Christ before Pilate

Ecce Homo, by Antonio Ciseri

June 19–25

Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19

“It Is Finished”

Begin your preparation to teach by prayerfully reading Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; and John 19. Seek to live worthy of the Spirit so that you can bear powerful witness of the Savior and His Atonement.

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Invite Sharing

Invite each class member to select a chapter from this week’s reading and spend a few minutes scanning it, looking for a word, a phrase, or a detail that teaches them something meaningful about the Savior and His mission. Give them opportunities to share what they found and explain why it is meaningful to them.

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Teach the Doctrine

Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19

Jesus Christ’s willingness to suffer shows His love for the Father and for all of us.

• To help your class understand how the Savior’s suffering and death on the cross demonstrated His love, try an activity like this: Give each class member a paper heart, and invite them to write on their hearts a phrase from 1 Corinthians 13:4–7 that describes charity. Then ask them to search Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; or John 19 and write on the other side of their hearts a few verses that show how the Savior demonstrated the love described in the phrase they chose. Let them share what they find. What experiences have helped us understand the Savior’s love?

  crown of thorns

  The soldiers “plaited a crown of thorns, and put it about his head” (Mark 15:17).

• Art can help class members visualize some of the events they read about this week. Perhaps you could divide the class into groups and assign a picture to each group (see “Additional Resources” for suggested pictures). Class members could read the verses that describe the event depicted in their picture. They could then share their thoughts and feelings about these events—including how the picture helps them better understand the Savior’s Atonement. You might also consider showing the videos “Jesus Is Condemned before Pilate” and “Jesus Is Scourged and Crucified” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Encourage class members to bear testimony of the Savior and His Atonement.

Matthew 27:11–60

Ancient prophets foresaw the Savior’s suffering and Crucifixion.

• Ancient prophets foretold many of the events in the Savior’s final hours. One way to help class members see this is to give each person one or more of the scriptures in “Additional Resources” and ask them to find verses in Matthew 27 that show how the scriptures were fulfilled. You might make a chart that matches the prophecies with their fulfillments. How do these prophecies strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ?

Matthew 27:27–49; Mark 15:16–32; Luke 23:11, 35–39; John 19:1–5

Opposition cannot stop the work of God.

• To help class members faithfully face opposition as they live true to their faith, you could invite them to read verses describing the persecution the Savior faced (see Matthew 27:27–49; Mark 15:16–32; Luke 23:11, 35–39; John 19:1–5). What do we learn from the Savior’s responses that can help us face opposition? What other examples of facing opposition can help us? (See, for example, Joseph Smith—History 1:24–25.)

Luke 23:34–43

The Savior offers us hope and forgiveness.

• Even in His final moments, the Savior continued to offer hope and forgiveness. Consider ways to inspire class members to follow His example. For instance, you could ask half of the class to read Luke 23:34–38 (including verse 34, footnote c, which provides insight from the Joseph Smith Translation) and the other half to read Luke 23:39–43. Class members could share what they learn about the Savior from their assigned verses. How can we follow the Savior’s example?

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Additional Resources

Pictures of the persecution, suffering, and death of Jesus.

• Pilate Washes His Hands (ChurchofJesusChrist.org; Matthew 27:11–25)

• Christ with a Crown of Thorns (ChurchofJesusChrist.org; Matthew 27:26–31)

• Jesus Carries His Cross (ChurchofJesusChrist.org; John 19:13–18)

• The Crucifixion (ChurchofJesusChrist.org and Gospel Art Book, no. 57; Luke 23:33–46; John 19:23–37)

• Burial of Jesus (ChurchofJesusChrist.org and Gospel Art Book, no. 58; John 19:38–42)

Scriptures that foretell the trials and death of Jesus Christ.

• Isaiah 53:5, 7

• 1 Nephi 19:9

• Isaiah 50:6

• Psalm 69:21

• Psalm 22:16

• 1 Nephi 19:10

• Psalm 22:18

• Isaiah 53:12

• Psalm 22:7–8

• Psalm 22:1

• Isaiah 53:9

Improving Our Teaching

Draw strength from the Savior. “In your efforts to live and teach more like the Savior, you will inevitably fall short at times. Do not become discouraged; rather, let your mistakes and weaknesses turn you to Heavenly Father and the Savior” (Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 14).