Take my yoke upon you and learn of me

Purpose: To help

class members e take the Savior’s

yoke upon us and do his will,, we will find the peace and joy

that he has promised.

Gospel Doctrine Lesson Ten

Matthew 11:28-30, “Come unto me…” Three little words that are so easy to say but so hard to achieve. I know you’ve been there. That place where you’re convinced that you’ve tried everything and gotten nothing in return. I can

hear you now, “ I’ve read my scriptures”, I’ve attended the temple. I’ve been at all of my meetings. Nothing seems to make a difference.” Could it be that you went to church but didn’t go to Christ? Could it be that you turned to

religion instead of turning to God?

What sorts of daily burdens bring the most weariness to your soul?

When have you experienced genuine rest of the soul? To what do you attribute this?

“I am convinced that none of us can appreciate how deeply it wounds the loving heart of the Savior…when

he finds that his people do not feel confident in his care or secure in his hands”

Elder Jeffery R Holland

“And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man,

and not man for the Sabbath”

Mark 2:27

Throughout Jesus’ ministry he was criticized for breaking the Jewish laws regarding the Sabbath (See Matthew 12:1-13 and Luke 13:10-17). What was

Jesus’ response to these criticisms in Matthew 12:7?

What does it mean that Jesus said, “I will

have mercy and not sacrifice?”

How can we apply this teaching to our own lives and use it to guide our Sabbath

day activities?

Even a cursory study of the life of the Savior demonstrates his

habit of spending quiet time alone in prayer, in scripture

study and in seeking the will of his Father in Heaven (Mark 1:35;

Luke 5:16). Let me ask the obvious. If Jesus, the Son of God, thought it worthwhile to

clear his calendar to pray, wouldn’t we be wise to do the

same? How can Jesus’ example inspire you to change how you

deal with the pressures in your life? What are some benefits of

extended times of prayer?

“Never let a problem to be solved become

more important than a person

to be loved”

Thomas S Monson

The 7:47 Principle By Max Lucado Read Luke 7:40-47,

Could any two people be more different? He makes a living promoting standards. She’s made a living breaking them. He’s hosting the party. She’s crashing it. Ask the other residents of Capernaum to point out the more pious of the two, and they’ll pick Simon. Why, after all, he’s a student of theology, a man of the cloth. Anyone would pick him. Anyone, that is, except Jesus. Jesus knew them both. And Jesus would pick the woman. Jesus does pick the woman. And, what’s more, He tells Simon why. Not that Simon wants to know. His mind is elsewhere. How did this whore get in my house? He doesn’t know whom to yell at first, the woman or the servant who let her in. Simon is angry. Just look at her — groveling at Jesus’ feet. Kissing them, no less! Why, if Jesus were who he says he is, he would have nothing to do with this woman. One of the lessons Simon learned that day was this: Don’t think thoughts you don’t want Jesus to hear. For Jesus heard them, and when He did, He chose to share a few of His own. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have a question for you.” Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people — five hundred pieces of silver to one and fifty pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “That’s right,” Jesus said. When Jesus entered into Simon’s home he treated him like an unwanted stepchild. No customary courtesies. No kiss of greeting, no washing his feet. No oil for his head. Or, to make this more relatable to modern times, no one opened the door for him, took his coat, or shook his hand. Simon did nothing to make Jesus feel welcome. The woman, however, does everything that Simon didn’t. Her every move is measured and meaningful. Each gesture extravagant. She puts her cheek to His feet, still dusty from the path. She has no water, but she has tears. She has no towel, but she has her hair. She uses both to bathe the feet of Christ. She opens a vial of perfume, perhaps her only possession of worth, and massages it into His skin. The aroma is as inescapable as the irony. You’d think Simon of all people would show such love. Is he not the reverend of the church, the student of Scripture? But he is harsh, distant. .

You’d think the woman would avoid Jesus. Is she not the woman of the night? A woman without morals? But she can’t resist Him Simon’s “love” is calibrated and stingy. The woman’s love, on the other hand, is extravagant and risky. What one thing does the woman have that Simon doesn’t? Simple. An understanding of God’s love. We don’t know when she received it. We aren’t told how she heard about it Did she overhear Jesus’ teachings? Was she nearby when Jesus had compassion on the widow of Nain? Did someone tell her how Jesus touched lepers and turned tax collectors into disciples? We don’tknow. But we do know this. She understood God’s love and our Savior’s grace. People like Simon don’t need grace; they analyze it. They don’t request mercy; they debate and prorate it. It wasn’t that Simon couldn’t be forgiven; he just never asks to be. So, while the woman who was a sinner has ample love to give, Simon has no love to offer. Why? The 7:47 Principle. Read Luke 7:47 again: “Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little..”

Thought Questions:

1.  What principle did Jesus want Simon to learn from this encounter?

(We can’t give what we’ve never received. We can’t love if we’ve never been loved) 2. How does God show his love for you? What does God’s love look like? 3. How can you more fully begin to accept this love on a day to day basis? 4. Once you have received God’s love, how can you begin to more fully love others? Write down three specific things you can do this week to manifest your love to the people in your life.