Lesson 6 Class Preparation Material: Using Symbolism to Better Understand Christ’s Redeeming Power
“Lesson 6 Class Preparation Material: Using Symbolism to Better Understand Christ’s Redeeming Power,” Jesus Christ and His Everlasting Gospel Teacher Material (2023)
“Lesson 6 Class Preparation Material,” Jesus Christ and His Everlasting Gospel Teacher Material
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Adam and Eve Offering Sacrifice, by Keith Larson
Lesson 6 Class Preparation Material
Using Symbolism to Better Understand Christ’s Redeeming Power
Have you noticed how often the scriptures use symbols to teach us about Jesus Christ? For example, He is compared to water (see John 4:14), bread (see John 6:48), light (see John 8:12), a rock (see Helaman 5:12), the sun (see Malachi 4:2), and a shepherd (see Psalm 23:1). Even before He was born, Jehovah used symbols to help His followers look forward to His coming and His redeeming power. As you study some examples in this lesson, consider how scriptural symbols can deepen your understanding of and love for your Redeemer.
Section 1
What can I learn about Jesus Christ through the symbolism of animal sacrifice?
As one article on the power of symbolism notes: “A gospel symbol can be an object, event, action, or teaching that represents a spiritual truth. … ‘Symbols enable us to give conceptual form to ideas and emotions that may otherwise defy the power of words. They take us beyond words and grant us eloquence in the expression of feelings’ [Joseph Fielding McConkie and Donald W. Parry, Guide to Scriptural Symbols (1990), 1]” (“Why Symbols?,” Ensign, Feb. 2007, 13, 14).
In the scriptures, one of the first powerful symbols of the Savior is animal sacrifice. After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and had to leave the Garden of Eden, they were commanded to worship the Lord and offer a lamb as a sacrifice unto Him.
Read Moses 5:4–8, and ponder what the symbol of offering an innocent, young lamb can teach us about the love of God and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. (Note: A similitude is a likeness, comparison, or symbol.)
Drawing on the symbolism of animal sacrifice, the Apostle Peter testified that we can be redeemed only “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19; see also Alma 34:36).
The Lord’s covenant people observed the law of animal sacrifice as a symbol of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice—and that sacrifice was a reminder that He would atone for their sins. It helped them look forward to that day.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:
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Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
By offering their own little symbolic lambs in mortality, Adam and his posterity were expressing their understanding of and their dependence upon the atoning sacrifice of Jesus the Anointed One. (“Behold the Lamb of God,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 44)
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Ponder in Preparation for Class
How can understanding the symbolism of animal sacrifice deepen your love and appreciation for Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice on your behalf?
Section 2
How can the symbols of the Passover inspire me to seek the Savior’s redeeming power in my life?
The sacrificing of firstborn lambs continued throughout Old Testament times. This practice became especially meaningful to the Israelites when they were freed from their slavery to the Egyptians.
The story of Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian captivity can help us understand how the Lord rescues us from the different forms of captivity we experience. While the Israelite bondage was primarily a form of physical slavery, Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that we can also experience bondage because of sin, addictions, or believing false ideas (see “Lamentations of Jeremiah: Beware of Bondage,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 88–91).
The Israelites spent about 400 years as slaves in Egypt. But the Lord did not forget them. He knew their sorrows and heard their cries. He came to deliver them and called Moses to help. On the eve of Israel’s deliverance, the Lord introduced the Passover, which was filled with symbols intended to teach of the Savior’s power to save all who would follow Him.
Read Exodus 12:3–13 (and, if possible, watch the video “The Passover” [3:07]), and identify symbols that teach about Jesus Christ’s saving power and how to receive it.
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Record Your Thoughts
In the table that follows, record what you think each of the Passover symbols means. Consider what these symbols might teach us about the Savior’s redeeming power and how to access it. You may want to study the supporting scriptures to gain additional insights.
Find out if ancient or modern prophets have commented on the verses and their symbols.
Meditate, ponder, and pray about the passage and its symbols.
For additional help to understand gospel symbols, see Gerald N. Lund, “Understanding Scriptural Symbols,” Ensign, Oct. 1986, 22–27.
Section 3
What other Old Testament symbols can teach me about the Savior’s redeeming power?
Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:
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Elder Bruce R. McConkie
Every divine ordinance or performance ordained of God, every sacrifice, symbolism, and similitude … [was] established … to testify of [Jesus Christ]. …
It is wholesome and proper to look for similitudes of Christ everywhere and to use them repeatedly in keeping him and his laws uppermost in our minds. (The Promised Messiah: The First Coming of Christ [1978], 28, 453)
The Old Testament is filled with many beautiful symbols that testify of the Savior’s redeeming power. To deepen your understanding, read one of the passages below and then ponder the study questions that follow.
