Matthew 26:1–25

“Lord, Is It I?”

Prior to the Passover feast, Mary anointed the Savior with some precious ointment, and Judas conspired with the chief priests and scribes to kill Jesus. During the Passover meal, Jesus announced He would be betrayed. The Apostles questioned who would betray the Savior by asking, “Lord, is it I?” This lesson can help you use the Savior’s words in the scriptures to examine your life and determine areas in which you need to improve.

Preparing with students in mind. While preparing to teach, consider what outcomes students should achieve as a result of the lesson. President Thomas S. Monson (1927–2018) said: “The goal of gospel teaching is not to pour information into the minds of God’s children. … [It is to help them] develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and … become converted to His gospel ” (“Learn of Me,” Ensign, Mar. 2016, 4). Seek inspiration to know how to help students increase their faith and feel greater love for and from Jesus Christ in each lesson.

Student preparation: Invite students to think of a time when they applied counsel or teachings from the scriptures, Church leaders, or the Holy Ghost to their life. How would their life be different if they had not chosen to apply that counsel?

Possible Learning Activities

How we treat what we value

Consider sharing a personal example as part of the following discussion.

Think of a person who is very important to you.

Why is this person so important to you?
How do your actions demonstrate how important this person is to you?

In this part of the lesson, you will study how some individuals showed by their actions how much they loved and appreciated the Savior. As you study, consider how important, even vital, the Savior is to you and what you can do to demonstrate your love for Him. A few days before Jesus gathered His Apostles together for His final Passover meal, He went to Bethany to be with some of His followers (see Matthew 26:6; John 12:1).

Read John 12:3–8 to learn about what Mary did for the Savior while He was in Bethany.

What did Mary’s actions indicate about how she loved and appreciated the Savior?
What can you learn about the Savior from this account?

Students may provide a variety of responses to the previous question, including the following: He was regarded as precious by His followers; He understood that His mortal life would soon come to an end; He treated Judas with love and kindness, even though He knew Judas would betray Him.
What thoughts or feelings do you have after reflecting on these truths about the Savior?

In Matthew 26:3–5, we learn that the chief priests consulted with one another about how they might have Jesus killed. Read Matthew 26:14–16, looking for what happened soon after Mary anointed Jesus in Bethany.

It may be interesting to know that Judas’s betrayal of Jesus for thirty pieces of silver fulfilled a prophecy of the Old Testament prophet Zechariah (see Zechariah 11:12). Also, according to the law of Moses, thirty pieces of silver was the price used to compensate a master for the death of a slave (see Exodus 21:32).

What do you learn from comparing Mary’s actions to Judas’s actions?

The following questions may be best answered individually by students in their study journals.

Take a moment to review your week so far.

What opportunities have you had to show your love for the Savior?
Are there any moments when you wish you had done better?
What might you do differently in the future to more fully show your love for Him?

Considering how Jesus’s words apply to us

Jesus participated in the Passover meal, also known as the Last Supper, with His Apostles a few days after Mary had anointed Him. Read Matthew 26:20–21, looking for the announcement the Savior made during this meal.

If you had been one of the Apostles, what might you have been thinking at this moment?

Read Matthew 26:22 to see how the Apostles responded.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then a member of the First Presidency, shared one of the lessons we can learn from the Apostles’ response. You may want to watch the video “Lord Is it I?” available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, from time code 1:09 to 2:30 or read the text below.

18:18

The disciples didn’t question the truth of what [Jesus] said. Nor did they look around, point to someone else, and ask, “Is it him?”

Instead, “they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?” [Matthew 26:22; emphasis added].

I wonder what each of us would do. … Would we look at those around us and say in our hearts, “He’s probably talking about Brother Johnson. I’ve always wondered about him,” or “I’m glad Brother Brown is here. He really needs to hear this message”? Or would we, like those disciples of old, look inward and ask that penetrating question: “Is it I?”

In these simple words, “Lord, is it I?” lies the beginning of wisdom and the pathway to personal conversion and lasting change.

(Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Lord, Is It I?,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 56)

One truth we can learn from this statement and the example of the Apostles is that learning to examine our own lives according to the Savior’s words helps us on the pathway to personal conversion and lasting change.

Why is it important for us to ask ourselves how the Lord’s words apply to us rather than assuming His words are meant for someone else?
What are some situations in your life where you could ask, “Lord, is it I?”
What do you know about Jesus Christ that can encourage you to ask, “Lord, is it I?”

President Uchtdorf shared two examples of sources that we can use to help us examine ourselves spiritually:

May I suggest that the holy scriptures and the talks given at general conference are an effective mirror we can hold up for self-examination.

As you hear or read the words of the ancient and modern prophets, refrain from thinking about how the words apply to someone else and ask the simple question: “Lord, is it I?”

(Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Lord, Is It I?,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 58)

Take a moment to think about how often you try to apply the scriptures or the teachings from general conference to your life. Think about blessings you have experienced for your efforts to incorporate the Lord’s words into your life.

Consider inviting students to share experiences when they have applied counsel or teachings from the scriptures or general conference addresses to their life. Invite them to think about how their life would be different if they had not chosen to apply that counsel. Students may have thought about such experiences as part of the student preparation activity.

Practice applying the Lord’s words to your life

Study at least three of the following doctrinal mastery passages. As you study, seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost to determine how the Lord’s words in these passages apply to you. You may also want to study a recent general conference talk as part of this activity.

After students have finished studying, invite volunteers to share some of the ways the verses or talks they studied apply to their lives. Consider using the following questions as part of the discussion.

What teachings did you find that could apply to your current life circumstances?
What blessings do you think you could receive by applying these teachings to your life?

Testify of the truths discussed today. Invite students to continue looking for opportunities to see how the Lord’s words apply to their lives.

Commentary and Background Information

Why did Mary anoint Jesus?

Elder James E. Talmage (1862–1933) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stated:

To anoint the head of a guest with ordinary oil was to do him honor; to anoint his feet also was to show unusual and signal regard; but the anointing of head and feet with spikenard, and in such abundance, was an act of reverential homage rarely rendered even to kings. Mary’s act was an expression of adoration; it was the fragrant outwelling of a heart overflowing with worship and affection.

(James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ [1916], 512)

How can we avoid being overly self-critical while still acknowledging the need for self-improvement?

Sister Michelle D. Craig, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency, shared the following insight:

We should welcome feelings of divine discontent that call us to a higher way, while recognizing and avoiding Satan’s counterfeit—paralyzing discouragement. This is a precious space into which Satan is all too eager to jump. We can choose to walk the higher path that leads us to seek for God and His peace and grace, or we can listen to Satan, who bombards us with messages that we will never be enough: rich enough, smart enough, beautiful enough, anything enough. Our discontent can become divine—or destructive.

(Michelle D. Craig, “Divine Discontent,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 53)