Jesus called, taught, and sent forth the Seventy. They preached the gospel, healed the sick, cast out devils, and returned to give an account of their labors. Jesus taught a lawyer the parable of the good Samaritan.
The Lord calls, empowers, and instructs the Seventy
Bring to class a container full of objects (such as balls of various sizes). Invite a student to the front of the classroom. Ask the student to hold the objects you give him or her without dropping or setting down any of them. Give the student objects until he or she can’t hold them all and some begin to fall. Then ask the student:
What could you do to prevent the objects from falling?
If necessary, suggest that the student ask for help from others in the class. Continue to give the objects to the student, and allow him or her to pass some of them to other students. Then invite the students to be seated.
How would you compare this activity to the way Church leaders handle their responsibilities?
Remind students that the Savior had called twelve Apostles and sent them forth to assist in His work. However, the Apostles would need others to help them teach and minister so that the blessings of the gospel could be taken to all people.
Invite a student to read Luke 10:1–2 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for whom the Lord appointed to help the Apostles to perform His work.
Whom did the Lord appoint to assist Him in His work? What was their role?
Explain that the word seventy in Luke 10:1 refers to an office in the Melchizedek Priesthood. This same office exists in the restored Church today. (If possible, show the pages titled “General Authorities and General Officers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” in the most recent conference issue of the Ensign or Liahona.) There are now multiple quorums of the Seventy, though only members of the first two quorums are called as General Authorities. Each quorum may have up to 70 members. Their work to preach the gospel and help administer the Church is directed by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the Presidency of the Seventy (see D&C 107:25–26, 34; Guide to the Scriptures, “Seventy,” scriptures.lds.org).
According to verse 2, what did the Lord say were too few for the harvest of souls?
What truth can we learn about the Lord’s work from these verses? (Students should identify a truth similar to the following: The Lord calls laborers in addition to the Apostles to represent Him and to assist Him in His work.)
In addition to Apostles and Seventies, who else has a responsibility to assist the Lord in His work today? (All Church members.)
Explain that just as the Savior declared the need for more laborers to bring about the harvest of salvation, latter-day prophets have consistently called for more missionaries. Invite a student to read aloud the following statement by President Thomas S. Monson:
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President Thomas S. Monson
“I repeat what prophets have long taught—that every worthy, able young man should prepare to serve a mission. Missionary service is a priesthood duty—an obligation the Lord expects of us who have been given so very much. Young men, I admonish you to prepare for service as a missionary. …
“A word to you young sisters: while you do not have the same priesthood responsibility as do the young men to serve as full-time missionaries, you also make a valuable contribution as missionaries, and we welcome your service” (“As We Meet Together Again,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 5–6).
Besides serving a full-time mission, how else might we assist the Lord in His work?
What experiences have you or someone you know enjoyed through assisting the Lord in His work?
Summarize Luke 10:3–24 by explaining that the Lord gave the Seventy instructions on how to fulfill their responsibilities. He also chastised the people in various cities who had rejected His works. The Seventy later reported their labors to Jesus, and He gave them additional instruction and rejoiced with them.
Ask a student to read aloud the following statement by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the First Presidency:
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President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“The people around us are not perfect. People do things that annoy, disappoint, and anger. In this mortal life it will always be that way” (“The Merciful Obtain Mercy,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 77).
Invite the class to ponder whether they know someone who does things that annoy, disappoint, or anger them.
Why might it be difficult to love someone who does these things?
Invite students to look for truths as they study Luke 10:25–37 that can guide them as they interact with individuals who may be difficult to love.
Invite a student to read Luke 10:25 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for a question a lawyer asked the Savior.
What did the lawyer ask the Savior?
Invite a student to read Luke 10:26–28 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for the Savior’s answer. Then ask students to report what they found.
What principle do we learn from these verses concerning what we must do to obtain eternal life? (Students may use different words but should identify a principle similar to the following: To obtain eternal life we must love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. Write this principle on the board.)
What does it mean to love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind?
Point out the phrase “love our neighbor as ourselves” on the board. To help students understand what it might mean to love our neighbor as ourselves, invite them to list on the board the things they do during a typical day. (Items might include preparing for the day, eating, sleeping, doing homework, and so forth.)
After compiling a list on the board, invite students to ponder how many of their activities are focused on themselves.
What can we learn from this exercise?
What are some ways we might be able to focus more often on the well-being of others and seek to love them as much as we love ourselves?
What are some ways we can do this even during activities we do for ourselves? (Examples might include eating lunch with those who seem lonely or complimenting others during our school activities.)
How do you think loving God and our neighbor as much as we love ourselves can help us progress toward eternal life?
Invite a student to read Luke 10:29 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for a second question the lawyer asked Jesus.
What was the lawyer’s second question?
Prepare several students to act out the parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:30–35. Invite one student to be the narrator and others to play the roles of the wounded Jewish man, two thieves, the priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan. (If you have a class with only a few students, they could play multiple roles.) You may want to provide some props, which could include name tags, extra clothing to take from the Jewish man, two containers representing the oil and wine, a rolling chair to represent the beast, and two coins to represent the two pence. (Note: You may want to select the participants and give them specific instructions before class to ensure the role play is effective, appropriate, and safe.)
Invite the narrator to read Luke 10:30–35 aloud, and ask those participating to act out the parable. Ask the rest of the class to follow along, looking for what the Savior taught about who our neighbor is. After the role play, invite the students to return to their seats.
Which of the Samaritan’s actions impresses you the most?
To help the class better understand what might be expected of a priest, Levite, and Samaritan, invite a student to read the following explanation aloud:
Priests and Levites held the Aaronic priesthood and were assigned to serve God and their fellowmen, both in the temple and as teachers and exemplars of God’s law. These priesthood bearers were fully aware of the commandment to “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Leviticus 19:18) and to care for foreigners and travelers (see Leviticus 19:34; 25:35). In contrast, “Samaritans were partly Israelite and partly Gentile. Their religion was a mixture of Jewish and pagan beliefs and practices. … Jews had developed [hatred] for the Samaritans because the Samaritans had apostatized from the Israelite religion” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Samaritans,” scriptures.lds.org). Both Jews and Samaritans typically went out of their way to avoid each other.
In the parable, why might the actions of the priest, Levite, and Samaritan be surprising?
What reasons might the Samaritan have had to not assist the wounded Jew?
According to verse 33, what moved the Samaritan to act when he saw the wounded man?
Point out that to have compassion means to notice another person’s needs or challenges and to feel a desire to do whatever we can to help that person.
Invite a student to read Luke 10:36–37 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what the Savior taught the lawyer next.
How does this parable answer the question in verse 29, “Who is my neighbour?”
Help students understand that the Savior’s use of the Samaritan in this parable suggests that our neighbor is not just someone who lives near us but is any of Heavenly Father’s children—including those who are most difficult for us to love.
Ask a student to read aloud the following statement by President Howard W. Hunter:
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President Howard W. Hunter
“We need to remember that though we make our friends, God has made our neighbors—everywhere. Love should have no boundary. … Christ said, ‘For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?’ (Matthew 5:46)” (“The Lord’s Touchstone,” Ensign, Nov. 1986, 35).
According to verse 37, what did the Savior teach the lawyer to do?
Invite students to consider once again the individuals they previously thought of who may be difficult for them to love.
What can we do to love and have compassion on those who are difficult for us to love?
Ponder a time when you or someone you know followed the Savior’s counsel to “love … thy neighbour as thyself” (Luke 10:27). What was the result?
Testify of the truths taught in today’s lesson. Write the following incomplete statement on the board and invite students to complete it in their class notebooks or scripture study journals: I will follow the example of the good Samaritan by …
President Thomas S. Monson counseled us to heed the Savior’s call to be like the good Samaritan:
“Each of us, in the journey through mortality, will travel his own Jericho Road. What will be your experience? What will be mine? Will I fail to notice him who has fallen among thieves and requires my help? Will you? Will I be one who sees the injured and hears his plea, yet crosses to the other side? Will you? Or will I be one who sees, who hears, who pauses, and who helps? Will you?
“Jesus provided our watchword: ‘Go, and do thou likewise.’ When we obey that declaration, there opens to our view a vista of joy seldom equaled and never surpassed. …
“… When we walk in the steps of that good Samaritan, we walk the pathway that leads to perfection” (“Your Jericho Road,” Ensign, Feb. 1989, 2, 4).