Lesson 13 Teacher Material

Ministering like the Savior

During His life, the Savior ministered to others as He strengthened faith, blessed, healed, comforted, and forgave. In this lesson, students will have the opportunity to explain what it means to minister like the Savior. They will also consider Christlike ways they can minister to those around them.

Suggestions for Teaching

The Savior is our perfect example of how to minister with love.

You might begin class by displaying a picture of the Savior washing His Apostles’ feet. Or you could show “The Last Supper” from time code 0:00 to 0:50.

• What can we learn about ministering from Jesus washing the feet of His Apostles? (Consider reviewing the statement by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in section 1 of the preparation material.)

Remind students that after washing the Apostles’ feet, the Savior gave them a new commandment. Consider reading together John 13:34–35 and displaying the following truth: We can be known as disciples of Christ if we love one another as He loves us.

As you invite students to share what this truth can mean for their own discipleship, you might discuss one or more of the following questions:

• How might loving others as the Savior has loved us affect the way you minister?

• What has helped you to minister with greater Christlike love?

• How can we know who needs our help and what we can do? (As part of your discussion, you could review and discuss the statements by President Russell M. Nelson and President Henry B. Eyring in section 1 of the preparation material.)

Consider inviting a few students to share how they have felt the love of the Savior in their lives as they have ministered to others or as others have ministered to them.

You could display the following incomplete statement on the board: We can minister with Christlike love as we …

Remind students that in section 1 of the preparation material they were invited to study and reflect on the Savior’s example of ministering. Arrange students into small groups. Invite them to review the scripture examples they studied and any impressions they recorded. Display or provide each group with a copy of the following questions, and invite students to discuss them together.

• What impresses you most about how the Savior ministered in the account you studied?

• How can we follow His example as we minister to others? (As part of your discussion, you might review together the statements by President Jean B. Bingham and Sister Sharon Eubank in section 1 of the preparation material and share what you liked from them.)

• How have your efforts to minister like the Savior helped you to draw closer to Him?

You might invite a few students to share with the class highlights from their group discussion. You could add several endings to the incomplete statement on the board as students share.

We can learn to love and minister to all of God’s children.

Consider reviewing as a class the parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:25–37. You might encourage students to compare the attitudes and actions of the priest and Levite to those of the Samaritan. Invite students to share what they learn from the parable about ministering to others as the Savior did. To encourage deeper thought and sharing, you might ask some of the following questions:

• Why do you think the Savior chose a Samaritan as the example we should emulate?

• How can the Samaritan in the parable be likened to Jesus Christ?

• What can keep us from ministering to others as the Savior would? How can we access the help of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to overcome these stumbling blocks?

To help students consider how they might minister in Christlike ways, display or hand out a paper with the following situations (you might also come up with some of your own). You could invite students to select a few of them and discuss the challenges they present as well as Christlike ways to minister in each situation. You could have students do this activity as a class or in small groups.

• Your friend has confided in you that they have a problem with pornography.

• You have been assigned to minister to someone who says they would prefer you not visit.

• You have a friend who recently came out as gay and doesn’t feel they fit in at church anymore.

• You work with someone who has recently experienced the death of a loved one.

• You notice a friend who once spoke with faith about the prophet’s counsel now speaks critically.

Improving Our Teaching and Learning

Encourage students to take righteous action. Provide opportunities for students to ponder how they can act in faith and apply what they are learning. As you consistently encourage students to ponder and apply what they are learning, you can help them increase their capacity for righteous action. Follow up when appropriate.

Invite students to ponder and record their thoughts about the following questions:

• Who do you feel impressed to lift, strengthen, or encourage?

• What Christlike service can you do for this person?

Consider testifying of the importance of acting on spiritual impressions to bless the lives of others and of the joy that can come from ministering like the Savior.

For Next Time

During the week, consider sending students the following message or one of your own: As you study the preparation material for lesson 14, consider what the greatest miracle you could experience might be.