Chapters 4–8 of Luke begin with the account of Satan tempting Jesus Christ in the wilderness, followed by Jesus’s declaration in Nazareth that He was the Messiah, who had come to bless those in need. Luke next recorded the Savior’s compassionate efforts to lift individuals from the negative effects of evil spirits, disease, sin, and death. Accompanying these miracles are the Savior’s instructions to His disciples to love others, give generously, show mercy, and forgive as He did.
In addition to illustrating Jesus Christ’s loving ministry among the downcast, these chapters show different ways in which people responded to Him. They show how individuals’ varying levels of humility, faith, and willingness to sacrifice affected their experience with the Savior.
Jesus Christ overcame Satan’s temptations in the wilderness. He returned to His hometown of Nazareth and was rejected after proclaiming Himself to be the Messiah. In Capernaum, Jesus cast an evil spirit out of a man and healed Simon Peter’s mother-in-law. He traveled throughout Galilee, preaching and healing.
Simon Peter, James, and John followed the Savior’s instructions and miraculously caught a large number of fish; then they forsook all to follow Jesus. The Master healed a leper and a man afflicted with palsy. He called Levi (Matthew) to be a disciple and then explained that He came to call sinners to repentance. He taught parables of old and new garments, bottles, and wine.
Jesus Christ healed a centurion’s servant and restored to life the son of a widow. He taught the disciples of John the Baptist and declared the greatness of John. The Savior dined with Simon the Pharisee and forgave the woman who washed His feet.
Jesus Christ taught the parable of the sower, calmed a storm, and cast out a legion of devils. A woman was healed by touching the Savior’s garment. He restored to life the daughter of Jairus.
The Savior Was Rejected in Nazareth; He Healed a Centurion’s Servant
To prepare students to learn from the Savior’s rejection in Nazareth, ask:
Have you ever felt disappointment or sorrow because someone close to you chose not to accept the teachings and blessings of the gospel?
Consider asking if one or two students would be willing to briefly share their experience. Explain that Luke 4 contains an account of the Savior Himself being rejected. Ask the class to read Luke 4:14–15 and identify phrases that show how Jesus Christ was received early in His ministry. Invite students to compare these verses with Luke 4:28–29, and ask:
What do you think could cause these two groups of people to react so differently to the Savior?
The following paragraphs ask students to read and discuss Luke 4:16–27. Rather than reading these verses in class, you may choose to show the video “Jesus Declares He Is the Messiah” (3:26) from The Life of Jesus Christ Bible Videos, available on LDS.org. To preserve class time, you might begin the movie at the 1:00 mark. Follow up by discussing the following questions about these verses.
Explain that Luke 4:16–27 describes what occurred before the violent rejection of the Savior. Have a few students take turns reading aloud verses 16–21, and ask:
How would you summarize the Savior’s message in the synagogue in Nazareth that day? (He cited scripture to declare His identity as the Messiah. He described His mission in terms of service to others.)
Invite a student to read Luke 4:22–24, and have the class look for how the people of Nazareth responded to Jesus Christ’s declaration and what the Savior said about their reaction. Discuss what students discovered in these verses, and then ask:
Why did the people have a difficult time believing that Jesus was the Messiah? (They had seen Him grow up among them and did not want to believe that He was the Son of God.)
According to verse 23, what did the people in Nazareth want to see the Savior do? (Give signs of His power.)
According to verse 24, why did the Savior choose not to perform miracles or signs in Nazareth? (By citing this proverb, the Savior indicated that He knew the people of Nazareth would reject Him.)
Ask students to read verses 25–27 and briefly explain why they think Jesus Christ told the people of Nazareth about the experiences of the two Old Testament prophets Elias (Elijah) and Eliseus (Elisha). To help students understand why the Savior cited these Old Testament accounts, have a student read the student manual commentary for Luke 4:22–30.
What can we learn about faith from the widow and from Naaman the leper? (They were Gentiles, but they received great blessings from the Lord because of their faith. Many Israelites did not receive the same blessings because they did not have faith. Faith is more important than lineage in receiving the Lord’s blessings.)
Remind students that the Savior taught the unbelieving people in Nazareth that they needed to have faith in Him before they could receive blessings from Him. Ask students to review verse 18, and help them understand that the blessings described in this verse can come only to those who have faith in the Savior. Help students identify this truth: Jesus Christ was anointed to bless all who exercise faith in Him.
Explain that after escaping from the violent crowd at Nazareth (see Luke 4:30), Jesus Christ demonstrated that He would bless all who exercised faith in Him. He traveled throughout Galilee, blessing many people in need, including those who were not Israelites. Explain that an example of this is found in Luke 7:1–10. Before reading this account, explain that a centurion was an officer in the Roman army in command of a company of 50 to 100 men. Jews generally viewed centurions unfavorably.
Invite the class to silently read Luke 7:1–10 and identify evidence of the centurion’s goodness and faith. Ask:
What evidence of the centurion’s goodness did you discover? (His request was for a servant “who was dear unto him,” not for himself [see verse 2]. Though he was a Roman officer, he loved the Jews and had built them a house of worship [see verse 5]. He was humble and recognized His unworthiness before the Savior [see verses 6–7]. A Jewish custom forbade Israelites from entering the homes of Gentiles, and the centurion honored this custom [see verse 6].)
What evidence of the centurion’s faith did you discover? (“When he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him” [verse 3]. “Say in a word, and my servant shall be healed” [verse 7]. With the phrase “I also am a man set under authority” [verse 8], the centurion acknowledged Jesus Christ’s divine authority, likening it to the military authority with which he was familiar.)
How did the Savior’s experience with the centurion compare to His experience with the people in Nazareth?
To conclude this teaching idea, have students refer back to Luke 4:18, which contains the scripture passage the Savior read to describe His ministry. Invite two or three students to summarize what they learned about the Savior’s ministry from this verse and from the Savior’s experience with the people of Nazareth and the Roman centurion. Ask:
What phrases in Luke 4:18 describe how the Lord may have blessed you?
Can you think of a time when your faith in the Savior led to receiving one of the blessings mentioned in Luke 4:18? What did you learn about the Lord from that experience?
Give students a moment to ponder what they could do to demonstrate greater faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Testify that Jesus Christ was anointed to bless all who exercise faith in Him and that as students make the effort to exercise greater faith, they will become more aware of these blessings in their lives.
Ask students to think of a time when they felt weary of doing a certain activity. Allow one or two students to share an example. Invite students to read Luke 5:1–5 and look for reasons why Simon (who was also called Peter) and his companions may have been weary. (They had fished all through the night but had caught nothing.)
Explain that as the tired men were cleaning their nets, the Savior asked them to launch their boat back into the deep water and again let down their nets. Ask:
What impresses you about Simon’s response? (see verse 5). What does it tell you about Simon?
Invite a student to read Luke 5:6–11, and have the class look for answers to the following questions:
According to verses 6 and 7, how was Simon’s faith rewarded?
According to verses 8–11, how did Simon, James, and John demonstrate even greater faith in the Savior? (They left behind all the fish, their boats, and their nets, and they followed Jesus Christ.)
After discussing what the students found, ask them to think about the account of Jesus calling these fishermen to be His disciples, and then state principles or truths from this experience that can be applied to their lives. Answers may include: We show our faith in Jesus Christ through obedience and sacrifice. We will be blessed for our faith and obedience. To follow Jesus Christ, we must be willing to forsake temporal concerns.
Ask students to think about how these truths can apply to their lives. To help them do this, consider asking some of the following questions:
When have you, like Simon Peter, been blessed for choosing to obey the Lord despite feelings of weariness?
When has receiving blessings from the Lord inspired you to be more obedient to His commandments or to make sacrifices to follow Him?
The fish, nets, and boats the fishermen left behind represented their temporal concerns. What kinds of things might the Lord require you to set aside in order to follow Him?
Encourage students to show their faith in Jesus Christ by acting on the truths you have discussed.
Jesus Christ Raised the Son of a Widow of Nain from Death
Introduce Luke 7:11–17 by reading the following statement by President Thomas S. Monson (1927–2018):
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President Thomas S. Monson
“Few accounts of the Master’s ministry touch me more than His example of compassion shown to the grieving widow at Nain” (“Meeting Life’s Challenges,” Ensign, Nov. 1993, 71).
Invite students to silently read Luke 7:11–17 and look for details that help them understand the Savior’s compassion in this situation. Ask students to identify key words and phrases that contribute important details about the Savior’s compassion.
Have students share the key words and phrases they identified. Some of the key words they identify may include: “only son” (verse 12), “widow” (verse 12), “compassion” (verse 13), “weep not” (verse 13), “young man” (verse 14), “delivered him to his mother” (verse 15), “God hath visited his people” (verse 16).
As you discuss various key words or phrases that students identify, ask students to explain why the words they chose are significant to them and how those words contribute to their understanding of this scripture story. Consider asking the following questions:
We do not know whether the widow or others in this account had faith in the Savior, but we do know one important reason why the Savior performed this miracle. What is that reason? (see verse 13).
How has someone else’s act of compassion blessed your life or the life of someone you know? What effect did this act of compassion have on you or the person you know?
Encourage the students to consider their compassion toward other people as you share the remainder of President Monson’s statement, found in the final paragraph of the student manual commentary for Luke 7:11–18.
What are some acts of compassion that we can do each day to bless the lives of others?
Write this principle on the board: We can follow the Savior’s example by showing compassion to others. You may want to testify of this truth and invite your students to prayerfully look for ways during the coming week to follow the Savior’s example of compassion.
Briefly introduce the account found in Luke 7:36–50 by explaining that a Pharisee named Simon invited Jesus Christ to dine with him. While the Savior was at Simon’s house, a woman approached Him. The woman was apparently not invited to the feast but was likely able to enter Simon’s house because of social customs that allowed people in need to visit banquets and receive leftover food. In this setting, Jesus Christ taught vital lessons to Simon and the woman.
Draw the following chart on the board and have students copy it in their study journals or on a sheet of paper. Or give students a copy of the chart as a handout.
Assign students to work in pairs as they study Luke 7:36–50. Ask them 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.
After students have completed their charts, ask them to share with the class what they recorded in the boxes. Below is an example of what students may have discovered:
She was saved through faith in Jesus Christ (verse 50).
After experiencing divine forgiveness, she was able to “go in peace” (verse 50).
Consider asking some of the following questions to help students analyze and apply what they studied in Luke 7:36–50:
How did the Savior’s comparison of the actions of Simon and the woman help Simon understand his own need for forgiveness? (You may want to refer to the student manual commentary for Luke 7:36–50 as you discuss this question.)
Why do you think our love for the Savior increases as we recognize more fully our need to seek forgiveness for our sins? (You could explain that one of the messages of the parable found in Luke 7:41–42 is that seeking forgiveness of our sins increases our gratitude and love for the Savior, who provides forgiveness through His atoning sacrifice.)
How could remembering this story help when you feel tempted to condemn another person because of his or her sins?
Make sure that students understand this principle: Our love and gratitude for Jesus Christ increase as we recognize our need to repent and seek His divine forgiveness for our sins. Consider testifying of this principle.