Alma 5:33–62

“The Good Shepherd Doth Call You”

After encouraging members of the Church in Zarahemla to reflect deeply on their standing with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ (see Alma 5:1–32), Alma invited them to come unto Christ using tender imagery such as His “arms of mercy are extended” (Alma 5:33), “repent, and I will receive you” (Alma 5:33), and “the good shepherd doth call you” (Alma 5:38). This lesson can help you in your efforts to come unto Jesus Christ and receive the blessings He offers you.

Focus on the roles of Jesus Christ. Help students come to know and love the Savior by recognizing how He fulfills His roles as their Savior and Redeemer. Encourage them to reflect on how Jesus Christ has demonstrated His love and care for them personally.

Student preparation: Invite students to study Alma 5:33–34 and come to class prepared to share what they learned about the Savior from these verses.

Possible Learning Activities

Repent and I will receive you

Consider displaying a couple of pictures that might be interesting to students and invite the class to discuss why the following saying could be true.

An old saying states, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

Now display the following images and invite students to share what they communicate.

You might remember that Alma 5 contains Alma’s teachings to members of the Church in Zarahemla, some of whom had become prideful and fallen into sin (see Alma 4:8–12). After asking these people a series of questions to help them evaluate their spiritual progress, Alma taught important truths about the Savior.

Read Alma 5:33–34, looking for what Alma wanted his people to understand about Jesus Christ.

This could be a good opportunity to invite students to share what they learned in their student preparation.

• What words or phrases from these verses were the most meaningful to you? Why?

• What similarities did you see between these verses and the images of the Savior you looked at?

• How can understanding the principles in these verses change how someone views Jesus Christ?

If students could benefit from a deeper study of the Savior’s invitation to come unto Him, consider inviting them to study some or all of the following scriptures, perhaps with a partner or a small group: Matthew 11:28–30; 2 Nephi 26:33; 3 Nephi 9:14; and Ether 12:27. Students could also add these passages as cross-references to Alma 5:33–34 in their scriptures. When students have finished studying these additional passages, invite volunteers to share additional insights they gained about Jesus Christ from these verses.

Think about your current desires to accept Jesus Christ’s invitation to repent and come unto Him and whether you face obstacles that make it difficult to be His follower. As you continue studying, look for teachings that can help you in your efforts to overcome those obstacles and follow Jesus Christ.

Hearkening to the voice of the Good Shepherd

After teaching about the Savior’s invitation to repent and come unto Him, Alma shared additional teachings about Jesus Christ to persuade his people to follow the Savior.

Read Alma 5:37–39 and look for Alma’s message to his people.

Consider inviting students to discuss the following questions with a partner.

• What do you think Alma wanted his people to know and feel about Jesus Christ (the Good Shepherd) from this analogy?

• What do you think Alma wanted his people to know and feel about themselves (the sheep) from this analogy?

One truth we can learn from these verses is that we must hearken to the voice of the Good Shepherd in order to be His sheep.

President Russell M. Nelson shared the following definition for the word hearken:

It means “to listen with the intent to obey.” To hearken means to “hear Him”—to hear what the Savior says and then to heed His counsel. (Russell M. Nelson, “Hear Him,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 89)

• What do you know about the Savior that makes you want to hearken to Him and be numbered among His sheep?

Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared some of the blessings the Savior offers us when we allow Him to be our Good Shepherd. Read the following statement or watch the video “Hearts Knit Together,” available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, from time code 13:56 to 14:51.

As we look through a gospel lens, we recognize that we too are under the watchcare of a compassionate caregiver, who extends Himself in kindness and a nurturing spirit. The Good Shepherd knows each one of us by name and has a personal interest in us. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself said: “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep. … And I [will] lay down my life for the sheep” [John 10:14, 15].

… I find abiding peace in knowing that “the Lord is my shepherd” [Psalm 23:1] and that each of us is known by Him and under His kind watchcare. When we confront life’s wind and rainstorms, sickness and injuries, the Lord—our Shepherd, our Caregiver—will nourish us with love and kindness. He will heal our hearts and restore our souls. (Gary E. Stevenson, “Hearts Knit Together,” Liahona, May 2021, 23)

• What stands out to you about why we would want to follow the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ?

Ways you can hearken to the voice of the Good Shepherd

Alma suggested several ways that the people of Zarahemla could hearken to the voice of the Good Shepherd. Read Alma 5:40–41, 50–51, 57 and look for what Alma counseled.

As the students answer the following questions, you may want to list their responses on the board or invite students to come and write their responses.

• What did you learn from these verses about ways you can hearken to the voice of the Good Shepherd?

• What are some ways we can “come … out from the wicked” and “touch not their unclean things”? (verse 57).

Consider inviting a few volunteers to share experiences they have had in their lives when they decided to hearken to the voice of the Good Shepherd and what blessings they noticed for doing so. You might consider sharing an experience from your own life as well.

• Some reasons I want to follow Jesus Christ are

• One way I will hearken to His voice is

Commentary and Background Information

How can we benefit from listening to the voice of Jesus Christ?

President Russell M. Nelson gave the following insights about hearing Jesus Christ’s voice:

Our Father knows that when we are surrounded by uncertainty and fear, what will help us the very most is to hear His Son.

Because when we seek to hear—truly hear—His Son, we will be guided to know what to do in any circumstance.

… God gives us the pattern for success, happiness, and joy in this life. We are to hear the words of the Lord, hearken to them, and heed what He has told us!

As we seek to be disciples of Jesus Christ, our efforts to hear Him need to be ever more intentional. It takes conscious and consistent effort to fill our daily lives with His words, His teachings, His truths. (Russell M. Nelson, “Hear Him,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 89)

The following video, “#HearHim: Listen to the Voice of Jesus Christ,” illustrates the importance of quieting the noise around us so we can hear the voice of Jesus Christ.

Alma 5:57. How does the Savior view unclean things in our lives?

Speaking of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Since God uses disease as a metaphor for sin throughout the scriptures, it is reasonable to ask, “How does Jesus Christ react when faced with our metaphorical diseases—our sins?” After all, the Savior said that He “cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance” [Doctrine and Covenants 1:31]; so how can He look at us, imperfect as we are, without recoiling in horror and disgust?

The answer is simple and clear. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ views disease in His sheep as a condition that needs treatment, care, and compassion. This shepherd, our Good Shepherd, finds joy in seeing His diseased sheep progress toward healing.

The Savior foretold that He would “feed his flock like a shepherd” [Isaiah 40:11], “seek [out] that which [is] lost, … bring again that which [is] driven away, … bind up that which [is] broken, and … strengthen that which [is] sick” [Ezekiel 34:16]. Though apostate Israel was depicted as being consumed with sinful “wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores” [Isaiah 1:6], the Savior encouraged, exhorted, and promised healing [see Isaiah 1:18]. (Dale G. Renlund, “Our Good Shepherd,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 30)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Alma 5:45–48. “I do know of myself that they are true”

Students could read these verses, looking for how Alma had received his knowledge of truth. You might point out that even though Alma had seen an angel, he attributed his knowledge and testimony of truth to revelation he had received through the Holy Ghost. Consider reading the following statement by President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972).

“When a man has the manifestation from the Holy Ghost, it leaves an indelible impression on his soul, one that is not easily erased. It is Spirit speaking to spirit, and it comes with convincing force. A manifestation of an angel, or even of the Son of God himself, would impress the eye and mind, and eventually become dimmed, but the impressions of the Holy Ghost sink deeper into the soul and are more difficult to erase” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith Jr. [1958], 2:151).

Consider asking questions like the following: Why is revelation through the Holy Ghost so influential? Why do you think it is important for each of us to receive a testimony of Jesus Christ by revelation through the Holy Ghost? How did Alma exemplify hearkening to the Good Shepherd?

Alma 5:53–55. “Can ye withstand these sayings?”

You could have students read these verses and look for attitudes and actions that make it difficult for someone to hearken to the voice of the Savior. Consider listing responses on the board. Which of those challenges seem particularly difficult for youth today? What are examples of how the Savior has taught us to respond to these challenges?