New Testament Study Companion: Matthew

New Testament Study Companion:

Matthew

Catania Larson http://thatgoodpart.wordpress.com Copyright 2013 All Rights Reserved This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-

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New Testament Study Companion: Matthew/Larson 2

Contents

Matthew 1 ................................................................................................................................................ 6 Matthew 2 ................................................................................................................................................ 8 Matthew 3 ............................................................................................................................................. 10 Matthew 4 ............................................................................................................................................. 13 Matthew 5 ............................................................................................................................................. 16 Matthew 6 ............................................................................................................................................. 19 Matthew 7 ............................................................................................................................................. 24 Matthew 8 ............................................................................................................................................. 29 Matthew 9 ............................................................................................................................................. 33 Matthew 10 .......................................................................................................................................... 38 Matthew 11 .......................................................................................................................................... 43 Matthew 12 .......................................................................................................................................... 47 Matthew 13 .......................................................................................................................................... 52 Matthew 14 .......................................................................................................................................... 58 Matthew 15 .......................................................................................................................................... 62 Matthew 16 .......................................................................................................................................... 67 Matthew 17 .......................................................................................................................................... 70 Matthew 18 .......................................................................................................................................... 74 Matthew 19 .......................................................................................................................................... 81 Matthew 20 .......................................................................................................................................... 85 Matthew 21 .......................................................................................................................................... 89 Matthew 22 .......................................................................................................................................... 95 Matthew 23 .......................................................................................................................................... 98 Matthew 24 ........................................................................................................................................ 102 Matthew 25 ........................................................................................................................................ 104 Matthew 26 ........................................................................................................................................ 108 Matthew 27 ........................................................................................................................................ 114 Matthew 28 ........................................................................................................................................ 116


Acknowledgements

There are a few people who deserve special acknowledgement here. Thanks to Emily Milmont who edited this entire book. She did it without any kind of reward or pay. I'm grateful to her, and you really should be, too. This book would have been a complete mess without her.

I also want to mention that Stephanie Clawson created the cover. Again,

she did this completely voluntarily, and I'm so glad. Otherwise, the cover would have been pretty hideous. Instead, you can enjoy a small work of art.


About this Book This book is designed for you.

How This Book Came About Over the years, I have taught several classes on Reading the Scrip-

tures. I know that most people have a desire to read the scriptures. As I've taught these classes on reading scriptures, one idea has impressed me over time: if people knew how to consistently "get more" out of the scriptures, then they wouldn't struggle with prioritizing scripture study.

I find that scripture study is kind of like exercise. Diets and exer-cise goals are started and restarted as often as people have read and re-read 1 Nephi. We all know that we should be studying the scriptures daily, but if we aren't seeing results, then it is usually the first thing to go. Abandon-ing scripture study leaves us feeling guilty because we know we should do it.

With diet and exercise—when we learn how to eat right and we begin to feel our belt loops loosen, we are motivated to keep pushing towards our goal. Scripture reading is the same. When we learn how to learn—how to really read the scriptures—we begin to see results that help us stay motivated in scripture study. We begin to hunger and thirst after these righteous words.

A few years ago, I wrote Getting More from the Scriptures: Techniques

and Projects for Effective Scripture Study. I felt prompted to write it be-cause of a comment a woman made in a class I taught, "I just get so bored reading the same scriptures over and over again. I know that I'm supposed to read them, but it is hard when I've read it all before." I understood her struggle, but I also felt I knew the solution. Her comment inspired me to write a book to help people improve their scripture study skills. I have found that when we have good scripture study skills, the scriptures always seem fresh; thereby eliminating the struggle.

I have also been blogging actively for several years and, from time to

time, releasing "Scripture Study Programs" —which are topical scripture study programs that usually have 6-14 assignments. (Examples include: The Plan of Salvation, Easter, Joy and Thanksgiving.) In each program, the assignments include scriptures to study and questions to help the reader to ponder. Of-ten, the assignments will help to identify lists, symbols, patterns, cross-references, or other literary elements in the scriptures. I never included any kind of personal commentary in the scripture study assignments—as I want-ed the participant to have their own experience with the scriptures.

I have gotten feedback from both the book and the blog, and for the

most part, it has been positive. One day, I was talking to my friend and she said, "I really like the scripture study series you do because they help me relate scriptures together. I like how there are a lot of cross-references and good questions. When I read my scriptures on my own, I can't just open my scriptures and read them like that." The comment, while positive, stuck out in my brain. It led me to think How do I help someone to learn to study ef-fectively? It really isn't that hard (to me). How do I help someone learn to learn to find connections and ask questions on their own? Although the scrip-ture study series I had featured on my blog had been helpful, they had also been completely organized by me. How could I create an experience with the scriptures that was more natural—helping the person to learn to study on his/her own?

I was fresh off the heals of a major scripture study series (on the

Plan of Salvation), when I went to the General Relief Society Broadcast. Sis-ter Linda K. Burton gave a talk titled, "Is Faith in the Atonement of Jesus


Christ Written in Our Hearts?" The talk was amazing. My friend leaned over and said, "sounds like an idea for another scripture study series." I had been thinking the same thing.

But...how do I make a 14-day scripture study series on the Atonement? Impossible! I realized, yes...it was impossible. All of the scriptures teach us about the Atonement. I couldn't do one simple study series. It was at that moment, however, I realized what I needed to do.

I would help people to stay excited about the scriptures, teach people how to learn and study the scriptures, and I would create an Atonement-centered program by making a New Testament—Gospels study guide. In a way, I felt completely insane (this project would be huge!), but it was the good kind of insane—the kind of crazy that let's you know that you're doing the right thing.

This is the first installment of the study guide. Eventually, I will

also release Mark, Luke, and John. How to Use This Book This book is broken down chapter by chapter. Each chapter contains two

main portions: Application and Analysis and Enrich Your Learning. Application and Analysis The Application and Analysis portion of each chapter is a set of ques-

tions that goes through the chapter as you read it. These questions will help you search through the chapter, analyze it, and then apply what you have learned from the scripture in your own life.

Many of the questions in this portion may seem obvious, but really think about them. Usually, application of scripture is a process. First you really need to search the scriptures. You need to familiarize yourself with them. You ask the basic questions: who, what, where, when? As you search the scriptures, you will then analyze them by asking: why, how? Through effective searching and analysis, application will follow naturally. There are applica-tion questions that I include in the exercises, but you may find more ways that the scriptures apply. Scriptures are always applicable.

As you complete the Application and Analysis questions, make sure to listen to the Spirit and write inspiration down in a scripture journal. You will find that even this basic exercise can be helpful to your scripture study.

Enrich Your Learning The Enrich Your Learning portion of each chapter is a set of various

exercises that will help you to study parts of the chapter in depth. The ex-ercises are pretty self-explanatory and often quite involved. I think that any given exercise will take at least 20 minutes to complete.

*** Study this book how you want to. You may want to do each question in

order. You may start each chapter completing the Analysis and Application section first, followed by the Enrich Your Learning. You may find that you'd rather only do the Analysis and Application. Or perhaps you only want to do certain exercises from Enrich Your Learning. Follow the Spirit and do what you like. In a way, I've thought of this as a smorgasbord. Each question and activity is a dish, and it is up to you to select what you like.

I do advise prayerfully considering how you would like to study. The

Spirit is the most important factor in scripture study. So listen to Him. I have tried to prepare this study guide as prayerfully as possible. I am, by


no means, an expert, so I have tried to keep my own opinions out of this as much as possible. Of course, since this study guide was my creation, then my influence is here. If you feel like a question I'm asking or a connection I'm suggesting is wrong, then it might be. I don't claim to have all knowledge on the scriptures. So please, let the Spirit direct your path in this scripture study guide.

A final note: you will not be able to complete the Analysis and Appli-

cation Questions and Enrich Your Learning Exercises all in a single day of study. Don't sweat it. You can choose to spend as much time as you'd like in each chapter. If you want to study the entire chapter for days, finishing each exercise I've created, then that's great. Otherwise, you may only want to do one or two exercises from each chapter, and get through the New Testa-ment a little more quickly. That's great, too. Do what you want to do.

Matthew 1 Analysis and Application

Take time to answer these questions. You do not have to answer all of the questions, but do pause to truly think about what you are reading. Con-sider writing impressions in a scripture journal.

Notice the Spirit speaking to your soul as you ponder the points of

these scriptures. Matthew 1:1-17

1. What is being related in these verses? 2. Which names do you recognize? 3. In verse 16, we learn that this is the lineage of Joseph.

Who was Joseph? 4. Why do you think that it is important for us to know the

lineage of Joseph? Why would it have been included in the Bible?

5. What difference does it make that Christ was raised by a man who was of the House of Israel?

6. In regards to Christ's lineage, we have also been instruct-ed to know our family history. Why is it so important to know our lineage?

7. Do you think that it made a difference to Christ to know and understand His heritage?

8. What kind of effect has knowing where you come from made on you in your life?

9. How do you think that knowing Christ's lineage can teach you more about the Savior?

10. Notice footnote d for verse 16. Did you notice it or did you accidentally skip over it? I find that looking for all of the Joseph Smith Translations beforehand is helpful. In fact, I scan through the chapter's footnotes first, looking for "JST." When I find one, I will circle the corresponding footnote letter in the verse. This lets me see where there are Joseph Smith Translations without disrupting the flow of what I'm reading.


11. What does the term Christ mean? (See footnotes for verse 16 for help)

Matthew 1:18-25

1. What happened to Mary before was married to Joseph? a. Yet, Joseph and Mary were engaged to be married. How did

Joseph react to the news of Mary's pregnancy? 2. In the footnotes to verse 19, you can get more information

regarding his reaction. Notice Deuteronomy 24:1—according to the law of Moses, a man in his position could divorce the woman.

3. Does Joseph end up divorcing Mary? Why or why not? 4. What does the angel tell Joseph about Mary's child? 5. The angel then tells Joseph one reason why Christ would be

born this way: to fulfill prophecy. Which prophecy does it fulfill? (Look to the footnotes for help.)

6. In your scriptures, you may want to mark this. In the mar-gin next to verse 23, write: "Fulfillment of prophecy—Isaiah 7:14."

7. The angel spoke naturally about this prophecy. What can we assume about Joseph?

8. How did Joseph receive the revelation? Did he listen and obey? What did he do with Mary?

9. Based on the information you have studied in verses 8-25, what kind of husband and father do you think Joseph was?

10. Joseph's reaction to Mary's pregnancy teaches us a lot about Joseph. How do you think that you might react if you were in Joseph's place? What did Joseph do, and what can you do to become more patient with others when you hit a bump in your relationship with them?

Enrich Your Learning

The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with the Savior Even though the Atonement seems to be one specific point in Christ's

life, all of the other events of His life (including His pre-mortal life) point to His great mission: the Atonement. In other words, many things needed to happen in order for the Atonement to take place.

1. What do you think the relationship is between Christ's her-itage and the Atonement?

2. What do you think the relationship is between Christ's stepfather, Joseph, and the Atonement?

3. What do you think the relationship is between the announce-ment of Christ's birth by the angel (and preceding prophe-cies of His divine birth) and the atonement?

4. How can understanding the relationship between His pre-mortal life and His Atonement help us to understand the power it has in our lives?

Character Sketch—Joseph Often, when studying literature, it is helpful to do a character sketch

of the people who take part in the text so you can better understand who they are and which of their qualities are important. Think about writing a charac-ter sketch of Joseph. Obviously, not everything about Joseph is included in Matthew 1. You can collect information as you study (perhaps note it with a post-it note/flag and then review them when you are done). Or you can start searching for information.


When you do a character sketch, try to collect as much information as

possible, including the following: • Name • Heritage • Background • Personality • Physical features • Personal actions and how they demonstrate qualities • Relevance in the scriptures • Any other thoughts or impressions you feel

Think of the times you've given talks in Sacrament or lessons in

church. So often the comment is, "I learned more than I could teach." Think of preparing this character sketch in a similar way. If you feel like this is a "waste of time," then write it with Family Home Evening in mind.


Answer the following questions. You do not have to answer all of the questions in writing, but do pause to truly think about what you are reading. Write down only the answers you feel especially prompted to think about and answer. Consider writing impressions in a scripture journal.

Keep in mind, there are more questions to ask while studying than these

listed here. There are enough things to discover to last you a lifetime, but hopefully these questions will get your mind jogging and itching to discover more.

Matthew 2:1-10

1. In verse 1, where do we learn that the wise men come from? Were they from Judah/Jerusalem? Why do you think it is sig-nificant to know that people who lived in other countries, faraway lands, received a witness of Christ's birth?

2. Why did the wise men come to Jerusalem? 3. Did Herod know where Christ was going to be born? Should he

have known? Why didn't he? 4. What was Herod's reaction to a "King of the Jews"? 5. Check the Joseph Smith Translation for Matthew 3:4-6 (in

the back of the Bible, after the Bible Dictionary). In verse 4, we get an insight on how Herod felt about the prophets. What does it say? What do you think that this means?

6. What can you learn from Herod? What can you do to both re-spect and believe their teachings?

7. What was special about the role of the "King" that was to be born in Bethlehem? Why do you think that this threat-ened, rather than comforted, Herod?

Matthew 2:11-15

1. When the wise men entered into the house of Christ, what did they do?


a. Notice this is not in a stable. What does the text signify of Christ's age?

2. When did the new star first appear? Had the wise men been able to get to Christ very quickly?

3. Imagine the journey of the wise men. They came from the east. What do you think their journey was like? How long do you think it might have taken? What do you think they thought about or felt as they journeyed to a foreign na-tion? What motivated them to embark on this journey?

4. How are you like the wise men? Whom do you seek during your mortal journey? What can you do to stay motivated and press forward to your goal of seeing Christ?

5. After seeing and worshipping Christ and presenting Him with gifts, what did the wise men do? Why didn't they return to Herod?

6. After the wise men left, what was Joseph instructed to do? 7. What do these two experiences teach us about how the Lord

communicates with people? What do they teach us about Christ?

Matthew 2:16-18

1. Why was Herod so mad when he noticed that the wise men nev-er returned?

2. What did Herod do out of anger? 3. Interestingly enough, Herod had intended to deceive the

wise men. When he told them to report the birth of the King back to them, do you think that he truly intended to wor-ship Him? Why do you think Herod wanted to see Christ?

4. In verse 16, what does the word "mocked" mean? Notice the footnote. How had Herod been deceived by the wise men? Was this truly a deception?

5. What was Herod's reaction to this supposed deception? 6. Have you ever been deceived? What was your response to such

deception? Do you think that an "angry" response is justi-fied? How does anger fit into having charity? (See Moroni 7:45.) You may desire to write in the margin, "charity is not easily provoked" in reference to the phrase "exceeding-ly wroth" in verse 16.

Matthew 2:19-23

1. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus stayed in Egypt for a time. What event occurred that enabled them to leave Egypt?

2. How did Joseph know to return to Israel? 3. Did he choose where and when to go? Who did? 4. Did Joseph obey the angel? 5. Why did they move to Nazareth? 6. Make sure to read the JST in the back for Matthew 2:24-26.

What do we learn about Christ in these verses?


The Atonement and your Personal Relationship with Christ 1. What do you think the relationship is between the wise

men's search for and then worshipping of Christ and the Atonement? What did the wise men already understand about Christ?


2. What is the relationship of Herod's edict—to kill all of the children of Israel—and the Atonement? Why was this ha-tred a necessary part of Christ's life and mission?

3. What is the relationship between the protection of Christ by holy messengers and the Atonement? What do we learn about Christ's power and the importance of His work, even while He was a young baby?

Compare and Contrast Comparing and contrasting is taking two objects or people and noting

their likenesses (compare) and differences (contrast). 1. As you study Matthew 2, notice the kings mentioned. a. Who are they? (Keep in mind, many people traditionally

think of the three wise men as kings.) 2. How are these five kings alike? 3. How are they different? 4. Discover their motives, purposes, ages, and desires. 5. What did the three kings understand about their King that

King Herod didn't recognize? 6. What do we learn from their examples?

Symbols The scriptures are rife with symbols—layers and layers of symbols.

There is one major symbol included in this chapter. 1. What is it? 2. Why was the star given as a sign? 3. How does it symbolize Christ? 4. You may want to write a note in the margin: Star—sign of

Christ's birth.


Remember, as you answer these questions, if you face a question that you can't figure out the answer to right away, use the resources you have in the scriptures to help you find the answer. Look at the footnotes to the verse. Look in the Bible Dictionary. Try to find an answer even if isn't plainly obvious.

Matthew 3:1-6

1. We are introduced to a new person in this chapter: John the Baptist. What is he doing?

2. How do these verses describe John the Baptist? 3. Where was John preaching? Why do you think he was outside

of the boundary of Jerusalem? 4. What did the people have to do before being baptized? How

does this relate to you especially if you have already been baptized?

Matthew 3:7-12

1. In verse 7, who comes to see John the Baptist? Why do you think that John calls them "generation of vipers"?

2. Notice footnote d for verse 7. Be sure to read the Joseph Smith Translation at the end of the Bible. In this excerpt


we learn a little bit more about the seemingly hostile re-action that John the Baptist has towards the Pharisees. What do you notice about the relationship between John the Baptist and the Pharisees in this?

3. To understand more about the Pharisees, look up the entry "Pharisees" in the Bible Dictionary. Why do you think that the Pharisees knew so much of the law—logically— and how to use it against people without really knowing the gospel in their hearts? How might you be susceptible to this behav-ior? How do you overcome it?

4. In verse 10, John is speaking symbolically. What do the trees represent? What is the good fruit (see verse 8 for some help)?

5. Is it enough to not bear any fruit at all? Is that better than bearing bad fruit? What is the requirement and conse-quence given in verse 10? Why do you think that we must bear fruit—good fruit?

6. In verses 11-12, who is John prophesying of? What will He do for those who have been baptized? Is this a literal bap-tism by fire? What does that phrase actually mean?

7. What do you think is the difference between being baptized with water and by fire?

Matthew 3:13-17

1. Jesus comes to be baptized by John. How does John react to this? Why do you think he has this reaction?

2. Christ explains why He needs to be baptized. What does He say? How does Christ's baptism fulfill all righteousness?

3. In what manner was Jesus baptized? (Be sure to also read the JST referenced in verse 15.) Why do you think that this matters?

4. Three members of the Godhead were present during Christ's baptism. Notice how.

5. How did Heavenly Father feel about His Son's choice to be baptized? Why do you think He felt this way? How do you think Heavenly Father feels when we choose to follow Christ into the waters of baptism, or when we choose to renew the covenants we have made?


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ 1. In verse 11-12, we learn that Christ will baptize us with

the Holy Ghost. We also learn that He will purge His wheat, and burn the chaff. What does this mean? How does it relate to the Atonement? How does Christ's Atonement sanctify those who choose to follow Him into the waters of baptism? How does His Atonement save the good and destroy the wick-ed?

2. In verses 13-17, Christ is baptized. How is this a part of the bigger picture of the Atonement that He will perform?

3. As you know, Christ was baptized even though He was holy. Think of your own baptism. Who made baptism possible for you? When you are baptized, you are then able to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. How has this Gift helped you in your life? How have the covenant of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost impacted your relationship with the Savior?


Cross-reference—Baptism of Christ Sometimes it is helpful to cross-reference the scriptures yourself. It

will help you to understand the scriptures on a deeper level. Cross-referencing also helps you to see that the scriptures work together. You can get a better picture of the principles of the gospel taught in the scrip-tures.

For the most part, we have been blessed with awesome tools in our

scriptures. We have footnotes, indices, and the Topical Guide. You can use these tools to find scriptures that cross-reference to what you are currently studying.

However, there are times when what you want isn't listed in the foot-

notes. Then, it is a good time to cross-reference the scriptures yourself. As I'm reading Matthew 3, I'm reminded of what Nephi taught about

Christ's baptism in 2 Nephi 31. I find that this is not footnoted directly in Matthew 3. So, I'm going to create a cross-reference for myself. I want to cross-reference this because it teaches me why Christ was baptized.

1. Go to 2 Nephi 31. Scan through the verses to see the scrip-tures that apply.

2. I have found that I'd like to include 2 Nephi 31:4-9. 3. In the margin of my scriptures, I will draw small arrow;

that signifies a cross-reference. Then I will write the reference: "2 Nephi 31:4-9." I will also write an explana-tory phrase: "Why Christ was baptized."

4. Go to 2 Nephi 31:4-9 and read it. 5. How does Nephi describe the Lamb of God in verse 5? Why is

this noteworthy, especially in regards to baptism? 6. Christ had no sin, yet He needed to be baptized to fulfill

all righteousness. Why do you think that this is so? Often, we think of baptism as "washing away our sins." However, this would not apply to Jesus. Why, then, was He baptized?

7. What came and descended on the Lord in the form of a dove? How is the Holy Ghost present in our own baptism?

8. The path leading to eternal life is often referred to as strait or narrow. How does Christ's baptism further support this idea?

9. How does studying 2 Nephi 31:4-9 help you to better under-stand the event of Christ's baptism?

10. If you want to have the scripture in 2 Nephi also refer to Matthew 3, then in the scriptures at 2 Nephi, draw an ar-row, write the reference: "Matthew 3:13-17." Then write an-other short explanatory phrase: "The baptism of Christ."

Now you have a cross-reference in your scriptures that is easily avail-able to you.

When you take the time to cross-reference your scriptures, you are

thinking about them. You are making connections. This can help you to better understand the scriptures and apply them into your life.

Fulfillment of Prophecy There are several scriptures that prophesy of John and of the baptism

of Jesus Christ. Find them. Some are directly quoted in this chapter. There are also many prophecies of John and Jesus' baptism in the Book of Mormon.


As you find these prophecies, write down what you learn. One such prophecy is included in Matthew 3:3. We can study it here.

1. Read Matthew 3:3. Who is being quoted in this scripture? Who is Esias?

2. What does the prophecy mean? How did John fulfill this prophecy?

3. Where did John spend most of his time teaching? 4. How did he prepare the way of the Lord? 5. Why do you think that the prophets prophesied of John? 6. Turn to Isaiah 40:3. You may want to read Isaiah 40:1-8.

Who does the Lord try to comfort here? How is He comforting Israel?

7. How do you think that the arrival of the Messiah would be a message of comfort?

8. Why do you think that it is important to know both the prophecies and fulfillment of prophecies?


Search and ponder the following questions as you study Matthew 4. You do not have to answer all of the questions, but do pause to truly think about what you are reading. Consider writing impressions in a scripture journal.

Matthew 4:1-11

1. Why did Jesus go into the wilderness? 2. Who guided Him into the wilderness? 3. Did anyone accompany the Savior into the wilderness? 4. Why do you think that the Savior's time to commune with God

needed to be a solitary experience? 5. The devil tempts Christ three times. How does the devil

tempt Christ? 6. What does Christ do to overcome Satan? 7. When Christ says, "It is written," to what is He referring?

Where is it written? What do we know about the Savior based on His ability to use scripture to overcome the temptations of the devil?

8. How can you use the power of the scriptures to overcome the temptations of Satan in your own life?

Matthew 4:12-17

1. When Jesus heard about John being in prison, what did he do (make sure to see the notation in the footnote for verse 11)?

2. Why did Christ go through Capernaum, in the borders of Zab-ulon?

3. What do you think the prophecy means: "The people which sat in darkness saw a great light..."? How does Christ fulfill this prophecy?

4. How does Christ bring light into your life? 5. What did Christ begin to preach from that time forward? Why

do you think that this message is so important? Matthew 4:18-22


1. When Christ called Peter and Andrew, were they preoccupied with something? Yet, how did they respond to Christ's call?

2. How did James and John respond to the call of Christ? 3. Why were Peter, Andrew, James and John fishing? Do you

think that it would have been easy for them to give up eve-rything for Christ's calling?

4. How can you follow the example of these disciples and straightway leave your net and follow Him?

Matthew 4:23-25

1. What did Christ then do? 2. Note: Christ did not begin His ministry until after He had

obtained the word of God. First He went into the wilderness and fasted to commune with God. This was after a lifetime of scriptural training. Why do you think that we learn of this experience when Christ communed with God? What do you think that it had to do with His ministry that followed? What kind of difference do you think such preparation made? How do you prepare for your callings and responsibilities?

3.


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ 1. What does Christ overcoming Satan while in the wilderness

have to do with the Atonement? 2. How does it make you feel to know that Christ has been

tempted? How does it make you feel to know that He also overcame? How does understanding Christ's experiences with Satan help you to know that Jesus truly can relate to you as you endure the temptations you face?

3. When Christ begins His ministry, does He do it alone? Why did He call Peter, Andrew, James and John (and eventually others) to help Him? Though the disciples of Christ do not atone for our sins, what is their role in Christ's Atone-ment? How can listening to the prophets help us to access the power of the Atonement? How can accepting callings help us to access the power of the Atonement?

Patterns At least two patterns emerge in this chapter. Patterns can be discov-

ered in two ways: repetition of a series of events (abcabcabcabc); or a meth-od that has a set of conditions and its outcome (such as the pattern you would use to make a dress).

In this chapter, look for two patterns. 1. The pattern that Christ uses to overcome the temptations of

the devil (see verses 1-11). 2. The pattern of revelation and temptation: Christ has a

spiritual experience, then His faith is tested. This is al-so like Moses (see Moses 1) who has a spiritual experience, is tempted of the devil, then when he overcomes this temp-tation, his faith is validated and testimony strengthened.

Consider marking your scriptures to show that there are patterns in this chapter. You may also consider marking your scriptures with a cross-reference to Moses who also has an experience with the Lord, then is tempted of Satan. We can study one of the patterns together now.


1. Read Matthew 4:1-11 and do the associated analysis and ap-plication questions. Remember to note the JST for these verses.

2. Why did Jesus go into the wilderness? 3. What do we learn that we need to do to "be with God" or

commune with Him? 4. The first step in this pattern is 1)Fasting and initial

revelation (found in verses 1-2). Christ fasts and is with God.

5. Have you ever fasted before? How did it strengthen your faith and testimony? Did this feeling last forever?

6. As Christ finishes His fast, what does He feel? 7. The next step in this pattern is 2) Back to our worldly re-

ality. We get hungry. We have to get back to life. This is what was happening with Christ. While communing with God is important, it is not our only obligation on this earth.

8. As the Lord "comes back" to this reality of physical hun-ger, what else is He subjected to?

9. The third step of the pattern is 3) Temptation. Not only do we notice that Christ is hungry, who else tries to capital-ize on this fact? Why do you think that Satan chose this time to tempt the Savior?

10. With what did Satan tempt Jesus? Was it wise temptation? 11. Why do you think that Satan tempts us according to our per-

sonal weaknesses or difficulties? How might understanding this fact help you to overcome temptation?

12. Does the Savior give into temptation? What does He do? 13. The fourth step of the pattern is 4)Using the power of the

gospel to overcome temptation. What specifically does the Savior do to put off the temptation with which He is faced?

14. How do you think that knowledge of the scriptures can em-power you to overcome the temptations you face?

15. You will see that the third and fourth steps of this pat-tern repeat themselves in this story of Christ. In fact, all of these steps often repeat themselves in our lives.

16. What usually happens when you overcome temptation and pass the "trial of your faith"? With the gained knowledge and testimony that accompanies such a trial of faith, does Sa-tan let up? How is the pattern perpetuated?

17. How can studying this pattern help to prepare you in times of trial and temptation?

Fulfillment of Prophecies Again in this chapter, we are taught of a fulfillment of prophecy. We

will study it together to understand its significance and fulfillment. 1. Find the scripture where it indicates Christ's action is a

fulfillment of what had been prophesied in Matthew 4:12-16. 2. Find the scripture that is the original prophecy. (Look to

the footnotes: Isaiah 9:1-2.) 3. Go to the original scripture and read it/study it with the

recognition that Christ did fulfill this prophecy. 4. What does the prophecy mean? 5. How did Christ fulfill it? 6. In this scripture, there is mention of darkness and light.

What is the darkness that we suffer without Christ? How does He bring us light? What is the significance of dark-ness versus light? How does Christ's shine on us in the land of the shadow of death?




Matthew 5:1-12

1. Where did Christ go before He began teaching His disciples? 2. What did the disciples do? How do we come unto Christ? 3. Think about the past few chapters we have read. What are

some of the things that have happened prior to Christ actu-ally teaching? Why do you think it was important that He was spiritually prepared before He began His ministry?

4. Jesus teaches His disciples the Sermon on the Mount. 5. What does "poor in spirit" mean? (Use the footnotes for

help). 6. Why do you think that the Sermon on the Mount is what

Christ teaches first? How does it compare to what the Jews have always believed?

7. As you read through these beatitudes, stop and ponder those that specifically stand out to you. Use your footnotes to gain added understanding. Remember to pray for more help if needed. Additionally, question yourself: Why did this stand out to me? How can I apply it in my life?

Matthew 5:13-16

1. What does Christ first compare the disciples to? 2. How are the disciples of Christ like the salt of the earth?

What are some things that we might do that cause us to "lose our savor"?

3. What does Christ then compare the disciples to? How do you contribute light?

4. How can you put your light on a candlestick rather than un-der a bushel? Do you think that everyone does this the same way? Make sure you are specific to yourself. Rather than compare yourself to what others do, contemplate what your own talents and testimony are and how you, specifically, can share them with others.

Matthew 5:17-20

1. What law did Christ come to fulfill? Who gave the law, originally?

2. What is the consequence if we break the law and then preach to others to do the same? What must we do to be saved in the kingdom of Heaven?

3. Why do you think that being saved in the kingdom of Heaven not only includes keeping the commandments but also teach-ing others to do the same? How do you share the gospel with others?

Matthew 5:21-26

1. What does this group of verses teach?


2. This is known as the higher law. Why do you think that Christ teaches that we should not only refrain from killing but that we should not even be angry with our brother?

3. What does the Savior teach that we must do (in regards to our relationships with others) before coming to Him? Are there brethren you need to forgive? How can forgiving those who have hurt you (or repenting to those you have hurt) help you when you come to Christ?

Matthew 5:27-32

1. What do we learn about adultery and pornography in this scripture block?

2. What do you think the Lord means when He says "if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out" (etc.)? Are we supposed to literally pluck out our eyes? What is this symbolic of? (Notice the JST to Matthew 5:30.)

3. How can you cast these sins away from yourself? Think of specific things that you may struggle with, and how to overcome them.

Matthew 5:33-37

1. What is the Lord instructing the people to do in these verses? For help, be sure to check the footnotes. Some of the phrases are idiomatic expressions.

2. Why is it important to watch what we say? Why do you think that Christ is teaching this principle?

3. What can you do to keep your speech more in line with what Christ has been teaching in this chapter?

Matthew 5:38-48

1. What does Christ teach we should do when we have been hurt or offended? How is this different than the Mosaic law that had been practiced?

2. Do you think that this is an actual change in law or did the Mosaic law also preach love and charity?

3. Why does Jesus teach us to love our enemies, bless them that curse us, do good to them that hate us, and pray for them which use us (see verse 45)?

4. How do you think that showing this kind of love makes us the "children of your Father which is in Heaven"?

5. Finally, Christ commands us to be perfect, even as the Fa-ther is perfect. What do you think He means by perfect? (See the footnotes for help.)

6. What is your personal perception of perfection? How does this differ from Christ's command?

7. How can you keep Christ's commandment and be perfect in the way He has instructed: complete, finished, fully developed? Do you think that this command will be completed in a day or week? What do you think that the Lord truly expects of you?


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ 1. Christ has officially begun His ministry here. His ministry

is a part of His purpose, His goals, and is the set up to His eventual Atonement. Keep this in mind as we study His


teachings. See if you can find how the Savior's teachings fit into the Atonement, plan of Salvation, and your life, personally.

2. Each thing Christ has taught in this chapter, He has mod-eled Himself. He is the Exemplar. You may consider studying some of these qualities and finding instances where Christ exemplifies them. For example: poor in spirit. Find a time when Christ was poor in spirit. How can you follow His be-havior in your own life?

3. Remember, everything Christ taught in this entire chapter was also modeled by Him. He was salt that never lost His savor. He never hid His light under a bushel. His thoughts, words, and deeds were all pure. And He was also working to-ward perfection. Study these qualities, how He exemplified them, and how you model them in your life, too.

The Beatitudes

1. The first twelve verses of Matthew five are often referred to as the Beatitudes. They are concise instructions on how we ought to be and the blessing associated with each quali-ty.

2. Make a list or a chart in your journal or on a separate piece of paper of each quality and the promised blessing. You may want to make a spreadsheet (on the computer), or you may want to render it artistically with doodles and im-ages. (Do something that interests you!)

3. As you study each quality, think of what it actually means. Consider writing it in your own words.

4. Additionally, study the associated blessing. Again, consid-er writing it in your own words so you are better able to understand what the blessing really means and recognize how it is a blessing.

5. As you study these, study the quality and blessing associ-ated with it in order. Study them together. Try to under-stand why Jesus would connect the two. Then move on to the next pairing.

6. When you are finished, you should have a nice visual expla-nation of the Beatitudes and a better understanding, too.

Connection and a Cross-reference—Thoughts, Words, and Deeds A connection is a series of related concepts often mentioned together

in the scriptures. In Matthew 5, we can find a connection that helps us in our path to discipleship. We will also study a cross-reference that will help us understand this connection.

1. First read and study Matthew 5, especially verses 21-32. Even though the Savior is giving pretty detailed instruc-tion here, try to think of His instruction on a broader level. What is He trying to teach His disciples?

2. Go to Mosiah 4:30. What is the instruction that King Benja-min gives in this verse? What does he warn us to watch?

3. Why do you think that King Benjamin gives this warning? 4. Now, think back on the scriptures in Matthew 5. How does

the instruction in Mosiah 4:30 relate to what Christ taught?

5. The connection between thoughts, words, and deeds is found prominently in the instructions that the Savior taught, even though He never says, "Watch your thoughts, words, and deeds." How does understanding this connection help you to


better understand what Christ is teaching in the Sermon on the Mount?

6. You may want to write in the margin of Matthew 5 the simple phrase: "Watch your thoughts, words, and deeds."

Cross-reference—Obtaining Perfection

1. The Sermon on the Mount was also preached to the Nephites in 3 Nephi 12. It may be helpful to do a comparison of the two sermons.

2. In Matthew 5, Jesus tells the people to be perfect, even as Heavenly Father is perfect. What does it say in 3 Nephi?

3. If you have done the Analysis and Application questions, then you have already begun to ponder what perfection is.

4. In regards to perfection, we have been taught how we can be perfected. Read Moroni 10:32-33. What do you learn about perfection through these two verses?

5. Do we achieve perfection on our own? How are we made per-fect?

6. How does understanding Moroni 10:32-33 help you to under-stand the charge given by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount?

7. Make a cross-reference in your scriptures. In the margin of Matthew 5:48, write the reference to Moroni 10:32-33. Also write, "obtaining perfection" or something similar.



Matthew 6:1-4

1. What is "doing alms"? 2. How does the Savior teach us to perform acts of righteous-

ness? 3. Why do you think that we should do these acts secretly, ra-

ther than with loud attention drawn to our good deeds? 4. What is a hypocrite? (Check in the footnotes for some

help?) Matthew 6:5-15

1. What is the Savior teaching us to do in these verses? 2. Why do you think that there is a prescription for proper

prayer? 3. What do we learn about prayer and God's omniscience in

verse 8?


4. If God already knows what we need before we even ask Him, then why should we pray? Shouldn't He just give us what we need without our asking? Why/why not?

5. Read the Bible Dictionary entry for "Prayer." What do you learn about prayer in this entry?

⁃ When considering this explanation, why is it crucial for us to pray and ask God for blessing, even when He already knows what we need?

6. What are the steps in the Lord's Prayer? Prior to this pay-er, the Lord gave instruction in verse 7. What was this in-struction?

7. Do you think that the Lord would have us give the Lord's Prayer as our only prayer, word for word? Why, then, did He give us the Lord's prayer? The Lord's Prayer is a "pattern for prayer." You may wish to write this in the margin of your scriptures.

Matthew 6:16-18

1. Notice how the Savior instructs us to fast. Why do you think that He is teaching us not to fast as the hypocrites do?

2. Why do you think that it is a problem to fast like a hypo-crite: with a "sad countenance and disfigured face"? What is the hypocrite trying to do?

3. How can you, instead, fast? 4. Is this an easy thing to do? What must we overcome in order

to fast effectively and in a way that brings joy to the Lord and blessings to us?

Matthew 6:19-23

1. How do we lay up for ourselves treasures on earth? Treas-ures in Heaven?

2. Why is it advisable to lay up treasures in Heaven? 3. What does the Savior mean when He says "if therefore thine

eye be single"? (See the JST for help.) 4. How can you develop and keep an eye of faith?

Matthew 6:24-34

1. What is mammon? 2. Why can't we serve both God and mammon? Have you had an ex-

perience in your life when you attempted to do so (probably unknowingly)? Did it work out for you?

3. What can you do to put off the world and instead more faithfully serve God?

4. Be sure to read the JST found in the back of the Bible. This will help with the transition from verse 24 to verse 25.

5. What does Christ say will happen to the apostles as they serve Him?

6. Why do you think that this is so? Why would people refuse to accept the Gospel that the apostles preached?

7. For the rest of the chapter, the Lord gives the apostles a charge to build His kingdom and not to worry about their sustenance or provision. Though we don't serve full-time (in the same way as apostles), this scripture block can still provide us a measure of direction. Does this mean that we should quit our jobs and just walk around preaching the gospel?


⁃ Yet, as you serve the Lord in your calling (imagine that you have a calling that is quite demanding of your time), do you worry about the things that you are not doing, ei-ther at home or at work? Do you worry about what, in your life, is not being done as you fulfill your duties to build the kingdom of God?

8. How can understanding the Lord's charge: "Take no thought for your life..." help you to better serve your family, your Home and Visiting Teachers, and in your call-ings/church assignments?

9. What does the Lord teach us to seek first? What is the blessing that the Lord promises as we seek His kingdom? How can you seek His kingdom?


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ 1. In Matthew 6, Christ is still teaching the Sermon on the

Mount that began in chapter 5. Specifically, He is speaking to His apostles and servants in the church. His teachings—His ministry—are a part of His primary purpose and are the set up to His eventual Atonement. See if you can find how the Savior's teachings in this chapter fit into the work of the Atonement, the Plan of Salvation, and your life, per-sonally.

2. In this chapter, we have examples of how not to do and how to do certain things. What are these things? What does Christ teach about them? Can you think of times when Christ models the way to do what He is teaching? How does His ex-ample help you to better understand Christ and your rela-tionship with Him? How does understanding the way He serves, fasts, and prays help you to gain insight on the act of the Atonement?

3. Think of the last major section of this chapter ("Take no thought for your own life..." in verse 25). How did Christ exemplify this? How does the Atonement help us "not to take thought of our own lives"? Is there anything we can do to work out our salvation on our own? What do we rely on in order to receive salvation? How can you apply His example in your own life?

Pattern In this chapter, the Lord gives us a pattern—or a set of directions

(think of a dress pattern, or similar)—for prayer. 1. Read Matthew 6:9-13. Study the corresponding Analysis and

Application questions. 2. Step One—Opening the prayer

a. How should we open our prayers? b. Notice the footnote for "hallowed." What does it mean? c. How do you think that addressing the Father in this way

helps to set the tone for our prayer? d. Consider the prayers that you give. How do you address

Heavenly Father? Are you mindful of His Holy and sancti-fied nature? How can being mindful of Heavenly Father im-prove our prayers?

3. Step Two—Pray with God's will in mind a. In verse 10, what does Christ teach us to pray for?


b. Why do you think that we need to pray that God's will be done?

c. Why should we pray for His kingdom to come? d. What kind of difference does praying for God's will make

to our prayers? 4. Step Three—Ask for blessings

a. Even though we begin our prayer asking that God's will be done, does this mean that we ignore our own desires or needs?

b. According to verse 11, what should we ask for? c. What do you think that this verse could possibly mean? Do

you think that we should only ask for our barest necessi-ties?

d. In this verse, we ask for our daily bread. What does this imply about the frequency in which we'd be praying to Heavenly Father?

5. Step Four—Ask for forgiveness with a forgiving heart a. After we ask for our own needs, what should our prayers

also consist of? b. When we ask for forgiveness, what should be the state of

our hearts? c. Why do you think that asking for forgiveness takes such an

important place in our prayers? 6. Step Five—Ask for the guidance of the Spirit

a. What is the verbiage that Jesus uses in verse 13? b. How do you think that prayer can help us to have the power

to overcome temptation and sin? c. What has Heavenly Father blessed us with that will help us

to overcome temptation and evil? Who will protect us from the influence of the devil, if we choose to live worthily?

d. Why do you think that prayer is a necessary step in invit-ing the Spirit into our lives?

7. Step Six—Be humble a. Finally, teaches us to acknowledge God's kingdom, power,

and glory. Why do you think that this kind of acknowledge-ment is a key ingredient in prayer?

b. What can you do to be more mindful of God's kingdom, pow-er, and glory?

8. Take a moment to review all of these steps. How do you think that your prayers might benefit from this pattern? Are there areas where you are weak? What can you do to strengthen your prayers?

Scripture Chain One of the most exciting things about the scriptures is how they are

all interrelated. Often, we come across a scripture and think, "This reminds me of...[another scripture]." Well, take the time to mark a scripture chain, right there in your scriptures, so you will always have these connections at your fingertips.

In Matthew 6, there is a scripture chain dealing with the concept of an

"eye of faith." Let's work it through together. 1. Begin by marking Matthew 6:22. In your margin, cross-

reference it with Doctrine and Covenants 88:68. You might also want to write "eye of faith."


2. Read Matthew 6:22. What does this scripture have to do with having an "eye of faith"? What is the benefit of having our eye single to the Lord?

3. Now go read and mark Doctrine and Covenants 88:68. 4. How is this verse similar to the scripture found in Mat-

thew? What are we advised to do? What is the benefit of having a vision of God, or an eye of faith?

5. In the margin, connect this scripture to the next one in our chain by referring it to Acts 7:55. Write "eye of faith" to help you remember the theme of this scripture chain.

6. Turn to Acts 7:55 then mark and read. 7. Figure out the context of this verse. Who is the person in

this verse? What is he doing? As he looks steadfastly into heaven, what does he see? Even though this is physically happening to Stephen, do you think that there is a message that we can learn from it about having an "eye of faith"? Do you think that this is the first time that Stephen "looked steadfastly into heaven"? Or do you think that he has done this his entire life? How do you "look steadfastly into heaven"?

8. In the margin, write down the next reference, Doctrine and Covenants 101:38, with the appropriate descriptor: "eye of faith."

9. Turn to Doctrine and Covenants 101:38. Mark and read it. 10. What are we taught to do here? As we seek the Lord, what

will we later possess? 11. In the margin, write down the last reference, Alma 36:22.

Also write "eye of faith." 12. Go to Alma 36:22; mark and read it. 13. Be sure to take a second to understand the context of this

scripture. What is Alma telling his son about? (Look to the scripture heading, or throughout the chapter.) After Alma repents of his sins, what does he see (in verse 22)? What did his soul long for? This implies that he could see the vision of heaven, but he wasn't there. In verse 23, what happens right after Alma glimpses this vision of heaven? As you think of Alma's life, how do you think that this vision of heaven affected his eye of faith and impacted his deci-sions to serve God? Later, in verse 28, we learn, "And I know that he will raise me up at the last day, to dwell with him in glory; yea, and I will praise him forever..." How does this remind you of the vision he had in verse 22? How does having an eye of faith help us to obtain our de-sires?

14. Finally, in the margin, write the cross-reference back to our first scripture, Matthew 6:22. Also write "eye of faith."

15. How has linking these scriptures together helped to bring more understanding to the verse in Matthew?

Cross-reference While a scripture chain and cross-reference are related, they differ in

that a cross-reference is only between two scriptures, while a scripture chain links three or more scriptures.


When I mark cross-references in my scriptures, I use a pencil. That

way, if there is a time when I notice a third scripture relating to the two, I can easily add it and then have a scripture chain.

Another thing you will notice: if you have the scriptures printed by

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, then you already have exten-sive footnotes and cross-references. I only write in my own cross-references when they can't be found in the footnotes.

In Matthew 6:33, I am reminded of another scripture, and I don't want

to forget the connection. If you want, you can write in and study the cross-reference.

1. Mark and read Matthew 6:33. 2. What do we learn in this scripture? Why do you think that

the Lord wants us to first seek His kingdom? What is the promise given to those who first seek His kingdom? How do we seek to build God's kingdom?

3. In the margin, write the cross-reference, Jacob 2:18-19. You may also want to write a little quote to remind you of the theme of this cross-reference. I've written "seek the kingdom of God"

4. Go to Jacob 2:18-19. Read and mark this scripture. 5. Here, what do we learn from Jacob about seeking for riches

and the kingdom of God? Is there a better order to things? How do you think that we make these choices in our lives, especially in respect to jobs, education, missions, etc.? After we obtain a hope in Christ, and begin to build the kingdom, why will we then seek riches? Have you seen this in your life? What can you do to multiply the blessings that you have been given—and share them with others?

6. In the margins, write the return scripture so that Jacob 2:18-19 will refer back to Matthew 6:33. Again, you will want to write a phrase that describes the theme so you will remember the purpose of the cross-reference later.

7.



Matthew 7:1-5

1. Here the Savior teaches us not to judge. Why shouldn't we judge? What does this mean, exactly?

2. Make sure that you check the Joseph Smith Translation for verses 1 and 3. How does this clarify your concept of judg-ment?

3. Are there times when you must judge? How do you think that you can judge righteously (vs. unrighteously)?


4. When we are judging unrighteously, it is often because we don't see the situation clearly. Why is this? How do we pull the beam out of our own eyes?

Matthew 7:6

1. Again, for this verse, make sure to read the Joseph Smith Translation.

2. What were the disciples told to do in this verse (make sure you refer to the JST)?

3. Yet, Christ teaches them that in preaching the gospel and preaching repentance, they don't have to teach all of the mysteries of the kingdom; they shouldn't cast their "pearls before swine." What do you think that this phrase means (keep in mind, swine were considered to be unclean ani-mals)?

4. Why do you think that it is important for us to have this warning?

Matthew 7:7-12

1. What does Jesus tell us to do? Have you heard this before? Why do you think that he basically implores us to ask, seek, and knock?

2. Remember, there is a JST footnote here, and Christ is actu-ally instructing the disciples to tell those they teach to ask, seek, and knock. Do you think that our prophets and apostles have a similar charge today?

3. What will happen when we ask, seek, and knock? 4. Why do you think that some of us don't do this? 5. The Lord will truly answer our prayers and our genuine

questions. Here He gives examples of fathers with their own sons. How do these examples illustrate what our Heavenly Father is willing to give us?

Matthew 7:13-14

1. Where is Christ telling us to enter? 2. Is strait the same as straight? What does strait mean? 3. Where does the strait and narrow gate lead? The wide and

broad gate? Why do you think this is so? Matthew 7:15-20

1. Whom does Christ warn us of? 2. How can we discern between a true prophet and false one? 3. What will happen to the tree that does not bring forth good

fruit? Do you want to partake of this kind of fruit? Why not?

4. Why do you think that false prophets can appear so appeal-ing, when, if we truly looked, we would see that they bore evil fruit?

5. How do you think that you can fine-tune your discerning eye?

Matthew 7:21-23

1. What must we do in order to enter into the gate of heaven? 2. What do you think is meant by the first phrase in this

scripture block, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven"?


3. Why do you think that the Lord says He never knew those who supposedly prophesied in His name and cast out devils in His name?

4. What can we do to ensure that Christ does indeed know us and that we know Him?

Matthew 7:24-29

1. The Lord now gives us a little story to illustrate what will happen when we apply the teachings that He has given us for the last three chapters. What story does he tell?

2. Where does the wise man build? The foolish man? 3. What will happen to us if we aren't wise in following the

teachings of the Savior? 4. After Jesus was finished teaching, what was the reaction of

the people? Why do you think that they were astonished? What was the authority He had that the scribes and Phari-sees didn't have?


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ 1. In this chapter, Jesus is wrapping up the Sermon on the

Mount. You have been studying the Sermon on the Mount for the last three chapters. Why did Jesus give the Sermon on the Mount?

2. How does this sermon help to fulfill the mission of the Savior: His Atonement for us?

3. In this chapter, we are taught to ask, seek, and knock. Think of what this truly means as far as your personal re-lationship with the Savior is concerned. What kind of rela-tionship do you think that He wants to have with you? How do you think that you can better "ask, seek, and knock"?

4. At the end of this chapter, we find that the disciples were astonished at Christ's teachings. Why? What is the authori-ty that Christ has? How do you think His priesthood author-ity plays into his entire life including the Atonement that He will perform later? How does His priesthood authority play into your life and your relationship with Him? Why is it important for Christ to have this authority?

Cross-reference As this chapter opens, we are taught to judge righteously. You will

find that later in the chapter, we are given a way to judge—especially to know false prophets.

This entire block is reminiscent of another scripture where we are

taught how to judge. It may be helpful to cross reference the two. 1. In the margins of your scriptures near Matthew 7:1, write

the cross-reference: "Moroni 7:10-19—judging righteously." 2. Go to Moroni 7:10-19. Read through this scripture block.

What does it teach you about judging? What role does being able to judge, or discern, between right and wrong, truth and error play, in our lives? Why is it good to know how to discern?

3. How is judging righteously, or discernment, different than "judging" a person unfairly? How can you make sure you stay conscientious of the difference and refrain from making un-


righteous judgments while still exercising your ability to discern in a righteous way?

4. In the margin of Moroni 7:10-19, refer back to your origi-nal scripture by writing, "Matthew 7:1—judging righteously" in your scriptures.

Symbols At the end of the chapter, Jesus compares those who listen to His word

to wise men and those who don't to foolish men. Here, He uses symbols to il-lustrate an abstract concept with concrete images.

1. Read Matthew 7:24-29. As you read, make a list of the ob-jects and/or actions in this little "lesson" Christ gives. (Including wise man, house, rock, rain, etc.)

2. As you go through each symbol, try to figure out what each could possibly represent. Find examples in the scriptures to support your conclusions.

3. We will work on this together. 4. Create the list of objects/actions:

a. Wise man b. Built c. House d. Rock e. Rain/floods/wind f. Descended/came/beat g. Fell not h. Foolish man i. Fell

5. Now, take a moment to ponder each element to see what they could possibly symbolize.

a. Wise man: those who listen and do as the Lord teaches b. Built: our actions c. House: the result of our actions d. Rock: the Savior and His gospel, steady e. Rain/Floods/Wind: adversity. It strikes both the wise

and foolish man it is no respecter of persons. f. Descended/Came/Beat: the strength and scope of the ad-

versity being faced. It wasn't a little drizzle or breeze—the rains, floods, and winds were difficult. They seem relentless.

g. Fell not: the house, built by the wise man, remained firm even after going through intense trial

6. Continue in this manner with all of the symbols. Think of what they mean for the story. Think of how they may apply to your life.

7. Now, go through all of these symbols one last time, and see if you can see how they are a larger symbol—one that re-peats in the scriptures. There are times when we see the same symbols over and over in the scriptures. See if you can find other examples of a rock symbolizing Christ; or how the rains/floods/winds symbolize adversity. See if you can find another "fall" or "great fall." We will do a few together to get you started.

a. Wise man: When I think of "wise men" in the scriptures, there are many examples but one I'm thinking of right now are the wise men at Christ's birth. It may be worth looking at their examples to see why they are described as wise.


i. The wise men in the birth story of Christ: they knew astronomy. Obviously they were familiar with the celestial landscape. I doubt that they would have recognized a new star if they weren't already very educated on the night sky.

ii. Not only did they know astronomy but they knew the prophecies of God. They knew that a new star would appear when the Savior was born. They exhibited both spiritual and secular wisdom.

iii. Even though they were regarded as wise men, they were also humble, and searched out Christ to wor-ship Him.

iv. Obviously, they were of some kind of social stand-ing, as demonstrated by Herod's willingness to meet with them. Herod seems impressed by them. I don't think that being rich is necessarily an indication of being "wise," but we learn that despite their social standing, they weren't so proud to forget their relationship to Christ. This is what made them wise, I suppose, that they remained humble even when rich.

v. They listened to the voice of the Lord. Even though they had told Herod they would return to him and report the whereabouts of this newborn king, they were wise enough to follow the Spirit rather than fear someone with great secular power.

vi. So, what does a "wise man" symbolize? It isn't much of a stretch here. he symbolizes one who trusts God, who has great knowledge of the world around him and great knowledge of the gospel. A wise man listens to and obeys the Spirit. A wise man will not be sidetracked by his own temporal successes (if he has them), but instead will remain loyal and humble to God.

b. One more example...Built. Now, this one is a little harder to find examples of in the scriptures. I feel like it symbolizes our actions, that everything we are doing is creating something—our "houses." When I think of people that build in the scriptures, I think of work, time, dedication. I think of Nephi building a boat, or Noah building an ark.

c. Since I'm having a tough time with thinking of a good obvious choice, I will look in the Topical Guide, under "Build." As I scan through the Topical Guide, I'm get-ting a good sense of what it means to build. Often, it means to physically build something, like the temple. The Lord directs the people how to build. There is one scripture/phrase that especially stands out to me and I want to look it up to see if it will help: 1 Corinthi-ans 3:10.

d. As I read the scripture in 1 Corinthians, I like what I read here: "...But let ever man take heed how he buildeth thereupon." A few verses later, Paul contin-ues, "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." We are working; we are building. We need to build carefully. The Lord has given us instructions


on how to build. He has given us plans on how to live our best lives.

e. Additionally, we can think of not building. If we choose not to build, then we will have no protection from the rain or floods. There are people who do not work. People who fritter their hours away surfing the net, watching T.V., or playing video games. While they aren't doing something horrible, they are not doing an-ything at all. The ramifications are dire.

f. Finally, we could be building something of poor quali-ty. It doesn't do any good for us to build a home using our own ideas—instead of following the counsel of God, the "master" builder. He knows what we will face. If we build something of poor quality, then we inhabit a space that is poor quality.

g. As we think of this concept of building we learn a les-son: that we need to hear and do, and do a good job, too. Even though there may not be many scriptural, sym-bolic examples of building, we can use resources like the Topical Guide, and our brains to ponder and figure out how building plays into this story and is symbolic of something bigger.

8. Continue with the rest of the symbols. Find examples in the scriptures and apply them to your own life. Make cross-references in Matthew (to new scriptures you find, if ap-plicable) if you wish to easily remember what you have learned.

9. Find the joy of the symbols in the scriptures!



Matthew 8:1-4

1. When Christ finishes up the Sermon on the Mount, He came down from the mountain. Who else came with Him?

2. A leper approached Christ. What, exactly, is a leper? What are the conditions of life for a leper (especially during those times)? Look to the Bible Dictionary for help.

3. What did the leper do as he approached Christ? Did Christ heal him? Why do you think that Christ healed him?

4. After healing the leper, what did the Savior tell the leper to do? Why do you think that He did this?

Matthew 8:5-13

1. After healing the leper, where did Jesus go? 2. When Jesus arrives in Capernaum, who approaches Him? What

is a centurion? 3. What did the centurion ask? Was the person to be healed

with the centurion?


4. The Lord agrees to heal the centurion's servant—at the cen-turion's home. How does the Centurion respond to the Sav-ior's offer?

5. How does the centurion's response show great faith in the power of the Lord? Do you think that even though the centu-rion is a powerful man, he senses his powerlessness in com-parison to the Savior? Does the centurion seem humble? Why is this noteworthy?

6. Think of your own life...if you are using this study guide, you probably have a computer and many other luxuries in your life. How do you think that these luxuries we enjoy can affect our faith towards the Savior? How do you learn to overcome the temptation to forget God in times of wealth and prosperity?

7. What is Jesus' response to the centurion's admission? 8. In verse 11, who are the people coming from the east and

west? Would they be people numbered in the house of Israel? Yet, whom will they sit with? Where? What does this suggest about faith? Are the blessings of the gospel exclusively for those who are members of the house of Israel?

9. In verse 12, we learn what will happen to the children of the kingdom. Who are the children of the kingdom? Where will they be cast? Why do you think that the Lord is saying this?

10. If the blessings of the gospel—heaven and eternal life—are not qualified by being born a member of the house of Isra-el, then how do we qualify for the blessings of heaven?

11. Why do you think that the Lord would have made this state-ment about those who are not members of the house of Israel and those who are, while in the middle of this conversation with the centurion?

12. Finally, what does the Lord tell the centurion? Did Jesus heal the centurion's servant? How do you think it was pos-sible, being so far away? What does this show about the centurion's faith and Christ's power? Why do you think that the Lord chose to heal the centurion's servant?

Matthew 8:14-15

1. Now, where is Christ? Whom did He see sick? 2. What did the Savior do? What do you think motivated Him to

heal her? 3. What did she do when she had been healed? What do you think

that it means, to "minister unto them"? 4. How do you respond to miracles that you've experienced in

your life? Do you quickly forget and move on with life? Do you minister those whom have served you? What can you learn from the tender example of Peter's mother-in-law?

5. Did anyone specifically ask Christ to heal in this experi-ence? Why do you think that He did? What does Peter's moth-er-in-law's healing show about her faith and the faith of her loved ones?

Matthew 8:16-17

1. That evening, who was brought to the Savior? 2. How did Christ heal them? 3. How many did He heal? 4. Why did Christ heal?


Matthew 8:18-22 1. In this group of verses, Christ has two experiences with

people who claim to want to follow Him. 2. The first exchange happens between Christ and a scribe.

What does the scribe tell the Lord? 3. What is the Lord's response? 4. Why do you think that the Lord tells this to the scribe? If

the scribe is truly ready to follow Christ, then where will the scribe be going? What does this imply about following Christ? Is it easy? Difficult?

5. Another disciple then came to the Lord, why? 6. What was Jesus' response to the disciple who wanted to bury

his father? 7. Why do you think that Jesus said this? What do you think

that this really means? 8. Is following Christ something that we can do later, put off

until tomorrow? 9. What do we learn from these two exchanges about the nature

of following Christ? 10. Assess your own discipleship in following Christ. Are you

ready to follow Him—even to places that may be difficult and lonely? Have you already? Why do you think that disci-pleship is sometimes a difficult and lonely path? As far as your commitment to Christ, are you ready now? Is this an immediate and urgent charge, or are there other things that are causing you to procrastinate your devotion to the Sav-ior?

Matthew 8:23-27

1. Now, where did the Savior and His disciples go? 2. While on the ship, what began to happen? What was the Sav-

ior doing? How did the disciples eventually react? 3. When they woke up the Savior, what did the Savior say? Why

do you think that He rebuked them for a lack of faith? How were they not showing faith in this situation?

4. In your own life, when you are experiencing difficulties, when the tempest seems to be raging, when you with the Lord (as the disciples were) and He seems to be "sleeping" do you think that this means He will let you perish? How is the Lord present in our lives and aware of our difficulties even if it seems like He is "sleeping"?

5. After the Lord calmed the seas, how did the disciples re-act? Do you think that they truly understood whom they were with?

Matthew 8:28-34

1. At the beginning of the chapter, we know that the Lord was in Capernaum, which is on the western bank of the Sea of Galilee. The Lord eventually boarded his ship, and sailed across this sea, finally landing on another side in the country of the Gergesenes. Where is the country of the Gergesenes? Trick question! It doesn't appear in our Bible Maps. You can use Wikipedia if your curiosity is killing you. We don't currently know the exact location of the country of the Gergesenes, but we can deduce that it was somewhere on the eastern banks of the Sea of Galilee. It is also helpful to know that several of the cities on the


eastern side of the Sea of Galilee were heavily influenced by Greek culture.

2. Who approached the Savior here? 3. Did the devils recognize the Savior? Why do you think that

this is mentioned? What might be the significance in this? 4. What the devils that had been cast out request from the

Savior? 5. When the Savior cast these devils into the herd of swine,

what happened to the herd of swine? 6. We will read more about this particular healing in a later

gospel. For now, though, what was the response of the peo-ple in this city when Christ performed this miracle? Why do you think that they reacted this way?

7. What does this experience teach us about the power of the devil? Does the devil have power? Why do you think that it is important to know and appreciate the power of the devil and his overwhelming desire to destroy us? How does the power of Satan compare to the power of the Savior?


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ 1. Read Matthew 8:23-27 and do the corresponding analysis and

application questions. 2. Why do you think that the disciples were so afraid? Should

they have been afraid? Why or why not? 3. Consider whom they were with; even though Christ was sleep-

ing, does this diminish His nature—the fact that He is the very Son of God?

4. Why were the disciples afraid? Yet, Christ was on the boat, He was sleeping, and the waves and storm were brewing. What else does this teach us about Christ He allows to happen in our lives?

5. How does this experience teach us more about Christ and His Atonement?

6. Even when Christ is with us, will He always protect us from difficulty? Yet, do you think that He will let us be de-stroyed?

7. If the disciples on the boat truly understood Christ and His power, what do you think that they would have done in-stead when the storm began?

8. How can developing your relationship with the Savior help you to have more faith during trials, rather than be like the disciples—worried, fearful, and "waking Him up" as if He is unaware?

Miracles While studying the New Testament, you will come across many miracles

performed by Christ. You might be interested in doing a comprehensive study of these miracles. You can find instructions on how to do this in the Appen-dix.

• Christ heals a leper—Matthew 8:1-4. • Jesus heals centurion's servant—Matthew 8:5-13 • Christ heals Peter's mother-in-law—Matthew 8:14-15 • Christ heals many in the evening—Matthew 8:16-17 • Jesus calms the sea—Matthew 8:23-27


• Christ heals man afflicted with "legion" of devils—Matthew 8:28-33

We will study one of these miracles together. 1. Read Matthew 8:1-4. Consider the corresponding Analysis and

Application questions. 2. What is the miracle that Christ performs? 3. Who makes this request of Christ? What, exactly does he say

to the Savior? How would you describe the general tone of this request?

4. As you consider this request, think of what is required on the part of the leper. Does the leper demand Christ perform the miracle? Does the leper seem to believe that Christ is capable of making him whole?

5. Notice the word that the leper uses: clean. What do you think that the cleansing power of Christ has to do with physical healing?

6. How does Christ respond to the leper's request? 7. How does Jesus perform this miracle? 8. What is noteworthy about this miracle? Think of leprosy; it

was a contagious disease and lepers were usually banished from normal society. Why do you think that Christ touched the leper? What do we learn about Christ from how He per-formed this miracle?

9. After healing the leper, what special instruction does Christ give? Why do you think that the Savior wanted the leper to go to the priest and give the appropriate offer-ing? What does this teach us about Christ's respect for the covenants?

10. What do we learn about Christ in this miracle? How can we learn from the example of the leper?

Symbols In Matthew 8, we find some symbols. These symbols are not as obvious as

those found in the parables. Nevertheless, we can find some! Let's analyze a few together.

1. Read through the account of Christ's healing of the leper

in Matthew 8:1-4. Can you find the symbols here? (This may seem like a stretch, but they are here!)

2. Leper/Leprosy—Though the leper in this story is truly a leper, the idea of lepers and leprosy has spiritual symbol-ism throughout the scriptures. What is a leper? What is leprosy? (Use the Bible Dictionary to help you understand this concept.) How can this be symbolic of something else—especially something spiritual?

3. Clean/Cleansed—What, specifically, does the leper ask Christ to do? Why do you think he asked to be cleansed ra-ther than healed? What can the cleansing of leprosy be com-pared to—or symbolic of—on a bigger, more spiritual level?




Matthew 9:1-8

1. Where is Jesus as this chapter opens? 2. Who is brought to Jesus? What is palsy? 3. What did Jesus see that motivated Him to heal the man with

palsy? 4. Was it the faith of the man with the palsy that Christ saw,

or was it the faith of those who brought the man in? 5. How do you think that knowing that our faith can heal our

loved ones helps to motivate you in praying for others? Is there power in our faith even when it isn't for ourselves?

6. What did Christ then say, in verse 2, to the man with the palsy? Why do you think that He told the man that his sins were forgiven him?

7. What did the scribes think when Jesus openly forgave this man?

8. Christ discerned their thoughts. How do you think that this was possible?

9. What did Jesus then say to the scribes? What does Christ have the power to do, as shown in this miracle?

10. What do you think the connection is between physical heal-ing and the forgiveness of sins?

Matthew 9:9

1. Who does the Savior see? Where is Matthew? 2. What is the "receipt of custom" (be sure to check the foot-

notes)? 3. From the context of this verse, what do you think that Mat-

thew's occupation is? Do you think that this would have been a popular occupation? Remember, Israel was under Roman rule, so they weren't paying taxes to their own country but to another governing body.

4. What does Matthew do? 5. How can we choose to follow Christ?

Matthew 9:10-13

1. Jesus goes to eat at a house. Who else came and sat down with Him?

2. What was the response of the Pharisees when they saw that Christ ate with the publicans and sinners?

3. Why does the Lord spend so much time with the publicans and sinners?

4. Consider the "publicans and sinners." In verse 10, we learn that they came and sat with Christ. Why do you think it is important to know that they came to Christ? What does com-ing to Christ show about their hearts, despite the fact that they are sinners?

Matthew 9:14-17

1. In verse 14, who comes to Christ with a question? Which John does this scripture refer to?

2. What question did John's disciples have? 3. Why didn't Christ and His disciples not fast often? 4. Did this mean that the disciples of Christ would never

fast?


5. Who is the bridegroom? 6. Remember to look at the Joseph Smith Translation in the

back of the Bible. Why wouldn't Christ receive the Phari-sees with his baptism?

7. The Pharisees proclaim to be keeping the law. Yet, Christ doesn't seem to accept it. Why? What would they have recog-nized if they had truly understood the law of the Moses?

8. The Law of Moses was the old law; Christ offered a new cov-enant. He illustrates this with a metaphor. What does He say (verse 17)? How does this comparison help us to under-stand how we should treat the new covenant that Christ has offered? Does it fit neatly into the Law of Moses? Yet it is not completely different. Both are "wine." Why do we need to understand that Christ came with a new covenant—a new, higher law?

Matthew 9:18-26

1. While teaching the Pharisees, who came along? What did he request of Christ?

2. What did Jesus do? 3. While He was walking to the ruler's house, what happened? 4. Why did the woman touch the Savior's hem? 5. What did He say when He saw her? Why was she healed? 6. Jesus continues on to the home of the "certain ruler." What

does He say when He arrives at the home? 7. When Christ went into the home, what happened with the

girl? Was she dead? What were the implications of this healing? We will study this miracle more in later Gospels.

Matthew 9:27-31

1. After departing the ruler's home and healing the girl, who approached the Savior?

2. What significance does the title, "Thou Son of David," im-ply?

3. What did the blind men request of the Savior? Did He heal them immediately? What did He ask before He healed them?

4. Why were they healed? 5. After their eyes were opened, what warning did the Savior

give? Did they listen? 6. Why do you think that the Savior didn't want anyone to know

of their healing? Matthew 9:32-35

1. When Christ went out, who was brought to Him? 2. What do the scriptures mean by "dumb man"? Was this the on-

ly known problem with the man? 3. What did Christ do? What happened after the devil was cast

out? 4. How did the Pharisees think Jesus got the power to cast out

devils? 5. What else did Jesus do? As you think about this, what do

you learn about Jesus? How does He feel about us? From the single verse Matthew 9:35, what kind of man do we learn that Jesus is?

Matthew 9:36-38

1. How did Christ feel when He saw the multitudes in all of their cities and villages?


2. These people were described as sheep—scattered. What did they need?

3. What do you think that Christ means in verse 37? What is the harvest? What is being harvested? Who are the laborers?

4. In verse 38, what does the Savior prompt the disciples to pray for? Why is it important to pray for the building up of Zion? Do we do this now?

5. Who are the laborers in Christ's vineyard—now, in our day? How have we have seen, the Lord send forth more laborers in His kingdom? What can we do to help support the Lord in building His kingdom and "harvesting" the souls who are ready for the gospel?

6.


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ In Matthew 9, we read about more experiences with Christ healing people

and performing miracles. As you read the chapter this time, consider those who have been healed and how their afflictions and healing can help us to un-derstand more of the Atonement. We will read one part together and see how it helps us to better understand the Atonement.

1. Read the miracle recorded in Matthew 9:1-8. 2. When this paralyzed man is brought to the Savior, who is

expressing faith in Christ's ability to save? 3. What does the Lord then say to the man with palsy? Does he

simply heal Him? Why do you think that He tells the man to "be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven of thee." What does this have to do with healing?

4. Think of Christ saying this to you. Do you suffer from something from which you may need healing? How might this be achieved by being forgiven of your sins?

5. Of course, not everything we must be healed from comes from our own sins. Somehow, this man's healing came through for-giveness. I'm not sure why. What do we know about the cau-sation of the man's palsy? Do you think that there are times we can suffer physical limitations—such as paralysis—based on bad decisions we have made? Can our bad choices lead to physical harm? How can repentance and forgiveness lead to healing if this is the case?

6. Another thing to consider: perhaps this man's palsy came from natural, unavoidable causes. If you had experienced an accident that caused you to be paralyzed, how might you re-act? Would you be patient and trust in the Lord despite your circumstances? Do you murmur because of your adversi-ties, forgetting that even your trials are gifts? If so, how might a bitter heart affect your ability to be healed? What needs to be in order before healing can occur?

7. What happened to this man with palsy? Was he able to walk? What does this teach us about Christ's power and mercy?

Miracles If you are looking to do a study of the miracles of Christ, find the

directions on how to do it in the Appendix. In Matthew 9, we can find the following miracles:

• Jesus heals man with palsy—Matthew 9:2-8. • Christ heals Jairus's daughter—Matthew 9:18-19, 23-25


• Christ heals woman with an issue of blood—Matthew 9:20-22 • Christ heals two blind men—Matthew 9:27-31 • Christ heals a dumb man with a devil—Matthew 9:32-33 1.

Symbols In Matthew 9:14-17, The Lord seems to speak rather cryptically. He is

using many symbols in these verses that appear pretty regularly throughout the scriptures. See if you can scan through this block, and identify what the symbols are and what they symbolize.

1. Read Matthew 9:14-17. Complete corresponding analysis and application questions.

2. Notice the first symbol: Children of the Bridechamber: This is the first symbol or comparison.

3. Who are these people? To whom does Christ refer? 4. Why are they "children of the Bridechamber"? 5. Notice the next symbol: The Bridegroom: Who is the bride-

groom? Why is He considered to be the bridegroom? To whom is He wed?

6. How does understanding the bridegroom and His wife help us to understand the "children of the bridechamber"?

7. Why do you think that the Lord refers to himself as the Bridegroom, to Israel as His wife, and to the children of Israel as His children?

As children of Israel, we are also "Israel"...it is a kind of funny du-

al-role that we play in this symbol. We are their children, so we are blessed with covenants. Yet, we also comprise Israel, which suggests ",arriage" to the bridechamber. We will study this symbol more later. For the purposes of this chapter, we only need to understand the symbols mentioned above.Of course, if you're curious, and want to study more, then go for it!

Cross-reference While studying this chapter, the schedule of traveling and healing that

Jesus keeps sounds so physically tiring. He never seems to do anything for Himself. In verse 35, we get an idea of what His life was like. This verse reminds me of another scripture that I thought would make a good cross-reference.

1. Read Matthew 9:35. Notice what the Savior is doing in this verse. In the margin of your scriptures, write the cross-reference: 2 Nephi 26:24—selflessness of Christ.

2. Go to 2 Nephi 26:24. In this verse, especially the first phrase, what do we learn about the Savior? What is the mo-tivation for everything He does? As you read the rest of the scripture, what does Christ's selflessness mean for us?

3. How do you think that what is taught in 2 Nephi—Christ's kindness and motivation—is displayed in Matthew 9:35? How does it make you feel to know everything Christ has done was for us? How does the display of His charity and compas-sion—by the healing of so many—help to increase your faith in Him? How do you think increased faith can help you to access the healing and love that He has for you?

4. In your scriptures (at 2 Nephi), write the cross-reference "Matthew 9:35—selflessness of Christ."

5.




Matthew 10:1-15

1. When Christ calls the 12 apostles, what does he empower them to do?

2. What are the names of the 12 apostles? 3. What are the instructions that the apostles are given? 4. Does the assignment the Savior gives to the apostles sound

like a simple request—something that they can do if they want to or feel like it? How might you describe this call-ing?

5. Why do you think that so much of what the Lord's work in-cludes is healing of the sick, cleansing the lepers, rais-ing the dead, and casting out devils? Given that Christ has all the power in the world, why does He spend so much time serving and then charge the apostles to do the same?

Matthew 10:16-39

1. Where does the Lord tell the apostles He is sending them? What do you think that He means by this? Who are the wolves?

2. Because of the nature of the apostles' calling, the Lord then gives them advice: "to be wise as serpents, and harm-less as doves." What does this mean? What makes it such good advice? How can this advice help us as we go forth in our lives and callings?

3. The Lord then warns the apostles that they will be judged and brought before governors and kings. What does Christ advise the apostles to say when brought before kings and others?

4. Why should they take no thought of what they should speak? 5. Do you think that this means that the apostles have done

nothing to prepare for the moment that they might speak? What must they do in order to prepare for the Spirit to em-power them in these situations?

6. What are some of the other warnings that the Lord has given to the apostles in regard to their calling? How do you think that you might have reacted to hear that, in follow-ing Christ, you would be hated, your life would be endan-gered, and more?

7. As Christ continues to teach the apostles, He gives them advice on what they should fear. What is that advice? What are the things that will kill the body? Soul? Why do you think that it is more important to fear that which kills our souls?

8. Christ comforts the apostles by teaching them about their worth. Does God notice all of His creatures, even "unim-portant" and common ones such as sparrows? What does this teach us about our Creator?

9. What is our value? How do you think that understanding our value to God can help empower us to overcome fear?


10. What does Jesus teach is the consequence given to those who will confess His name before men? What do you think that this means? What are we doing when we "confess His name"?

11. How might we deny Christ? Do you think that confess-ing/denying Christ is limited to our speech? How might our thoughts and actions also confess or deny Christ?

12. The Lord then teaches more of His dual nature. Is He always just a nice guy—butterflies and flowers? Why has He come to earth? Was it only to send peace? What is Christ's purpose?

13. How is this possible? Christ is called the Prince of Peace. How is it possible that He also is a sword? What do you think that this means?

14. We, in the Mormon church, treasure and put importance on our families. Why would Christ then say that He will set a man at variance with his father, etc.? Where does our deep-est loyalty need to be?

15. Do you think that this verse is justification for being mean to our parents or siblings? What do you think that Je-sus is actually trying to teach here?

16. The Lord then tells us what we need to do to be "worthy" of Him. What is that? How do we take our "cross"?

17. Finally, in verse 39, what does the Lord teach? Do you think that this teaching seems intuitive? Why is that we will find our lives when we "lose" them for the Lord's sa-ke? What is it that we do when we "lose" our lives?

Matthew 10:40-42

1. In this group of verses, we kind of see a sort of chain re-action. If we receive the apostles, whom do we also re-ceive?

2. When we receive Christ, whom do we also receive? 3. Why do you think that it is important to sustain our church

leaders? Yet it is not always easy to do. Often, personali-ties and imperfections can get in the way of our accepting them. How do you learn to accept and sustain your leaders, which then helps you to accept Christ and Heavenly Father?


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ In Matthew 10, the Lord teaches a little bit of His dual nature, and,

therefore, the dual nature of the Atonement. Study the following example to learn more about Christ's atonement and its power.

1. Read Matthew 10:34-39. 2. We learn that Christ is not come to bring peace, but a

sword. What do you think that Christ means by this? 3. Think of a sword. What can it do? (I know that this may

seem like a stupid question, but really consider it). 4. What was the work that Christ was sent to earth to do? Yet,

here He says that He didn't come to bring peace. This mes-sage doesn't really fit into the stereotypical idea of who Christ is. After all, we call Him the Prince of Peace. How can He be both the Prince of Peace and yet bring a sword to cut off the wicked from the righteous?

5. Think of this in terms of the Atonement. Does the Atonement save everyone automatically? Who is not capable of receiv-


ing redemption from the Atonement? To understand this more read Doctrine and Covenants 19:15-20.

6. What is the Atonement dependent upon? If you choose to be righteous and repentant, what will the Atonement do for you? If you choose to be sinful and wicked, what will the Atonement do? Note: For the second question, the answer is NOT nothing. The Atonement is powerful. Everyone is affect-ed by it.

7. How is the Atonement like a sword? 8. How does understanding that the Atonement will only save

those repent help us to understand what Christ means in Matthew 10:34?

9. How does this teaching help you to understand more about Christ's role in our lives and the Atonement?

Cross-reference—Wise Yet Harmless In Matthew 10:16, the apostles receive an interesting charge from

Christ. They are told to be wise as serpents yet harmless as doves. This can seem rather intriguing, but a good cross-reference will help us to understand more of what this charge means.

1. In the margin of your scriptures, write in the cross-reference, "Alma 18:22—wise yet harmless"

2. Read Alma 18:22. 3. If you need to, get familiar with the context of this

scripture by reading Alma 17 and 18, or at least the chap-ter headings to these chapters.

4. How was Ammon "wise yet harmless"? He had just smitten sev-eral Lamanites. What does Mormon mean when he describes Am-mon as being "wise yet harmless"?

5. Even though Ammon had smitten several Lamanites, what did he ultimately do for the entire Lamanite nation? Was he a harmful influence? How did his wisdom help him to success-fully share the message of the gospel to people who were considered his enemies?

6. How can Ammon's example help you to understand the charge that the Lord gave to the apostles?

7. Make sure that you mark the cross-reference in the margins of the scriptures in Alma. (Write "Matthew 10:16—wise yet harmless.")

Cross-reference—Spiritual Preparation

In Matthew 10:19-20, the Lord teaches the apostles that they should "take no thought of what they shall speak," and that "the Spirit of the Fa-ther" will speak for them. Even though this teaches us that we shouldn't wor-ry so much about what we'll say, when it comes to testifying of the gospel, I don't think that it means we should refrain from all preparation. A cross-reference to a scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants will help clarify this instruction given to the apostles.

1. In Matthew 10:19-20 (in the margins), mark the cross-reference, "Doctrine and Covenants 11:21—declaring the word of God"

2. Go to Doctrine and Covenants 11:21. Read it. You may want to read the section heading in order to understand more of the context of this scripture.

3. In this verse, the Lord gives Hyrum Smith a pattern for gospel teaching and declaring the word of God. What does the Lord tell Hyrum not to do?


4. Instead, what should Hyrum do first, before he begins to declare the word? Why do you think that Hyrum was instruct-ed to first obtain the word?

5. How does one "obtain the word"? What does this mean? 6. What is the effect when we obtain the word first? Think

back on what Christ told His apostles—who would "speak"? What does Doctrine and Covenants 11:21 teach us about being able to speak with the Spirit?

7. Do you think that when the Lord says not to take thought of what we should say—or not to declare the word—that He means we should do no preparation at all? How do we prepare? How do we become mouthpieces for the Spirit of the Lord to speak through us?

8. How do you think you can better obtain the word of the Lord for yourself? Even though this advice is given to the apos-tles and other men who are about to preach the gospel in a formal calling, how do you think that this pattern can help us in normal life—for example, when we are parenting, deal-ing with friends and neighbors, or at work?

9. Finally, remember to mark the cross-reference in Doctrine & Covenants referring back to Matthew. Write, "Matthew 10:19-20—declaring the word of God"

Themes—The Law of Sacrifice Themes in the scriptures are broad, overarching ideas that are repeated

often. One major theme in the scriptures is the law of sacrifice. It is im-portant for us to understand, as we are expected to live by it.

Anciently, the law of sacrifice was taught in a very physical way

through blood sacrifices at altars in the temple. However, these are only symbolic of what the Lord truly expects from us.

We learn the essence of the law of sacrifice in Matthew 10:37-39. Let's

study these verses to understand more of the law of sacrifice, what is ex-pected of us, and why we should keep it.

1. In Matthew 10:37, what do we learn about our ultimate loy-alty? As we know, families are important. Marriage is or-dained of God and families are the building blocks of soci-ety. We know that family is central to God's plan. Yet here, Christ teaches us that if we love our fathers or mothers more than Him, then we are not worthy of Him.

a. What do you think that the Savior means by this? b. Are there times when you might have to sacrifice that

which is most important to you in order to follow the Savior? Hopefully, sacrificing our family relationships won't be required. Hopefully, we can be united with our families. Yet there are times when we are asked to choose the Lord over even our families. Have you expe-rienced this in your life? How did you respond?

c. Did you have to give something up? What did you miss out on when you chose the Lord over a loved one? How did the Lord bless you for your loyalty to Him, despite the sacrifice you were asked to make?

2. In verse 38, the Lord then teaches that if we don't take our cross and follow after Him then we aren't worthy of Him.

a. What do you think that He means when He tells us to take our cross?


b. What could our crosses be? c. Why do you think that Christ requires this of us? d. When we choose to take up our cross, what sacrifices are

we making? How does it help to increase our understand-ing and love for the Savior?

e. What is the blessing you have received when you have taken up your cross and followed Christ?

3. Finally, in verse 39, we really learn the essence of the law of sacrifice.

a. What does verse 39 teach us? b. Why do you think that sacrifice, or losing our lives for

Christ's sake, is necessary in order to "find our lives"?

c. Do you think that this is immediate? Is it easy to lose our lives for Christ's sake?

d. What kind of sacrifice has "losing your life" required of you? What have the blessings been for choosing to lose your life for Christ's sake?

e. Even if you haven't completely "found your life," what kinds of blessings or reassurances have you felt as you have traveled down this path of sacrifice and disciple-ship?

4. Why do you think that the law of sacrifice is such a promi-nent theme in the gospel?

Pattern—Receiving God At the close of Matthew 10, the Lord teaches a pattern. This pattern

isn't a repeating sequence as much as it is like a dress pattern. He teaches us a sequence that will give us a desired result. In this chapter, we learn how to receive God.

1. Read Matthew 10:40. What is the sequence that Christ teach-es?

2. Why do you think that we need to receive the prophets? Here, a cross-reference may help. Turn to Doctrine and Cov-enants 1:38. You may wish to mark this in your scriptures.

3. The last phrase of D&C 1:38 teaches us about the connection between the Lord and His servants. For whom do the prophets and apostles speak? How do their words, especially when spoken with authority and the Spirit, measure up to the words of God? Can we ignore them? Are they mere opinion? How should we regard the voice of the servant of God?

4. How does receiving the servants of God help us to receive Christ? How have listening to the prophets and apostles, for example, helped you to come closer to Christ?

5. How does coming closer to Christ and receiving Him help you to form a relationship with Heavenly Father, thereby re-ceiving Him?

6. Look at the footnote a ("receiveth") in Matthew 10:40. Look up the reference to Doctrine and Covenants 84:36-38. What pattern do these scriptures teach?

7. What is the ultimate blessing we receive when we choose to receive the servants of God?

8. How does understanding this pattern help you in your disci-pleship? How can you better prepare and receive the words of God's servants?




Matthew 11:1-6

1. After Jesus had finished teaching the apostles, they went out to different cities and began to preach. What had John heard about while he was in prison?

2. When John hears about the mighty works of Christ, what does he ask?

3. How does Jesus answer the two disciples of John? Matthew 11:7-15

1. Jesus then proceeds to talk to the people. Why had this multitude gathered?

2. What does Jesus then teach the multitude about John the Baptist? How was he "more than a prophet"?

3. What was the significant role of John the Baptist? 4. How did he prepare the way for the Savior's coming? 5. In verse 11, Christ says something that seems contradicto-

ry. What does he say in this verse? What do you think that He means by this? How can John be one of the greatest men that have ever been born yet the "least in the kingdom of Heaven" is greater than John?

6. What do you think that this means about our own divine po-tential? Do we have to have a major calling or prophetic role in order to be of worth to God? Do we have to be a prophet in order to have a relationship with God? How do you think that God views His children, based on what is said in this verse?

7. What other name/title does Christ use to refer to John? 8. Why do you think that the ancient prophets prophesied of

John or Elias and his role in preparing the way for Christ? Matthew 11:16-19

1. In this section of verses, the Lord describes some of the actions of the people. To whom does He compare them?

2. Even though this may not be obvious, we can figure out what the Lord is trying to say. When John prophesied to them, what was their response? What was John's attitude as he came to them? Why do you think that the people had a hard time accepting this humble prophet?

3. On the other hand, did they accept Christ when He came? How does the Son of Man come to them? What is their opinion of Him?

4. Why do you think that these people have a hard time accept-ing any prophet?

5. Often, our prophets have had different personalities, back-grounds, and even ways of relating to the people. Does this


mean that we should follow one and not the other? How can we gain a testimony of the validity of their calling and sustain them?

Matthew 11:20-24

1. What does Christ begin to do in these scriptures? 2. What had happened in these cities? What had Christ done

there? 3. Did the people respond to His works—the miracles and heal-

ings He performed? Why do you think that they ignored Him? 4. What kind of judgment will come upon Capernaum because of

the way that they ignored Christ's work? What do you think that this means for us on an individual level? Do you think that we can go about ignoring Christ, the blessings He gives us in life, and continue to live in a "high" or ele-vated lifestyle? What will eventually happen?

5. Why do you think that people are slow to recognize the mir-acles of God that they witness in their lives? What do you think is the anecdote of such pride?

Matthew 11:25-27

1. Even though Christ upbraided the people in these cities, He then turns and gives thanks to the Lord. Why?

2. Who do you think that Jesus means by the "wise and pru-dent"? Do you think that these people were truly wise and prudent in the eternal perspective? Or wise and prudent in a worldly way? (Keep in mind the description that Christ gives of Capernaum in verse 23.)

3. What do you think that an "exalted" city may be like? Of course, this is exalted in worldly terms. Why do you think that the Lord is grateful that Heavenly Father hid Christ's divinity from these people who were "exalted" and "wise and prudent"?

4. In verse 27, we learn more about the connection of Jesus Christ and His Father, our Heavenly Father. How can we come to know of Christ's divinity? Is our understanding of Christ exclusive to knowing just Him? As we come to know the Savior, whom do we also begin to know?

5. How does knowledge of the Savior come about? (Be sure to check footnote c in verse 27.) Is witnessing miracles and mighty works enough to convince us of Christ?

Matthew 11:28-30

1. We have seen Christ upbraiding the people who hadn't known Him, even though He performed so many miracles for them. He then thanked God that they didn't know Him; only those to whom the Lord reveals Himself will know Him. How do you think that we can receive a witness of Jesus Christ? (If you can't answer this question now, keep it in mind as we study this last scripture block.)

2. The Lord gives us an invitation in verse 28. What is it? 3. What will the Lord give us if we come unto Him? 4. Can you relate to this invitation? Do you feel heavy laden? 5. The Lord offers to give us rest but then He asks us to take

His yoke upon us. What do you think that this means? Notice the footnote for yoke. What hint do we get about taking on the yoke of Christ? What else should we do as we take His yoke upon us? How do we learn of Him?


6. What else does Christ explain about Himself in verse 29? What will we find as we take on His yoke and learn of Him?

7. Finally, Christ reassures us. What does He tell us about His yoke and burden? How is this true? When we covenant with Christ, we choose to obey His commandments. There are many to keep. This doesn't seem like an easy thing to do. Additionally, there are many burdens we bear in this world, especially when we choose not to give into our natural pressures and desires. What do you think that the Savior means when He says that His yoke is easy and burden is light?

8. How have you chosen to come unto Christ? When have you tak-en upon His yoke? As you did this, how did He bless you to make the burden light and the trials you faced easier to handle? Why do you think that Christ offers this to us?

9. As you ponder this offer, think again in context of the rest of the chapter. He spent time criticizing the people who wouldn't accept Him or the prophets. He also upbraided those in the cities where He had performed miracles. Yet the chapter ends with this plea, for us to come unto Him. Do you think that the Lord really enjoys criticizing, chas-tening, and upbraiding? What does He want for us? How can we come to know Christ and Heavenly Father?


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ In this chapter, Christ gives us a special invitation. We will study it

together to see what we can learn about the Atonement. 1. Read Matthew 11:28-30. Consider the corresponding Analysis

and Application questions. 2. What does Christ invite us to do? 3. As you think of the yoke of Christ, would it be possible

for us to yoke ourselves to Him if he would not perform the Atonement?

4. Would He be able to take on our sins? 5. In this invitation, what is understood that Christ will do

for us? Why do you think that He offers this to us? 6. Christ also gives us an insight on His personality and/or

heart. What words does He use to describe Himself? 7. What does this mean? 8. How have you seen this in your life? 9. How do you think that His meekness and lowliness of heart

contributed to His ability to perform the Atonement? How do you think that His meekness and lowliness of heart will help us to find peace and rest?

10. As you consider this invitation and the Atonement He per-formed, what is your sense of Christ's concern for you, personally?

Elias In this chapter, Jesus Christ tells the people that John the Baptist is

Elias—that had been prophesied of anciently. This can be a tricky concept be-cause it is easy to think that Elias is a specific name. However, in this situation, Elias is a title.


In order to understand more of Elias and how John the Baptist is Elias, study the entry for Elias in the Bible Dictionary.

Notice the three ways that "Elias" is used. Especially pay attention to

the second way as this is applicable to John the Baptist. How is John the Baptist also Elias?

Symbol—Christ's Yoke and Doctrine of Christ At the end of Matthew 11, we find a symbol as we study the invitation

to Come unto Christ. 1. In verse 28, we are invited to come unto Christ. Why does

He invite us to come unto Him? What does He offer us? 1. Then, in verse 29, he tells us that we must take upon us

His yoke. What is a yoke (in the general sense, the literal definition of a yoke)? Do you think that Christ means this literally, that we will put an iron or wooden contraption around our necks to connect us to Him? (Dumb question, I know...but it will help us think.) Obviously, this is sym-bolic. We will now consider the significance of Christ's yoke.

2. If you look down in the footnotes for the word "yoke" you will find two references. The first is 1 John 2:6. Read it.

3. When I first read this verse, I felt it was a little cryp-tic. How does it relate to Matthew 11:28? In 1 John 2:6, who is the first "he"? And in whom are we abiding?

4. The word "abideth" was used by Christ during His ministry. The scripture in 1 John references it. Look at the footnote and turn to the scripture John 15:4.

5. Read John 15:4. What does Christ ask us to do? How do you think that we can "abide" in Christ? Think back on the idea of "yoke"—especially Christ's yoke. What do abiding in Christ and yoking ourselves to Christ have in common? If you think of this physically, what would our proximity be to Christ if we were abiding in Him or were yoked to Him? What do you think the spiritual connotation is of abiding in Christ or yoking ourselves to Christ?

6. Even though there is no physical yoke present when we yoke ourselves to Christ, it seems like there is still some for-mal way we become connected to Him; when we abide in Him or are yoked to Him, I don't think it means that we wake up one day and just like Jesus a whole lot. Yoke seems to be more definitive.

7. Notice the second footnote referring to "yoke" in verse 29. What does this say? Instead of looking up the scriptures in the Topical Guide this time, think of the idea presented. What does it mean to take on the name of Jesus Christ? What is another term we use for taking on Christ's name? How is it done?

8. The Savior explains this when He visits the Americas. Turn to 3 Nephi 11:32-35. What does He teach is His doctrine? How does this doctrine relate to the invitation that Christ gives in Matthew 11:28-30? When we take upon Christ's name in the waters of baptism, what will happen to us? What kind of life will we someday inherit?

9. The yoke we're invited to take upon ourselves in Matthew 11 and the theme that we're taught in 3 Nephi 11 is called the doctrine of Christ. It is the doctrine we must understand


in order to be saved and enter into His rest. It is the doctrine that He wanted the people of Israel to understand when He chastised them. It is the doctrine that the proph-ets like John the Baptist taught.

10. To understand more of the Doctrine of Christ, turn to 2 Nephi 31. Take time to study the whole chapter. Nephi be-gins by showing the example that Christ gave. In verse 13, we see what is required of us in order to follow Christ. Nephi explains the blessings and warnings associated with covenanting with Christ in the waters of baptism. Once we have been baptized, we have entered into the gates but are we finished? Is this all there is to the doctrine of Christ? Notice what we learn in verse 20—the last step in the doctrine of Christ. Finally, read through to the end of the chapter to see what Nephi teaches us about this doc-trine.

11. After studying 2 Nephi 31, what is your understanding of the invitation Christ makes in Matthew 11? What is the yoke that we are asked to put on? What are the responsibilities associated with this yoke? What are the blessings? How do you think that Christ's yoke will help us to find peace and rest? How do you think that learning of Christ will help us to better function while yoked to Christ? Finally, when you consider the doctrine of Christ and His yoke, how do you think that it is easy and His burden is light? If we are yoked to Him, what are we yoked to? How does baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end connect us to Christ, His peace, His Atonement, and His power? How does understanding the doctrine of Christ and His yoke help you to accept His invitation?

12. How have you felt the power of being yoked to Christ in your life?



Matthew 12:1-9

1. As this chapter opens, what is the Savior doing? What day of the week was it?

2. Why did the Pharisees criticize Christ and His disciples? 3. How did the Savior respond to the Pharisees? What do we

learn about Christ? 4. In verse 6, the Lord says that there is one greater than

the temple. What does He mean by this? As you think of the temple, how do you think that it relates to Christ?

5. Keep in mind the ordinances that took place in the ancient temple—sacrifices, prayers, etc. What were these sacrifices symbolic of? Why do you think that what Christ said is sig-nificant, given that He was speaking of both the Sabbath day and that which takes place in the temple?


6. What do we learn that the Son of Man is lord over? 7. Why do you think that the Pharisees were incapable of see-

ing Christ's divinity? They worshipped in the temple and supposedly honored the Sabbath, but they had a hard time recognizing their God—the Messiah whom the temple ordinanc-es symbolized and the very Lord of the Sabbath. Why do you think this is? What do you think that you should do to be able to avoid this kind of blindness?

Matthew 12:10-13

1. It is still the Sabbath day and a man with a withered hand approaches the Savior. What did the Pharisees ask the Sav-ior regarding healing this man? Why did they question the Savior?

2. The Lord answers the Pharisees with a question. What is the point of this question? Why do you think that the Lord an-swers the Pharisees in this way?

3. After He answers the Pharisees, what does He do to the man with the withered hand?

Matthew 12:14-21

1. After the Lord healed the man on the Sabbath, what did the Pharisees seek to do? How did they go about doing this? Why do you think that they held a council to destroy Christ?

2. What did Jesus do as He realized their thoughts? 3. Why didn't He want to be known by the Pharisees? 4. As you read this about Christ—how He charged those He

healed not to tell others so that He wouldn't be known—what does this teach us about Jesus and His nature? Was He con-spicuous? Did He appear to be much different than the other people in Israel?

Matthew 12:22-30

1. In this scripture block, we get an account of Christ heal-ing a man who was possessed with a devil.

2. The people were amazed. What did they say about Christ? Who was the son of David? Did they understand the prophecy of the Messiah? Do you think that these people believed that Christ was the Messiah?

3. How did the Pharisees take the news that Christ healed a man with a devil? How do you think that the Pharisees took it when they heard that people truly thought that Christ was the Messiah?

4. It says that then Jesus knew their thoughts. What did Jesus explain to the Pharisees?

5. What happens to those who are divided against them-selves?Why is this important to know, on a personal level? What will happen to us if we are divided against ourselves?

6. Jesus then asks them how they are able to cast out devils. Why do you think that He asks this? What does Jesus have to do with their judges ability to cast out devils? What is it that the Pharisees don't understand about their own power and Christ?

7. If we are not with Christ, then where do we stand? Matthew 12:31-37

1. After Christ teaches the Pharisees that He does not, in fact, heal by the power of the devil, the Lord then pro-


ceeds to teach them about blasphemy. Will we be forgiven if we blaspheme against Christ? What will happen if we blas-pheme against the Holy Ghost?

2. What do you think that blaspheming against the Holy Ghost is?

3. Why do you think that blaspheming against the Holy Ghost is such a serious sin?

4. Again, Christ mentions how the nature of the tree and its fruit are connected. What is it that Christ says? Why do you think that He is telling this to the Pharisees? What do they claim Christ to be? Yet, what is the work that Christ is doing? What kind of people do they claim to be? Yet what are the works that they are doing?

5. We then learn more about the final judgment in regards to our works and words. What is it that Christ teaches? Why should we be thoughtful about what we do and say?

Matthew 12:38-45

1. What did the Pharisees ask Christ to give them? Why do you think that this is a kind of strange request? What had they already seen earlier, with the man possessed by a devil?

2. What sign does the Savior offer to the Pharisees? Why do you think that the Savior gives Jonas' story as a sign? (Note: Jonas is the Greek form of the name Jonah. Jonah and Jonas are the same person.)

3. What will the men of Nineveh do? What is significant about Nineveh; does it have a righteous reputation? Remember the story of Jonas: he didn't want to go Nineveh because it was so wicked, and he figured that they wouldn't accept his message. So, he ignored the instruction of the Lord, then ended up being eaten by a whale. Jonas remained in the whale for three days. Finally, when Jonas/Jonah finally preached to the people of Nineveh, they repented. They ac-cepted his message. How are the people of Nineveh compared to the people of Israel, especially the Pharisees? How does Jonas compare to Christ?

4. Remember the familiarity that the Pharisees had with the scriptures. They understood who Jonas was - and what Christ meant when he said that "a greater than Jonas is here."

5. Who does Christ compare himself to next? How do you think that the Pharisees might have responded to this comparison?

6. Finally, Christ teaches them about the Holy Ghost. What happens in this short account that Christ gives?

7. Why do you think that it is so bad to sin against the Holy Ghost? What wisdom and witness did the Pharisees claim to have? Why do you think that Jesus was spending so much time warning about the danger of blaspheming against the Holy Ghost?

8. How do you think that this might apply to us? Remember which group the Pharisees were a part of. Would they be considered members of the church? Why do you think that as members of the church we need to be especially aware of the covenants we have made and the power of the Holy Ghost that we have felt in our lives?

Matthew 12:46-50

1. While Christ was talking to the people, who was nearby, de-siring to speak with Him?


2. Christ takes this moment to teach the people. What does He say?

3. What is our relationship with Christ when we choose to fol-low Him?


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ In this chapter, we read of the experience between Jesus and the Phari-

sees on a Sabbath day. We will study this experience with the Atonement in mind to see what can be learned from it.

1. Read Matthew 12:1-21. Consider the corresponding Analysis and Application questions.

2. Why do the Pharisees criticize the Savior? 3. What does Jesus say in response? What example does he re-

late to the Pharisees? 4. After that, Christ makes a statement about the temple. What

does Jesus mean by what He says in verse 6? How is Christ greater than the temple?

5. Take a second to study what happened in the temple ancient-ly. A good place to study is in the Bible Dictionary. Search through the entries for "temple," "tabernacle," and "sacrifices." Study what the temple and tabernacle were for. Also study the purpose and symbolism behind sacrific-es. As you study these topics, think of them in terms of Christ—His role as the Messiah and His work of the Atone-ment. If you feel prompted to study anything else in re-gards to the ancient temple and temple practices, please do it!

6. After studying these topics, think again on what Christ says in Matthew 12:6. How is Christ greater than the tem-ple? What about in our modern practices?

7. Are we able to delineate between Christ and the symbols of Christ?

8. Are we able to put the ordinances we perform into practice in our lives and in our hearts?

9. How do you think that understanding our modern customs of the temple and the sacrament help us to understand more about Christ and help us to increase our relationship with Him?

Cross-reference—Sabbath Day In the first part of Matthew 12, the Pharisees try, on two occasions,

to accuse the Lord of breaking the Sabbath. Obviously, they didn't understand who Christ was—that He was greater than the Sabbath. It seems that they also didn't understand the Sabbath. It may be helpful to cross-reference this sec-tion with a good scripture on the Sabbath.

1. In the margins of Matthew 12, write the cross-reference, "D&C 59:9-13—Sabbath day"

2. Read to Doctrine and Covenants 59:9-13. 3. In verse 9, we learn that keeping the Sabbath day will

bless us. How so? What do you think that the Lord means by being "unspotted from the world"? How does the Sabbath day help to quell worldly influences in your life?

4. As you study this block of verses, there are at least five things listed that we should do on the Sabbath. What are


they? You may want to number them in your scriptures so you can see this list easily.

a. Go to the house of prayer and offer sacraments b. Rest from your labors c. Pay thy devotions d. Offer thine oblations and sacraments to God e. Confess thy sins to brethren and the Lord 5. Study each of these points. How do you think that this

should be done? Is "rest" the only thing that we are told to do when we are told to keep the Sabbath day holy? What do you think that the Lord means by "resting"?

6. Think of what Christ was doing and how He was accused for breaking the Sabbath. Were the Pharisees right? What do the Pharisees misunderstand about the Sabbath?

7. In the margin near D&C 59:9-13, mark the corresponding ref-erence, "Matthew 12—Sabbath day"

Miracles If you are doing a study project of all the miracles, then follow the

directions listed in the Appendix. In Matthew 12, there are two recorded mir-acles.

• Christ heals the man with the withered hand—Matthew 12:10-13.

• Christ heals a man possessed by a devil, dumb, and blind—Matthew 12:22.

Cross-reference—Sinning Against the Holy Ghost In this chapter, the Lord teaches us that it is better to blaspheme

against Him—Christ—than against the Holy Ghost. 1. Read 12:31-37. Consider the corresponding Analysis and Ap-

plication questions. In order to better understand what Christ is teaching here, we can look at a cross-reference.

2. In the margins of your scriptures, write, "2 Nephi 31:14—Sinning against the Holy Ghost."

3. Read 2 Nephi 31:14. You may also want to read 2 Nephi 31:13 and the chapter heading to get the general context of the scripture.

1. Think of the process described in this verse. First, you have repented of your sins. What does this entail? What does this mean that you know and have been willing to do?

2. Next in the process is that you have "witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep [the] commandments" What do you think that this really means? What are the command-ments that we are willing to keep? Why do you think this is a natural next step after repentance?

3. How do you witness that you are willing to make this cove-nant with God? What is the ordinance that you participate in?

4. When you have been baptized by water, what follows? 5. In 2 Nephi 31:13, we learn what the baptism of the Holy

Ghost will enable us to do. What is it? What do you think it means to speak with the tongue of angels?

6. If we speak with the tongue of angels, what would our words be like? Do you think that we would deny this ability? Do you think that we would deny Christ, who has enabled us to receive the blessing of the Holy Ghost?

7. What does the Lord say about those who deny Christ, and de-ny their testimony of Him (as given to them by the Gift of


the Holy Ghost), after they have been blessed with this testimony, knowledge, and even power? As you study this scripture, what do you think that blaspheming against the Holy Ghost truly comprises? Why do you think that this is such a grievous sin?

8. In your scriptures, you may want to write the cross-reference back to "Matthew 12:31-37—Sinning against the Ho-ly Ghost."



Matthew 13:1-17

1. What is the setting for this part of the chapter? How many people were gathered to listen to Christ preach?

2. How did Christ preach to the people? As you consider the size of this group—(we don't know the number, but we know it was a "multitude") why do you think that teaching in parables would have been an effective way to teach?

3. Read the parable of the sower. What is the basic idea of the parable?

4. As soon as Jesus finishes relating this parable, what does He say? What do you think that He means by this?

5. After speaking the parable, what did the disciples ask the Savior?

6. Here, we learn why Christ spoke in parables. What does He say? How does Christ's method of teaching display His great mercy for us?

7. Why do you think that the people's hearts have "waxed gross"? Why don't you think that the people saw or heard or opened their hearts to the Savior?

8. When we hear, see, and understand, what is the Lord then able to do for us? How will the Lord heal us? What is it that He is healing in us? Why do you think that our spir-itual deafness, blindness, and lack of understanding keep us from seeing that we need to be healed?

9. How are we able to open our eyes and see, ears and hear, hearts and understand?

10. Notice: Christ has not explained the meaning of the para-ble, yet He has taught very important principles.

Matthew 13:18-23

1. What is Jesus now teaching the disciples? 2. What is the explanation of the parable of the sower? 3. Why do you think that this may be helpful for us to know? 4. What does this parable have to do with what Christ has al-

ready been teaching— being receptive and open to the gos-pel?

Matthew 13:24-30


1. Here is another parable. What is the parable that the Lord teaches here?

2. What do you think the meaning of the parable is? 3. Why do you think that Christ would teach this parable right

after He taught the one of the sower? Matthew 13:31-32

1. What does Christ now teach? What is this parable? 2. What do you think that the disciples learned from this par-

able? Why do you think that we should know it, too? Matthew 13:33-43

1. Christ gives another parable. What is it? 2. How did Christ teach the entire multitude that day? 3. What do we learn about this method of Christ's teaching? 4. After the multitudes leave, what do the disciples request

of Christ? How does He answer them? What do we learn about the parable of the wheat and the tares? Why do you think that it is important for us to know this?

Matthew 13:44-52

1. In this set of scriptures, the Savior gives three more par-ables. In each parable, He uses the kingdom of heaven as a comparison. To what does He compare the kingdom of heaven in each parable?

2. What do we learn about the kingdom of heaven through each comparison?

3. Why do you think that it was especially important for the disciples—those who had been called to be Christ's apos-tles—to understand the nature of the kingdom of heaven? How do you think that understanding the kingdom of heaven helps us to be better disciples of Christ?

Matthew 13:53-58

1. After Jesus finishes teaching, where did He go? 2. What was "His own country"? 3. Where did Christ teach the people while He was in His

hometown? 4. Did the people understand or accept what He had taught? 5. What was the complaint of the people as Christ taught them? 6. What do we learn from this response? 7. Was Christ an only child? Was Christ obviously different

than other people? Did He, in an outwardly way, seem sig-nificant or Messiah-like? Was He extra glorious or extra special—in an outward way?

8. Why did the people have a hard time accepting Christ? Why do you think that Christ performed fewer miracles?

9. Why do you think that people have a hard time accepting the callings of people that they know? Why do you think it is true when Jesus says, "A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house"? How can you overcome the tendency to see people a certain way, instead of accepting who they may have become?

10. How do you think that being able to see people for who they really are—rather than relying on preconceived notions—will help you, especially in your relationships with your chil-dren, siblings, or others that you may have known a long time?



The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ In Matthew 13, Jesus tells several parables. Most likely, you are al-

ready familiar with the fact that the Savior taught this way. Maybe you have even studied the parables previously. For this exercise, study the parables, and think about what each parable means in connection with the Atonement. We will study one parable together.

1. Read Matthew 13:3- 8 and 18-23 2. Who is the sower? 3. What does the seed that goes by the way side represent? The

seed in stony places? The seed among thorns? The seed on good ground?

4. What happens to the seed that falls in each of these plac-es?

5. Jesus spends time explaining this parable. As we find the meaning of the parable, ask yourself an additional ques-tion: "What does this have to do with the Savior and His Atonement?" See if you can find a connection.

6. Where do all of the seeds come from? Are they good seeds? In general, why are the seeds not growing? Do we learn of any seeds that fall in good ground but do not end up grow-ing?

7. What do we learn about the Lord in this situation? Are we all capable of partaking of good fruit? Are all of the seeds good? What is the variable in this parable that caus-es some of the seeds not to grow?

8. Jesus explains the first group of seeds and people. They all have the gospel. They all have the potential to grow up and bear fruit. What does this group of people choose that inhibits their growth?

9. In the second group of people, how did they choose to re-ceive the word/seed? Does planting on stony ground yield fruit? How do you think that this happens when you consider people accepting the gospel?

10. Why was the third group of seeds/people not able to bear fruit?

11. Finally, the last group of people hears the word and under-stands it. What do you think that the Lord may mean by "un-derstanding"? Do you think that understanding the gospel is a chance occurrence? What does understanding the gospel have to do with planting the seed in fertile ground and caring for it? What does understanding and/or planting the seed in good ground require from us?

12. What do these things have to do with the Atonement? Think about this. I'm not exactly sure what the definitive answer is, but I can think of one thing. Does it matter where the seed is thrown? Does the seed thrown on rocky ground sprout and grow just as the one in fertile ground? What makes the difference?

13. As a sower, can you get upset that the seeds that are cast away, thrown on rocky soil, or fall among thorns are wasted while the ones in fertile soil thrived? Whose fault was it that these seeds were wasted? Can you say that each wasted seed was bad? Why not? How do you know that the seed was


good? If you had this experience as a sower, where would you sow your seeds?

14. As you think of this parable in a gospel situation, can people who choose not to plant themselves in fertile soil be upset that they haven't received a testimony? What can you do in order to successfully grow and bear fruit? What exactly do you think causes our spiritual ground to be fer-tile? What does the Atonement have to do with this parable?

15. How does it make you feel to know that Christ has prepared a way for us to progress and become productive people? That Christ, because of His Atonement, mercy, and power, has provided us with "fertile" ground? What can you do to make the best use of this, rather than plant yourself in rocks or thorns?

As you can see, if you think of the parable in layers with the question of , "How does this apply to Christ and the Atonement?" in mind, then you will find an answer. You will learn more about the Atonement and the love that Christ has for you.

Parables of Christ - Project Idea While studying the New Testament, you will come across many parables

told by Christ. You might be interested in doing a comprehensive study of these parables. You can find instructions on how to do this in the Appendix. The parables in Matthew 13 include:

• The parable of the sower—Matthew 13:1-23 • The wheat and the tares—Matthew 13:24-30 • The grain of mustard seed—Matthew 13:31-32 • The parable of the leaven—Matthew 13:33 • The parable of the treasure hidden in a field—Matthew 13:44 • The parable of the pearl of great price—Matthew 13:45-46 • The parable of the net cast into the sea—Matthew 13:47-52

Cross-reference—Gaining Knowledge When the disciples asked the Savior why He taught in parables, He an-

swered them in Matthew 13:11-12. What does Christ tell them in response? Why do you think that parables are the perfect approach to teach the gospel piecemeal?

These two verses remind me of a principle we are taught by Alma. Study

and mark the cross-reference to learn more about gaining knowledge. 1. Read Matthew 13:11-12. In the margin near this block, write

the cross-reference: "Alma 12:10-11—Knowledge -> open heart"

2. Go to Alma 12: 10-11. Read it. 3. What do we learn happens to those who harden their hearts?

What happens to those who do not harden their hearts? 4. What do you think that the Lord means when He says, "in

full"? 5. Eventually, what will those who have hardened their hearts

against God know? Why do you think that this is? Why can't we simply remember what we once knew, even if we don't keep at it and nurture our testimony and knowledge?

6. Think of this in another way: have you ever taken a math class? How were you able to learn the principles associated with what you were being taught? Did you learn everything in a day? Was it possible to go from simple arithmetic to calculus? This is obvious, I know, but bear with me. As you received more knowledge and practiced, what happened? Let's


say that you truly began to understand the principles of mathematics and even did well. But then the class was over, and you didn't have to take a math class again. Suppose a year or two went by without opening a math book or thinking of an equation. What would happen to the knowledge that you obtained? Why do you think that it is so easy to forget? What must you do to keep from forgetting the principles you have learned in the past?

7. As far as spiritual education and growth goes, can we learn a portion of the word and then harden our hearts to it and expect to keep this knowledge? What happens as we go on, our hearts closed to the tutelage of the Spirit?

8. Why do you think that Alma compares our spiritual degrada-tion and ignorance to "the chains of hell"? You may want to take a look at John 17:3.

9. Why is knowledge so important? How does it help you to ob-tain eternal life?

10. In your scriptures (in Alma) cross-reference back to Mat-thew. Write: "Matthew 13:11-12—Knowledge -> open heart."

Theme—Hear, See, Understand I get so excited about themes in the scriptures. They are so much fun.

There are levels and levels of each theme, so you can't possibly study them in a single day.

The theme that starts to present itself in Matthew 13 is what the Lord

says in verse 15. Read through this verse. What is He trying to teach? When we are able to see, hear, and understand what happens to our Spir-

its? We will not be able to study this all today, and it is a theme that

will emerge throughout the New Testament, but here are a few things you could start to study. See where it takes you. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

In this chapter, we are taught the parable of the sower. What does it

have to do with seeing, hearing, and understanding? As you read through the parable and the explanation of the parable, we learn about people and their ability to see, hear, and understand. Why does the Lord tell this parable to illustrate the theme of hearing, seeing, and understanding?

Think about hearing, seeing, and understanding. How are these things

achieved on a basic, physical level? In other words, how do you hear? How do you see? How do you understand? What are some of the things that inhibit your ability to hear, see, or understand?

To study this theme a little bit more right now, we will study two

scripture blocks that can be applied to Matthew 13:15. Matthew 13:15 and Mosiah 1:2; 2:9

a. In Mosiah 1:2, what had King Benjamin taught His sons? How had "the language of His fathers" helped them to become men of understanding? Do you think that this language was mere-ly a spoken word? How do you think that the language of the Spirit needs to be taught from one generation to the next? How can understanding this language help us to be people of understanding?

b. If you continue reading in Mosiah 1, you will find that the "language of the fathers" is the language used to write the


scriptures. Above all, what was King Benjamin teaching his sons?

c. As King Benjamin opens his speech to the people in Mosiah 2:9, what does he plead with them to do? How do you think that opening our eyes, ears, and hearts will cause our minds to view the mysteries of God?

Matthew 13:15 and Alma 10:1-6? a. In this series of verses, we learn about Amulek. What was

his history? b. Had he been taught in the "language of his fathers"? c. His fathers were righteous and had marvelous experiences,

but had he learned about them in a way that gave him spir-itual understanding?

d. Yet he knew enough of his background to recount it. What do you think the difference is between knowing something logi-cally and knowing it spiritually?In verses 5-6 ,what does Amulek say had kept him from truly knowing—seeing, hearing, and understanding?

How can we apply the information learned in these two scripture blocks

to what is taught by Christ in Matthew 13? Finally:

1. Go through Matthew 13 and note how many times Christ in-vites us to hear.

2. What is He saying when He pleads, "Hear ye therefore..."? Does He want us to hear His words with only our ears?

3. What does He truly mean by this request? 4. How do you think that submitting to Christ's request to

hear will enable us to see and then understand? Concept—the Kingdom of Heaven Throughout the latter half of Matthew, Jesus teaches a series of para-

bles all about the kingdom of heaven. All of this begs a question: why? Why would Christ compare the kingdom of heaven to so many things? What is it He wants us to learn about the kingdom of heaven?

Study each parable listed in this chapter that begins, "The kingdom of

heaven is like_____." You will find them in the following verses: 1. Matthew 13:24-30 2. Matthew 13:21-32 3. Matthew 13:33 4. Matthew 13:44 5. Matthew 13:45-46 6. Matthew 13: 47-50 7. Matthew 13:52

Now ask yourself these questions:

1. What is the kingdom of Heaven compared to in each of these parables?

2. What do you learn from these comparisons? 3. Why do you think that the Lord wanted the disciples to un-

derstand the kingdom of heaven in these ways? 4. How does this help you as you seek to both inhabit and

build the kingdom of heaven? 5.




Matthew 14:1-12

1. When Herod heard of the fame of Jesus Christ, what did Her-od think?

2. Why would Herod have been worried so much about John being restored to life?

3. Why did Herod imprison John? 4. Why was Herod originally hesitant about killing John? Did

Herod really care about John or committing a sin? Why do you think that his intention matters?

5. Herod ends up killing John. Why? 6. Think about Herodias's daughter. Do you think that her

dance was modest? What kind of dance do you think would have motivated a man to make an oath—and even kill?

7. Did Herodias and her daughter understand the power of their femininity? Why do you think that they used it in this way?

Matthew 14:13-14

1. After Jesus finds out about John's death, where does He go? 2. What did the people do? 3. Why did Christ end up healing their sick? 4. What do you think being "moved with compassion" really

means? Think about a time when you have been moved by com-passion.

Matthew 14:15-21

1. Eventually, night came upon the multitude. What did the disciples say to the Savior?

2. In response, what did Jesus instruct them to do? 3. How much food was available for them to share among the

crowd? 4. What did the Lord do with this food? 5. How many had been fed? 6. Why do you think that the Lord performed this miracle? What

does this teach us about the Savior? Matthew 14:22-33

1. After feeding the people, what did Christ do? 2. Where did He go? 3. As He was praying, what happened to the ship on the sea? 4. When the disciples originally saw Christ walking on the wa-

ter, how did they feel? What did they think they were see-ing?

5. What did Christ say to them? 6. How did Peter respond when he learns that Christ is on the

water? 7. Why do you think that Peter wanted to walk on the water to

greet Christ? Do you think that this was a necessary de-sire? Yet, the Lord granted it.


8. Peter began to walk on the water, but then what happened? Why did Peter fail? How do you think that your fears often get in the way of what you desire and the Lord is even ena-bling you to do?

9. Why do you think that Peter's doubt was so impairing? What does this example teach us about faith and fear and the power of both in our lives?

10. How did Christ respond when Peter began to sink? What do you think that He was trying to teach Peter?

Matthew 14:34-36

1. After sailing over the sea, where did Christ and the disci-ples arrive?

2. What did the people of Gennesaret do when they heard Christ was in the borders of their land?

3. If the people wanted to be healed by the Savior, what did they need to do?

4. Was this a hard task? What did such action require? 5. What does this teach us about Christ's power?


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship With Christ As Matthew 14 opens, we learn of the beheading of John the Baptist. Je-

sus hears of John's death and departs to a desert place. Yet he is followed there by a multitude of people. Why did these people follow Him?

1. When Jesus saw the people, did He try to get away? What happened?

2. Why do you think that Jesus was moved with compassion? 3. What is compassion? 4. What do you think that the compassion that Christ feels has

to do with His entire mission? What do you think that it has to do with the Atonement?

5. How does it make you feel to know that Jesus knows and loves you and even has compassion on you? How has Jesus' compassion blessed your life?

Character Study and a Comparison—Herodias and Her daughter (and the

daughter of Jared) At the beginning of Matthew, we get one of the worst examples of women

ever—perhaps one of the worst examples of any of the people in the scrip-tures! Yet, we can learn from this really bad example.

1. Read Matthew 14:3-12. 2. Why had Herod put John in jail? 3. Who was Herodias? What was her relationship with Herod? 4. Why do you think that John taught it was not lawful for

Herod and Herodias to have a relationship? 5. Why do you think this offended Herodias? 6. When John rebuked Herodias, did she feel remorse or a de-

sire to change? What, instead, did she want? 7. Would Herod kill John? 8. How did Herodias manage to get Herod to give in to her de-

sire to have John killed? 9. Now, think about this: Herod and Herodias had some kind of

relationship. Yet who danced before Herod? What does this imply about Herodias? Do you think that she understood male attraction to the feminine body? Do you think that Herodi-


as' daughter's display may have been pornographic? Why do you think that she would have taught and encouraged her daughter to participate in this kind of act? What did she not understand about modesty, our bodies, and chastity?

10. What does Herod promise in response to Herodias' daughter's display?

11. There is another scripture that is similar to this. Find it and study it, too. Read Ether 8:7-17. (You may want to get a little background by reading the first few verses. The kingdom had gone through a lot of strife—and was going through many kings.)

12. In verse 7, why is Jared upset? (Remember: this is not the same Jared as "the Brother of Jared." This happens genera-tions later)

13. What did Jared glory in? Notice how having his heart set on these things will blind him to rationality later.

14. What did the daughter of Jared do? 15. How did she know about the old secret combinations? Is this

the real purpose of the scriptures, to instruct us on how to be evil?

16. What did Jared's daughter offer to do in verse 10? How is this like Herodias' daughter's experience? Did these women understand the power they had? Did they use the power of their femininity wisely?

17. Do you think that Jared's daughter danced a modest and tasteful dance? How do you think that pornography affects the rationality and perspective of those who partake of it?

18. Did Jared's daughter's plan work as she had wanted it to? What did Akish do?

19. What is the strength of the influence of a woman? 20. How do you think that this story helps us to better under-

stand the account of Herodias and her daughter in the New Testament?

21. Are all women inherently good? Yet women are not all inher-ently evil, either. They are not all temptresses or vir-gins. They each have their own agency and will, just as any man. Why do you think that it is important to understand the power of an unrighteous woman just as we need to under-stand the power of the righteous?

22. How can the example of Herodias and her daughter help you to raise your own children? How can these examples help you to understand what the true beauty and power of a woman?

Miracles Matthew 14 gives the account of a few miracles. They include:

• Christ healing the sick—Matthew 14:14 • Christ feeding the five thousand—Matthew14:15-21 • Jesus and Peter walking on water—Matthew 14:22-33 • People being healed by touching Christ's hem—Matthew 14:35-

36 If you are doing a study project of all the miracles, then follow the

directions listed in the Appendix. We will study one miracle together. 1. Read Matthew 14:22-33. Consider the corresponding Analysis

and Application questions. 2. As this scene opens, where is Jesus? Where are the apos-

tles?


3. As the ship was in the midst of the seas, what began to happen?

4. How did Jesus eventually come to the apostles? 5. Why do you think that Jesus chose to do this? 6. What was the response of the apostles when they first saw

Him walking on the water? 7. What did the Lord say when He saw that they feared? 8. What does this mean to you—what Jesus said? Think of your

own life, when things are starting to get a little turbu-lent and Jesus seems afar off, perhaps even unrecognizable. How does it make you feel to know that He wants us to be of good cheer and not be afraid? How can we do this?

9. When Peter recognized that it was the Savior, what did he desire?

10. What is the significance of Peter being able and allowed to walk on the water? Did the Lord care if Peter did this, too? Does the Lord reserve His miraculous power only for His use? Do you think that Jesus would have bid the other apostles to come if they had desired it?

11. Ponder your own desires. There may be some that Jesus pas-sionately cares about (like keeping the commandments, for example), but this situation wasn't a matter of Peter keep-ing the commandments. Are there times when we desire bless-ings from the Lord that aren't really dependent on our eternal salvation or have much to do with the commandments? What kind of decisions do you need to make on a daily basis that could seem to be "unimportant" when you consider the Lord?

12. Yet, Jesus didn't tell Peter no. He was happy to help Peter come. How was Peter able to walk on the water? How might the Lord empower and enable you to achieve the desires of your heart?

13. What happened as Peter proceeded? Was he able to continue walking on the water? Why do you think that he feared?

14. Often in life, we are granted the power to do something just because we desire it, as He granted the power for Pe-ter to walk on the water. In Peter's case, did it mean that He would also stop the wind from getting boisterous? How might this relate to your own life?

15. Does the boisterous wind jeopardize Christ's power? What do we need to learn to do in these situations?

16. When Peter began to sink, he cried for the Savior to help him. Did Jesus help him? How did Peter know that the Savior would help him?

17. What does Christ say to Peter when he sank? Why do you think that the Savior said this?

18. It seems like Peter had faith that the Lord could save him. How could Peter have little faith, yet know that Christ would help him in the water? Perhaps Peter understood the power of Christ to save, but do you think that Peter under-stood how the atonement also had the power to enable him?

19. How do you think that you can keep faith not only in Christ, but in His ability to enable you to receive the blessings you desire?




Matthew 15:1-9

1. As this chapter opens, who comes to Jesus? 2. Where were these Pharisees and scribes from? What did they

say to the Savior? 3. Why do you think that they asked Him this question? 4. How did Christ answer the question of the Pharisees? 5. What did the Pharisees and scribes do to modify their tra-

ditions and justify their sins? 6. Jesus then quotes a scripture concerning the Pharisees.

What is it? 7. What do you think the phrase "they draw nigh unto me with

their mouth and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me" means?

8. How do you think that this scripture is true in the case of the Pharisees?

9. Keep in mind that the Pharisees were not outsiders, but members of the church at the time. If you are currently a member of the church, or a faithful follower of Christ, how might this scripture be applicable in your own life? Do you draw near to the Lord with your lips, while your heart is far from Him? What can you do to make sure that both your actions, and words are pure in their intent?

10. How is the worship of the Lord in vain when we teach and act to be recognized of men rather than because of our con-version to the Lord?

Matthew 15:10-20

1. What does Jesus teach to the multitude? 2. What does His teaching mean? How would you describe it in

your own words? Why do you think that this is true? 3. The disciples tell Jesus that the Pharisees were offended

with what He had told them. Why do you think that this is so?

4. How do you take correction from the Lord? Are you scared? Offended? Why do you think that the Lord is willing to of-fer us correction? How should we respond to it?

5. Why did Christ say that the Pharisees should be left alone? 6. Think of this in two ways: whom are you leading? Where are

you leading them? As you lead, are you going along blindly? What can you use in order to have spiritual sight and be a better leader?

7. On the other hand, whom are you following? Is the person you have chosen to lead you blind? Are you blinded to this person's inability? What gift can you pray for to help you to overcome spiritual blindness and deception?

8. What did Peter ask the Savior to explain? 9. What is the Lord's explanation of His parable of that which

defiles a man?


10. Why did the Lord teach this? How does this teaching fit in with the events that occurred with the Pharisees?

11. As usual, the Lord teaches the spirit of the law—the physi-cal law—was not to eat with unwashed hands was not the end of the law. Why do you think that this law had been given? If the people had understood the physical law with the Spirit, then what would they have understood?

Matthew 15:21-31

1. When Jesus departs, who approaches him? 2. What does she ask Him to do? 3. Why does the Lord not respond to her? What does He explain

to the disciples? 4. Finally, Christ acquiesces to her request. Why? 5. Why do you think that the Lord was so focused on His mis-

sion to preach the gospel to the members of the House of Israel? What do we learn about the nature of Christ from this exchange?

6. After this experience, Jesus travels to the Sea of Galilee. What does He do there?

Matthew 15:32-39

1. How does Jesus describe His feelings toward the multitude? 2. Why did He have compassion on them? 3. What did He do for this multitude? 4. In verse 33, the disciples ask Him a question. What is it?

Why do you think that they asked this question? What had the disciples already witnessed a while before with a mul-titude of five thousand, five loaves, and two fishes? Why do you think that they would have expressed this kind of concern again?

5. When the Lord takes the loaves and fishes, what does He do? 6. What happened to the people who partook of this food? 7. What do you think we can learn from this miracle?


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ In this chapter, we see a seemingly unusual side of Christ. The chapter

opens with an experience between the Savior and the Pharisees. We have seen the Lord chastise the Pharisees before, so it isn't all that unusual, but we will study it a little more to see what we can learn about the Savior and His Atonement.

The Lord first chides the Pharisees for perverting the law to justify

their sins. They had already condemned his disciples for eating with unwashed hands.


2. Why do you think that the Pharisees clung to the law and tried to condemn the Savior for "breaking it"?

3. Recall the experience that the Lord had with the Pharisees when He healed on the Sabbath. What did He teach them about His relationship to the Sabbath?

4. Do you think that the Savior used His position as God to justify doing whatever He wanted?


5. We know that Christ was perfectly obedient. How is this so? What do we learn about obedience from Christ's example?

6. Why do you think that this strict obedience was necessary for His work in performing the Atonement?

7. How does obedience to the law differ from obedience to tra-dition?

8. What is the purpose of the law and of the traditions that usually center around the law?

9. Christ accuses the Pharisees of drawing close to the Lord with their mouth and lips, yet their hearts are far from Him. How is this a true accusation? How do you think the condition of our hearts plays a part in the Atonement of Christ?

10. Consider Christ's Atonement. Is it something that could have been done if Jesus' entire heart and soul had not been in it?

11. As you ponder this entire exchange between the Pharisees and Christ, do you notice something ironic about the Phari-sees' criticism of Christ? What is ironic about it?

12. What, again, of the entire purpose of the law of Moses and many of the traditions that they kept? (For help, see Moses 5:6-7.) We know that the Pharisees kept the traditions of the law, yet they didn't recognize their Messiah. What do you suppose kept the Pharisees from recognizing Him? Can they apply the healing power of the Atonement in their lives without recognizing the Savior?

13. How do you think that you can avoid making the mistake of placing more importance on traditions over the law and the Atonement that it points us toward?

Miracles If you are doing a study project of all the miracles, then follow the

directions listed in the Appendix. In Matthew 15, we learn of three more mir-acles. They include:

• The healing of the Canaanite Woman's daughter—Matthew 15:21-28

• Healing of great multitudes—Matthew 15:30-31 • Feeding 4,000—Matthew 15:32-39

We will study one of the miracles together. 1. Read Matthew 15:21-28. Consider the corresponding Analysis

and Application questions. 2. Where is Jesus? Look in the maps to find the location of

Tyre and Sidon. Notice that the footnote explains that Je-sus was in this region.

3. While Christ was there, who approached Him? 4. What is unique about this woman? What does her coming from

Canaan tell us about her? 5. What does she say to Christ? How does she address Him? 6. Why do you think that she recognized Christ as the son of

David, even though she was not, herself, of the house of Israel?

7. How does Jesus respond? Why do you think that He is silent? 8. What do the disciples say to the Lord? 9. Why do you think that she had also cried after the disci-

ples? What did this woman understand about Jesus and His apostles?

10. What does Jesus then tell the disciples? To whom was Jesus sent? What does His response (up to this point) teach us


about Christ's obedience to the will of God and His mortal mission?

11. After this, what does the woman do? Why do you think that she worshipped Him? What does this teach us about the wom-an?

12. Although she is not of the house of Israel by birth, to whom does this woman's loyalties seem to lie?

13. Still does Christ heal her daughter? What does He explain? 14. Does the woman get offended by Christ's words? What does

she say in response? 15. Finally, what does the Lord do? 16. What are the details, how does the Lord heal the Canaanite

woman's daughter? 17. Why do you think that the Lord finally healed this woman's

daughter? What can we learn about persistence in prayers from this example?

18. Additionally, what do we learn about qualifying for the blessings of God? Do we simply need to be members of the house of Israel? What is the key ingredient to have the power of Christ work in our lives?

Theme and a Cross-reference Themes are overarching, broad concepts that are often repeated in the

scriptures. This chapter deals, in part, with the theme of the first and the last.

1. Read through Matthew 15:21-28. Consider the corresponding Analysis and Application questions.

2. Why does Jesus hesitate to heal the Canaanite woman's daughter?

3. Some details of Christ's ministry were prophesied ancient-ly, long before Christ came to the earth. We can learn more about that in 1 Nephi 13:42. You may want to write this reference into your scriptures in the margins of Matthew 15.

4. Read 1 Nephi 13:42. 5. To whom would Christ first manifest himself? Who is includ-

ed in the House of Israel? 6. What would a person not of the House of Israel be consid-

ered? 7. Would the Gentiles be excluded from all manifestations of

Christ? 8. When would the Gentiles receive their manifestations of

Christ? 9. Note: after Christ's ministry, the apostles were commanded

to take the gospel not only to the covenant people of Isra-el but also to the Gentiles. In the latter days, now that the gospel has been restored, it has come first to the Gen-tiles and will eventually be restored to all of the House of Israel.

10. Why do you think that the Lord has this order and timing? 11. How does 1 Nephi 13:42 help you to understand this theme? 12. You can study more about this theme by looking in your Top-

ical Guide. Consider searching the terms "first," "last," "restoration," "House of Israel," "Gentiles." If you wish to do a more passive study of this topic, use post-it notes or flags to mark the references you find dealing with the first and the last. When you have gathered several flags, analyze the scriptures you have noted.


13. What have you learned about this theme? How does it help you to understand the way that the Savior performed His mortal ministry?

Pattern—Gratitude In Matthew 15:34-36, we see a pattern. Remember, you can find two main

types of patterns in the scriptures: 1)patterns that are repeated sequences (think red, blue, green, red, blue, green), or 2) Sequences of instructions that will yield a result (think a dress pattern).


2. What is happening in this block of scriptures? 3. What is the problem in being able to feed the multitude? 4. What does Christ do? Does Christ instantly pray to God that

some kind of magic will happen that will enable food to ap-pear before everyone? What is the first step in this pat-tern?

5. The Lord finds a solution. He does some preliminary work and gathers the bread that they have. When we are looking for blessings, do we first look for solutions? Do we do preliminary work? Or do we just hope that Heavenly Father will figure everything out for us? Why do you think that this step is important?

6. What does the Savior do next? Why do you think that He com-mands the multitude to sit on the ground? What kind of at-titude do you think that this created?

7. Why is our attitude important in prayer? Why do you think that the Savior made this adjustment before He opened the prayer and blessed the food? How do you think that your prayers and desire for blessings will become more effective when you adequately prepare beforehand—not only with a pro-posed solution but a humble attitude?

8. Next, the Lord takes the loaves and fishes. Before He blesses them, what does He do? Why do you think that He does this?

9. Do you really think that seven loaves and fishes—meant to be shared by a multitude—is much to be grateful for? Yet Christ was grateful; why? Are there times when you overlook the blessings the Lord has already given? How do you think that this affects your ability to see the potential bless-ings that may be in store for you? Do you think that if Christ saw the limitations of the small amount of food He would have been able to be grateful and then experience the miracle of that food being enough? How do we often limit the answers to our prayers by dwelling on what seems to be the "negative"?

10. How do you think that true gratitude, and not only required gratitude, can help us to receive the answer to a faithful prayer?

11. Finally, the prayer is answered. What does the Lord do with the food? Does He doubt the blessing and ability? Was the food noticeably different or changed? How did Christ know, then, that the miracle had occurred and that the people had been fed? Was Christ's faith limited to before He uttered His prayer? Why do you think that faith is required throughout?

12. Often, we receive the same kinds of answers to our prayers. We think of a solution that doesn't seem possible, we hum-


bly and gratefully pray, and then we receive an answer, but not an obvious or intuitive answer to our prayers. We then must act in continued faith that the blessing we requested will actually work. Why do you think that confidence in the power of the Lord and in the power of our own faith is so important in receiving the blessings we desire?

13. Consider the pattern as a whole. How might it help you, when you find yourself in need of a miracle? How can you implement each of these parts of the pattern and experience true miracles in your life?



Matthew 16:1-5

1. What did the Pharisees and Sadducees ask Christ to give them? Why do you think that they wanted a sign?

2. What did Christ say? 3. Think of the question that Jesus asks, "O ye hypocrites, ye

can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?" What does Jesus mean by this? Do you think that there are times we do this—we are knowledgeable about so many things, but ignorant to spiritual matters?

4. What kind of people seek a sign? 5. What does it mean to seek a sign? 6. What sign did Jesus give them? 7. What are the signs that we have?

Matthew 16:6-12

1. As they leave, what does it say that the disciples had for-gotten?

2. Christ gives the disciples a warning. What is it? 3. Do the disciples understand the warning? What do they think

that Christ is talking about? 4. How did Jesus know what they were thinking? 5. What did Jesus then tell them? 6. Often, the Lord says, "O ye of little faith". Why do you

think this is? Do the apostles and disciples really seem to lack faith? What does this teach you about our faith?

7. Before explaining what He meant by the "leaven of the Phar-isees," Jesus reminds the apostles of two miracles. What were they? Why do you think that He reminded them of these miracles?

8. What do the disciples finally understand about the "leaven" of the Pharisees? What is it?

Matthew 16:13-20

1. We now find ourselves with Christ in the coasts of Caesarea Philippi. What does He ask His disciples?

2. Who do men think Christ is?


3. Why do you think that so many people had a hard time under-standing that Christ was the Messiah?

4. After their answer, Christ asks another question. What is it?

5. How does Peter answer? 6. Why do you think Peter knew the answer when there were so

many people who had trouble recognizing the Savior? 7. What is it that we need in order to receive a witness of

Christ's divinity? 8. What does Christ promise to Peter? 9. What does Christ give to Peter? Why is this significant? Do

we have this power on the earth today? 10. Finally, He charges the disciples not to tell anyone that

He was Jesus the Christ. Why do you think this is? Matthew 16:21-23

1. Consider the chapter so far. The Pharisees wanted the Sav-ior to prove Himself by showing a sign. Of course, they had no faith, and this was a temptation. After, what conversa-tion took place between the Lord and His disciples? Next, Jesus then warned them not to tell people that He was the Anointed One.

2. What did Jesus then tell the disciples was going to happen to Him in Jerusalem?

3. How did Peter respond? 4. Now, Jesus rebukes Peter. What does He say? 5. Was Peter's intent one of malice? He seems to be pretty

nice. Why do you think that Peter didn't want Jesus to suf-fer and even die?

6. Yet, Christ admonishes Peter. Why? What is Jesus' first priority? Imagine: what would the result had been if Peter had successfully stopped Christ from suffering, dying, and being resurrected?

Matthew 16:24-28

1. What does Jesus say to His disciples? 2. What does it mean to "take up His cross, and follow me"?

(Make sure you look down at the Joseph Smith Translation for this scripture.)

3. When Jesus talks about "saving" and "losing" our lives, what does He mean? Does He mean physical death and life? What is the Savior trying to teach the apostles?

4. Read the questions posed in Matthew 16:26. Answer them. How do you think understanding these concepts can help us in our daily decisions?

5. Eventually, how will the Son of Man appear? Who is the Son of Man?


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ In Matthew 16, we get a very personal and powerful witness of Christ

and His mission. First, we will read more about who Christ is. 1. Read Matthew 16:13-20. Consider the corresponding Analysis

and Application questions. 2. Keep in mind that we learned earlier that Christ came not

to teach the Gentiles, but only the lost members of the


house of Israel. So, we know that Jesus had spent His time teaching, healing, and serving the people of the House of Israel. What does this mean to you? As members of the House of Israel, they were covenant people. Who did they claim to worship and believe in?

3. What does this mean for you? Have you covenanted with the Lord?

4. Why do you think that the covenanted members of the House of Israel—the members of the Church—didn't recognize Jesus as the Savior and the Messiah? Why do you think that they were confused?

5. Read Matthew 16:15 and answer the question that is posed. Who say you that Jesus is? Was He a prophet? Was He a man? What is your answer to the question?

6. Read Peter's answer. How did Peter know that Jesus was in fact the Christ, the promised Messiah? How can you receive this same witness? If you have had this witness, take the time to think about it right now and even write your testi-mony in your journal.

Symbols—Leaven The symbol of leaven is used in more than one way in the scriptures,

but we will study the symbol presented in Matthew 16. 1. Read Matthew 16:6-12. Consider the corresponding Analysis

and Application questions. 2. To what does the Lord compare the doctrine of the Phari-

sees? 3. What is leaven? 4. Think of yeast mixed with water and blended into your bread

recipe. What will the yeast cause the bread to do? 5. Go to the Bible Dictionary and study the entry for "leav-

en." Note anything that stands out to you or that you learn from this definition.

6. Now, think of the doctrine of the Pharisees. What does it seem like the Pharisees and Sadducees were really after? How do you think that their doctrine was corrupted? How did it act as leaven—puffing them up?

7. Yet, were these doctrines always perverted? You may de-scribe their doctrines as the philosophy of men mingled with scripture. How do you think that this kind of doctrine can corrupt us entirely, as leaven has effect on an entire loaf of bread?

8. How does the comparison of leaven to the philosophy of the Pharisees help you to better understand what Jesus is try-ing to teach?

Cross-reference—Sealing Power In Matthew 16, the Savior asks the apostles who people think He is.

They respond that many people believe He is John the Baptist or Elias. Then, Jesus asks who they think He is. To which Peter so humbly responds, "Thou art Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God."

Jesus then blesses Peter for His testimony and faith. He also gives Pe-

ter a special blessing. Find it in Matthew 16:19. Often, this is referred to as the sealing power. There have been a few people bestowed with this priest-hood power. Learn more about it in the following cross-reference.

1. In the margins near Matthew 16:19, write the cross refer-ence: "Helaman 10:4-7—sealing power"


2. Read Helaman 10:4-7. 3. Why was Nephi blessed? How had Nephi served? 4. What does the Lord bless Nephi to be able to do? 5. What did the Lord know about Nephi? 6. Finally, in verse 7, we see similar verbiage as was given

in Matthew 16:19. 7. What is especially significant about this power? Is it lim-

ited to this earth? 8. How does Nephi's experience receiving the sealing power

help you to better understand what was given to Peter? 9. Mark in Helaman the corresponding scripture reference:

"Matthew 16:19—sealing power"



Matthew 17:1-13

1. As this chapter opens, who is with Jesus? Where do they go? 2. What happens as they are on the mountain? 3. What does transfiguration mean? Consider looking in the

footnotes, Topical Guide, and/or Bible Dictionary. 4. Who appeared while Jesus was transfigured? 5. In this instance, to whom does Elias refer? 6. Whose voice do they hear? 7. We will study more about this experience at the mount of

transfiguration in the later gospels, but for now, make sure to read the JST in Matthew 17:11 (in the appendix). What do we learn about Elias?

Matthew 17:14-21

1. When Jesus and His disciples came to the multitude, who ap-proached them?

2. To whom had this man brought his son before? 3. What does Jesus say to His disciples? Why does He say this? 4. It is easy for us to be a little critical of the disciples

from our viewpoint; we already know what Christ will do and what He did.—We may wonder why His own disciples didn't have more faith while in the midst of the Master. Yet, think of your own life. Do you have the kind of faith that Jesus pleads for us to have? What do you think might be holding you back?

5. After chastising the disciples, Jesus easily heals the boy. What do the apostles then ask the Savior?

6. How does the Lord answer them? 7. Why do you think that faith is so powerful? Why is it so

important for us to have? How do you think that improved faith will benefit your life?

8. What does Christ say about obtaining faith? 9. Think about your prayers. Are they strengthening your

faith? Do you have faith as a mustard seed, which is power-


ful enough to move a mountain? What can you do to obtain this kind of faith?

Matthew 17:22-23

1. While in Galilee, what did the Savior tell His disciples? 2. How did the disciples feel? 3. Why do you think that the Savior is prophesying of His own

death and resurrection more often? What had just occurred with the man and his lunatic son (and the disciples and Christ)? Why would it be important for them to understand that He wouldn't always be with them?

Matthew 17:24-27

1. As they came back to Capernaum, what was Peter asked? Who asked this question?

2. As Peter begins to go back into the house, what does Jesus ask him?

3. What does Peter answer? 4. What do you think that the Lord means by this question and

the corresponding answer? 5. Yet, Jesus chooses to pay tribute. Why? How does He come up

with the money? 6. Why do you think that the Savior has chosen this kind of

miracle—that a piece of money would be found in a fish?


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ As usual, there is much that could be studied in this chapter and ap-

plied to the Atonement, but we will spend time studying only one part. 1. Read Matthew 17:14-23. Consider the corresponding Analysis

and Application questions. 2. What kind of faith do you think that Christ had? 3. Was it important for Him to have faith? Why? 4. We see that Christ uses the power of faith to heal people.

Of course, we usually think of the faith that needs to be exercised is on the part of the person who needs to be healed. Did the man and his lunatic son have faith? Who lacked faith in this situation?

5. As you understand this miracle in this light, think of Je-sus Christ's faith. Was faith required on His part in order to work the miracles that He did?

6. As you consider His faith—especially when it comes to heal-ing us—think also of the greatest work of healing that He would perform: the Atonement. Why do you think that faith would be required in order for Him to go through with this great sacrifice?

7. How can understanding that Christ's faith works in concert with our own faith help you when you come to Him in need? How can this understanding help you as you serve Him or act in His name?

8. What can you do to have more faith in the Savior, His pow-er, His Atonement, and His ability to enable you?

Definition—Elias


Elias has come up before in the scriptures and we have learned that it was a title. You can study a little bit more about Elias in the Enrich Your Learning section of the Matthew 11 study assignment.

Even though we have studied Elias before, this chapter gives another

helpful insight in understanding the title Elias. Notice what the Joseph Smith Translation (for Matthew 17:11, found in the Appendix) teaches about Elias.

Sometimes it is helpful to write definitions directly into your scrip-

tures. Elias may be an especially useful definition to have easily available. Come up with a good definition of Elias. Here, in chapter 17, we see

that Elias is referring to two different prophets at different times. Use the explanation that Christ gave and what you learned as you did the study as-signment in Matthew 11 to form a concise definition of Elias. Jot this defi-nition down in the margin of your scriptures so that it will always be handy.

Pattern and a Cross-reference/Scripture Chain In Matthew 17:21, Jesus gives us instruction—or a pattern—on how to

have increased faith and testimony. 1. Read Matthew 17:21 (consider reading 14-21 to understand

the context). What does Jesus teach the apostles about hav-ing more faith?

2. In this sense, the pattern is not a repeating sequence of events as much as it is a set of instructions, like a pat-tern for a dress. Yet, we will find that this is also a re-peated pattern as we find the instructions given to us so often in the scriptures.

3. Go to Alma 5:46. What does Alma explain gave him faith and eventually a testimony?

4. Go to Alma 17:3. What had the sons of Mosiah done to become faithful men of understanding?

5. Go to the Topical Guide for "fasting." Search through the entries and see how this pattern is repeated in the scrip-tures.

6. Why do you think it is important for us to understand the pattern of increased faith and revelation?

7. How can implementing this pattern into your own life help you increase your faith and testimony? How will that posi-tively influence your life?

Miracles and Asking Questions In this chapter, we have two main miracles recorded:

• Healing of the lunatic son (Matthew 17:14-21) • Tribute money found in a fish (Matthew 17:24-27).

If you are doing a study project of all the miracles, then follow the directions listed in the Appendix. For now, we will study one together.


2. As we see this miracle performed, the Lord teaches Peter. At first glance, it is quite cryptic. I can't say that I'm sure what is meant by the exchange. Yet, through questions, we may be able to discover more meaning to both the miracle and what Christ has taught Peter.

3. First of all, why did Christ perform the miracle? Was this a miracle where someone was healed? What was the essential


purpose of this miracle? How does it differ from many of the miracles that we've read about in the past?

4. Before Peter finds the money in the fish, what does Christ say to Him?

5. Why do you think that Christ asks this question? 6. When Christ asks Peter about kings, He specifically men-

tions a certain type of king. What kind of king is this? 7. What is noteworthy about this question and about Christ's

asking it? What kind of King is Christ? 8. Imagine the Savior asking you this question: of whom do the

kings of the earth take custom or tribute? Of their own children, or of strangers? What would be your answer to this question?

9. How are the "children" free? Which children does Christ speak of?

10. Think, now, about the apostles. Whom did the apostles be-lieve Christ was? Keep in mind, had Israel been free of Ro-man rule, then who would have been the literal, sitting King of Israel? Yet, did the Roman government recognize Christ this way?

11. How do you think that it would have made a difference to the lives of the Jews—especially those who had become dis-ciples of Christ—had Jesus been the sitting King of Israel?

12. Yet, the children of Israel had another political king—Caesar. What were the children of Israel in relation to Caesar - children, strangers?

13. Does their obedience to Caesar (through payment of tax-es/tribute) in any way block their loyalty to Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the King (especially if they are strangers to Caesar)?

14. How do you think that this might have been comforting to Peter and the other disciples?

15. How can this be applicable in our own lives? We live in countries and governments ruled by men (and women)—presidents, kings, prime ministers, etc. Can we be loyal to both our worldly rulers and our Heavenly Ruler? How is this accomplished?

16. Notice also that Jesus had Peter be obedient to the laws of the land. Why?

17. To increase your understanding of this miracle, continue to ask yourself more questions. How do the kings of the earth differ than the King of kings, the King of Heaven? Does He take custom or tribute? Of whom does He take it? How does He use this "tribute"? How do we show loyalty to our Heav-enly King?

As you can see, asking questions can help you to get more of the story.

Even though I had no idea what this passage really meant, I did know one thing: it meant something. I also knew that with a little digging, I'd be able to find something useful to me. I don't claim to understand the entire passage. I'm sure that there are many levels of understanding. I don't have much knowledge of the history of the time. I don't know much about Caesar, the Romans, or their tribute. While that information may be helpful, it isn't necessary. The true teacher is the Holy Ghost. We can access His help as we ask, seek, and knock. Ask yourself questions! Learn what the Holy Ghost would have you know.




Matthew 18:1-6

1. As this chapter opens, what do the disciples ask Jesus? 2. What does Jesus do? 3. After bringing the child in the midst of them, what does

Jesus teach the disciples? 4. What do you think that the Savior means by His teaching?

Why would He say that we need to be come like a child? 5. In verse 4, what do we learn about those who humble them-

selves like a child? What does this teach you about the kingdom of heaven? How does it contrast to the glory of the world? Are humility and submission thought to be good qual-ities if you are looking for worldly greatness? Why do you think that humility and submission make someone great in God's kingdom?

6. What does the Lord teach us about receiving and offending children?

7. Do you think that "children" and "little ones" in verses 5-6 are limited to people of a certain age? How do Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ think of all of us? How might this charge extend to more than people under the age of 18?

8. How might we, as mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles, teachers, and friends receive children? Offend them?

Matthew 18:7-14

1. The Lord begins to speak more of offenses. What are offens-es? (Check the footnotes for help.)

2. What does the Lord teach about members (of our body) that commit offenses? Do you think that the Lord is speaking literally? What do you think that He means by this?

3. Notice the Joseph Smith Translation in verse 9. What does the Lord mean by the man's hand, foot, and eye? Why do you think that He wants us to cut off those "members" that com-mit offenses? How is this accomplished? Do you think that this means you should disown everyone who has ever sinned? Obviously, this wouldn't work. How do we apply this teach-ing to us? What do you think that Lord really wants us to learn?

4. What does the Lord then warn us concerning despising His little ones?

5. It is doubtful that many people despise children—at least at the outset. Yet really think about this advice and how it might be applicable to us. First of all, the context has been offenses and sins—when we sin, we need to cut that off. Yet here, Jesus essentially teaches us that children are whole. Do they need to be cut off? Think also of your own experiences with children, especially if you are a par-ent. Of course you love your child, but really consider your actions toward your children. Are you showing them ap-propriate love? Or do your actions sometimes fall under the


despise category? How might we learn to love our children as Christ would?

6. The Lord then tells a parable. What is it? What does this parable have to do with the Lord's little ones and what Christ has been teaching up to this point?

7. How do our actions impact children? How might our experi-ences with children and youth lead them to increased faith and testimony? How might our experiences with children in-stead lead them to perish? What can we do to better follow the Lord's teaching regarding His little ones?

Matthew 18:15-20

1. The Lord continues His teaching about offenses and sins. What are we supposed to do when someone hurts or sins against us? What is the benefit of first going to the per-son who hurt us?

2. If this person is not responsive, to whom should we than talk? Why is it important to have two or three witnesses? Do you think that this is carte blanche for teaming up against others?

3. Finally, if the offender neglects to respond, what is the last option we have? Do you think that every offense needs to be brought to this level? When might it be appropriate?

4. What does Christ teach us concerning the idea of two or more witnesses? Consider the term "witness." Additionally, consider the commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false wit-ness." Do you think that the Lord will sanction false wit-ness when there are two or three in agreement? What do you think that the Lord means by this law of two or three wit-nesses? When is it actually effectual?

Matthew 18:21-22

1. After the Lord teaches His disciples about offenses, what does Peter ask?

2. What does the Lord then teach Peter about forgiveness? 3. Prior to this experience between Peter and Christ, what has

the tone been regarding offenses? How does this advice com-pare to what Jesus has been teaching throughout the chap-ter?

4. Why do you think that the Lord teaches us to both cut off those who offend us, yet, to forgive them of every offense? What does this mean? How do we accomplish both of the charges given to us by the Lord?

5. How do you think having the Spirit with you might help in discerning how to act when you've been sinned against?

Matthew 18:23-35

1. To illustrate what He was teaching, Christ tells a parable. 2. Which parable does He tell? 3. How does this help to explain what our attitude towards

forgiveness should be? When you consider this parable and what Jesus told Peter, how does it change your understand-ing of reporting the offenses others have made toward you? How does this parable illuminate your understanding of "cutting off" those that offend you?

4. What do you think that Christ's primary message is when it comes to being sinned against? What is the solution that we should seek?



The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ Matthew 18 opens with a question posed by the disciples: "Who is the

greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Jesus' response to the disciples can give us insight on the work that He performed and how we can strengthen our rela-tionship with Him.


2. With the understanding that Christ is the great exemplar, think about how He has exemplified the advice He is giving in Matthew 18:1-6. How did He submit as a child? How did He show humility?

3. How did the Atonement show His great submission? To whom did He submit? How was the Atonement an act of humility?

4. Consider the way that Satan offered to save us all. Find Satan's plan for the salvation of God's children in Moses 4:1-4. Was Satan's plan one of humility and submission? What did Satan seek?

5. Given Christ's examples of humility and submission, how would He "rate" in the kingdom of heaven? Yet, he doesn't seek the glory of God for Himself. What is the promise of the Atonement and salvation that Christ gives us? Would we be able to receive any kind of greatness in God's kingdom—even if we were humble and submissive—without the Atone-ment? How does Christ's Atonement enable us to inherit the blessings of God's kingdom?

6. As we think of Christ's example—that His submission and hu-mility has enabled us to be blessed in God's kingdom—how do we perpetuate this kind of service to others? How do we show humility, submission, love, and gratitude to our Heav-enly Father and to our Savior?

Pattern—Be Converted -> Become as Children -> Inherit the Kingdom of

God In Matthew 18:3, Jesus teaches us the pattern to inherit the kingdom of

God. We will study each step in this pattern in depth to find out what it truly means and how we can apply this pattern into our lives.

1. Read Matthew 18:3. Notice the steps to this simple pattern. Keep in mind, this pattern is a simple set of instructions, like a dress pattern.

2. You may want to mark this pattern: 1) Be converted 2)Become as children 3) Inherit the kingdom of God

3. Sometimes, discovering the pattern alone is enough to aid in scripture study. However, right now, we will take some time to really understand each element of the pattern. We will study this pattern by finding other scriptural refer-ences that will help increase our understanding of what is expected of us in order to receive the inheritance prom-ised.

a. Be converted i. Start by thinking about the concept of conversion. What

is conversion? What does it mean to you? What is being converted? How have you felt the power of conversion in your life?


ii. Now, continue to think of conversion. Are there any scriptures that come to mind as you ponder this thought? If so, then look them up. Study them. Note why you are making the connection. The scripture you are thinking of may or may not have the word "converted" in it. It may simply have the idea of what you consider conversion to be.

iii. For example, when I think of being converted, I think of what conversion is: a change. In the scriptures, it is, primarily, the change of the natural man to the spiritual person. As I think of this concept, many scriptures come to mind, including Matthew 11:28-30 when the Lord pleads with us to come unto Him and take His yoke upon us. Even though this doesn't really talk about conversion directly, I feel like there's a con-nection there - that taking on His yoke requires our conversion.

iv. If no other scriptures come to mind, or if you are hav-ing a tough time remembering their references, then go to the Topical Guide. Look at the entry for "Conver-sion." You can then study which scriptures you like. I usually scan through them first, then study a series of scriptures that I feel drawn to.

v. Don't stop there. Also look up some of the other en-tries related to conversion (notice where the entry for "Conversion, Convert" says: "see also." Study any of the other entries that seem appropriate to you.

vi. Finally, this is a great time to integrate modern-day revelation with ancient scripture study. To better un-derstand conversion, go to LDS.org and type "conver-sion" into the search bar. It will bring up entries - from various sources. To help you filter, click on the General Conference button (on the left-hand toolbar). In this quick search, I found three conference talks that struck me as appropriate for study: "Converted Un-to the Lord" (Elder David A. Bednar, April 2012), "Be-ing a More Christian Christian" (Elder Robert D. Hales, April 2012), and "Can Ye Feel So Now?" (Elder Quintin L. Cook, April 2012). Don't feel obligated to read eve-ry talk. Follow the Spirit in your study. If you notice a slight interest—a glimmer even—then follow it. The Spirit will teach you exactly what you need to know. Learn to listen for it and follow its promptings during scripture study.

vii. Make sure that you write in your scripture journal. What have you learned about conversion? What does it mean to you now? Perhaps your understanding of it has-n't changed, but how has this study galvanized your un-derstanding? What can you do to be converted?

b. Become as little children i. Follow the same steps when studying this topic. What

does this phrase mean to you? Why does Jesus bring up children? What do you think that Christ means by this? How is becoming like a child different than being childish? Really ask yourself questions about what this phrase means to you. Ask many different kinds of ques-tions to analyze this imperative. As you ask questions, take notes on what you learn. This is pondering.


ii. While you begin this pondering process, most likely you will begin to also think of scriptures and places where you have heard this charge before. Think of children in the scriptures. Think of their examples and their tes-timonies. When I think of children, I think of Samuel, the boy prophet. I think of David, who was a boy when he was chosen to be king. I think of the children who were blessed by Christ in the Americas. As a part of this study, I would take the time now to study these examples and find how the stories are related to the concept of becoming as little children.

iii. After studying and pondering based on your own knowledge, go to the Topical Guide. There are two sepa-rate entries for "Child" and "Children." Scan through them. There may be some scriptures that fit into this study better than others. At this point, I would proba-bly look for examples of where we are being taught to become as children. Use the Spirit to guide your study. If you feel drawn to a scripture reference, then look it up. Search a little bit. You may go down a few paths that aren't really related, but just keep digging around. Be patient. Soon enough, you will begin to make sense of what the Spirit is trying to teach you.

iv. Again, this is a great opportunity for searching the lds.org website for teachings from latter-day prophets and apostles. The idea to become as little children is-n't the best searchable term. Remember to use "" when you search a phrase. Also consider looking up what you might consider the opposite of "becoming as a child"—perhaps "natural man" would be a good search term. Op-posites can help us to understand what we are studying, too.

v. Remember to take notes in your scripture journal. Lis-ten to the whisperings of the Spirit. Keep in mind that the Spirit can teach you something relevant to you in your current life—no matter the subject you are study-ing.

c. Inherit the kingdom of God i. Really, there are two concepts here: "Inherit" and "the

kingdom of God." Study these concepts. Ask yourself questions, think of connections. Track down the connec-tions that you make while pondering. For example, as I think of "the kingdom of God," I am instantly reminded of the series of parables that Christ taught. At this point, I will track down that chapter, Matthew 13, and study what the Savior taught about the kingdom of God.

ii. When you are out of your own ideas, go to the Topical Guide or Index. Think of appropriate terms and scan through the entries listed. Follow through on the en-tries that you feel drawn to.

iii. Consider following up on this study by searching online for current prophecy on the subject.

iv. Record your discoveries in your scripture journal. 4. Most likely, this study exercise took you at least 4 days,

maybe even longer. Isn't it exciting what we can learn based on one simple pattern given in one verse!

Metaphor—Matthew 18:9 (including JST)


Metaphors are often used by Christ (and throughout the scriptures) to help us understand the abstract concept being taught by comparing it to con-crete images. Study the metaphor in Matthew 18:9 to help you understand what Christ is teaching.

1. Read Matthew 18:9, including the Joseph Smith Translation found in the footnotes.

2. A metaphor is a comparison when something is said to be an-other object. What are the metaphors in this verse?

⁃ Hand = Friend ⁃ Foot = Friend ⁃ Eye = Household/family 3. What is the Lord instructing us to do when we are offended

by any of these members? 4. How would cutting off your hand, foot, or plucking out your

eyes impact your life? Would it be easy to forget about your lost hand, foot, eyes?

5. Why do you think that Christ makes these comparisons? 6. Yet, what does he say about having one eye rather than two

and cast into hell? 7. How does this comparison help you to understand the diffi-

culty in cutting off offenders? Is it something that should be done lightly?

8. Ponder what you think the Lord truly means by this scrip-ture. While it is an instruction the Lord gives us, do you really think that He wants people maimed like this? Do you think He wants people to blithely cut off their friends and family? How do you think we should treat the situations in which others offend us?

Quest—Finding Meaning We are now going to try something a little different, but really worth-

while. I am familiar with the teachings of this chapter, but I have to admit

that I'm a little confused. I'm a little bit puzzled by the fact that Christ seems to lack mercy. He tells us to cut off offending members. He tells us to tell our brothers their faults. It seems so vengeful; so different than the tone that we have gotten from Christ earlier.

For example - how does Matthew 18 fit into the family proclamation?

These two scriptures seem to be at odds with each other. Just because things seem to be puzzling or strange, don't be afraid of

the feeling. Don't let it cause you to doubt or fear. Instead, ask with faith. Realize there is an answer to your quandary. The Lord will help you to figure it out. You just need to be humble and listen to what He has to say. And you need to realize that what you study you may not always understand—at first.

With this understanding in mind, it is time to search a little deeper

in the text. Do the Analysis and Applications questions for Matthew 18. While studying, be mindful of other scriptures that may echo these teachings or ne-gate them.

As I studied the chapter, I couldn't help but think of Matthew 5. In

Matthew 5, we learn a higher law. We learn not to cut off the offending mem-ber, but to turn the other cheek.


Now, in some ways, I feel even more confused than I did before, but I also feel more positive that there is something to learn here. So I will read through the troubling parts of Matthew 18 carefully and really analyze them.

1. Read Matthew 18:7. 2. Notice the word "offences." What do you think it means?

What is offense? What does it mean to be offended? 3. Now, look at the footnote for the word "offences". What

does this teach us about the idea of offenses? How has your understanding changed?

4. My understanding is changing—usually, I think of "offenses" as being hurt by someone else, being betrayed or treated unkindly. Yet the term has a broader meaning: being sinned against. And in this case, I think it means to sin against God.

5. How does understanding the gospel-centered concept of "of-fense" change your understanding of the charge given in Matthew? Does the Lord want us to cut people off? What does He want us to be free of?

6. How do you think that people may influence our actions? Think of your own relationships; are there people who in-fluence you to sin and offend God? How can you change this relationship? Is there a way for each of you to make your own choices with mutual respect? Is there a way that you can change the dynamic of this relationship that will help you to not offend God?

7. Study the metaphor used by the Savior. (See the exercise above in studying metaphors.) Extend the metaphor now...think about your foot. Let's say that you have an in-grown toenail on your big toe. It is painful. It is infect-ed. Would this be good cause to cut off your entire foot? Perhaps you have a sprained ankle. It is bruised and swol-len and has immobilized you. Does your foot offend you to the point where being cut off would be advisable? Why? Why not? What are the alternative remedies? How is this like another person who may offend you or may offend God? Think of their actions. Do you need to immediately cut them off? Is there some alternative remedy?

8. Yet, there are times when you do need to amputate a foot. Perhaps your infection has spread to a point where you have gangrene. This can jeopardize your life. What would you do with your foot? Is your foot so important to you that you'd consider death?

9. Again, we can apply this to what the Lord is trying to teach us. Sometimes, the only way to turn the other cheek IS to cut off the offending member. But, like an amputa-tion, this must be done with prudence.

As you can see, further investigation, through questions, cross-

references, and searching can help us to understand the things we don't un-derstand in the scriptures. Most importantly, when we approach something that is puzzling to us, we should proceed with faith. We can trust in God - who gave us the scriptures, and we can trust that He didn't make a mistake. The Spirit will enlighten our minds and help us to make meaning of the scriptures if we will be analytical without criticizing God's teachings.

Parables Christ tells two parables in this chapter.

• The parable of the Lost Sheep—Matthew 18:12-14


• The parable of the Forgiving and Unforgiving Rulers—Matthew 18:23-25

If you are doing a comprehensive study of the parables, then study the-se parables following the instructions given in the Appendix.



Matthew 19:1-9

1. After departing from Galilee, where did Jesus go? What hap-pened there?

2. As Christ was healing people, who came? 3. What did they want to do? 4. Think about this situation: what kind of people are the

Pharisees? Why do you think that they would disrupt the peace of the people?

5. What did they claim to want to know? 6. How does Christ respond to the Pharisees' question? 7. Why do you think that Jesus begins by reminding them of the

scriptures and the creation of man and woman? 8. When man and woman were created, were they also married?

What do we learn about the important of marriage from this passage?

9. What do the Pharisees say to Jesus' response? 10. Why did the law of Moses make allowance for divorce? 11. What do you think that this means? Why would there not have

been divorce in the beginning, but allowance made for it later? What is the cause for divorce?

12. How can we better keep our hearts soft and avoid divorce? (Keep in mind, the allowance for divorce seems to be to protect the innocent person. Not all divorces are because two people couldn't get it together. Divorces are a bless-ing when it comes to betrayal and abuse. Of course, these two things would fall under the category explained by Christ: hardness of hearts. If you have been divorced, please don't feel discouraged. I, too, have been divorced. It is a touchy subject for sure, but the Atonement truly helps to heal us from every wound we experience here in mortality.)

Matthew 19:10-15

1. After teaching the Pharisees about divorcement, what do the disciples ask Christ?

2. What do you think that it means? 3. What does Christ explain? 4. Who were then brought to the Savior? What did the people

desire for their children? 5. Why did the disciples rebuke those bringing their children? 6. What did Jesus then do? Why?


Matthew 19:16-26 1. Who came to the Lord? What did he ask Jesus? 2. What does Jesus tell him to do? 3. Why do you think that the Savior defers attention from Him-

self and reminds the man that it is God that is good? 4. What kind of life had the man been living? Had he kept the

commandments? 5. What does Jesus then tell this young man that he must do? 6. How did the young man respond? 7. After this young man left, Jesus spoke to the apostles.

What was His remark? Why do you think that it is so diffi-cult for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of Heaven?

8. What comparison does the Savior then make? Yet, can a rich man be saved?

9. How is it possible to be saved? Why do you think that this is important to remember? Is there any way that we can be saved without Christ? How does He make salvation for all of us possible?

Matthew 19:27-30

1. What does Peter ask the Savior? 2. What is the reward for those who follow the Savior? 3. Is following Christ a one time thing—get baptized and

you're all set? What do you think is required in following the Savior? What can you do to follow Christ?

4. When we follow Christ, we are asked to forsake the world. Are there exceptions to this? What is the reward for for-saking our most treasured relationships or belongings for Christ's sake?

5. What does forsaking mean? 6. How do many people forsake their houses, brethren, family,

lands, etc., now? Often, what is required of a missionary in order to serve? Are you willing to give up all of the blessings in your life to follow the Lord and serve Him? What can you do to be more submissive?


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ In this chapter, the Savior teaches us two principles: telling us what

makes up the kingdom of heaven and how to obtain eternal life. We will study both of these teachings. As we do, take time to keep the Atonement in mind. Think of how the Atonement fits into these teachings—or how it makes them possible at all.

1. Read Matthew 19:13-14. What does Jesus teach about the kingdom of heaven in this block?

2. Why do you think that He says this? How is the kingdom of heaven made up of little children? Look at Matthew 18:3 for extra help in understanding.

3. Do you think that this is a literal statement, that the on-ly people to inherit the kingdom of heaven are little chil-dren?

4. How did Christ submit Himself as a child? How does the Atonement show complete submission and humility? How is Christ as a little one (even though He was obviously a grown adult)?


5. How does knowing that Christ—who was perfect—submitted as a little child help you to submit, yourself? Is submission to God a sign of weakness? Does being childlike mean we should act silly and immature? How can Christ's example help you to know what is required of us?

We will now study the second example of how to obtain eternal life.

1. Read Matthew 19:16-21. 2. What does Jesus teach first, as far as inheriting eternal

life is concerned? 3. Why do you think that keeping the commandments is so im-

portant in receiving eternal life? 4. How did the Savior exemplify this in His own life? How does

the performance of the Atonement fit into his keeping of the commandments?

5. What else does Jesus teach is needed in receiving eternal life?

6. Why do you think that we need to do these things to receive eternal life?

7. Again, think of Christ's life. How did He accomplish these requirements? How does performing the Atonement also fit into this? How do we then follow Him? Obviously, we can't give the kind of sacrifice that Christ gave, but what kinds of sacrifices can we make?

8. Would it be possible to follow Christ if He hadn't lived a perfect life and performed the Atonement? How does under-standing His example and His Atonement help to give us a better understanding of what it means to follow Him?

Comparison—Pharisees and Antichrists In the Book of Mormon, there is a popular term used for those who teach

against the doctrines of Christ. They are "antichrist." It seems that the Pharisees could easily fall into this category. We will use a cross-reference here to see an example of how the two are alike. This may help us understand more about the Pharisees and adversaries of the Savior. It may also help us to overcome their deception.

1. Read Matthew 19:1-3. 2. In verse two, what had Christ been doing among the multi-

tude of people? What do you think that the general attitude might have been where a multitude of people were being healed by Christ?

3. Along come the Pharisees. Are they respectful to the faith of the people in the multitude?

4. What is the Pharisees' motive in this situation? 5. Why do you think that they would have come to a place where

people had been expressing faith and where people had been healed in order to tempt Christ?

6. Now, in your scriptures write the cross-reference, "Alma 30:22—Pharisees and antichrist"

7. Go to Alma 30:22 and read it. You may want to read the chapter heading (or skim through the chapter to get an idea of the context: Korihor, the antichrist, is preaching against the gospel and causing a stir in the communities where he preaches. In verse 21, you will see that he is be-ing questioned by a high priest in the land of Gideon.)

8. What does the high priest ask Korihor? What do these ques-tions teach us about what Korihor was doing and how it was affecting the people? Notice that the high priest does not


try to convince Korihor that he is wrong. Instead, he just asks Korihor why he is doing as he is doing.

9. How is Korihor like the Pharisees? 10. How is Korihor different from the Pharisees? 11. When you understand that Korihor is an antichrist and real-

ly has no good intentions, when you analyze his actions, then you compare his behavior to the Pharisees, what do you learn about the Pharisees? Why do you think that the Phari-sees were perverting the ways of the Lord? Why were they teaching the people that Jesus was not the Christ? Why did they interrupt the rejoicings of the people? Why did they speak against the prophets?

12. If you would like, in your scriptures, write the corre-sponding cross-reference - "Matthew 19:1-3 - Pharisees and Antichrists"

Comparison/Contrast—Peter and the Rich Young Ruler We will do another comparison and contrast. Both of these examples take

place in Matthew 19. 1. Read Matthew 19:16-22. Complete the corresponding Analysis

and Application questions. Really pay attention to the rich young ruler.

2. Overall, was the rich young ruler a good man? 3. What did he want to know from Christ? Why did he want to

know it? Unlike the Pharisees, his question seems to be genuine. He's not trying to trick or trap the Savior. He truly wants to know what must be done to inherit eternal life. What do you think about this kind of question? Do you have the courage to truly ask such a question? Do you think that you would be ready to accept the answer?

4. What did Jesus answer this man? 5. How did the man answer to Jesus' questions? Why do you

think, if he was keeping all of the commandments, he was still so unsure of his ability to inherit eternal life?

6. Again, take a second to assess your own life—the blessings you have received, the commandments you have kept. Do you think that you would ask the same question as this rich young ruler? Do you think that you would be ready to hear the answer?

7. What did Jesus tell the rich young ruler? 8. When the Lord tells the young ruler to sell all he has and

give to the poor, what does He offer to the ruler as a re-ward for such sacrifice?

9. Again, what does Christ bid the ruler to do? 10. What does the rich young ruler do?

Now, that you have been studying the rich young ruler more, study Peter

and compare/contrast the differences between the two men. 1. Read Matthew 19:27-30. Consider the correlating Analysis

and Application questions. 2. What had Peter done to show his dedication to Christ and

the gospel? 3. You may want to read more about Peter's answer to Christ's

invitation to follow Him in Luke 5:1-11. How does his an-swer to the call compare to the rich young ruler's?

4. Did Peter have much to lose? We know that he had a mother-in-law, which implies that he also had a wife. If he had a


mother-in-law and wife, what else do you think may have been his responsibility?

5. Even though Peter is not described as a rich young ruler, we know that he was busy fishing. It is not as if he was destitute and homeless. He had to give up his livelihood. Why do you think that Peter was able to do this while the rich young ruler struggled so much?

6. How can you follow the example of Peter and so many other prophets who have forsaken all to follow Christ?

Theme—The Law of Sacrifice Finally, in this chapter, we are taught of a theme that repeats itself

often in the scriptures: the law of sacrifice. 1. Read Matthew 19:21, 29. 2. In both of these verses, what is required in order to in-

herit the kingdom of God and everlasting life? 3. When the Savior tells the rich young ruler that he would

need to sell all he had, the Lord also gives a promise, or reward, for such sacrifice. What is it?

4. Why do you think that the Lord highlighted the reward in this way, calling it "treasure"? Why do you think that Je-sus would try to make the reward of such sacrifice look ap-pealing to the rich young ruler?

5. You have considered the "cost" of eternal life. What is the "value" of it?

6. How do you think that understanding the law of sacrifice—that we must give some things up in order to receive all that God has for us—will help us when we face times where we must sacrifice?



Matthew 20:1-16

1. This chapter begins with a parable. What is the kingdom of Heaven likened to?

2. Describe what is taking place in this parable. 3. Why do you think that Jesus is teaching this parable? How

might it relate to the gospel? What do we learn from it? Matthew 20:17-19

1. As Jesus and His disciples head to Jerusalem, what does the Lord tell them?

2. Why do you think that He told them what would take place? 3. How do you think that the apostles felt as they heard the

Savior give this prophecy? 4. Why is it important for us to know that Jesus had fore-

knowledge of what would happen to Him in Jerusalem? Was the Atonement and Christ's crucifixion an accident? A result of


carelessness? Why did Jesus go into Jerusalem knowing His fate?

Matthew 20:20-29

1. The mother of Zebedee's children comes to Christ. Who is this? Who are her sons? What does she desire of Christ?

2. What does the Lord say? 3. Why do you think that the other apostles were "moved to in-

dignation" against James and John? What did they not seem to understand about the kingdom of God?

4. When the other apostles get upset, what does Christ teach them?

Matthew 20:30-34

1. As Jesus passed by, who heard Him? 2. What did they request of the Lord? 3. What did the people in the multitude do? Did the two blind

men back down? Why do you think that they persisted? 4. What does Jesus do? Why do you think that He stands still?

Why does He ask them what He wants? 5. When the blind men made their request from the Lord, what

did Jesus do? 6. Do you think that the blind men were grateful for their re-

stored sight? Why?


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ In this chapter, we are getting closer to the coming Atonement. Christ

is headed to Jerusalem and prophesies of the culmination of His mission. He also tells a parable and heals two blind men. You can learn more about Christ and the Atonement if you study the entire chapter through that lens. For now, we will study the exchange between Christ, the mother of the sons of Zebedee and the other apostles.


2. When the mother of James and John asks if her sons can be on the right and left side of Christ, He answers with a question. What does He ask?

3. What do you think this means? What was the cup that Christ would drink of? What was the baptism that Christ would ex-perience? Would there truly be any other person on this earth who could experience what He was about to do?

4. Even though none of us can truly experience what Christ did in the garden of Gethsemane, we learn that in some small way we drink of Christ's cup and are baptized in His bap-tism. What do you think that this means? How do you think that our experiences differ from Christ's Atonement?

5. Why do you think that it is important for us to go through these difficulties? Why do you think that Christ went through Atonement? What does this suffering and commitment have to do with inheriting the kingdom of God? (Remember, the mother of the sons of Zebedee was asking that her sons would inherit life with Christ. He answered with this se-ries of questions. What did they have to do with each oth-er?)


6. Even if we do partake of Christ's cup and baptism, who, ul-timately, decides our fates?

7. Why do you think that the other apostles are moved with in-dignation when they hear this? What is it that they seem to think about the kingdom of God?

8. Jesus quickly takes this moment to teach all of the apos-tles more about the kingdom of God. Interestingly enough, the Lord has already taught this in the chapter, in the parable of the laborer. Yet, the apostles seem to be more competitive than necessary. This is a natural response giv-en the world they live in. What does Jesus describe about their current political climate—how the Gentiles rule?

9. Is the kingdom of God the same? How is it different? How are the mightiest, chief people expected to act in the kingdom of God?

10. We will now see how this relates to the Atonement, as the Atonement is the great act that Christ does for all of us. What did Christ come to earth to do? What is Christ's "standing" among the children of God? (Remember, he is even the rightful king of Israel!)

11. When you think of the actual act of the Atonement, how does this fulfill the characteristics of what the "great" in God's kingdom will do—minister to others, serve others? How does the Atonement not only save us, but also provide a good example of what is expected of those who desire to in-herit a place in God's kingdom?

Parable —The Laborers If you are doing a comprehensive study of the Parables, then study the-

se parables following the instructions given in the Appendix. In this chap-ter, Jesus tells the following parable:

• Parable of the laborers—Matthew 20:1-16 We will study it together.


2. How does this parable begin? What time of day is it? What does the householder do? How much does he agree to pay the laborers?

3. In verse 3, what does the householder do? Where are the la-borers he hired previously? What does the householder offer to the new laborers he hires?

4. What does the householder do in verse 5? What has happened to the laborers he hired earlier? Why do you think that the householder is hiring more laborers?

5. The householder goes out a final time. What time of day is it? What had the people been doing all day long? What does he offer to them?

6. When the end of the day comes, what does the householder do? Who does he call to and pay first? What were they paid?

7. When the first came to be paid, what did the householder give them? Did they accept the payment graciously? Why not? What had they agreed to earlier in the day?

8. What does the householder say to the murmuring laborers? 9. Notice the question, "Is thine eye evil because I am good?"

What does this mean? How have you seen this happen in life—instead of feeling happy for our own success and the suc-cess and blessing of another, we are filled with spite be-


cause we have decided that we've been treated unfairly? What do you think is the root cause of this behavior?

10. As you study this parable, list all of the elements of it: the characters, what they do, how they interact with each other, what happens.

11. Now, think of their corollaries. Remember, a parable is a side-by-side comparison. Who would each of these play-ers be? What would payment be? What would laboring be?

12. What do you think we should learn from this parable? What are some of the lessons you learn about Heavenly Fa-ther? What do you learn about the nature of men? What do you learn about being hired earlier in the day, or having the gospel earlier in life, rather than being hired later in the day?

13. As you study, think of any concept you have been drawn to. Ponder what the Spirit is trying to teach you.

Miracle—Blind Men Given Sight If you are doing a study project of all the miracles, then follow the

directions listed in the Appendix. In this chapter, the following miracle is included:

• Two blind men are given sight—Matthew 20:30-34 Near the end of this chapter, as the multitude is heading towards Jeru-

salem, they pass two blind men who seek healing from Jesus. Study this mira-cle. If you are studying all of the miracles, take time to study this one in depth, then compare this miracle to the other miracles Christ has performed.


2. As the multitude passed, where were the two blind men? What is significant about them being "by the way side"?

3. What do they do when they hear that Christ is passing by them? How do you think that they knew He was passing by?

4. How do they address the Savior? What did they understand about Him?

5. Did they seem to have any prior experience with Him? 6. What did they ask the Savior to do? Why do you think that

they asked for His mercy? How do you think that asking for blessings and miracles from God requires Him to express some kind of mercy on us?

7. What happens when they ask for mercy? Why do you think that the multitude rebukes these blind men?

8. What do they do, again? 9. What does this teach us about our prayers? Do we always get

what we ask for the first time we raise our voices? Had the blind men listened to the multitude, would they have been healed? How does this happen in our lives? What often tries to get in the way of our experiencing blessings and mira-cles?

10. Yet, the blind men didn't give up. What did they do? Why do you think that they continued to plead?

11. Finally, what does Christ do? Why do you think that He stands still? He then asks what they would have them do. Why do you think this is what He asks? Do you think that He knew what they wanted? Why does He ask this?

12. Read the words of the blind men's request. What do they say? Why do you think that they make the request this way? What is significant about their desire?


13. What does Jesus do? Why? When they receive their sight, what do the blind men do?

14. When you receive an answered request, do you do as these blind men did—receive the blessing and then follow Christ? What do we learn about the faith of these men?



Matthew 21:1-11

1. When Jesus and His disciples were close to Jerusalem, what did He send two disciples to do?

2. Why was this done? 3. When the disciples brought the colt to Jesus, what did He

then do? 4. What did the people do to prepare Christ's path into Jeru-

salem? What did they say? 5. Why did they praise the Savior? Did they seem to understand

who He was? 6. How do you praise the Savior and recognize His deity? 7. Did the people in Jerusalem notice Christ's triumphant en-

try? 8. Keep in mind, this is the last week of the Savior's life

and truly is a high point of His mortal ministry. Matthew 21:12-16

1. Jesus goes to the temple of God. Why is this significant, in the first place? What is Jesus' relationship with the temple?

2. What did Jesus do when He got there? 3. Why did He do this? 4. Why do you think that it is so important to show such re-

spect for the temple? What can you do to help make and keep the temple a holy place?

5. What else did the Lord do when the blind people approached Him? How did the chief priests respond to Christ's healing in the temple? Why do you think that the chief priests were so upset?

Matthew 21:17-22

1. After cleaning the temple, the Lord went to Bethany. The next day, on His way back into Jerusalem, He was hungry. Christ found a fig tree. What was the condition of this tree?

2. What did Christ then do to the tree? Why do you think that Christ did this?

3. The disciples saw what Christ did and they marveled. Why do you think that they were so shocked?

4. What does the Lord teach them?


5. How many miracles had the disciples seen Christ perform up to this point? Why do you think that they were still shocked at His power? It is easy for us, with hindsight, to look at them and claim that they lacked faith, but remem-ber, these were His disciples, His apostles. They are and were some of the greatest witnesses of Christ. Perhaps they didn't lack as much faith as we seem to think. Consider the miracles and blessings you have received in your own life. Yet, do you fully embrace the power of Christ in your life? Do you have faith that He will help you through your cur-rent trials and difficulties? How do you think that you can learn to trust in His power, rather than worry and be shocked when He does perform a miracle in your life?

Matthew 21:23-27

1. When Jesus came to the temple, what did the chief priests and elders ask Him?

2. Why do you think they asked Jesus this question? 3. Notice their titles: chief priests and elders. What does

this imply about their authority? 4. Why do you think that they, men who had been blessed with

the gospel and with the authority of the priesthood, failed to recognize the very one whose priesthood it was?

5. What was Jesus' response to their question? 6. How was this a smart response? 7. Did the chief priests and elders have an answer? Why or why

not? Matthew 21:28-32

1. Jesus does not tell the chief priests what authority He has or who gave Him that authority, but He does begin to tell them a parable. What happens in this parable?

2. What does the Savior then ask the chief priests? Do they answer correctly?

3. After giving their answer, Jesus then relates this parable to the people. What does He say about the harlots and pub-licans? Why is it that these people, thought to be wicked sinners, would go to the kingdom of God before the chief priests, who had dedicated their life to religion?

4. Why do you think that the chief priests had such a diffi-cult time hearing the words of the prophet? Likewise, we have a prophet today. How do you feel about His teachings? Do you know them? Do you believe them? Do you follow them?

Matthew 21:33-46

1. Christ tells the chief priests and elders another parable. 2. What happens in this parable? What do you think the parable

means? 3. Do the chief priests seem to understand the parable, at

least on a very basic level? Why do you think that the Lord told them this parable?

4. Jesus then asks them if they had read a scripture. What is it that He quoted to the chief priests? What do you think it means?

5. Think about the audience: chief priests and elders. Do you think that they were familiar with the scriptures? Do you think that they enjoyed being asked this kind of question? Even though they had the scriptures, does it seem like they


understood the application of the scriptures? What good are the scriptures if you refuse to understand their true, spiritual meaning and instead pervert them in order to pi-ously justify your sins?

6. When the Pharisees perceived that Christ spoke about them in His parable, what did they want to do? Why? Why didn't they do it?

7. Make sure to look at the JST in the appendix of your Bible. Jesus takes the time to explain this parable/quoted scrip-ture to His disciples. What does He teach them? What can you do to be sure that you don't reject the stone—Jesus Christ?


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ We are getting close to the act of the Atonement. It is kind of excit-

ing. Though this chapter starts at a high point, with Christ riding trium-phantly into Jerusalem, the rest of the chapter seems to go downhill with Christ cleaning the temple, cursing the fig tree, and rebuking the Pharisees.

As you read through this chapter, look at it through the lens of the

Atonement. Ask yourself how this leads up to His work of the Atonement. Ask yourself how it helps you to understand the Atonement better. This scripture especially helps us understand the dual nature of the Atonement—it has the power to heal those who are repentant, but it also has the power to crush those who choose to follow Satan. If a portion of this chapter strikes you, then study it with the Atonement in mind. Try to make relationships. It might be hard to do, but write it out, ask yourself questions, and follow impres-sions as you discover what the Spirit is trying to teach you. For now, we will study one portion of this chapter together.

1. Read Matthew 21:28-32. Consider corresponding Analysis and Applications questions.

2. This section of scriptures is a parable. As we read and study it, think of what you can learn about the Atonement.

3. Who are the people mentioned at the beginning of the para-ble?

4. What did the man say to the first son? 5. What did the son answer the man? 6. Although this first son said he wouldn't go and do the work

of his father, what did he end up doing? 7. What did the father say to his second son? What did the se-

cond son say and then do? 8. Now, Jesus asks the Pharisees who did the will of the fa-

ther. How would you answer this question? 9. What does Jesus explain? What was the reputation of the

publicans and the harlots? Despite their reputation, how did they gain entrance into the kingdom of heaven?

10. How does the entrance of the publicans and harlots into heaven relate to this parable? What role does the Atonement play in their ability to inherit the kingdom of God?

11. Jesus teaches that the publicans and harlots believed John (the Baptist). Recall what John's main mission was as a prophet. How do you think that He prepared the way for Christ? What do you think that He taught?

12. Why do you think that the Pharisees had a hard time accept-ing John the Baptist and Jesus Christ?


13. Because of their lack of faith, could they gain entrance into the kingdom of God? How are they like the second son in the parable?

14. How do you think that the Atonement affects their ability to inherit the kingdom of God? Is the Atonement neutral? How does it both save the righteous and condemn the un-faithful?

15. Why do you think that understanding the dual nature of the Atonement will help you as you approach Christ and the Atonement in your own life?

As you can see, studying the text of the Bible with the Atonement in mind can help us better understand Christ, His work, and how the Atonement really can play an active part in our lives.

Fulfillment of Prophecy As Matthew 21 opens, the Savior fulfills a prophecy foretold in

Zechariah. 1. Read Matthew 21:1-11. Consider the corresponding Analysis

and Application questions. 2. Now, find the prophecy foretold in Zechariah 9:9-11. 3. Why is Zion rejoicing? 4. How does the king come to Jerusalem? 5. How does Christ fulfill this prophecy literally? 6. Why do you think that the arrival of Christ should cause

Zion to rejoice? 7. What will be cut off from Ephraim? Notice that a chariot is

more than a mere mode of transportation. Look in the Bible Dictionary to see what chariots were especially used for. What will Christ speak to all people, including the hea-then?

8. In Zechariah 9:11, what is prophesied? How did Christ de-liver people from the pit? What does this mean? How does this scripture prophesy of what Christ is about to do later in the week (after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem)?

Compare and Contrast—The Temple In Matthew 21, the Lord cleanses His temple. He also teaches the people

about what the temple ought to be like. We can see a stark contrast between a desecrated temple and the holy function of a temple.

1. Read Matthew 21:12-14. 2. What is taking place in the temple when Christ overthrows

the tables of the moneychangers? 3. What does Christ say that the house of the Lord ought to

be? What had the people made His house into? 4. Why do you think that desecrating the temple in such a way

is a problem? 5. After the Lord cleanses His temple, notice what He then

does in verse 14. How is this different than what was hap-pening before? Do you think that the temple is a place of healing only if the Savior is physically there? What kind of work should have been happening in the temple, regard-less of Christ's physical location?

6. Think about the temples we attend now. What is your atti-tude in the temple? Do you go with a sense of reverence and service? Do you feel the healing power of the Atonement and closeness to the Savior in His holy house? How do you keep from desecrating His house and driving away the Spirit? How


do you try to keep the temple a house of prayer where you can supplicate Him, learn, and grow?

Miracles In this chapter, we witness two miracles.

• Healing of the blind and the lame—Matthew 21:14 • Cursing of the fig tree—Matthew 21:17-22

If you are doing a study project of all the miracles, then follow the directions listed in the Appendix.

Connection—Faith and Prayer In Matthew 21, when Christ curses the fig tree, the apostles give a

shocked response. This response is not all that uncommon in the New Testa-ment. It seems that despite all of the works that Christ performed, many peo-ple still didn't understand and lacked faith.

Study the exchange between the Savior and the apostles to learn more

about faith in Matthew 21:20-22. 1. Read Matthew 21:20-22. 2. What was the response of the disciples when they saw the

fig tree wither away? 3. Imagine this miracle. Have you seen a dead, withered plant

before? What does it look like? Did you see it wither right before your eyes? How do you think that witnessing a living plant wither and die immediately might be shocking?

4. After the disciples voice their amazement, what does the Lord teach the disciples? What is the connection between faith and doubt? Why do you think that we can't doubt and express faith simultaneously?

5. What is the limitation of faith without doubt? 6. Not only does Christ teach the power of faith, but He also

teaches us how to use it. What are the steps that Christ lists?

7. Truly consider these steps; there are two: ask in prayer, believing. Do you think that this is as simple as praying for whatever whim we desire? What do you think it actually means to ask in prayer, believing? Let's study these two elements.

a. Ask in Prayer i. When you ask in prayer, what does this mean that you will

do? Think of the way that you pray. Do you think that the faith to move mountains is expressed in a prayer that is uttered while lying in bed, half asleep, drifting in and out of dreams? (Now, the answer could be yes if you are in a hospital bed, or similar, but think of your capabilities and consider what Christ means when He says to ask in pray-er.)

ii. Where in the scriptures do we learn more about our prayers? Think of examples that you know of in the scriptures that deal with prayer and that teach us about prayer. There are so many. As you think of the scriptures that you know deal-ing with prayer, think of what you learn about a true, faithful prayer. One of the examples I'm thinking of is the Lord's prayer. Find it in Matthew 6:5-15. What does Jesus teach us about praying in this passage? What does this pas-sage teach us in asking for miracles (in prayer)? How does this understanding of prayer help you to better understand


what Christ tells the disciples when He says that faith can move mountains, they just need to ask in prayer, believing? Apply whatever you learn from the scriptures you have stud-ied to Christ's promise that when we pray in faith, believ-ing, then we will receive.

b. Believing i. What is it you think that we believe? Is believing the same

as having faith? How does believing that Christ will answer our prayers, and even empower us, help when we go to Him in humble, faithful prayer?

8. Finally, what do you think that praying has to do with ex-ercising faith? Why do you think that the Lord would tell the disciples that if they had faith, then they could move mountains, but He doesn't stop there? He goes on to say that they need to pray. What part does prayer play in faith? Do you think that people who do not pray have faith? Why or why not? How do you think that faith can help our prayers and prayers can strengthen our faith?

Parable There are two parables given in this chapter:

• Parable of two sons—Matthew 21:28-32 • Parable of the wicked husbandmen—Matthew 21:33-39

If you are doing a study project of all the parables, then follow the directions listed in the Appendix. We will study the second parable together here.

1. Read Matthew 21:33-39. 2. Who is the audience for this parable? Why do you think that

this makes a difference? 3. When the parable begins, what has the householder done? How

do you think he feels about his vineyard? 4. Near the time of the harvest, whom did the householder send

to his husbandmen? What are husbandmen? What is the differ-ence between the servants sent to the husbandmen and the husbandmen themselves?

5. Even though we don't have this detail, we know that the householder let the vineyard out to the husbandmen. We know that he had done plenty of work for the vineyard and the understanding is that he cared about it. Do you suppose that the husbandmen would have been surprised to have serv-ants visit them, or do you think that they had been told to expect someone representing the husbandman (if not himself) at the time when the fruit was ripe?

6. What kind of reception did the husbandmen give to the serv-ants of their master? Why do you think that this is? Did they have any right to do so?

7. Obviously the servants did not return to their master. What did the householder then do?

8. Why do you think that the householder sent more servants? 9. What did the husbandmen do to these servants? 10. Who is the householder? Who are the husbandmen? Who are the

servants? 11. Have you seen the servants of God—the prophets—be treated

similar to the servants in the parable? Why have they his-torically been treated poorly?

12. Finally, in the parable, the householder chooses to send his son. Why does he think that this will yield a different result?


13. Yet, what was the response of the husbandmen? Did they rev-erence the son of their master? Why or why not?

14. Was their idea—to kill the son of the householder and then seize his inheritance—a good one? Why do you think that the husbandmen were convinced it would be profitable?

15. Who does the son of the householder represent? 16. To whom was Jesus Christ sent? These were the same people

who slew, beat, and stoned the prophets. Did they give Je-sus a different kind of reception? Why or why not?

17. Why were the chief priests, Pharisees, and other powerful Jews so afraid of Christ? Why did they slay their Messiah? Why was this not a wise idea on their part?

18. Imagine if things had gone differently in this parable—if the people hadn't ignored the servants of their household-er, but had helped the servants gather fruit for their Lord. How could this have resulted in a completely differ-ent kind of story? What kind of husbandman are you?

19. Why do you think that it is significant that the Lord told this parable to the Pharisees? Given the understanding of the parable, how do you feel when you consider how the hus-bandmen treated the servants and even the son of the house-holder? How can this parable help you to be more faithful and loyal to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

Symbols—Stone After relating the parable to the Pharisees, Jesus asks them a question

stated in Matthew 21:42. 1. Read Matthew 21:42. What do you think that this means? Is

the Lord talking about a literal, physical stone? What is Jesus talking about in this verse? Who is the stone that has been rejected?

2. What is the irony in this rejection? 3. What is the significance of a corner stone? 4. What happens to a building that has a corner stone missing? 5. What does the stone represent? 6. Who are the builders? 7. How had the stone, or Christ been rejected by the builders,

or the Jews? 8. Because of their rejection of the Messiah, what had been

taken from them? To whom will the kingdom of God be given? 9. What must we do to bring forth the fruits that will qualify

us to receive the kingdom of God? How do we benefit when we build on the cornerstone?

10. How does this symbol, this tangible example, help you to understand the relatively abstract concept of the rejection of Christ and the trouble it caused to the House of Israel?




Matthew 22:1-14 1. This chapter opens with a parable. 2. What is the parable that Christ teaches? Why do you think

that He is telling this parable to the Pharisees? Matthew 22:15-22

1. The Pharisees counsel together to entangle Christ. Why do you think that they want to do this?

2. What is their plan? 3. Did they trick Christ? How do you think that He was able to

"perceive" their thoughts? Why do you think that He called them hypocrites?

4. What was Jesus' answer to their question? Matthew 22:23-33

1. Later that day, who came to the Lord? 2. What did the Sadducees believe about the resurrection? 3. What did they ask the Lord? 4. What does Christ teach them about resurrection? 5. Why do you think that they were astonished at Christ's doc-

trine? Matthew 22:34-40

1. Now, Jesus had silenced both the Pharisees and Sadducees. What did they do?

2. What did they ask Christ? 3. What is Christ's answer to their question? 4. Do you think that the Pharisees and Sadducees are asking

these questions because they truly want to know the an-swers? Why do you think they are they trying to prove Christ or cross Him?

5. What is the answer that Christ gives them? 6. How do we show the kind of love to God that is required by

the first commandment? 7. Why do you think that loving God isn't the only command-

ment, but that we are also commanded to love others? How do we accomplish this?

Matthew 22:41-46

1. Now the tables are turned and Jesus asks the Pharisees a question. What does He ask them?

2. What is the Pharisees' answer? 3. The Lord then continues in a line of questioning. What does

He ask them? What do you think that He means by these ques-tions?

4. Imagine if you were being asked these questions: "What think ye of Christ? Whose son is He?" What would your an-swers be?

5. How do you think that the Pharisees felt about Christ's statement of His divinity? Why would it upset them?

6. How does it make you feel to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?

7. Consider the context when Jesus asked this question: they had just asked Christ what the most important commandments were. Remind yourself of Christ's answers. And now, He asks a them a question about His true identity. Given the con-versation, what do you think is also implied by the Savior?


If the Pharisees are keeping the commandments, then whom should they also love?


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ This is another chapter detailing the conversations between the Phari-

sees and Christ. Take time to look at the entire chapter through the lens of the Atonement. For now, however, we will look at one exchange made between the Pharisees and the Savior and see what we can learn about Christ, His Atonement, and our relationship with Him.

1. Read Matthew 22:34-40. Study the corresponding Analysis and Application questions.

2. We know that the Pharisees are trying to tempt Christ when they ask Him which commandment is greatest. Do you think that they knew or expected His answer?

3. Does Jesus answer them directly? Instead He often answers them with a question. Why do you think that He answered them directly this time?

4. What is Christ's answer? 5. We know that Jesus was perfect; He kept every commandment.

How does the Atonement show Christ's willingness to keep the commandment of loving God with all His heart, soul, and mind?

6. What would the outcome of the Atonement have been if Jesus had not been willing to love this completely?

7. What is the second commandment that Christ lists? 8. How does Christ's Atonement fulfill this commandment? 9. Do you think that Christ could have successfully performed

the Antagonizing work of the atonement if His heart wasn't full of pure love for His neighbors? Why or why not?

10. As you study these two commandments and their association with the Atonement, what do you realize was the main moti-vator behind Christ's great and eternal sacrifice? Why did He do it?

11. How does it make you feel to know that He loved God and you enough to live a perfect life, suffer, and be resurrected? How can this love help to sustain you through trials? How can this love strengthen your faith?

12. How can you further develop the love you have for God and your neighbors?

Parable If you are doing a comprehensive study of the Parables, then study the-

se parables following the instructions given in the Appendix. In Matthew 21, one parable is included:

• The parable of the marriage of the king's son—Matthew 21:1-14.

We will study this parable together. 1. Read Matthew 22:1-14. Study the corresponding Analysis and

Application questions. 2. How does the parable begin? What is taking place? 3. The king sends his servants out to gather his guests and

bring them to the wedding. Do the people come? 4. What does the king do again? How does he try to coax his

guests into coming?


5. What do the majority of the guests do? What did the remnant do?

6. How did the king react to the treatment of his servants? 7. After the destruction of the city, what does the king say

to his servants? 8. Why do you think the people were not worthy to come? 9. Where did the servants then go to look for more wedding

guests? 10. Who was brought to the wedding? 11. A parable is a side-by-side comparison. Try to figure out

what each part of the parable means. Who is the king? Who is his son? What does the wedding represent? Who are the servants? Who are the guests? What does the rejection and eventual mistreatment of the servants represent? Who are the people found by the servants to attend the wedding?

12. The parable continues. When the king came into the wedding, what did he find?

13. Why do you think that this is significant? 14. What did the king tell his servants to do? 15. Christ ends the parable with a teaching. What is it (in

verse 14)? What do you think that He means by this? (Notice the JST footnote.)

16. Again, continue with the side-by-side comparison. What do you think is meant by the wedding guest who showed up dressed inappropriately? What is symbolized by casting out of this guest?

17. As you ponder this parable, remember that Christ was tell-ing it to the Pharisees. Why do you think that He told them this parable? How do the Pharisees fit into this parable?

18. What have you learned from this parable? 19. Concerning the man who came into the wedding without the

wedding garment, how does this relate to many being called but few being chosen? How do you become chosen? What can you do to choose God?



Matthew 23:1-12

1. Christ then turns His teachings to the multitude and disci-ples. What does He begin to explain about the Pharisees?

2. What do you think that Christ means in verse 3? 3. What does Jesus teach is the motivation for the Pharisees?

Why do you think the Pharisees care so much about the opin-ions of men?

4. Instead of caring about the opinions of men, whom should we be seeking to please?


5. Whom or what did the Pharisees love? Remember the two great commandments Christ taught in chapter 22.

6. Why do you think that the Pharisees are being criticized in this way? Who did they claim to love, outwardly? What standard did they use to judge other people? Yet, what was their true motivation for being religious? Did they even recognize their own God? Why do you think that this is sig-nificant, especially to Jesus?

7. Often, the Pharisees sought to elevate themselves. What does Jesus teach about greatness in His kingdom?

Matthew 23:13-33

1. The Savior begins to pronounce woes upon the scribes and Pharisees. What does He call them? What is a hypocrite (no-tice the footnote for hypocrite in verse 13)? Why do you think that Jesus is so frustrated with the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and scribes?

2. As you read through Christ's accusations of the Pharisees, what is the common thread in it all?

3. What do you think that Christ means by "weightier matter" of the law? How did the Pharisees miss out on this?

4. Jesus was so often kind to so many people and types of sin-ners. Why do you think that He chastises the Pharisees and scribes?

5. Remember, the Pharisees and scribes were believers, members of the church. Why does this fact make their sin more sig-nificant? How do you think Christ's teachings can relate to us now, who are members of His church? How do you think that the Lord expects those who claim to believe Him to act?

6. We know that no one is perfect. We have been able to see the foibles of men like Peter. Yet Peter is not a hypocrite like the Pharisees. What is the difference between being a person who makes mistakes and a hypocrite?

Matthew 23:34-39

1. Who Christ send to the people? How were these prophets treated? Can you think of examples of prophets who have been slain by those who claimed to be believers?

2. What is the consequence of killing, scourging, or scorning the prophet?

3. What is the irony of "Jerusalem" (God's chosen people) killing the prophets? What was the Lord trying to do for them?

4. Think of your own life. Is the Lord trying to gather you, and protect you as a hen gathers her chicks? Do you receive His help and comfort? Do you flee from it? How do you think you can better recognize the Lord's hand in your life and let Him gather and protect you?


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ Sometimes it can be a little difficult to find a connection between the

Atonement and these discussions between Christ and the Pharisees. However, try to read through the chapter thinking of the Atonement and seeing how it applies to what He is teaching. We will read through one passage together.



2. As you read through Matthew 23:34, how does Christ fit into this verse? How about His Atonement? Not only is this verse a statement on what had taken place in the past but a prophesy of the future.

3. Notice the consequence of shedding righteous blood. Consid-er the blood shed during the Atonement. How might it be categorized? Consider Christ's life, given up at the cruci-fixion. How would it be categorized?

4. We know that the Lord shed His blood to redeem us. When we repent and choose to have faith in Christ, how does His blood affect us? When we sin and fight against Christ, ef-fectively crucifying Him afresh, how does the shedding of His blood affect us?

5. Notice: Christ's blood was shed and will not always save us. It will also condemn us. Why is this?

6. Jesus then laments. Why do you think that He addresses Je-rusalem in His lamentation rather than Rome or Egypt or some other place? Who is represented by "Jerusalem" in this chapter? Who could now be considered "Jerusalem"?

7. When you think of the Atonement, who is the prophet that they killed? Even though we may not physically kill Christ, how might our unrepentant hearts do the same thing?

8. Christ has tried to gather his people. What simile does He give to describe this? Did the chickens follow the hen? Were Christ's children gathered? As you think of this verse, think of how Christ has tried to accomplish this. Think of the Atonement; how is Christ's Atonement an at-tempt to gather and protect us?

9. When we flee from the gift of Christ's Atonement, what do we expose ourselves to? How does the gift of Christ's Atonement shield us as a hen's wing shields her chickens?

10. Notice the last phrase of verse 37. What does this imply about our ability to apply the Atonement into our lives?

List—Woes Pronounced on Hypocrites As you study Matthew 23, you will find a list of woes given to the

Pharisees. Study them. Find the infraction and the warning associated with them. You may consider numbering this list in your scriptures.

Woe 1 1. What is the first woe, listed in verse 13? 2. What do you think that Christ means by this? How do you

think that the Pharisees blocked the kingdom of heaven for themselves and others?

3. Keep in mind that the Pharisees were considered hypocrites. How did their hypocrisy cause this woe?

Woe 2 1. What is the second woe, listed in verse 14? 2. What do you think that the Savior meant by "devour widows'

houses"? 3. How do you think that they might have done this? 4. What does devouring widows' houses have to do with making

long prayer for a pretence? 5. What is the consequence of these actions? 6. How do these actions show their hypocrisy?

Woe 3 1. What is the third woe, listed in verse 15?


2. How do you think that the Pharisees do this? 3. Why do you think that the Lord is so upset with this ac-

tion? 4. How do you think this type of hypocrisy may happen within

our own church if we aren't careful? Woe 4

1. What is the fourth woe, described in verses 16-22? 2. Notice the term "blind guides." Are the Pharisees physical-

ly blind? What does this blindness refer to? 3. What do you think that the Savior means by this accusation?

What is it that the Pharisees don't seem to understand about the temple and the materials used to build and deco-rate the temple?

4. Why do you think that this sort of hypocrisy is such a problem to the Savior?

Woe 5 1. What is the fifth woe, listed in verses 23-24? 2. What do the Pharisees do? Why isn't this tithe found ac-

ceptable to God? 3. What are the "weightier matters"? 4. What about this is so hypocritical? 5. Why do you think that the Lord finds judgment, mercy, and

faith to be weightier matters? 6. How do you think that we might focus too much on some of

the physical aspects of God's law and then omit the princi-ples that are truly important?

7. What does Christ mean by "straining at a gnat and swallow-ing a camel"? Be sure to check the JST.

8. What are some of the ways the Pharisees seemed to commit this? Why do you think that Christ found this sin so prob-lematic?

Woe 6 1. What is the sixth woe, listed in verse 25? 2. Imagine this physically. If you went to drink out of a cup

that was shiny and clean on the outside and you found it to be filthy on the inside, what would you do?

3. How do you think that the Pharisees were shiny and nice on the outside but filthy within?

4. Why do you think that this infraction is reprehensible? 5. What do you think the problem with "extortion" and "excess"

is? 6. What does the Savior tell the Pharisee to do instead? 7. What can you do to first make sure that what is within the

cup is clean? Woe 7

1. What is the seventh woe, listed in verse 27? 2. How is this related to the sixth woe? 3. This woe seems to be the essence of hypocrisy. How is this

so? Why do you think that hypocrisy is so problematic? Woe 8

1. What is the eighth woe, listed in verses 29-30? 2. Do the Pharisees think that they would have killed the an-

cient prophets? 3. Yet, what is the charge that Christ lays on them? 4. What do you think—would the Pharisees, hypocrites, have

followed the ancient prophets? Why, why not?


5. How do you think that sustaining a current prophet shows your faith in the ancient prophets? Why do you think that it is so hard for some people to believe current prophets?

What have you learned about these woes? How can you overcome the temp-

tation to be hypocritical, as the Pharisees were?



Matthew 24:1-28; Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:1-37

1. What do the disciples ask Christ? What does it seem like they are finally beginning to understand about what will happen to Christ?

2. What are some of the things that Christ says will happen before He comes?

3. What do we learn (in verse 9) that would happen to the dis-ciples?

4. In verse 12, what causes the love of many to wax cold? Why do you think that iniquity diminishes our ability to love?

5. What will happen to those who endure to the end? 6. Christ gives many warnings about false Christs and false

prophets. Have you seen this happen during your lifetime? How do you think you can prepare yourself so you aren't de-ceived by false prophets?

7. As you read through these warnings and signs of Christ's second coming, which have you seen happen? Which are still to come?

8. Why do you think that it is important for us to know these prophecies?


1. What are the celestial signs of Christ's second coming? 2. Christ tells a parable. What is it? 3. Why do you think that Christ tells it?


1. Who will know of the day and hour when the Lord will come again?

2. Why do you think that no one knows? 3. What will be the conditions of the people before the Lord

comes? 4. Even though we won't know the exact time that Christ will

return, does this mean that we will have no warning? What do you need to do in order to recognize the signs preceding Christ's second coming?

5. Why do you think that some will be taken and others left when Christ comes? What does this mean?


Matthew 24:42-51; Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:46-55 1. The Lord has been teaching about the nature of the time

leading up to His second coming. How would you describe this?

2. Christ then gives a warning. Even though we don't know the time when the Lord will come, He will come. What does the Lord urge us to do?

3. What would the man of the house do if he knew exactly when a thief would come? Yet do we know when thieves come? What do you think that a wise house owner would do, then? How is the Lord's second coming like a thief in the night?

4. When Christ comes again, what is it that you want to be found doing? What can you do now to prepare to see Him again?


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ This chapter is unique in that it deals with the signs and warnings as-

sociated with Christ's second coming. 1. Read through the Analysis and Application questions for

this chapter. 2. Make a list of the signs associated with His coming. How do

these signs teach you more about Jesus Christ? 3. What do you makes Him so important in the eyes of God, An-

gels, and even Nature? 4. How does Christ's work in the Atonement fit into this chap-

ter? Do you think that the heavens and earth would testify of Christ if He had not been more than a man?

5. There are many people on the earth who have not heard of Christ or do not believe in His Atonement. When Christ first came to the earth, how many people were aware of Him? During His mortal ministry, how many nations and people did the Savior touch, personally?

6. Yet, how many people are affected by Christ's Atonement and resurrection?

7. In contrast to the limited interaction He had with people in His mortal ministry, who will notice the signs and se-cond coming of Christ?

8. How does Christ's second coming help to bring the power of the Atonement to all of His people?

9. What can you do to prepare for His second coming? 10. How can you help others to understand and prepare for Him? 11. How do you think understanding the Atonement and the role

that Christ plays in your life will help you to prepare for His return?

Parable In Matthew 24, one parable is recorded:

• The parable of the fig tree—Matthew 24:32-35. If you are doing a comprehensive study of the Parables, then study the-

se parables following the instructions given in the Appendix. For now, we will study this parable together.


2. Why do you think that Christ chose to use the example of the fig tree instead of another kind of tree?


3. When the branch of the fig tree finally puts forth leaves, what do you know is coming soon?

4. How does this compare to the signs of Christ's coming? 5. Though we don't know an exact moment when Christ comes, how

will we know that His return is upon us? Compare and Contrast—Faithful and Wise Servant vs. Evil Servant At the end of Matthew 24, the Lord gives us an example of both a wise

servant and an evil servant to illustrate how we ought to prepare for His se-cond coming. Comparing and contrasting the two is helpful for us when we seek to apply His teachings.

1. Read Matthew 24:42-51. Study the corresponding analysis and application questions.

2. The Lord reinforces that we will not know when He will come again. What does He tell the disciples to do?

3. He then gives an example of the goodman of the house and the thief. What does Christ say?

4. The Savior then repeats his warning in verse 44. What does He say?

5. We now get two examples: a. The faithful and wise servant i. What had the lord given the faithful and wise servant

the responsibility to do? ii. When the lord returns, what has that servant done? iii. How does the lord reward the service of this servant? b. The evil servant i. The evil servant has received the same charge from the

lord. ii. However, what does the evil servant say to himself? Why? iii. What does the evil servant then do? iv. When does the lord of this servant then return? v. Is the servant prepared for his lord? vi. What is consequence of the servant's actions?

6. How were both of the servants the same? List these similar-ities: they both had been given assignments from the Lord; they both had the same advantages, etc. Find any similari-ties and list them.

7. Now write down how the servants differed. What were their motives for what they chose? Record any other insights that you may have.

8. How can you learn from these two examples? What will you do to apply the example of the good servant and eliminate tendencies that you may have that are similar to the evil servant?



Matthew 25:1-30


1. This chapter begins with Jesus telling a parable. Which parable does He tell?

2. Keep in mind what He taught the disciples in Matthew 24. Why do you think that He then teaches them the parable of the ten virgins?

3. Immediately after telling the parable of the ten virgins, the Savior tells another parable. What is it?

4. What happens in the parable of the talents? Why do you think that the Lord is teaching these parables in succes-sion after He taught about the signs of His second coming? What is He is trying to teach the disciples?

5. How can we be prepared like the wise virgins? How can we be profitable servants like those given five and two talents?

Matthew 25:31-46

1. In verse 31, we learn about the Son of Man coming in glory. Who is this? What will He do?

2. Why do you think that Christ will separate His people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats? What do you think that the Savior means by this?

3. After separating His people, what does the Lord say to those on his right hand?

4. Why did they receive this reward? 5. On the contrary, what does the Lord then say to the people

on His left hand? 6. Why did they receive the consequence of everlasting fire

rather than inheriting the kingdom of God? 7. Why do you think that service for others is associated with

being able to inherit the kingdom of God? 8. This chapter opened with Christ teaching two parables, then

He continues with this teaching. How do you think that the-se parables are associated with what Jesus taught later in the chapter? How can we be prepared for His coming?


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ Throughout Matthew 25, Jesus is teaching the disciples about preparing

for His second coming. He teaches the parables of the ten virgins and the talents, and then gives the disciples more advice. The Savior, Himself, has modeled all of what He has taught. We will study one portion of this chapter and see How Christ has exemplified it—especially through the Atonement.


2. When the Son of Man comes again, what will He be like? Why do you think that His second coming will be glorious? How does the work that He did in His mortal ministry—including the atonement—cause Him to come again in Glory?

3. Who will be gathered before Him? What will He do? Again, how does Christ's work in performing the Atonement enable Him to judge the people?

4. Will all of the people who come before Christ receive the same judgment? How are they separated?

5. The Savior invites those on His right hand; what does He offer to them? When was this kingdom prepared for them? What do you think that Christ's Atonement has to do with


the preparation of this kingdom? Would the righteous be able to inherit it without the Atonement? Why or why not?

6. Why were the people on His right hand blessed with this in-heritance?

7. Why do you think that service is a qualifier for God's kingdom?

8. Think of Christ's life, especially His Atonement. Also, re-member that He is the Great Exemplar. How did He model such charity? Notice the list that the Savior mentions in verses 35-36. How did Christ do each of these things in His life? How does the Atonement also fulfill these acts of service?

9. As you study these verses through the lens of the Atone-ment, what do you learn about both Christ's love for us and the power of His sacrifice? What do you feel about His love for you? How can you better take advantage of this great blessing in your life?

Parables In Matthew 25, we find two parables:

• The parable of the ten virgins—Matthew 25:1-13. • The parable of the talents—Matthew 25:14-30.

If you are doing a comprehensive study of the Parables, then study the-se parables following the instructions given in the Appendix. For now, we will study the first parable together here.

1. Read Matthew 25:1-13. Do questions 1-2 from the Matthew 25:1-30 portion of the Analysis and Application section.

2. What is the kingdom of heaven likened to? 3. What did these virgins take? Where did they go? 4. What do we learn in verse 2 about these women? 5. Why were the foolish considered foolish? Wise considered

wise? 6. What did the virgins do as they waited for the bridegroom? 7. When did the bridegroom come? Did the people seem to know

He would come exactly at midnight? The people only had a general idea of when He would come. Even though they didn't know the specific time of the bridegroom's coming, did they have time to prepare?

8. When the virgins arose, what did they do? 9. What did the foolish ask of the wise? 10. How did the wise respond? Why do you think that they said

this? 11. What happened while the foolish were out buying oil for

their lamps? 12. What do you think kept the foolish virgins from being ready

for the bridegroom's coming? Did they seem to also know of the general time when the bridegroom would appear? Why had they been so foolish?

13. When the foolish virgins came back to the bridegroom, the door was shut. What did they ask the lord? How did he re-spond?

14. What is the injunction that the Savior gives in verse 13? 15. Who is the bridegroom? 16. When will the bridegroom come again? (See also Doctrine and

Covenants 45:56.) 17. Who were the ten virgins? 18. Who do the wise virgins symbolize? The foolish virgins? 19. What is the oil in the lamp? (See Doctrine and Covenants

45:57.)


20. How can we prepare ourselves for Christ's coming? Why can't we put oil in our lamps at the last minute? Why can't we "borrow" the oil of another's lamp?

21. Though we don't know the hour and day when Christ will come, what can we do to watch and be ready? Why do you think that it is important to be prepared?

Theme—Service Toward the end of Matthew 25, when the Savior teaches about those who

will sit at His left and His right, a theme emerges: service. Themes are overarching principles that repeat themselves often in the scriptures. We will learn more about this theme as we study a portion of Matthew 25 in depth.

1. Read Matthew 25:31-46. Study the corresponding analysis and application questions.

2. The Savior teaches the disciples that those who sit at His right hand—His sheep—will inherit the kingdom of God. What did they do to qualify for this inheritance?

3. How did the righteous serve the Lord? From the scripture block, we learn that they didn't feed Him, take Him in, clothe Him, and visit Him personally. What does the Savior explain about the associative nature of their service?

4. To understand more about service to others and service to God, read Mosiah 2:17. What does King Benjamin teach?

5. Why do you think that service is such an important part of keeping the commandments and inheriting the kingdom of God? How do you think that service to others is also a service to God?

6. Those who were found at the left hand of God are cursed. Why? Had they served the Lord? How did their lack of ser-vice to others affect their relationship with the Lord?

7. Additionally, when we refuse to serve others, or when we sin against others, we are also committing such an infrac-tion against God. We can learn more about this in Genesis 39:7-9.

a. Read Genesis 39:7-9. b. What did Potiphar's wife want with Joseph? c. How did Joseph respond? In verse 8, what is his reason

for refusing such an advance? d. He continues in verse 9. Whom does Joseph truly fear

sinning against? e. Why do you think that a sin against another person is

also a sin against God? 8. How can understanding the associative nature of both ser-

vice and sin help you to treat others better? Why do you think that God takes our actions toward our fellow men and women so seriously?

9. Think of times when you have served others. How did it make you feel to do this? Why do you think that you are blessed with happiness when you are the one sacrificing and serv-ing?

10. Think of times when you have refused to serve and have sinned against others. Even though you may gain an ad-vantage over another, how does such treatment of others leave you feeling? Why do you think that this is so?




Matthew 26:1-5

1. After teaching the disciples, what did Jesus tell them would be happening to Him?

2. Who assembled together at the palace of the high priest? Why do you think that priests, scribes, and elders of the people counseled together to kill the Savior? Is this the kind of thing that priests and other "holy" people typical-ly do? How do you think that the priests and scribes felt about their piety? How do you keep from becoming filled with pride to the point of committing such a great wicked-ness?

3. When did the chief priests decide to kill Christ? What is the irony of them killing Christ so close to the Passover? Think of what the Passover symbolizes and promises to Isra-el. Do you think that these priests who sought to kill the Messiah at this time truly understood their religion?

Matthew 26:6-13

1. What happened to Jesus when He was in Bethany? 2. Why do you think that this woman anointed Christ's feet? 3. How did the disciples respond to her act of service? 4. Did Christ feel similarly? What did He say in defense of

her service? Matthew 26:14-16

1. In these verses, what do we learn that Judas Iscariot did? 2. What does this betrayal teach us about discipleship and

faith in Christ? If we are disciples of Christ and we cove-nant with Him, is our salvation secure? Will we still be tempted, even when we have been baptized? How can we stay true to the Lord?

Matthew 26:17-25

1. On the first day of the Passover, what did the disciples ask Christ?

2. What did Christ instruct them to do? 3. At the feast of the Passover, what did the Savior prophesy

to the disciples? 4. We know that Judas had already counseled with the chief

priests to betray Christ. Was Jesus there when Judas had done this? Yet, Christ was aware of the betrayal. How do you think that Christ knew?

5. When Jesus prophesies of His betrayal, He tells of the woe that will be on the man that betrays Him. What does Christ say? Why do you think that it would be better for Judas never to have been born rather than know Christ and then betray Him?

Matthew 26:26-35


1. As they were gathered in the upper room, what did Christ do with the bread and the wine?

2. What does the bread symbolize? The wine? 3. After going to the Mount of Olives, what did Jesus tell His

disciples each of them would do? 4. What did Peter say in response to this declaration? Do you

think that Peter meant what He said? 5. What did Jesus then tell Peter? 6. Why do you think that Jesus prophesies of Peter's denial to

Peter? Why is this important for Peter to know? Matthew 26:36-36

1. What was the name of the garden where Jesus and His disci-ples arrived?

2. When Christ went to pray, who did He take with Him? Why do you think He brought Peter, James, and John?

3. How was Christ feeling as He entered into the garden? What did He ask the disciples to do?

4. Christ went a little further as He did the work of the Atonement. What did He do? Why do you think He prayed? What does Christ's prayer teach us about the power of prayer?

5. When Christ went back to His disciples, what were they do-ing? What does He ask them to do? What else does Christ warn them?

6. Consider this warning; how are our spirits often at odds with our flesh? How do you we learn to overcome the appe-tites of the flesh in order to do fulfill our spiritual po-tential?

7. Christ went further into the garden a second time. Again, what did He do? What did He ask Heavenly Father? Why do you think that He would ask for the cup to be taken away? Yet, what was the famous caveat Christ included in this sacred injunction?

8. When Christ found the disciples, what were they doing? 9. How did Christ respond to their sleeping this time? 10. What did Christ do a third time? 11. Did Heavenly Father ever take away the burden of the Atone-

ment from Christ? 12. After finishing this part of the Atonement, what did Christ

go to do? Matthew 26:47-56

1. When Christ spoke, who came upon the group in Gethsemane? 2. What was the sign that Judas gave to betray Christ? Why do

you think that this sign was chosen? How does it make you feel to know that Christ was betrayed with such a tender token?

3. Did Jesus know that He would be betrayed? Why did He then allow it to happen?

4. As the guards lay hands on Jesus, what does one of His dis-ciples do? Why do you think that he drew his sword?

5. What did Jesus teach the person who had smitten the guard? 6. Even though the disciples were loyal to Christ and loved

Him, did they understand how powerful He was? 7. Are there times when we make the same mistake and forget

the power of the Savior in our own lives? 8. Why did Christ not exercise His power and protect Himself?


Matthew 26:57-68 1. Where was Jesus taken? Did His disciples follow? 2. At first, were the chief priests able to find any witnesses

against Christ? 3. What did the final false witness testify against Christ? 4. Though Christ said this, was it a lie? Was it a statement

worthy of execution? 5. Why do you think that the priests had to rely on a false

witness to accuse Christ? How is this hypocritical to the practices they claimed to uphold?

6. When Christ was accused, how did He respond? 7. When they ask the Savior if He is the Son of God, what does

He say? 8. Why do you think that they have such a hard time accepting

His witness? 9. What, then, did the priests do? Why do you think that they

were so filled with spite? 10. As you read through this, how do you feel? What strikes

you? Matthew 26:69-75

1. Meanwhile, where was Peter? 2. What does the damsel claim about Peter? 3. What is his response? 4. Finally, what happened that caused Peter to remember the

words of Christ? What were the words that Peter remembered? 5. How did Peter feel about His denial of His Savior? How does

this differ from Judas' betrayal?


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ In Matthew 26, we are actually reading about the Atonement. This is

when it really happens. As we continue in the gospels, we will be reading other accounts of the Atonement, too, so for this now, we will concentrate on one aspect of the Atonement.

1. As this entire chapter deals with Christ's Atonement, read Matthew 26 and do the Analysis and Application questions to get a sense of everything that is happening.

2. Notice, as the chapter begins, what Christ teaches the dis-ciples in verse 2. What does He tell them?

3. Again, in verse 11, what does Christ tell the apostles? 4. In Matthew 26:21-23, what does Christ prophesy of? 5. So far, what do we see that Christ understands about His

life and immediate future? Does He know exactly who will betray Him? Does Christ really understand what He will be expected to do in the Atonement?

6. Read Matthew 26:26-29. What does He teach about the symbol-ism of the bread and water? Why? In verse 29, what does He say about drinking wine again with the apostles? How is this prophetic?

7. What does Christ tell the apostles in verses 31 and 35? 8. In verse 45, after Christ has done the work of the Atone-

ment in the Garden of Gethsemane, what does Christ tell His disciples? Was the Lord caught in the garden unaware?


9. Even though the Lord knew that Judas would betray Him, and He knew that the people were at the gates ready to get Him, what did He allow to happen? Why did Christ allow this?

10. As you think of all of these instances, what do they teach us about Christ and His knowledge in regards to the Atone-ment and crucifixion? Did Christ go into this work blindly? Why do you think that it was important that not only He knew but chose to be betrayed and killed?

11. What do we learn about the Atonement when we think of Christ's perfect conscientiousness of each element of the Atonement?

12. Often, when we go through life, we aren't completely aware of the difficulties, betrayals, and pain that will be ahead of us. How is our relative ignorance helpful to us as we go through this vale of tears?

13. Yet, Christ had a perfect knowledge of what was to happen, and even prophesied about it. How do your love, admiration, and reverence grow for Him as you realize His complete willingness in performing the atonement?

14. What do we learn about the Atonement when we see how Christ submitted so willingly?

15. What can you do to show your love to Him for this sacri-fice?

Character Study—The Women Who Testify Against Peter In Matthew 26, we read of the account where Peter denies Christ. We

will do a character study of the women who testify against Peter to see what we can learn.

1. Read Matthew 26:69-75. Complete the Analysis and Applica-tion questions for this scripture block.

2. According to the footnotes, what is a "damsel"? 3. What did she do? 4. Where was she? 5. What group did she seem to be a part of? 6. When Peter came out, who saw him and testified against him

next? What does this teach us about this woman? Was she young or old?

7. Where was this maid? 8. Why do you think that the damsel and maid were where they

were? Do you think that they were disciples of Christ? 9. Why do you think that they both chose to testify against

Peter? 10. Interestingly enough, both of the testimonies against Peter

were made by women, servant women. Why do you think that Peter found their witnesses to be so threatening?

11. In verse 13, who is now accusing Peter? What was the effect of the witnesses of the damsel and the maid? Though they were young and of no social importance, did they make an impact on the community? How so?

12. What do you learn from the examples of these women? Fulfillment of Prophecy After administering the Last Supper, Jesus and the apostles (except Ju-

das Iscariot) go to the Mount of Olives. There, Jesus tells them that they will all be offended because of Christ that night. He then quotes a scrip-ture. Find and study this scripture. See how the prophecy was fulfilled.

1. Read Matthew 26:31. 2. What does Jesus tell the apostles is written?


3. Find the scripture, or original prophecy in Zechariah 13:7. 4. What happens when the shepherd is smitten? 5. Who is the shepherd? 6. How was Christ smitten? 7. Did His sheep, His disciples, "scatter" when this happened?

What did they do? Why do you think that the sheep scat-tered?

8. Think of the lesson in this: think of an actual group of sheep. Imagine if their shepherd were smitten; what would they naturally do? Would they be offended, worried, or scattered out of rebellion? Why would a flock of sheep scatter?

9. Now, think again of the disciples of Christ. How did His judgment and death impact His disciples? Why do you think that they, like a flock of sheep, scattered as He was being judged and then crucified? (Notice Matthew 26:56.)

10. Why do you think that Christ might have quoted this prophe-cy to His apostles? Would Christ leave them forever? Once smitten, would their shepherd ever return? (Read verse 32.)

Compare and Contrast—Pharisees, Judas, and Peter In Matthew 26, we find examples of three different types of people who

interacted with Christ in various ways. They each have a lot in common, yet they are also vastly different. Study the ways that they compare (how they are the same) and the ways that they contrast (how they differ). As you do, you will learn from their examples and be able to apply those principles to your life.

The Pharisees 1. What group do the Pharisees belong to? What kind of men do

they claim to be? 2. In Matthew 26, what are they doing when the chapter opens? 3. What do they want with Christ? 4. How do they accuse Christ and sentence to Him to death?

What do they use against Him? 5. Though they claim to believe in the gospel, they claim to

have the truth, do they really understand it? How do they use the gospel in their lives?

6. How did their misapplication of the gospel impact their ability to recognize Christ as the Messiah?

7. What seems to be their main motive in accusing and sentenc-ing Christ?

8. Do they ever have an "about face" where they feel bad and repent? Why/why not?

Judas Iscariot

1. What group does Judas belong to? What kind of man does he claim to be?

2. Where does Judas go in Matthew 26:14? Why? 3. After making this deal with the Pharisees, what opportunity

did Judas then seek to find? 4. After making this deal with the Pharisees, where does Judas

go? What does he do with the Lord? 5. How is Judas's relationship with Christ similar to the re-

lationship that the Pharisees have with Christ? How does his relationship differ?

6. Judas had been called as one of Christ's apostles. Did he seem to have the gospel and know it? How did his under-standing of the gospel differ from that of the Pharisees?


Yet he still aided them in killing the Savior. Why do you think he did this?

7. When Jesus prophesied that one of His disciples would be-tray Him, how did Judas respond? Did he deny it? What did he end up doing?

8. When Judas comes to betray Jesus in the Garden of Gethsema-ne, how does he address the Savior? Do you think that he means this? Why or why not?

9. Notice, in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Judas comes to the Savior and kisses him; how does Jesus address Judas? Does Jesus address the Pharisees with the same kind of greeting?

10. What is Judas's motive for doing as he did? How is his mo-tive similar to that of the Pharisees? How did his motive differ?

11. Generally, think of Judas, what you've studied about Him, and the Pharisees. What has impressed you about their simi-larities and differences? How do their examples teach you to be a better disciple of Christ?

Peter

1. Finally, what group does Peter belong to? What kind of man does he claim to be? How does this compare/contrast with the Pharisees and Judas Iscariot?

2. When the time of the Passover came, where was he? What did the Savior have him do? Again, how does this compare to Ju-das and the Pharisees?

3. When Jesus prophesied that each of the disciples would be "offended" by Christ, how did Peter respond? Do you think that his response was genuine? Yet Christ assured Peter that he would deny Christ. What did Peter say? How is this experience with the Savior similar to the experience that Christ had with Judas just before, when He prophesied that one of the twelve apostles would betray Him? Yet how was Peter different?

4. When Christ and the twelve apostles went to the Garden of Gethsemane, what was Peter (along with James and John) asked to do? What kept Peter from being able to do as the Lord had requested?

5. Now, consider the Garden of Gethsemane; what did Judas do there? How did each of the apostles let Christ down in the garden? Yet, how were their actions different in motiva-tion, in purpose, etc.?

6. After the guards take Jesus to Caiaphas' house, where had the apostles gone? (See verse 56.) Where was Peter? Was he admitting to be a part of the group that followed Christ?

7. What did Peter do when he was accused of being a disciple? Why do you think that Peter denied knowing Christ?

8. How do Peter's actions here compare to those of the Phari-sees and of Judas Iscariot? How do Peter's actions differ?

9. Notice, finally, what Peter did when the cock crowed. Why do you think that he wept bitterly? Though Peter made a mistake, what was the condition of his heart?

What do you learn from the examples of the Pharisees, Judas, and Peter?

What strikes you about their similarities and differences? They each have a common background—they are people of faith. Yet, their choices take them in


very different directions. What do you think that you can do to help keep you grounded in your testimony and devotion to the Savior?



Matthew 27:1-18

1. What was the decision that the chief priests and elders fi-nally came to? Where did they take Christ?

2. After betraying the Savior, how did Judas feel? What did Judas do to try to make it right? Was Judas able to "undo" what he had done?

3. What did Judas finally do? As you read this account, what are your feelings about Judas? What do you learn about choice and consequences?

4. When Jesus stood before the governor, what was asked of Him? How did He respond? What did Pontius Pilate think of Him?

Matthew 27:19-23

1. After returning to his judgment seat, what did Pilate's wife say to him? Why did she have such a strong feeling about Christ?

2. Despite her warnings, what was Pilate persuaded to do? 3. When asked which prisoner the Jews would have released,

whom did they choose? Why did they choose to release Barab-bas rather than Jesus?

4. Do you think that Pilate felt that Christ should be cruci-fied?

Matthew 27:24-25

1. Although Pilate didn't feel that Jesus should be crucified, did he stop the judgment from proceeding? Why didn't Pilate release Christ?

2. Pilate did go along with the crucifixion, but what did he do to symbolically to claim his innocence in the act?

3. What did the chief priests and other Jews say in response to Pilate's symbolic move?

4. Why do you think that this is significant? Matthew 27:26-28

1. After releasing Barabbas, what did they do with Jesus? 2. Notice how the soldiers put a robe on Christ. What color

was it? Why do you think that they did this? What is the significance of a purple robe?

Matthew 27:29-33

1. After giving the Savior a purple robe, what did the sol-diers do? How was this mockery ironic?


2. After mocking Christ, what did they do to Him? Finally, where did they lead Him?

Matthew 27:34-38

1. Finally, what did they do to Christ? 2. What did they write on Christ's cross?

Matthew 27:39-49

1. What did the people who passed by Christ on the cross say to Him? Did they understand the prophecy that Christ gave? How is their questioning of Him completely foolish?

2. As Christ was on the cross, we see that those around Him forsook and reviled Him. Who else forsook Christ? Why do you think that this was so difficult for the Savior to bear?

Matthew 27:50-61

1. Finally, what did Christ say as He passed away? 2. When Christ died, what happened? 3. The earth itself reacted to Christ's death; what was the

centurion's response to everything he witnessed? 4. As Christ passed, who was watching afar off? What was their

relationship with Christ? 5. What happened to Jesus's body after His death? 6. Although Christ was hated by many, we see that there were

some who loved Him. How did they show their love Him who they knew to be their master?

Matthew 27:62-66

1. After Christ had perished, were the Pharisees and chief priests finally satisfied?

2. What were they afraid would happen? 3. What did they do to ensure that Christ wouldn't rise again

the third day? Did they misunderstand their power verses the Lord's power? What do you think blocked their ability to have faith in Christ and truly understand His power?


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ In Matthew 27, we read about the judgment, scourging, and crucifixion

of Christ. Take your time and learn more about the Atonement throughout this chapter, as these events are all directly related to the Atonement. For now, we will study one part together. Consider using a similar approach to the rest of the chapter to deepen your understanding of the Atonement and how it applies to you, personally.

1. Read Matthew 27:39-49. Complete the corresponding Analysis and Application questions.

2. We see this scripture block begin with the mockery of Christ. Who was mocking Christ? What were they saying, spe-cifically, to make a mockery of Him?

3. Why do you think that they were quoting Him as a mockery? Did they think that this was proof against Him? What did they misunderstand?

4. What was Christ's work and mission? Had Christ given into the temptations of the world, what would have been the out-come as far as the work of the Atonement is concerned?


5. Think of your own life—are there times when you feel like the cries of the world mock some of the decisions you have made? What are the pressures you feel? How do you think that Christ's example of completing the Atonement, despite worldly mockery and pressure, can help to strengthen you as you do something that seems counter to the voice of "rea-son" we hear from the world?

6. Look in verse 43. Did Christ trust in God? Would God deliv-er Christ from the effects of death? How was this a foolish question for the mockers to ask?

7. After being mocked by those who judged Christ, who else joined in reviling against the Savior? Imagine this: two robbers, hanging on two crosses, reviling an innocent man! How does this reproach help us to better understand the difficulty of performing the Atonement? Could Christ find any kind of comfort?

8. In Matthew 26:56, we see that His disciples have scattered and forsaken Him. In Matthew 27:39-43, we see that that the Pharisees, chief priests, and others forsake and mock Christ. In Matthew 27:44, even the robbers who hang with Christ forsake and reproach Christ. Who else finally for-sakes Christ? Why do you think that God forsook the Savior? How was it an essential part of the Atonement?

9. How can seeing the extreme loneliness Christ had to endure as part of the Atonement help you to receive comfort from Him as you experience your own troubles and loneliness?



Matthew 28:1-8

1. At the end of the Sabbath, the first day of the week, where did Mary Magdalene go?

2. What had happened at the sepulcher? Was Christ there? Who did the women find instead of the Savior?

3. Why were the women going to the tomb in the first place? 4. What did the angel tell the women to do?

Matthew 28:9-15

1. Who appeared to the disciples? 2. When the chief priests were shown what had happened at the

tomb, what did they do? Why do you think that they paid the guards to promote a lie rather than accept the truth?

3. How many chances had the chief priests and Pharisees had to accept Christ? Why did they refuse to do so? Was this a simple matter of belief? How do their actions negate their own claim to righteousness?

4. The chief priests and Pharisees were more concerned with appearing "right" than accepting the truth. How do you think that this happens to us at times? How do you think


that you can glory in truth, rather than give into pride and appearing "right"? What do you think is the advantage to loving truth?

Matthew 28:16-20

1. Jesus meets with His apostles a final time. What charge did He give them?

2. Even though Christ wasn't physically with the apostles, what does He promise them? How is it possible that Christ is with them?

3. As the book of Matthew closes, we have read the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ; what feelings do you have? How have you come closer to the Savior? Do you feel like this is merely a nice story? What impressions have you felt as you have studied His life?


The Atonement and Your Personal Relationship with Christ In this final chapter of Matthew, Christ finishes His work and the

Atonement. As usual, throughout this chapter, read with the lens of the Atonement. For now, we will work on one exercise that will help to bring more light and understanding to the resurrection and the Atonement.

1. As Matthew 28 opens, we learn that the women went to Christ's tomb and it was empty.

2. Read Matthew 28:5-6. 3. What do the angels tell the women as they are surprised to

see an empty tomb? 4. Where was Christ? 5. What is the significance of His being risen? How had He

earlier taught this would happen? 6. Do you think that before His crucifixion His disciples re-

ally understood that He would truly rise again? What made Christ capable of performing the resurrection?

7. What does Christ's being risen have to do with the Atone-ment? Would Christ's Atonement have any power if He were not capable of overcoming death?

8. How does Christ's Atonement and resurrection empower us? 9. How does it make you feel to read, "He is not here: for he

is risen"? Think about what you have learned about the Atonement up to this point.

Now that the picture is complete, what has especially impressed you? How can the Atonement truly be a blessing to your life? What have you learned about the power and scope of the Atonement? Before you go on to Mark, take this time to write your testimony of the Atonement in your scripture journal.

1. Church Government—Role of Apostles At the close of Matthew, we read of an experience between the apostles

and Jesus Christ. He turns over the entire organization of the church to them. Read it and learn more about church government and the duties that the Lord gave to the apostles.

1. Read Matthew 28:16-20. 2. Where did the Lord go with His disciples? Why do you think

that they went to a mountain? What is significant about a mountain?


3. Considering the location, the mountain, what kind of mes-sage do you think that the Lord delivers to His disciples?

4. What did they do when they saw Christ there? Why do you think that there were some that doubted?

5. When Jesus arrived, what did He speak to them? 6. Why do you think that He told them He had all power? Didn't

they already know this? Why do you think it is important to understand the omnipotence of Christ when we go out to serve Him?

7. What did the Lord then tell the disciples to do? What was it that they were supposed to teach? Who were the disciples told to teach?

8. Was teaching all that the disciples were expected to do? Why do you think that they needed to baptize also?

9. What else were the disciples supposed to teach people? Why do you think that we need to observe the commandments that Jesus has given us?

10. Finally, the Lord tells them that He is with them always. Would Christ physically be with the apostles always? How would He be with them? Why do you think that this infor-mation would be comforting to them as they began their min-istries without Christ's physical presence?

11. Go to Articles of Faith 1:6. What do we learn that we also believe in? Christ set up His church anciently and we be-lieve in the same structure. Consider this charge that the Lord gave to His apostles. Do you think that our modern apostles are also supposed to do the same thing? How do our modern-day apostles fulfill this charge from the Lord? Do you think that our modern-day apostles are also blessed in the same way the ancient prophets were blessed—that Christ would be with them always? How does He do this?

12. How does it make you feel to know that we are blessed with apostles who have been called by God, with authority, and have been taught to do the same things that the disciples did anciently? What can you do to sustain those who serve you in the church?

Appendix

Miracles Study Instructions

In the New Testament, Christ spends His life performing many miracles. To enrich your understanding of them, you may want to study them in-depth and keep track of what you're studying as a special project.

Begin by finding a notebook specifically for studying the miracles of

Christ or create a computer file where you can track the miracles. You could


even use post-it note to flag the miracles that you find in the New Testa-ment.

Study these miracles. Consider tracking the following information so

that later you can compare the miracles to one another, hopefully gleaning some knowledge as you study Christ's process. As you study the miracle, go through it in painstaking detail. Ask yourself questions. Think of times when you are reminded of other stories. If you have any ideas or thoughts, chase them!

• Where in the scriptures is the miracle found? • What is the miracle performed? • Who requests the miracle of Christ? • What are any details of this request? • How does Christ respond to the request? • What are the details in Christ's Healing—how does He do it? • What are any other special directions or details of this

healing? • Does this or any of the details in the miracle remind you

of another experience in the scriptures? If so, find the other scripture, and also study it carefully.

• What is it that you think the Lord wants you to learn from this miracle?

• Record any other notes and/or observations. After you study each miracle on its own, compare the miracles. Compare

like miracles; compare different miracles. Notice the similarities; notice the differences. Ask yourself why they may differ. Notice how the accounts of the same miracle have different details. How do these different accounts help you to better understand the miracle as a whole? Take time to really analyze these miracles.

As you study, don't forget to see how the information you learn can be

applied into your life. Most likely, while you are analyzing the scriptures, the Spirit will help you to see how they apply to your life.

Parables Study Instruction

In the New Testament, Christ often teaches by telling parables. A para-ble is a concrete story that teaches an abstract concept. In Matthew 13, the Savior explains why He teaches in parables. To enrich your understanding of the parables that Christ taught, you may want to study them in-depth. Keep track of what you're studying as a special scripture study project.

Begin by finding a notebook specifically designated for studying the

parables taught by Christ or open a computer file where you can track the parables. You could even use post-it notes to flag the parables that you find in the New Testament.

Study the parables one at a time. Consider tracking the following in-

formation so that later you can compare the miracles to one another, hopeful-ly gleaning some knowledge as you study Christ's teachings. As you study the parable, go through it in painstaking detail. Ask yourself questions. Think of times when you are reminded of other ideas in the scriptures. If you have any prompts, then chase them!


• Find the meanings of the objects in the parables. A parable is a "side by side" comparison, so we can find that the items in a parable all have a corollary. Figure out what they are and record them. By doing this, you're essentially asking yourself about the "what?" of the parable.

• When was the parable given? • What is the context of the parable? • To whom was Jesus telling the parable? • Did the Lord give more than one parable at a time? What

other parables were given at the same time? (Keep in mind that there may be connections between a series of parables especially if they are given during the same discourse.)

• Once you feel comfortable with the facts of the parable, you will be able to start analyzing it. Why did Jesus give us this teaching?

• What do you think that Christ wanted His audience (includ-ing us) to understand?

• Why do you think that the Savior chose to make the compari-sons He did?

• If Jesus gave a series of parables together, how do the similarities connect them and how do differences give the subject more depth?

• Throughout this process, you may also consider "What does this mean for me?"

• What does the Spirit want you to know as you study? • Does the principle taught help you directly in your life? • How do you think that understanding the principles behind

the parables might help you to be a better disciple of Christ?

After you gather this information, take some time to compare the para-

bles one to another. You will also find that some parables are repeated in the gospels. If

they are, make sure that you delineate between each gospel account. Look for any similarities and differences between each account of the same parable. What is the extra insight gained from each version of the parable?

Finally, look for repeated themes, patterns, concepts, and connections

between parables. As you study the parables, you will begin to feel prompt-ings from the Spirit on what you should focus on and learn. Be receptive to the questions you have. Don't be afraid to wonder. Take your time. This could be a really fun project.

One final note, don't forget to see how the information you learn can

be applied to your life. While you are analyzing the scriptures, the Spirit will help you to see how they apply to your life.

Documents

New Testament Study Companion: Matthew