“June 26–July 2. Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20–21: ‘He Is Risen,’” Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: New Testament 2023 (2022)
“June 26–July 2. Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20–21,” Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: 2023
Feed My Sheep, by Kamille Corry
June 26–July 2
Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20–21
“He Is Risen”
Before exploring the teaching ideas in this outline, read Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; and John 20–21, and ponder how these chapters might be used to strengthen the faith of those you teach.
Invite Sharing
To help class members share what they learned in their personal and family study, ask them to write down a truth from this week’s reading assignment that they feel should be shared with “all the world” (see Mark 16:15). At the end of class, ask them if they found any additional truths they would like to share.
Teach the Doctrine
Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20
Because Jesus was resurrected, we too will be resurrected.
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You might give class members a few minutes to review this week’s reading assignment and “Resurrection” in the Bible Dictionary and write down truths they learned about the Resurrection. Let a few share what they wrote, and encourage class members to raise their hands when they hear someone share a truth that is similar to what they wrote down. Why are these truths important to us? How do they influence our relationships? How do they influence our choices?
We can invite the Savior to “abide with us.”
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To help class members see connections between their experiences and the experience of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, draw a road on the board, and invite class members to write details from the account in Luke 24:13–35 on one side of the road. Then, on the other side of the road, they could write parallels they see to their own experiences as followers of Jesus Christ. For example, they could write “Their eyes were holden” (Luke 24:16) on one side of the road and We sometimes don’t recognize the Lord’s influence in our lives on the other side. How can we invite the Savior to abide with us?
Jesus taught Thomas, “Be not faithless, but believing” (John 20:27).
“Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
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Your Sunday School class can be a place for class members to strengthen each other’s faith in things that they cannot see. Perhaps you could start by asking someone to summarize Thomas’s experience in John 20:19–29. You could also show the video “Blessed Are They That Have Not Seen, and Yet Have Believed” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Class members could list on the board some things God asks us to believe without seeing. Then you could ask them to share experiences that have strengthened their testimonies of these things and blessings that have come to them as they have exercised faith.
The Savior invites us to feed His sheep.
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What might help your class members accept the Savior’s invitation to “feed [His] sheep”? You might start by inviting them to read John 21:15–17 silently, replacing Simon’s name with their own name and “my lambs” and “my sheep” with the names of people they feel the Lord wants them to serve—for example, people they minister to, neighbors, or people they know at work or school. After a few minutes, class members could share impressions they had. What do we learn about the Savior from His actions in John 21:4–13? What can we do to feed the Savior’s lambs and sheep? The statement by Elder Gary E. Stevenson in “Additional Resources” could help answer this question.
Additional Resources
How can we “feed [His] sheep”?
Elder Gary E. Stevenson explained how we can fulfill the Lord’s commandment to feed His sheep:
“Who is a shepherd? Every man, woman, and child in the kingdom of God is a shepherd. No calling is required. From the moment we emerge from the waters of baptism, we are commissioned to this work. We reach out in love to others because it is what our Savior commanded us to do. … Whenever our neighbors are in distress temporally or spiritually, we run to their aid. We bear one another’s burdens that they may be light. We mourn with those who mourn. We comfort those who stand in need of comfort [see Mosiah 18:8–9]. The Lord lovingly expects this of us. And the day will come when we will be held accountable for the care we take in ministering to His flock [see Matthew 25:31–46]” (“Shepherding Souls,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 111).
Improving Our Teaching
Reserve time for learners to share. “When learners share what they are learning, they not only feel the Spirit and strengthen their own testimonies, but they also encourage other class members to discover truths for themselves. … Reserve time for student sharing in every lesson—in some cases, you may find that these discussions are the lesson” (Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 30).