March 6–12

Matthew 9–10; Mark 5; Luke 9

“These Twelve Jesus Sent Forth”

The study ideas in this outline are meant to help you find personal meaning in the scriptures. They should not, however, replace personal revelation you might receive about what passages to study or how to study them.

Record Your Impressions

Word of Jesus’s healing miracles was spreading quickly. Multitudes followed Him, hoping for relief from their sicknesses. But when the Savior looked upon the multitudes, He saw more than their physical ailments. Filled with compassion, He saw “sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). “The harvest truly is plenteous,” He observed, “but the labourers are few” (Matthew 9:37). So He called twelve Apostles, “gave them power,” and sent them to teach and minister “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:1, 6). Today the need for more laborers to serve Heavenly Father’s children is just as great. There are still twelve Apostles, but there are more disciples of Jesus Christ than ever before—people who can declare to all the world, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 10:7).

Ideas for Personal Scripture Study

Matthew 9:18–26; Mark 5:22–43

“Be not afraid, only believe.”

When Jairus first asked Jesus to heal his daughter, who was “at the point of death,” Jairus spoke urgently but hopefully: “Come and lay thy hands on her, … and she shall live” (Mark 5:23). But as they went, a messenger told Jairus that it was too late: “Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?” (verse 35). Likewise, it might have seemed too late for the woman described in Mark 5:25–34, who had suffered with an ailment for 12 years.

As you read these accounts, you might think of things that need healing in your life or your family—including things that might seem “at the point of death” or too late for healing. What impresses you about the expressions of faith in these accounts? Note also what Jesus says to the woman and to Jairus. What do you feel He is saying to you?

See also Luke 8:41–56; Russell M. Nelson, “Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 39–42; Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Gordon B. Hinckley (2016), 333–42.

Trust in the Lord, by Liz Lemon Swindle

Matthew 10; Luke 9:1–6

The Lord gives His servants power to do His work.

The instructions Jesus gave in Matthew 10 to His Apostles can apply to us as well, because we all have a part in the Lord’s work. What power did Christ give His Apostles to help them fulfill their mission? How can you access His power in the work you have been called to do? (see 2 Corinthians 6:1–10; Doctrine and Covenants 121:34–46).

As you read the commission Christ gave to His Apostles, you might receive impressions about the work the Lord wants you to do. A chart like the following could help you organize your thoughts:

Matthew 10	Impressions I receive
The Savior gave His disciples power.	God will give me the power I need to do my work.

See also Mark 6:7–13; Articles of Faith 1:6; Bible Dictionary, “Apostle”; “Jesus Calls Twelve Apostles to Preach and Bless Others” (video), ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Matthew 10:17–20

When I am in the Lord’s service, He will inspire me with what to say.

The Lord foresaw that His disciples would be persecuted and questioned about their faith—something similar to what disciples today may experience. But He promised the disciples that they would know by the Spirit what to say. Have you had experiences when this divine promise was fulfilled in your life, perhaps when you bore your testimony, gave a blessing, or had a conversation with someone? Consider sharing your experiences with a loved one or recording them in a journal. What do you feel inspired to do so that you can have such experiences more often?

See also Luke 12:11–12; Doctrine and Covenants 84:85.

Matthew 10:34–39

What did Jesus mean by “I came not to send peace, but a sword”?

Elder D. Todd Christofferson taught: “I’m confident that a number of you have been rejected and ostracized by father and mother, brothers and sisters as you accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ and entered into His covenant. In one way or another, your superior love of Christ has required the sacrifice of relationships that were dear to you, and you have shed many tears. Yet with your own love undiminished, you hold steady under this cross, showing yourself unashamed of the Son of God” (“Finding Your Life,” Ensign, Mar. 2016, 28).

This willingness to lose cherished relationships in order to follow the Savior comes with a promise that “he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 10:39).

Ideas for Family Scripture Study and Home Evening

Mark 5:22–43.As your family reads this story together, you might pause to ask family members how they might feel if they were Jairus, the woman, or other people in the story. You could also show pictures of the story, such as those in this outline. How do these pictures depict the faith of the people in the stories? (See also the videos “Jesus Raises the Daughter of Jairus” and “Jesus Heals a Woman of Faith” on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.) You might also consider some challenges your family faces. How can we apply His words, “Be not afraid, only believe”? (Mark 5:36).

Matthew 10:39; Luke 9:23–26.What might it mean to “lose” our life and to “find” it? (Matthew 10:39). Perhaps family members could share experiences that illustrate Jesus’s teachings in these verses.

Matthew 10:40.How are you and your family doing at receiving and following the counsel of modern-day Apostles? How is our obedience to their counsel bringing us closer to Jesus Christ?

Luke 9:61–62.What does it mean to look back after putting our hand to the plow? Why would this attitude make us not fit for the kingdom of God?

For more ideas for teaching children, see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Primary.

Suggested hymn: “When Faith Endures,” Hymns, no. 128.

Improving Personal Study

Listen to the Spirit. As you study, pay attention to your thoughts and feelings (see Doctrine and Covenants 8:2–3), even if they seem unrelated to what you are reading. Those impressions may be the very things God wants you to know and do.

Talitha Cumi, by Eva Koleva Timothy