Lesson 16 Teacher Material

Jesus Christ Ministers One by One

Jesus Christ’s appearance to the Nephites and Lamanites provides a powerful witness of His divinity. As Jesus ministered one by one, He exemplified kindness and compassion. In this lesson, students will be invited to identify different ways they can come unto Christ and gain a deeper personal witness that He is their Savior. Students will also consider what they can do to emulate the Savior’s way of ministering.

Suggestions for Teaching

The resurrected Christ appears to the Nephites and Lamanites and invites them to feel the wounds in His hands and feet.

You may want to start the lesson by displaying the accompanying image and asking a student to recount the events that led up to Jesus Christ’s appearance to the Nephites and Lamanites.

Invite students to review the quote by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in section 1 of the preparation material, and ask them why Jesus Christ’s appearance among the people is the most important event in the Book of Mormon.

Ask students to review 3 Nephi 11:13–17, looking for lessons we can learn from this account of Christ’s interaction with the people. Consider which of the following questions you might want to ask to help your students understand and apply what they learn:

• What do we learn from these verses about the character of Jesus Christ?

• How might you feel if you were invited to feel the wounds in the Savior’s hands and feet?

• What can we learn about the Savior from His invitation for the people to come one by one to feel the wounds in His hands and feet? (If necessary, remind students that 2,500 people were present.)

• How might this experience represent what Jesus Christ invites each of us to do? (Using students’ responses, identify a truth similar to the following: Jesus Christ invites us to come unto Him and receive a personal testimony that He is our Savior.)

• What can we do to come unto Christ and receive our own personal testimony that He is our Savior? (For additional insights, it might be helpful for students to review Elder Walter F. González’s statement in section 1 of the preparation material.)

Invite students to review the “Record Your Thoughts” activity in section 1 of the preparation material. Give students a few minutes to review what they prepared, and then invite a few students to share what they wrote. As time permits, you might want to invite one or two students to identify a verse from the hymn they selected and share why it is meaningful to them. You could also sing the hymn together.

Consider displaying the following question and encouraging students to ponder and record their thoughts and feelings:

• What could I do to strengthen my testimony that Jesus Christ is my Savior?

Jesus Christ ministers to the multitude one by one.

Remind students that near the end of His first day among the people, the Savior invited the multitude to return to their homes and prepare for His return the next day (see 3 Nephi 17:1–3).

Improving Our Teaching and Learning

Encourage students to study and emulate the Savior’s example. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then of the First Presidency, said to seminary and institute teachers, “Our young people want to believe; they yearn to know more about the Savior” (“A Teacher of God’s Children,” Religious Educator, vol. 12, no. 3 [2011], 7). One way students can know more about the Savior is to focus on His perfect example. As students study Jesus Christ’s example, invite them to consider what they can do to emulate Him. Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles observed, “This emulation directly enhances our adoration of Jesus” (“Becoming a Disciple,” Ensign, June 1996, 12).

Divide students into small groups. Invite them to review 3 Nephi 17:5–9, 20–24 and to discuss how the Savior ministered to the people. During their discussion, encourage students to consider different ways they could complete the following statement: “We minister like the Savior when …”

After students have had plenty of time to learn from each other, ask them to share some of the ways they completed the preceding incomplete statement. As students share their statements, consider asking some of the following questions to help deepen their discussion:

• What role does love play in ministering? (You may want to review the quote by President Jean B. Bingham in section 2 of the preparation material.)

• Why do you think ministering brought the Savior joy? When have you felt joy while serving someone in need?

• Why is feeling compassion an important part of ministering? When have you felt the Savior’s compassion through another person’s ministering efforts? How have you been able to convey Christ’s compassion for others through your own ministering efforts?

• How can we help someone experience the Lord’s healing power as we minister?

To help students apply what they have learned about ministering, consider sharing the following scenario:

Alejandro is a young single adult. He has received an invitation to minister to Pablo and José. He has talked to Pablo a few times during church but has never met José. After speaking with the elders quorum president, Alejandro learns that Pablo is struggling with a health issue and that José has told the bishop that he is not interested in attending church right now. Alejandro wants to fulfill his calling but is not sure where to start.

Invite students to look to the Savior’s example and share what counsel they might give Alejandro. Also encourage students to share their own personal experiences with ministering.

Remind students that in preparation for this lesson, they were invited to think of someone they could minister to (see section 2 of the preparation material). Invite students to consider this person’s situation. Then provide students with a few minutes to ponder and record their impressions about the following question:

• What will you do to follow the Savior’s example and minister to this person with kindness and compassion?

For Next Time

Invite students to consider challenges that Church members or investigators face when they don’t feel accepted by other members of the Church. Encourage your students to study the preparation material for the next class, looking for how we can help others feel that there is a place for all of us in the Church of Jesus Christ.