Matthew 1:18–25; Luke 1:26–35

Jesus Christ: Son of God and of Mary

Mary was told by the angel Gabriel that the child whom she would bear would be “the Son of the Highest” (Luke 1:32). This lesson can help you understand how the characteristics Jesus inherited from a mortal mother and an immortal Father make Him uniquely capable of helping us overcome all the challenges of mortality.

Bear pure testimony of Jesus Christ. Look for opportunities to frequently bear a pure and powerful testimony of Jesus Christ. Create opportunities for students to bear testimony of Jesus Christ in class. Students can bear testimony as part of writing assignments, small group activities, or class discussions. Remember to also emphasize testimonies given of Jesus Christ in the scriptures and in the words of latter-day prophets.

Student preparation: Invite students to think about challenges people their age commonly face.

Possible Learning Activities

Overcoming challenges

Display the following drawing. Consider inviting students to write on the board their answers to the first of the following questions.

What would you say are some of the most common challenges faced by people your age?
What do young people turn to as they try to deal with these challenges?

Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared the following testimony about Jesus Christ:

Jesus Christ is always the answer. In understanding His mission and His gospel, our love for Him and our belief in and reliance on Him give us strength.

(Ronald A. Rasband, “Jesus Christ Is the Answer,” [evening with a General Authority, Feb. 8, 2019], broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

Consider writing the statement “Jesus Christ is always the answer” near the drawing on the board. It may be helpful to redirect the arrows in the drawing to this statement.

Why do you think Jesus Christ is always the answer when we face challenges or questions in life?

Take a moment to think about your faith and confidence in Jesus Christ. How often do you rely on Him for strength and support?As you study today, seek inspiration from the Holy Ghost to help you learn truths about Jesus Christ that will increase your faith in Him and lead you to turn to Him for peace and strength more often.

Jesus Christ’s parentage

Jesus Christ is uniquely capable of helping us with any challenges or questions we face in mortality in part because of the traits He inherited from His parents.

Study the following scriptures, looking for teachings about who the Savior’s parents were:

What did you learn about Jesus Christ’s Father and mother?

One truth we can learn from these verses is that Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God the Father and of Mary.

If students need clarification about the Savior’s parentage, consider sharing some of the statements found in the “Commentary and Background Information” section at the end of the lesson.

Draw the following diagram on the board, or display the image.

Diagram with the words Mary and Heavenly Father and arrows pointing to the words Jesus Christ.

Read the following statement by President Russell M. Nelson, looking for traits Jesus Christ inherited from Heavenly Father and from Mary.

From His immortal Father, Jesus inherited the power to live forever. From His mortal mother He inherited the fate of physical death. Those unique attributes were essential for His mission to atone for the sins of all mankind. Thus Jesus the Christ was born to die (see 3 Nephi 27:13–15). He died that we might live. He was born that all humankind could live beyond the grave.

(Russell M. Nelson, “Christ the Savior Is Born,” New Era, Dec. 2006, 5)

What did you learn about Jesus Christ from this statement?

If the diagram was drawn on the board, it may be helpful to list students’ responses under “Jesus Christ.”

From His mother Mary, a mortal woman, Jesus inherited mortality, which included physical death. From God, our Heavenly Father, Jesus inherited immortality, the capacity to live forever through the resurrection. He was also able to experience the pains, temptations, and sorrows associated with mortality and endure the pain and suffering of the Atonement that no mortal could have endured (see Mosiah 3:7).

Read Mosiah 7:33, looking for insights about how we can access the Savior’s help with our mortal challenges.

What did you learn from this verse about how we can access the Savior’s help?

It may be helpful to invite students to search the scriptures for an example of a time when a person or group of people turned to the Lord for help with a question or a problem. Students could look for what the person or people did that helped them turn to Christ and how He helped them. They could also look for attributes of the Savior that are exemplified in the account they study. Invite students to share the examples they found with the class or with another student.

Consider giving students time to record their answers to the following questions in their study journals. Once they have finished, invite them to share their responses with a partner or with the class.

Because of Him

Watch the video “Because of Him” (2:36), looking for some of the things the Savior was able to do because He came to the earth, experienced mortality, and overcame all things. This video is available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Consider providing students with materials such as colored pencils and paper to complete the following activity.

Create your own message about the Savior beginning with the words “Because of Him.” You can complete the phrase with one or more statements about what the Savior is uniquely capable of helping you with or has helped you with in your life. Consider using art materials to enhance your creation if you have sufficient time and materials.

When students have finished, invite them to hold up their messages so that all can see. Invite several students to explain what they wrote. Consider inviting students to share their statements with others at home or at church.

Consider sharing a personal testimony of Christ’s ability to help us overcome the challenges of mortality.

Commentary and Background Information

Matthew 1:18. What does it mean that Mary “was found with child of the Holy Ghost”?

President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) taught:

The testimonies of appointed witnesses leave no question as to the paternity of Jesus Christ. God was the Father of His fleshly tabernacle, and Mary, a mortal woman, was His mother. …

… He was not the son of Joseph, nor was He begotten by the Holy Ghost. He is the Son of the Eternal Father!

(Ezra Taft Benson, “Five Marks of the Divinity of Jesus Christ,” Ensign, Dec. 2001, 10, 11)

President Harold B. Lee (1899–1973) provided a caution about attempting to explain all of the details surrounding the Savior’s miraculous birth.

If teachers were wise in speaking of [the conception of Jesus Christ] about which the Lord has said but very little, they would rest their discussion on this subject with merely the words which are recorded on this subject in Luke 1:34–35. … Let the Lord rest His case with this declaration and wait until He sees fit to tell us more.

(The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, ed. Clyde J. Williams [1996], 14)

What did the traits Jesus inherited from His parents enable Him to do?

President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) taught:

When the Great God of the Universe condescended to be born of mortal woman, He submitted Himself to the infirmities of mortality, to “suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death” (Mosiah 3:7). These infirmities He inherited from His mortal mother. But because His father was God, Jesus Christ had powers which no human had before or since. He was God in the flesh—even the Son of God. These powers enabled Him to accomplish miracles, signs, wonders, the great Atonement, and the Resurrection—all of which are additional marks of His divinity.

(Ezra Taft Benson, “Five Marks of the Divinity of Jesus Christ,” Ensign, Dec. 2001, 10)

Matthew 1:25. What does it mean that Joseph “knew her not”?

The term know or knew in the Bible can refer to sexual relations (see Genesis 4:1). Joseph did not have sexual relations with Mary before Jesus was born. This detail reinforces the fact that he could not have been the father of Jesus and that Jesus’s conception was miraculous.