Exodus 35–40; Leviticus 1; 4; 16; 19: Lesson 53

Leviticus, Part 1

“This Thing Is a Similitude”

While the practice of sacrificing animals may seem strange today, these sacrifices helped ancient Israel know and appreciate what the Savior had covenanted to do for them. Learning about these ancient sacrifices can likewise help us know and appreciate what the Savior did for us. This lesson can help students feel gratitude for Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice.

Student preparation: Invite students to ponder advice they would give someone who is struggling to understand what Jesus Christ has done for them. You could also invite students to ask a family member or friend what advice they would give.

Possible Learning Activities

What has He done for me?

To prepare students to talk about Jesus Christ, consider sharing the following experience.

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency shared the following interaction he had with a member of the Church:

In a Saturday evening meeting at a stake conference many years ago, I met a woman who said her friends had asked her to come back to church after many years of inactivity, but she could not think of any reason why she should. To encourage her, I said, “When you consider all of the things the Savior has done for you, you have many reasons to come back to worship and serve Him.” I was astonished when she replied, “What’s He done for me?” (“What Has Our Savior Done for Us?,” Liahona, May 2021, 75)

Ponder what you would say to the woman if she asked you this question.

• How might our lives be affected if we fail to recognize or remember what the Savior has done for us?

  To help students personalize today’s lesson, consider displaying the following questions. Give students time to record their answers in their study journals.

• What has the Savior done for you?

• How do you feel about Jesus Christ for what He has done for you?

As you study Leviticus today, seek guidance from the Holy Ghost about how you can deepen your gratitude for what the Lord has done for you.

Finding Christ in sacrifices

To prepare students to study Leviticus, consider displaying the images from the beginning of the lesson. Invite the students to discuss what they know about the ancient ordinance of animal sacrifice. For example, you could ask them when God first commanded His children to perform animal sacrifices and why He gave that commandment. If needed, you could refer students to Moses 5:6–7. Then ask the following question.

• What did these sacrifices represent?

Help students understand that from the time of Adam and Eve, God commanded His people to perform animal sacrifice to help them look forward to the Savior and His atoning sacrifice. This practice ended with the death of Jesus Christ, who was the “great and last sacrifice” (Alma 34:10).

The book of Leviticus contains the Lord’s directions for animal and other types of sacrifices that He required of His people. Leviticus is like a handbook that provides instructions for ancient Israel’s ordinances, rituals, and sacred responsibilities.

Give students an opportunity to study some of the sacrifices described in Leviticus. One way to do this is to distribute the handout titled “Ancient Sacrifice: A Symbol of Jesus Christ.” You could distribute the two activities from the handout separately, or you could distribute it as one handout.

Consider organizing students into pairs. You could assign each pair to complete one of the activities. The students could then teach what they learned to another pair that completed a different activity. Or you could invite one partner in each pair to complete Study Activity 1 and the other partner to complete Study Activity 2. After students individually complete their activities, they could teach one another.

After students have completed their study, invite them to share some of their responses to the handout questions. You could use the following question to help students summarize what they learned.

• How would you summarize in a simple statement what you learned today about the Savior and His atoning sacrifice?

Students may share a variety of truths, such as:

• Jesus Christ willingly offered Himself as a sacrifice for us.

• We can be forgiven of our sins because of Jesus Christ.

• Through His atoning sacrifice, Jesus Christ paid for our sins by taking them upon Himself.

To deepen students’ gratitude for these truths, consider using the following statement and questions. You may have used this statement in Lesson 27: “Genesis 22.”

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency explained why Jesus Christ performed the Atonement:

Jesus Christ did all of this because He loves all of the children of God. Love is the motivation for it all, and it was so from the very beginning. …

I … pray that we all will remember what our Savior has done for each of us. (“What Has Our Savior Done for Us?,” Liahona, May 2021, 77)

• How does it help you to know that Jesus Christ allowed Himself to be sacrificed because of His love for you?

• What are some ways we can remember the Lord and His sacrifice?

  Help students understand that one way we remember the Savior’s sacrifice is by partaking of the sacrament weekly.

  To help students see the connection between ancient sacrifice and the sacrament, consider showing the video “Always Remember Him” (5:27), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org. You could then ask the following questions.

• How is the sacrament similar to the ancient sacrifices?

• How do you strive to remember the Savior in your daily life?

What Jesus did for me

Give students time to reflect on their feelings toward Jesus Christ. To prepare them to do this, you could invite the class to sing “I Stand All Amazed” (Hymns, no. 193). Students could identify phrases from the hymn that reflect their feelings toward the Savior.

Alternatively, you could invite students to choose a different hymn or a scripture about the Savior and His Atonement. They could share phrases that reflect their feelings toward Him.

Then, invite students to respond to the following question in their journals.

• How do you feel about the Savior and what He has done for you?

Willing students could express their thoughts and feelings about the Savior. Consider sharing your own feelings and testimony about Him.

Additional Resources

Why did the Lord command ancient Israel to sacrifice animals?

The Prophet Joseph Smith (1805–44) taught:

Certainly, the shedding of the blood of a beast could be beneficial to no man, except it was done in imitation, or as a type, or explanation of what was to be offered through the gift of God Himself—and this performance done with an eye looking forward in faith on the power of that great Sacrifice for a remission of sins. (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 48)

How did animal sacrifices point to Jesus Christ?

President M. Russell Ballard (1928–2023) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained:

Everything about Mosaic sacrifice focused on Christ. …

First, like Christ, the animal was chosen and anointed by the laying on of hands. (The Hebrew title Messiah and the Greek title Christ both mean “the Anointed One.”) Second, the animal was to have its life’s blood spilt. Third, it had to be without blemish—totally free from physical flaws, complete, whole, and perfect. Fourth, the sacrifice had to be clean and worthy. Fifth, the sacrifice had to be domesticated; that is, not wild but tame and of help to man (see Leviticus 1:2–3, 10; 22:21). Sixth and seventh, for the original sacrifice practiced by Adam and the most common sacrifice in the law of Moses, the animal had to be a firstborn and a male (see Exodus 12:5; Leviticus 1:3; 22:18–25). (“The Law of Sacrifice,” Ensign, Oct. 1998, 9–10)

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency taught:

Our Savior and Redeemer endured incomprehensible suffering to become a sacrifice for the sins of all mortals who would repent. This atoning sacrifice offered the ultimate good, the pure lamb without blemish, for the ultimate measure of evil, the sins of the entire world. It opened the door for each of us to be cleansed of our personal sins so we can be readmitted to the presence of God, our Eternal Father. This open door is available to all of the children of God. (“What Has Our Savior Done for Us?,” Liahona, May 2021, 76)

Why don’t members of the Lord’s Church sacrifice animals today?

The command to offer animal sacrifices ended with the death of Jesus Christ. In the Church today, the ordinance of the sacrament is a reminder of the Savior’s atoning sacrifice. (Gospel Topics, “Sacrifice,” Gospel Library)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Alternative beginning to the lesson

Instead of using President Oaks’s experience from the beginning of the lesson, consider sharing the following scenario:

Imagine a young man is sitting in sacrament meeting and wonders: “Everyone keeps talking about how much they love Jesus, but I don’t know if I feel the same way. What has He done for me?”

Invite students to ponder advice they would give this young man.

Video depiction of an animal sacrifice

Students might benefit from visualizing animal sacrifices. Doing so might give them greater appreciation for the Savior because of His sacrifice. Consider showing the video “Sacrifice and Sacrament” (12:41). You could show the entire video or only the portion that explains animal sacrifice, from time code 2:58 to 8:26. If you show only a portion of the video, it might be helpful to first explain that this video is about two people who go back in time to learn about ancient sacrifices.

Video of a hymn

Rather than inviting students to sing “I Stand All Amazed” (Hymns, no. 193), consider showing the video “I Stand All Amazed” (5:15), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.