“Lesson 16: Jesus Christ Performed Miracles,” Primary 7: New Testament (1997), 54–56

“Lesson 16,” Primary 7: New Testament, 54–56

Lesson 16

Jesus Christ Performed Miracles

Purpose

To help the children strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ by learning that miracles occur according to Heavenly Father’s will when we have faith.

Preparation

Prayerfully study Mark 2:1–12, 5:21–43, and 1 Nephi 7:12. Then study the lesson and decide how you want to teach the children the scripture account. (See “Preparing Your Lessons,” p. vi, and “Teaching from the Scriptures,” p. vii.)
Additional readings: Matthew 9:1–8, 18–31; 17:20; Luke 8:41–56; Ether 12:6, 12, 16, 18; and Gospel Principles, chapter 18.
Select the discussion questions and enrichment activities that will involve the children and best help them achieve the purpose of the lesson.
Materials needed:
1. A Bible or a New Testament for each child.
2. Picture 7-18, Jesus Blessing Jairus’s Daughter (Gospel Art Picture Kit 215; 62231).

Suggested Lesson Development

Invite a child to give the opening prayer.

Attention Activity

Ask the children if they have ever been very sick. Have them talk about what it was like and explain what their families did to help them feel better. Have the children who have received priesthood blessings tell the other children about their experiences. Help the children realize that they show their faith in Jesus Christ through prayer and by asking for priesthood blessings when they are sick or have problems.

Explain to the children that the stories in this lesson are about people Jesus healed because they had great faith in him.

Scripture Accounts and Discussion and Application Questions

Teach the accounts of Jesus healing the sick as found in the scriptures listed in the “Preparation” section. (For suggested ways to teach the scripture accounts, see “Teaching from the Scriptures,” p. vii.)

Jesus Heals the Man Sick with Palsy (Mark 2:1–12)
- What did Jesus first say to the man with palsy (uncontrollable shaking of the muscles)? (Mark 2:5.) What was the scribes’ reaction to Jesus’ remark? (Mark 2:7.) What is blasphemy? (Showing a lack of respect for God or falsely claiming to be God.) Did Jesus blaspheme? Help the children understand that Jesus can forgive sins because he is the Son of God, but the scribes did not believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
- What did Jesus say to the scribes? (Mark 2:8–9.) What did he say to the man with palsy? (Mark 2:10–11.)
- What was the people’s reaction when the man with palsy was healed? (Mark 2:12.) Why do you think this man was healed?
Jesus Raises Jairus’s Daughter from the Dead (Mark 5:21–24, 35–43)

Show picture 7-18, Jesus Blessing Jairus’s Daughter.
- Who was Jairus? How do we know that he had faith in Jesus? (Mark 5:22–23.) How did Jesus help Jairus keep his faith strong? (Mark 5:35–36.)
- When Jesus and Jairus came to Jairus’s house, what were some people doing? (Mark 5:38. Explain that it was the custom at that time for mourners to make a lot of noise when a loved one died.) What was the difference between what the mourners were doing and what Jairus had done?
- Why do you think Jesus sent away the unbelievers before he entered the girl’s room to heal her? (Mark 5:40.)
Jesus Heals the Woman with an Issue of Blood (Mark 5:25–34)
- How did the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment show that she had faith in Jesus? (Mark 5:27–28.)
- How did Jesus know that the woman had touched his clothes? (Mark 5:30.) Why would it have been unusual for him to notice someone had touched him? (Mark 5:31.)
- Why was the woman healed? (Mark 5:34.) Explain that there was nothing magical about Jesus’ hem. The woman was healed because of her faith in Jesus and because it was Heavenly Father’s will. What are some miracles that happen in our lives because of simple or small acts?

Summary Discussion and Application Questions

Why do you think Jesus performed miracles? (Matthew 9:29–30; Mark 1:41; 2:5, 10; 5:36. To prove that he was the divine Son of God, to strengthen the faith of those who believed in him, because he loved and had compassion for those in need, and because of the faith of those who believed.)
What are some of the miracles we have in our lives today?

Help the children understand that if we have faith in Jesus Christ and live righteously, we will experience miracles according to God’s will (see 1 Nephi 7:12).

Explain that sometimes a person is not healed of a sickness or handicap when prayers are offered. Does that mean we don’t have faith? Why? Why might it not be God’s will that a person be healed? (God may want to test the faith of the person’s family, he may want the person to develop patience, and so on.)

Refer to the following quotation from President Spencer W. Kimball: “The Lord does not always heal the sick, nor save those in hazardous zones. He does not always relieve suffering and distress, for even these seemingly undesirable conditions may be part of a purposeful plan” (Tragedy or Destiny, p. 5).

What does it mean to have faith in Jesus Christ? (To believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world, to believe that Jesus has all power, to trust that Heavenly Father and Jesus will do what is best for us, an acceptance of God’s will, a desire to obey God’s commandments.)
How can you develop greater faith in Jesus Christ?

Enrichment Activities

You may use one or more of the following activities any time during the lesson or as a review, summary, or challenge.

Repeat the fourth article of faith, and ask the children why they think “faith in the Lord Jesus Christ” is the first principle of the gospel. Have them repeat the verse from memory or help them memorize it.
Help the children memorize 1 Nephi 7:12, starting with the phrase “the Lord is able.”
Ask the children to explain how we know that Jesus Christ lives today. You could make wordstrips of these and other answers you may think of. You could also write key words on the chalkboard.

Scriptures written by prophets tell us about Jesus.

Others have testified of him.

We can feel his love.

Joseph Smith saw him and was directed to restore his church.

If we are prayerful, the Holy Ghost will witness to us that Jesus lives.
Sing or read the words to “Faith” (Children’s Songbook, p. 96).
Ask the children to read Matthew 17:20. Explain that a mustard seed is very small, but it grows into a large bushlike tree. If our faith is as strong as the seed’s ability to grow into a tree, we can accomplish great things.

Conclusion

Testimony

Testify that if we have faith in Jesus Christ, we can experience miracles as the people of Christ’s time did. You may want to share a miracle from your own life or invite class members to share one of their own.