“September 26–October 2. Isaiah 50–57: ‘He Hath Borne Our Griefs, and Carried Our Sorrows,’” Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: Old Testament 2022 (2021)
“September 26–October 2. Isaiah 50–57,” Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: 2022
The Mocking of Christ, by Carl Heinrich Bloch
September 26–October 2
Isaiah 50–57
“He Hath Borne Our Griefs, and Carried Our Sorrows”
The most important way to prepare to teach is to read and ponder the scriptures. What do you feel and learn as you read Isaiah 50–57?
Record Your Impressions
Invite Sharing
To prompt class members to share experiences they had while reading Isaiah 50–57, you could write on the board a sentence like My faith in Jesus Christ was strengthened when I read … Invite class members to share how they would finish the sentence.
Teach the Doctrine
The future is bright for the Lord’s people.
-
We all have times when we feel weak. To help class members rely on the Lord’s strength, you could assign them each to read a few verses from Isaiah 51–52 and share something they find that would strengthen someone who feels weak or discouraged. You might also point out that the resurrected Savior repeated some of Isaiah’s words to the people in the Americas (see 3 Nephi 20:32–45). What do the Savior’s words in 3 Nephi 20:30–34 add to our understanding of when these prophecies will be fulfilled?
-
This week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families suggests listing everything in Isaiah 50–52 that the Lord invites His people to do. Perhaps class members could share what they found and talk about what these invitations mean to them. You might want to focus on the invitations in Isaiah 51:1–2, 6–8; 52:1–3, 9–11. How can we act on these invitations? You might point out that Doctrine and Covenants 113:7–10 provides an inspired explanation of Isaiah 52:1–2. What do these words add to our understanding?
Because of Love, by sculptor Angela Johnson
Jesus Christ took upon Himself our sins and sorrows.
-
To help class members visualize Isaiah’s words in Isaiah 53, you could display several pictures of the events surrounding the Atonement of Jesus Christ (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 56–60). You could then ask class members to find phrases in Isaiah 53 that describe the events in the pictures. What do Isaiah’s words teach about the Savior’s suffering for us? What do they suggest about why He suffered for us? What do these teachings inspire us to do?
-
To invite the Holy Ghost to testify of the truths taught in Isaiah 52:13–15; 53, you might ask class members to read these verses silently while you play a recording of a hymn about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Invite class members to look for words or phrases in the scriptures that they feel are especially important. Then let them share what they found and how they feel about the Savior. Consider also inviting class members to read Mosiah 15:10–12, where Abinadi explained what is meant by the phrase “his seed.” How does this help us understand Isaiah 53:10?
Jesus Christ wants us to return to Him.
-
Studying Isaiah 54 may inspire class members who feel discouraged because of their sins or weaknesses. You could invite class members to search chapter 54 for phrases or verses showing how the Savior feels about us. How does He want us to feel about our past sins and weaknesses? How does He want us to feel about Him? Encourage class members to share anything else they learn about Jesus Christ from this chapter. The statement by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf in “Additional Resources” can add to your discussion.
Additional Resources
Through Jesus Christ we can have hope.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught:
“It matters not how completely ruined our lives may seem. It matters not how scarlet our sins, how deep our bitterness, how lonely, abandoned, or broken our hearts may be. Even those who are without hope, who live in despair, who have betrayed trust, surrendered their integrity, or turned away from God can be rebuilt. …
“The joyous news of the gospel is this: because of the eternal plan of happiness provided by our loving Heavenly Father and through the infinite sacrifice of Jesus the Christ, we can not only be redeemed from our fallen state and restored to purity, but we can also transcend mortal imagination and become heirs of eternal life and partakers of God’s indescribable glory” (“He Will Place You on His Shoulders and Carry You Home,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 102).
Improving Our Teaching
Live worthy of the Spirit’s guidance. When you live the gospel worthily, you live worthy of the Spirit, who is the best teacher. As you seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost, He will give you thoughts, impressions, and creative ideas about how to meet the needs of those you teach. (See Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 5.)