preparation.
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Record a teaching about the Savior that is meaningful to you from Nephi, Jacob, Isaiah, or a modern prophet.
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Record the name of someone you know personally whom you consider to be a witness of Jesus Christ. Include what you have learned from their testimony. (You may want to talk to or text that person to ask how he or she gained a testimony of Christ.)
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Record how you feel about your own testimony of Jesus Christ. This might include experiences you have had or things you have learned about Him. Or you might choose to record your desire to gain a testimony of Jesus Christ and what you are willing to do to help that testimony grow.
Invite several volunteers to share part of what they wrote.
Consider singing or listening to a hymn about Jesus Christ to end the lesson.