19

Luke 18–22

Introduction and Timeline

These chapters of Luke relate events that took place in the final weeks of the Savior’s mortal ministry—as He traveled toward Jerusalem and after He arrived at the Holy City. They contribute to an important theme introduced in Luke 15—that Jesus Christ came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10; see also Luke 15:6, 9, 24). Accordingly, they show His compassion for individuals estranged from society and from God. For instance, a widow, one of the most vulnerable members of society, and a publican, one of the despised, serve as positive examples in two of the Savior’s parables recorded only by Luke (see Luke 18:1–14). Luke also recorded the conversion of the chief publican Zacchaeus, a man many would have regarded as corrupt and hopelessly lost (see Luke 19:1–10). Luke 18–22 culminates with the Savior’s suffering in Gethsemane, without which all of us would be forever lost (see 1 Nephi 10:6).

Chapter Overviews

Luke 18

Jesus gave the parables of the importuning widow and the Pharisee and publican. He invited little children to come unto Him and taught how to gain eternal life. He foretold His coming death and Resurrection and gave sight to a blind man.

Luke 19

Jesus dined with the chief publican Zacchaeus, who received the Savior joyfully and repented. The Savior told the parable of the pounds. He rode in triumph into Jerusalem, wept over the city, and cleansed the temple.

Luke 20

Chief priests opposed Jesus. He gave the parable of the wicked husbandmen and taught that we should render unto Caesar and unto God that which is theirs. He taught about marriage and the Resurrection.

Luke 21

Jesus foretold the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem. He told of signs to precede His Second Coming and gave the parable of the fig tree.

Luke 22

Jesus Christ instituted the sacrament at a Passover meal with His disciples. He suffered agony in Gethsemane, causing Him to sweat great drops of blood. He was betrayed and arrested. Peter denied knowing Him. Jesus was smitten and mocked, and then He was questioned before the Jewish council.

Suggestions for Teaching

Luke 18:1–8

The Importuning Widow and the Unjust Judge

Write the following questions on the board and ask students to think about them for a few moments:

What are some reasons why someone might feel that he or she wants to give up praying?

How would you encourage someone to continue praying?

After students have had a few moments to consider the questions, ask them to turn to another student in the class. Have each pair of students briefly tell each other their responses to the questions.

Discussion in Pairs

Most of the time during a lesson, only one person speaks at a time—either the teacher or a student. Occasionally, however, a teacher may ask all students to engage in brief conversations at the same time. These activities can encourage all students to actively participate in learning about the principle being taught. The activities are most effective when they are well-defined and brief and when they accomplish a specific teaching purpose, such as helping students become interested in a subject or allowing them to share discoveries or insights.

Explain that Luke 18:1–8 records a parable told by the Savior. Ask students to read Luke 18:1 and find the purpose of the parable. (“Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.”) Explain that the word translated as “to faint” means to become discouraged or weary or to tire of something. Ask students to read Luke 18:2–8 and look for what the Savior said to encourage people to pray always.

You might invite students to mark the words “always” in verse 1, “continual” in verse 5, and “cry day and night unto him” in verse 7. Then ask:

• What do these terms help to teach in the parable?

Read to your class the quotation from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in the student manual commentary for Luke 18:1–8. Then, to invite students to testify about the role of persistent prayer in their lives, ask:

• When have you received blessings from continuing to pray with faith during a period of discouragement?

Explain that the word avenge is used in verses 3, 5, 7, and 8. To help the students understand how this word is being used in the parable, you may want to read the last paragraph of the student manual commentary for Luke 18:1–8. If students ask about the meaning of God’s “elect” (verse 7), help them understand that “the elect are those who love God with all their hearts and live lives that are pleasing to him” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Elect,” scriptures.lds.org).

• How would you state a gospel truth taught by this parable? (One answer students will likely give is: God always hears the righteous prayers of His elect and will answer them in His own time and way.)

• What will you consider doing differently in your prayers after studying this parable?

Luke 18:9–14; 19:1–10

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican; Zacchaeus the Publican

Ask students what they would say in response to a friend who said, “There’s no hope for me; I’ve sinned too much. Jesus Christ can save other people but not me.” Invite two or three students to explain briefly how they might respond.

Invite students to watch for what they can learn from the next two accounts they will study in Luke. Explain that both accounts deal with publicans (tax collectors), who were some of the most despised people in Jewish society in New Testament times. Some people considered publicans to be hopelessly lost.

Assign half the class to study the parable of the Pharisee and the publican, found in Luke 18:9–14, and the other half to study the account of Zacchaeus, found in Luke 19:1–10. As students study, ask them to review the corresponding student manual commentaries for Luke 18:9–14 and for Luke 19:1–10. Write the following questions on the board or give students a copy of the handout. Ask students to use the questions to guide their study.

Study Questions for Luke 18 and 19

The Pharisee Thanks God, by Dan Burr.

Luke 18:9–14. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican

• What details in the parable reveal something about the attitude of the Pharisee and the attitude of the publican?

• How do verses 9 and 14 help you understand the meaning of the parable?

• How would you state a gospel principle taught by this parable?

Zacchaeus in the Sycamore Tree, by James Tissot

Luke 19:1–10. Zacchaeus the Publican

• Note the verbs in Luke 19:3–6 telling us about Zacchaeus’s actions. What do these verbs reveal about how Zacchaeus felt about Jesus?

• As recorded in Luke 19:8, what did Zacchaeus say he would do? How is this evidence of his repentance?

• How does verse 10 help you understand the meaning of the parable?

• How would you state a gospel principle taught by the account of Zacchaeus?

After both groups of students have had sufficient time to study, ask them to report their answers. (You might need to help students understand that when the publican “smote upon his breast” [Luke 18:13], he was expressing anguish and deep sorrow.)

In response to the question about what gospel principle these accounts teach, students should identify the following: God justifies those who humble themselves and seek His mercy. Jesus Christ will save those who earnestly seek Him and repent of their sins. Consider writing these principles on the board.

Return to the hypothetical situation you gave about a friend who said, “There’s no hope for me; I’ve sinned too much. Jesus Christ can save other people but not me.” Ask students to explain what they have learned from these two scripture passages that would address their friend’s concern.

Luke 22:7–20

The Savior Instituted the Sacrament

Help students transition to the next scriptures they will study by pointing out that they have just read in Luke 19:10 that Jesus Christ came “to save that which was lost.” The accounts they will study next show how the Savior did that for all mankind through the Atonement.

Transitions

One of the important functions of teacher presentation is to make transitions between various parts of the lesson. Transitions help students understand the continuity of the scriptural narrative and where particular verses fit within the larger text.

Help students understand the context of the Last Supper by briefly summarizing the main events between the Savior’s arrival in Jerusalem and the Last Supper, which are recorded in Luke 19:28–22:6. These events have already been studied as part of Matthew and Mark. You might do this by asking a student to read aloud the chapter overviews for Luke 19–22, found at the beginning of this lesson. Point out that the Last Supper is the beginning of the account of the Savior’s Atonement.

Explain that Luke 22:7–14 describes the preparations for the Savior’s Last Supper with His disciples, and ask a student to read the Savior’s statement found in Luke 22:15. Point out that this statement is found only in Luke. Ask students to review the next several verses and then ask:

• Why would Jesus be looking forward to this particular Passover? (Possible answers: He was going to institute the sacrament. The great atoning sacrifice, which would make possible the salvation of all people, was soon to take place.)

Point out that the phrase “before I suffer” makes clear that the Savior had knowledge about what would be required of Him later that night and the next day.

Read or ask a student to read the following description of the Last Supper from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

“The hours that lay immediately ahead would change the meaning of all human history. It would be the crowning moment of eternity, the most miraculous of all the miracles. It would be the supreme contribution to a plan designed from before the foundation of the world for the happiness of every man, woman, and child who would ever live in it. The hour of atoning sacrifice had come. God’s own Son, His Only Begotten Son in the flesh, was about to become the Savior of the world.

“The setting was Jerusalem. The season was that of the Passover, a celebration rich in symbolism for what was about to come. Long ago the troubled and enslaved Israelites had been ‘passed over,’ spared, finally made free by the blood of a lamb sprinkled on the lintel and doorposts of their Egyptian homes (see Ex. 12:21–24). …

“Now, after all those years and all those prophecies and all those symbolic offerings, the type and shadow was to become reality” (“This Do in Remembrance of Me,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 67).

Ask students to read Luke 22:19–20 silently, looking for phrases that refer to the Atonement that was about to take place. Then ask:

• What phrases in these verses refer to the Savior’s atoning sacrifice, which He would soon undergo in the garden and on the cross? (“My body which is given for you,” “my blood, which is shed for you.”)

• Both of these statements contain the phrase “for you.” What is the importance of this phrase? (The suffering the Savior was about to endure would be for all of us.)

Ask students to listen for an important instruction about the sacrament that is found in Luke but not in Matthew. Have one student read Matthew 26:26, and then have another read Luke 22:19. (Luke recorded that Jesus said, “This do in remembrance of me.”) You might ask students to mark this phrase in Luke 22:19. Make sure that students understand this truth: We are to partake of the sacrament in remembrance of the Savior. Then ask:

• What does it mean to you to partake of the sacrament “in remembrance” of the Savior?

To illustrate the importance of always remembering the Savior, read or ask a student to read the following analogy given by Gerald N. Lund, who later became a member of the Seventy:

“An article from a medical magazine [told] about ‘belaying’ in mountain climbing. The belay system is the way a mountain climber protects himself from falls. Someone climbs up first, gets in a firm, secure position, ties the rope tightly around his waist, and calls down to his partner, ‘You’re on belay,’ which means, ‘I have you if you fall.’ The article reported about Alan Czenkusch, a man who ran a climbing school … :

“‘Belaying has brought Czenkusch his best and worst moment in climbing. Czenkusch once fell from a high precipice, yanking out three mechanical supports and pulling his belayer off a ledge. He was stopped, upside down, ten feet from the ground when his spread-eagled belayer arrested the fall with the strength of his outstretched arms.

“‘“Don saved my life,” says Czenkusch. “How do you respond to a guy like that? Give him a used climbing rope for a Christmas present? No, you remember him. You always remember him.”’ [Eric G. Anderson, “The Vertical Wilderness,” Private Practice, Nov. 1979, 17; italics added.]

“What a profound analogy for us. Like the belayer, the Savior stops our traumatic fall toward spiritual destruction and offers us a safe line back to him. And what can we do … ? Always remember him. In fact, those very words are the words of the sacramental covenant” (Jesus Christ, Key to the Plan of Salvation [1991], 45).

Ask students to think quietly about how they would answer this question:

• What would you want to remember about Jesus Christ during the sacrament?

After allowing students a few moments to ponder that question, ask them to read silently the quotation from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in the student manual commentary for Luke 22:19–20. When students have finished reading, invite two or three students to tell the class one of Elder Holland’s suggestions that most impressed them. You might ask students:

• What do you do during the sacrament to remember Jesus Christ?

Bear testimony of the truth mentioned earlier: We are to partake of the sacrament in remembrance of the Savior. Also testify that as we always remember Him, we can always have His Spirit to be with us. Encourage students to prepare for their next opportunity to partake of the sacrament by thinking about what the Savior has done for them and what they can do to remember Him always.

Luke 22:39–44

The Savior Suffered in Gethsemane

Explain that following the Savior’s instructions to the Apostles at the Last Supper, the Savior and the Apostles departed from the room where they had met and walked to the Mount of Olives.

Distribute copies of the following handout, which shows a side-by-side comparison of the accounts of the Savior’s suffering in Gethsemane found in the synoptic Gospels:

The Savior’s Suffering in Gethsemane (in the Synoptic Gospels)

Matthew 26	Mark 14	Luke 22
Verse 36. Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.	Verse 32. And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.	Verse 39. And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.
		Verse 40. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
Verse 37. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.	Verse 33. And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;
Verse 38. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.	Verse 34. And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.
Verse 39. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.	Verses 35–36. And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.	Verses 41–42. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
		Verses 43–44. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Verse 40. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?	Verse 37. And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?	Verse 45. And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow.
Verse 41. Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.	Verse 38. Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.	Verse 46. And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

Ask students to examine the chart briefly, looking for what Luke recorded about Jesus Christ’s suffering in Gethsemane that Matthew and Mark did not record. (The information found in Luke 22:43–44. If students mention the instruction “Pray that ye enter not into temptation,” found in Luke 22:40, help them see that this instruction is found in Matthew 26:41 and Mark 14:38.)

Ask students to identify important details recorded in Luke 22:43–44, and list them on the board:

An angel from heaven appeared to Jesus, strengthening Him.

Being in an agony, Jesus prayed more earnestly.

The Savior sweat “great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

Considering the guidance of the Spirit, the needs of your students, and the time available, you might have students study all three of these points, or perhaps just the final one. If you want students to study all three, you might start with the first two by assigning half of the class to study the student manual commentary for Luke 22:43, and the other half of the class to study the commentary for Luke 22:44, “Being in an Agony He Prayed More Earnestly.” Ask students to explain a truth we can learn from each detail Luke recorded.

After the students share their ideas, you may want to point out these truths: Ultimately, the Savior had to work out the Atonement by Himself. Blessings we seek may require more earnest prayer and effort on our part. You might ask students to explain what these truths mean in their lives. To help students study the third point, ask them to read the student manual commentary for Luke 22:44, “His Sweat Was as It Were Great Drops of Blood Falling Down to the Ground.” Then ask:

• How does the student manual commentary help you understand what Luke recorded about the Savior sweating drops of blood during His suffering in Gethsemane? (Emphasize to students: The Savior’s agony in Gethsemane caused Him to sweat great drops of blood.)

• How do these three details together contribute to our understanding of what the Savior experienced in Gethsemane? (Students might observe that all these details reflect the severity of Jesus Christ’s suffering.)

To conclude the lesson, you might remind students about the opportunity they will have to remember the Savior at the next sacrament meeting they attend, and invite them to consider:

• What have you learned today about the Savior that you will want to remember?

Encourage students to remember Jesus Christ always. You may want to bear testimony of His teachings and Atonement.

Supplemental Teaching Ideas

Luke 19:11–27. The Parable of the Pounds

While studying Matthew 25:14–30, students will have studied the parable of the talents, which is similar to the parable of the pounds, found in Luke 19:11–27. Ask students to read the parable of the pounds. Use the student manual commentary for Luke 19:11–27 to help them identify ways this parable differs from the parable of the talents. Ask students to explain how the parable of the pounds might have helped people living in Christ’s day, and how it can help us in the last days. Students should be able to explain this principle: We are to be faithfully occupied in the Lord’s work as we await His Second Coming.

Luke 21:19, 34–36. The Savior’s Teachings in Luke about Being Prepared for His Coming

Use the following suggestions to guide students in studying details in Luke 21 that are not found in the other accounts of the Savior’s teachings about His Second Coming (see Matthew 24; Mark 13; Joseph Smith—Matthew).

Have students read Luke 21:19 and the student manual commentary for Luke 21:19. Ask:

• How might patience be necessary as the Saints await the Savior’s return?

• When have you grown spiritually because you had to wait for something?

Ask students to read Luke 21:34 and find three things the Savior warned us to avoid so that we would be prepared for His coming. Help students understand the meaning of “surfeiting” and “cares of this life” (see the student manual commentary for Luke 21:34–36). Ask students:

• How can “surfeiting” and “drunkenness” make people unprepared for the Savior’s coming?

• Why will we be better prepared for the Savior’s coming if we avoid excessive stress and anxiety—the “cares of this life”?

• What are some things that cause people stress and anxiety in our modern world?

Ask students to suggest some ways to avoid becoming overwhelmed by stresses and anxieties. After they have shared their thoughts, have them read the statement by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf in the student manual commentary for Luke 21:34–36.

Have students read Luke 21:36, looking for two things the Savior said we should do as we face the trials of the last days. Help students understand this principle: Being watchful and prayerful will help us remain worthy during the trying conditions of the last days. Ask students to share times when they have experienced the truth of this principle.

Luke 22:31–32. The Savior’s Words to Simon Peter and the Disciples

Ask students to imagine they were among the disciples at the Last Supper, listening to the Savior’s final instructions before He departed this life. Ask a student to read Luke 22:31–32. Ask students what they think is meant by the Savior’s sayings, “Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat” and “When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” After the students have responded, have them study the student manual commentaries for Luke 22:31 and for Luke 22:32. Ask students:

• How does our own conversion affect our ability to strengthen others? (Answers should include this principle: As we become truly converted, we can strengthen others in their faith in Jesus Christ.)

Help students see illustrations of this principle in Peter’s life by assigning them to silently read Luke 22:54–62; Acts 2:14–24, 37–40; 3:1–7, 12–16; 4:5–14. Ask them to look for evidence of Peter’s conversion and his ability to “strengthen [his] brethren.” Have students report their findings. Help them identify the role of the Holy Ghost in Peter’s conversion. Then ask:

• When have you been strengthened by someone who was truly converted?

• When have you been able to strengthen someone else because of your personal conversion?

Ask students to take a moment to consider their own level of conversion and to write a list of ways they might become more truly converted and strengthen the faith of others.