“Mosiah 2:1–18: ‘In the Service of Your Fellow Beings,’” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual (2024)
“Mosiah 2:1–18,” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual
Mosiah 2:1–18
“In the Service of Your Fellow Beings”
What makes a great leader? In King Benjamin’s address, we get a glimpse of the type of leader and example he was to his people. King Benjamin was one who served God by serving his people and teaching them to serve one another. This lesson is intended to help you better serve God by better serving others.
Extending the learning experience. When you invite students to act on true doctrine, you help them extend the learning experience into their homes and daily lives. As they do this, they can become more motivated to learn and apply gospel teachings.
Student preparation: Invite students to find a small way to serve another person before the next lesson.
Possible Learning Activity
How do you view service?
Students could do the following activity individually, in small groups, or as a class. It could be helpful to make a master list on the board.
Take 60 seconds to write down as many different ways as you can think of that you could serve someone this week.
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What might motivate someone to do these things?
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Why might someone hesitate to do these things?
The following self-assessment can help students recognize how they feel about service and invite the Holy Ghost to teach them. Consider displaying the assessment and inviting students to reflect on their responses. Alternatively, you could give each student a copy of the list and invite them to rank themselves on a scale from 1 to 5 for each item.
Which of the following might best describe your current feelings about opportunities to serve?
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I look for opportunities to serve.
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I respond willingly when I’m asked to help.
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I want to serve but find it difficult to prioritize service in my life.
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I tend to think that someone else will do the service.
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I like serving but worry about how I might be perceived by others.
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I like serving but struggle with the desire to be noticed or recognized by others.
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Other:
If you feel it would be helpful and appropriate, consider inviting students to share what they thought or felt as they went through this assessment.
As you study this lesson, think about how and why you might better serve those around you, beginning today.
King Benjamin’s example of service
When King Benjamin was nearing the end of his life, he asked his son Mosiah to call the Nephite people together so he could speak to them. They gathered in families at the temple to listen to King Benjamin (see Mosiah 2:1–9).
Read Mosiah 2:10–14, looking for how King Benjamin served his people.
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What stands out to you about King Benjamin?
Consider making a list of students’ responses on the board.
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How would your family, school, or community be different if people lived the way King Benjamin did?
Why we serve
Read Mosiah 2:15–18, looking for what King Benjamin taught about service.
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What truths can you identify?
Mosiah 2:17 is a doctrinal mastery passage. Consider marking doctrinal mastery passages in a distinctive way so you can locate them easily. You will have an opportunity in the next lesson to practice applying the doctrine taught in this passage to a question or situation.
One truth we can learn from King Benjamin is that “when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”
This portion of the lesson is intended to help students focus on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as they serve. Consider the needs of your students and use the following materials or others you feel inspired to share.
Another option to help students to reflect on the Savior is to invite them to look for the connection between Mosiah 2:18 and Matthew 20:27–28.
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How are we serving God when we serve others?
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What do you see in these verses that reminds you of Jesus Christ?
Read the following statement by President Thomas S. Monson (1927–2018), and look for what he teaches about the relationship between our service to others and our relationship with God:
As we look heavenward, we inevitably learn of our responsibility to reach outward. To find real happiness, we must seek for it in a focus outside ourselves. No one has learned the meaning of living until he has surrendered his ego to the service of his fellow man. … The New Testament teaches that it is impossible to take a right attitude toward Christ without taking an unselfish attitude toward men. …
We look to the Savior as our example of service. Although He came to earth as the Son of God, He humbly served those around Him. He came forth from heaven to live on earth as mortal man and to establish the kingdom of God. His glorious gospel reshaped the thinking of the world. He blessed the sick; He caused the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear. He even raised the dead to life. (Thomas S. Monson, “The Joy of Service,” New Era, Oct. 2009, 4, 6)
You might invite students to quietly reflect on and answer the following question in their journals.
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How does thinking about the Savior’s example motivate you to serve others?
This could be a good opportunity to have a discussion and invite students to share personal experiences about serving or being served. Showing a video like “Service through Song” could invite the Spirit and help students reflect on their own experiences with service. Consider sharing a personal experience.
Additional examples can be found under the heading “What are some examples of Christlike service?” in the “Commentary and Background Information” section.
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How have you been blessed by serving others?
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How have you been blessed by the service of others?
Make a plan
Sister Sharon Eubank, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, shared this important insight about serving. Consider what she teaches as you prepare to make a plan to serve others. Watch the video “You Are the Gift” (0:54), located on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, or read the following statement.
If we change our perspective so that caring for the poor and the needy is less about giving stuff away and more about filling the hunger for human contact, providing meaningful conversation, and creating rich and positive relationships, then the Lord can send us someplace. …
… And remember that, in the same way as the Savior, you yourself are one of the best gifts that you can give to other people in need. (Sharon Eubank, “Turning Enemies into Friends” [Brigham Young University forum, Jan. 23, 2018], 6–7, speeches.byu.edu)
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What stands out to you from what Sister Eubank taught about service?
What are some ways you can do what she taught? Think about your family, friends, or community. Pray to ask Heavenly Father to inspire you about ways you might serve. In your study journal, write names of people who come to mind and ideas of how you could help them. Decide when you will act on your impressions. Perhaps there is something you can do right now.