As Jesus Christ traveled through Galilee, He performed many miracles. He also called the Twelve Apostles, empowered and instructed them, and sent them out to minister to the people.
Invite students to read their assigned scripture passages and look for miracles Jesus performed. After sufficient time, ask them to briefly report what they learned. (Note: Students will study these miracles in more depth in Mark 1–5.)
Invite a student to read Matthew 8:16–17 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for a prophecy Jesus Christ fulfilled as He performed these miracles. Invite students to report what they find.
What truth about Jesus Christ can we learn from the accounts of these miracles? (Students may use different words, but make sure they identify the following truth: Jesus can heal us of our infirmities and sicknesses. You may need to explain that an infirmity is an illness, frailty, or weakness.)
How can the Savior heal us or strengthen our weaknesses if He is not walking among us today? (Through His Atonement. See Alma 7:11–13.)
Display a picture or pictures of the current Apostles of the Church, including the First Presidency. (Such images can be found on LDS.org [see Meet Today’s Prophets and Apostles] and in the general conference issues of the Ensign or Liahona.)
What makes these individuals unique among all the people on the earth today?
Invite students to look for truths as they study Matthew 9–10 about the role of Apostles and the blessings they can bring into our lives.
Invite a student to read Matthew 9:35 aloud. Ask the class to follow along and look for what Jesus did in addition to healing others.
In addition to healing others, what did Jesus do during His ministry?
Explain that as Jesus preached the gospel and performed miracles throughout Judea, the number of people who followed and sought after Him increased.
Invite a student to read Matthew 9:36–38 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for whom the Savior said He needed to help Him minister to all those who followed Him.
According to verses 37–38, whom did Jesus say He needed to help Him take care of those who followed Him?
Invite a student to read Matthew 10:1–4 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what Jesus did to help meet the people’s needs.
What did Jesus do to help the multitudes of people who followed Him?
What doctrine can we learn from these verses about one way Jesus Christ ministers to the people of the earth? (Students may use different words, but make sure they identify the following doctrine: Jesus Christ calls Apostles and confers His authority upon them. You may want to suggest that students write this doctrine next to Matthew 10:1–4.)
Invite a student to read Matthew 10:5–8 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what Jesus Christ commanded His Apostles to do.
What did Jesus command His Apostles to do?
Explain that the word apostle comes from a Greek word that means “one sent forth.” At first the Apostles were sent only among the house of Israel. Later, the resurrected Savior commanded that the gospel also be preached among the Gentiles, or those who are not of the house of Israel.
What similarities did you notice between the works Jesus did and the works He commanded His Apostles to do?
What truth can we learn from these verses about what Jesus Christ calls Apostles to do? (Students should identify a truth similar to the following: The Lord calls Apostles to preach His gospel and do His works. Consider writing this truth on the board.)
Refer again to the pictures of the current Apostles. Ask students to give examples of how the current Apostles preach and minister as Jesus Christ would if He were here.
To help students feel the importance of the truth they identified above, read or show a portion of a recent talk given by a modern Apostle that is relevant to youth. After reading the statement or showing the video clip, ask:
How can understanding that Apostles are called by Jesus Christ to do His work influence how we respond to what they teach and counsel us to do?
In what ways have the ministries and messages of modern Apostles influenced your life?
Invite students to faithfully seek opportunities to listen to, study, and apply the words of the Lord’s chosen Apostles.
Jesus instructs the Twelve Apostles before they go forth to preach and minister
Summarize Matthew 10:9–16 by explaining that the Lord instructed the Apostles to trust in Heavenly Father to provide for their needs as they traveled to preach the gospel. The Savior also taught them to bless the people who received and housed them.
Ask students to think of a time when someone not of their faith asked them a difficult question about the gospel or asked them about something controversial regarding the Church.
How confident were you in knowing what you should say in that situation? Why?
Invite students to look for a principle in Jesus’s teachings to His Apostles in the remainder of Matthew 10 that can help us when we need to explain the gospel or share our testimony.
Invite a few students to take turns reading aloud from Matthew 10:16–20. Ask the class to follow along, looking for the kinds of challenges Jesus said the Apostles would face as they traveled and preached.
What challenges did Jesus say His Apostles would face as they went forth to preach the gospel?
According to verses 19–20, how were the Apostles to know what to say in these challenging situations? (You may need to explain that the phrase “take no thought” means to “not be anxiously concerned” [see verse 19, footnote a].)
What principle can we learn from these verses about speaking to others when we are in the service of the Lord? (Students may use different words, but they should identify the following principle: When we are in the service of the Lord, He will inspire us with what to say when needed.)
When have you felt the Lord inspire you to know what to say to another person? (You may want to give students a moment to think before asking them to respond to this question.)
Summarize Matthew 10:21–42 by explaining that Jesus Christ continued to give His Apostles instructions, warnings, and comfort about the challenges they would face. To help students study the Savior’s words in Matthew 10:37–39, divide them into pairs or small groups and give each pair or group a copy of the accompanying handout. Invite students to follow the instructions on the handout by studying the assigned verses together and discussing their answers to the questions.
In pairs or small groups, study the assigned verses together and discuss your answers to the questions.
Read Matthew 10:37–38, looking for the sacrifices the Savior said we must be willing to make as His disciples. The phrase “worthy of me” in these verses means to be a worthy representative of the Lord and be deserving of His blessings.
Why do you think it is necessary for disciples of Jesus Christ to love Him above all others—including their own family members?
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cross
The cross mentioned in verse 38 alludes to the physical cross Jesus Christ carried and was lifted upon to fulfill His Father’s will. Figuratively, Jesus Christ called upon His followers to likewise “take up [their] cross, and follow [Him]” (Matthew 16:24).
Read Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 16:26 (in Matthew 16:24, footnote e), and look for what it means for us to take up our cross and follow Jesus Christ.
Read Matthew 10:39, looking for principles Jesus Christ taught about sacrifice. The Joseph Smith Translation clarifies the beginning of this verse to read, “He who seeketh to save his life …” (see verse 39, footnote a). In this context, the phrase “save his life” means to live selfishly rather than seeking to serve God and His children.
In what ways do you think people who focus on their own will and selfish desires will eventually “lose” their lives?
Based on what you read, complete the following principle:
If we seek to save our lives, then .
Consider marking in verse 39 the promise that the Savior made to those who lose their lives for His sake. To lose our lives for His sake is more than being willing to die for Him. It means to be willing to give of ourselves each day to serve Him and the people around us.
What do you think it means that we will find our lives as we lose them for His sake?
Based on what you read, complete the following principle:
If we lose our lives for the sake of Jesus Christ, then .
Read the following statement by President Thomas S. Monson and then discuss your answers to the questions that follow.
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President Thomas S. Monson
“I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish—and in effect save their lives” (“What Have I Done for Someone Today?” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2009, 85).
Who do you know who has chosen to lose his or her life for the sake of Jesus Christ? What effect has this decision had on this person?
After students have completed the handout, you might ask a few to summarize for the class what they have learned.
You may want to share your testimony of the principle students identified concerning losing our lives for the sake of Jesus Christ. Invite students to list in their class notebooks or scripture study journals some things they can do today or in the near future to lose their lives in the service of Jesus Christ and others. Invite them to set a goal and act upon that goal.
Commentary and Background Information
Matthew 10:35–37. “He that loveth father or mother more than me”
President Ezra Taft Benson, commenting on Matthew 10:35–37, noted that one of the most difficult choices a person might make is choosing between God and a family member:
“One of the most difficult tests of all is when you have to choose between pleasing God or pleasing someone you love or respect—particularly a family member.
“Nephi faced that test and handled it well when his good father temporarily murmured against the Lord (see 1 Nephi 16:18–25). Job maintained his integrity with the Lord even though his wife told him to curse God and die (see Job 2:9–10).