“Matthew 8; Mark 2–4; Luke 7,” New Testament Institute Teacher Manual (2025)
Stilling the Storm, by Ted Henninger
Matthew 8; Mark 2–4; Luke 7
Jesus Christ performed many mighty miracles. During His early Galilean ministry, Jesus cleansed a leper, restored a man’s withered hand, healed a centurion’s servant, and calmed the storm-tossed sea. Moved with compassion, He raised a widow’s son from death and forgave a woman of her sins. These accounts illustrate the Savior’s abiding compassion for God’s children and demonstrate His power to heal, lift, restore, and calm us during life’s storms.
Additional Resources
Scripture Helps: New Testament, “Matthew 8; Mark 2–4; Luke 7”
Note: The “Introduction to the Course” provides guidance on how to use the four standard lesson elements that follow.
Encouraging Personal Study
Before class, consider sending students one or more of the following messages or some of your own:
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What are some ways you are especially in need of the Lord’s help right now? As you read Matthew 8:1–27, think about the types of miracles the Savior can work in your life.
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What does the Sabbath day mean to you? Read Mark 2:23–28; 3:1–6, and consider what you can learn about the Sabbath from the Savior’s example and teachings.
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Think of someone in your circle of influence you could show compassion to. What can you learn about Christlike compassion from the Savior’s treatment of the widow of Nain (see Luke 7:11–16) and the woman who washed and anointed His feet (see Luke 7:36–50)?
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The Lord has commanded us all to repent. As you study Luke 7:36–50, look for teachings that can increase your desire to repent.
Questions and Sharing
Provide time for students to ask questions and share insights and truths they discovered in their personal study of Matthew 8; Mark 2–4; Luke 7.
Skill Training
Matthew 8:1–27 might be a helpful place to use the skill “Understanding the Scriptures in Context” in Scripture Study Skills. And Luke 7:36–50 might be a good place to use the skill “Likening the Scriptures” in Scripture Study Skills.
Learning Activity Options
Multiple learning options are provided for you and your students. Prayerfully choose which option or options will be most meaningful for your class.
What kinds of miracles might the Savior work in my life?
Consider displaying the following statement: “For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles” (2 Nephi 27:23). Then display the following statements and invite students to rate how true each statement is for them using a scale from 1 to 5 (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree).
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I can identify miracles the Savior has performed in my life or others’ lives.
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I trust that Jesus Christ can and will perform miracles in my life.
Explain that Matthew 8 contains several accounts of the Savior’s miracles. Organize students into groups of four. Invite each group member to study one of the following miracles and be prepared to discuss the questions that follow.
(You could encourage students to use the skill “Understanding the Scriptures in Context” in Scripture Study Skills by reviewing the verses before and after their chosen passage. Students could also review corresponding sections in Scripture Helps: New Testament.)
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How do you think the individuals in the account you read were affected by the Savior’s miracle?
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What can we learn about the Savior from this miracle?
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What do you think the message is for us in this account?
After allowing time for personal study, invite groups to use the preceding questions to facilitate a discussion about what they learned from these accounts.
If helpful, you could invite some students to share with the class what most interested or impressed them from their group discussions. As they share, you could write their insights on the board. Their insights might include truths like the following: The Savior can make us clean. Faith in Jesus Christ invites His miraculous power into our lives. We can find peace through Jesus Christ during life’s storms.
Improving Our Teaching and Learning
Help learners identify truths from the scriptures. It is helpful for learners to identify gospel truths they find in the scriptures. Sometimes truths are clearly stated in the scriptures, and sometimes they are illustrated in the scripture accounts. It can be helpful to highlight these truths in some way (for example, by marking them in the scriptures or writing them on the board). Truths that are clearly expressed can be more readily confirmed by the Holy Ghost, and students can better understand and apply them in their lives.
As students share their insights, look for opportunities to invite them to share their experiences and testimonies of the Savior’s influence and miraculous power. Consider whether the following questions could help deepen the discussion:
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How have you experienced the Savior’s power and influence in your life?
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What have these experiences taught you personally about the Savior? How have they influenced your faith in Him?
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When have you found peace through Jesus Christ during your life’s storms?
How can I find greater purpose in the Sabbath day?
Consider sharing the following scenario:
You minister to Emi, who is a new member of the Church. The Sabbath day is an entirely new concept for her. While you are on a ministering visit to her home, she asks, “How can I know what I should and shouldn’t do on the Sabbath?”
Invite some students to share how they might answer Emi’s question. Then point out that in Mark 2:23–28; 3:1–6, Jesus provided guidance for what is appropriate to do on the Sabbath day. Help students understand why the Savior’s actions and His disciples’ actions on the Sabbath stirred up so much controversy. One way you could do this is by sharing “Mark 2:23–28. Why did the scribes and Pharisees object to the disciples’ actions on the Sabbath?” in Scripture Helps: New Testament.
Invite students to read Mark 2:23–28; Joseph Smith Translation, Mark 2:26–27 (in Mark 2:28, footnote a); and Mark 3:1–6. Then invite them to share what they learn from the Savior’s example and teachings about the Sabbath day.
As students share what they discovered, help them identify a truth like the following: The Sabbath is a day to glorify God and to do good.
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How could understanding this truth help Emi decide what she should or shouldn’t do on the Sabbath day?
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What are some ways you can follow the Savior’s example of doing good on the Sabbath?
To help students decide how to use their time on the Sabbath day, consider sharing the following statement by President Russell M. Nelson:
In my much younger years, I studied the work of others who had compiled lists of things to do and things not to do on the Sabbath. It wasn’t until later that I learned from the scriptures that my conduct and my attitude on the Sabbath constituted a sign between me and my Heavenly Father [see Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:12, 20]. With that understanding, I no longer needed lists of dos and don’ts. When I had to make a decision whether or not an activity was appropriate for the Sabbath, I simply asked myself, “What sign do I want to give to God?” That question made my choices about the Sabbath day crystal clear. …
… What sign will you give to the Lord to show your love for Him? (“The Sabbath Is a Delight,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 130)
You might then ask students to think about a Sabbath day when they glorified God (honored Him) or did good to others. Invite them to share their experience.
Invite students to examine their own Sabbath observance and think of ways they could better glorify God and do good on that day. You might invite them to record their ideas in a journal.
What can I do to become a more compassionate person?
To begin this discussion, you might share the following statement by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin:
True disciples of Jesus Christ have always been concerned for the one. Jesus Christ is our greatest example. He was surrounded by multitudes and spoke to thousands, yet He always had concern for the one. (“Concern for the One,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2008, 18)
Invite students to read Luke 7:11–16 or watch the video “Widow of Nain” (2:26) and imagine what it might have been like to be this widow. (Consider sharing “Luke 7:11. What efforts did the Savior make to get to the village of Nain?” and “Luke 7:12. What challenges might the widow of Nain have faced when her only son died?” in Scripture Helps: New Testament for additional insights.) You could then ask the following questions:
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How might you have felt if you were the widow of Nain? What does this experience teach us about the Savior?
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When have you felt the Savior’s compassion for you?
As part of your discussion, you might share the following statement by Elder Ulisses Soares:
Jesus sensed not only the intense suffering of that poor mother but also the difficult circumstances of her life, and He was moved by genuine compassion for her [see Luke 7:11–15].
Just like … the widow of Nain, many people within our circle of influence are seeking comfort, attention, inclusion, and any help that we can offer them. We all can be instruments in the Lord’s hands and act compassionately toward those in need, just as Jesus did. (“The Savior’s Abiding Compassion,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 14)
Consider displaying the following principle: We can follow Jesus Christ’s example by showing compassion for others.
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What are some struggles you may face in developing Christlike compassion? How can you overcome these struggles?
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How have you felt compassion from others? What have you learned from these experiences about Christlike compassion?
Display the following scenarios, and invite students to discuss in small groups how they might follow the Savior’s example in these situations:
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You work with someone whose mother has been diagnosed with a terminal illness.
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You notice that a friend who once seemed to love going to church has stopped going.
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A ward member confides in you that she doesn’t feel there is a place for her anymore at church because she has questions and doubts about core beliefs.
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You are struggling with how to show compassion for and be inclusive toward those in the LGBTQ community without compromising your beliefs about God’s teachings on marriage and family.
You could give students time to prayerfully consider how they can become more compassionate like the Savior. Encourage them to record their thoughts and impressions.
How can I increase my desire to repent?
Consider displaying the following picture and inviting a student to briefly summarize the account in Luke 7:36–50.
Washing Jesus’s Feet, by Brian Call
Invite students to form small groups and use the following handout to guide their discussion of Luke 7:36–50. Ask students to record the attitudes Simon and the woman had toward the Savior, the way they each treated Him, and the truths He taught each of them. Invite students to also record ways we could liken this account to our lives. After students complete the handout, invite them to share with the class what they learned.
As students share ways to liken this account, consider writing on the board truths they identify. Students may identify truths such as the following: Our love for the Savior can inspire us to repent of our sins. Our love and adoration for the Savior increase as we experience divine forgiveness. Pride blinds us to our need for repentance and the Savior’s help.
Consider displaying the accompanying graphic and discussing the relationship between love for Jesus Christ and repentance and divine forgiveness.
To conclude, you could display the following statement by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then a member of the First Presidency. Invite students to reflect on his questions.
Which of these two people are we most like?
Are we like Simon? Are we confident and comfortable in our good deeds, trusting in our own righteousness? Are we perhaps a little impatient with those who are not living up to our standards? Are we on autopilot, going through the motions, attending our meetings, yawning through Gospel Doctrine class, and perhaps checking our cell phones during sacrament service?
Or are we like this woman, who thought she was completely and hopelessly lost because of sin?
Do we love much?
Do we understand our indebtedness to Heavenly Father and plead with all our souls for the grace of God?
When we kneel to pray, is it to replay the greatest hits of our own righteousness, or is it to confess our faults, plead for God’s mercy, and shed tears of gratitude for the amazing plan of redemption? (“The Gift of Grace,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 109)