The Son of Man Shall Come - List of Parables covered in this week's scripture study

In my last post, I just shared a few fun ways to teach or SING about the topic covered in this week's section of the Come Follow Me program for children, for individuals and families, and for Sunday School but I also want to share a general summary of the stories covered in this section of scripture:

From my studies about parables, I understand that:

• Parables told by Jesus were not simple. "The parable conveys to the hearer religious truth exactly in proportion to his faith and intelligence; to the dull and uninspired it is a mere story." See LDS Bible dictionary: "Parables."
• Parables need to be reviewed in the context of who the Savior was speaking to at the time, and we need to consider how the parable applies to us personally depending on where we are in life. I highly recommend reading the lengthy thoughts on parables in the Bible Dictionary, as linked in the previous bullet. I have been studying Parables in other resources but the guidance from the Sunday School manual is to teach from the scriptures and prophets, which means I try to stick to the scriptures, the manual, and General Conference talks when quoting other resources.

Highlight of the parables and stories covered in this section (Joseph Smith-Matthew 1; Matthew 25; Mark 12-13; Luke 21):

• Eagles gather at a carcass the same way men shall be gathered from the four quarters of the earth (JST-Matthew 1:25)
• The light covers the whole earth from east to west, like the coming of the son of Man shall be (JST-Matthew 1:25)
• Parable of the fig tree - "When its branches are yet tender, and it begsn to put forth leaves, you know that summer is nigh at hand; So likewise, mine elect, when they shall see all things, they shall know that he is near, even at the doors. (JST-Matthew 1:38-47)
• Parable of the ten virgins - the five that brought extra oil were prepared to meet the bridegroom, while the five that were not had to go replenish supplies and missed the bridegroom (Matthew 25:1-13)
• Parable of the talents - Those who used their talents multiplied them, while those that hoarded theirs without using them had their talents taken away from them (Matthew 25: 14-30)
• Parable of the sheep and the goats - The King will separate the sheep on the right and the goats on the left. You want to be the sheep on the right so that you can "inherit the kingdom prepared for you" and you do this by loving others (Matthew 25:32-46)
• Parable of the wicked husband - (I discussed this one in my previous post) (Mark 12:1-12)
• Question for the Savior about a woman marrying seven brothers in a row after each ones dies - she is not married to any of them in the afterlife because she was not sealed to them for all eternity (Mark 12:20-26)
• Parable of the widow's mite - The widow who donates two mites is more generous than the rich man that donated more, but it barely cut into his savings (Mark 12:42-44) (Luke 21:1-4)

"The Son of Man Shall Come" - Singing Time, Family Study ideas

While there were many parables and discussions covered in this week's section of the Come Follow Me program for children, for individuals and families, and for Sunday School, there was one theme that stood out strongly for me: Be Prepared.

In many of the parables described below, those who did not prepare missed the big event - whether it was to guard against thieves, be ready for the bridegroom they've been waiting for, watch for summer coming, or more. I feel these verses sum up one of the strong themes of many of these parables well:

-- Joseph Smith - Matthew 1:45-48

Activity to help teach these themes

With that in mind, I have been thinking about an activity that could easily work for Singing Time, Primary Lesson Time, Family Time, and even with Adults.

Print or re-draw this: (right-click to save to your computer and print)

For Singing Time - Option #1

In my ward, we are teaching "Come Follow Me" this month, so I would write one line from the song on each drop, and share the story of the Ten Virgins and what it means, and talk about how each drop (each line of the song) helps us be prepared to follow Jesus.

e.g., "Then let us in his footsteps tread."

What does it mean to follow in Jesus' footsteps?

How can following his his footsteps help us to be prepared to return to Heavenly Father one day?

Sing each line as the drop is chosen by the child and added to the lamp (cut the lid off the lamp and slide the oil drops in behind the lamp or just put the oil on the board around the lamp).

Then, have the children sing the song together.

You can also use giant drops and a giant oil lamp in order to have the words big enough that you can see them and put them in order on the board. 

For Singing Time - Option #2

Put a different line of a song on each drop, or put the title of a song on each drop.

If you go with the first option, then discuss what the line of that song means (from songs you have been practicing and reviewing this year of course). Then have children guess what song the line is from, using the tune of the line as a hint. Then, put the drop in the oil lamp.

If you go with the title of the song, then talk about how the song helps you be prepared for the Savior, and/or have the children share one line they like from the song and why, and talk about how that prepares them for the Savior. 

For Families or Self

Either pre-write ways you can prepare for the Savior, with or without a scripture reference to look up, and then have kids take turns picking a drop, and looking it up and discussing it 

- or - 

For yourself, think of ways you can prepare for the Savior that are specific and actionable, e.g., "read scriptures daily this week" - Choose small, actionable, achievable tasks, then draw a drop out every morning or the night before to work the next day.

Behold, Thy King Cometh

"Behold, Thy King Cometh" section covers Matthew 21-23; Mark 11; Luke 19-20, and John 20. (Come Follow Me - For Individuals and Families, Come Follow Me - For Primary, and Come Follow Me - For Sunday School)

Most notable stories covered:

• The fig tree that bore no fruit
• Zacchaeus in the Sycamore Tree
• Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem during the last week of his life
• Jesus cleansing the temple
• The hypocrites that wore phylacteries on their heads and arms to appear more righteous
• The Parable of the Two Sons
• The Parable of the Wicked Husbandman

While I loved all of these stories for different reasons, I am focusing on the two that affected me the most personally as I studied the scriptures.

Zacchaeus in the Sycamore Tree

I love the story of Zacchaeus because it's a story that probably everyone has experienced at some point in their lives, and it reminds us that we are loved. Everyone has at some point been made to feel rejected, alone, embarrassed because this is human nature - it happens in the schoolyard when two little children argue, it happens as we grow and develop relationships, and sometimes it happens when we do something that makes us feel unworthy in one way or another. Zacchaeus was hated by all because he was deemed a traitor for collecting taxes from his fellow Jews, yet he desperately wanted to be near and hear Jesus, so he climbed a tree. Jesus, with his pure light and love, looked at the heart of this man who had been rejected by others, and invited him to come down from the tree and come inside.

This powerful story reminded me of a talk by Elder Larry Echo Hawk in April 2018, "Even as Christ Forgives You, So Also Do Ye." His family grieved the loss of his brother, a promising young lawyer, who was killed by a nineteen year old drunk driver. Elder Hawk says of the day of the court hearing that sentenced the drunk driver to prison,

"After a moment, my parents and sister stood up and walked to the driver’s parents and offered them words of comfort and forgiveness. The men shook hands; the women held hands; there was deep sorrow and tears for all and a recognition that both families had suffered immensely. Mom, Dad, and Katy led the way with their quiet strength and courage and showed our family what forgiveness looks like.
That outreach of forgiveness in those moments caused my own heart to soften and opened a pathway to healing. Over time I learned how to have a forgiving heart. Only with the help of the Prince of Peace was my painful burden lifted. My heart will always miss Tommy and Joan, but forgiveness now allows me to remember them with unfettered joy. And I know we will be together again as a family."

This drunk driver did something that brought great wrath on him and had reason to be hated, but just as the Savior was able to look on the heart of Zacchaeus, Elder Hawk's family was able to look on the heart of this young driver's family.

Relating this to Primary children:

• Talk about a Christlike trait that you see in each family member, and about how the Lord looks upon the heart.
• In Singing Time or a larger group, draw names from a jar and when the child is called up, let them pick any song they would like to sing. Share one Christlike trait you see in that child. 
• I am a Child of God reminds us that we are all children of a loving Father in Heaven

The Parable of the Wicked Husbandman

In Matthew 21: 33-44, Jesus tells the parable of the wicked husbandman. In the story, a householder (a person who owns or rents a house) prepares a vineyard and a winepress, and rents it out to a husbandmen (a farmer). When it is time to collect rent, the landlord sends servants to collect from the farmer. In a horrifying sequence of events, the farmer doesn't just kill the servants to avoid paying rent - he has the servants beaten and stoned. The landlord then sends a new set of servants, and the farmer does the same thing. The landlord finally, he sends his son, thinking, they will respect the landlord's son. He says, "They will reverence my son."

This part of the story is so upsetting to me - that the landlord knowingly sent his son into danger, to a wicked farmer, trusting that the farmer would respect the son the way he should respect the landlord. The reason this part of this story upsets me is that the landlord took such a great risk, and in taking that risk, lost his precious, beloved son.

Now think of this story in the greater context - that the Lord of the vineyard (of the earth and its people) is Heavenly Father, and the precious Son is our beloved Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father first sent servants (prophets, teachers, and and missionaries), then he sent his Son (the Savior Jesus Christ), knowing that not everyone would love his servants or his Son. And the wicked husbandmen (priests and teachers of Israel) killed them all.

This story brought home to me the great love our Father in Heaven has for each one of us, that he knowingly sent his son, Jesus Christ, who also knew that he was coming to sacrifice himself - all so that each imperfect person here on the earth could be blessed by the atonement to seek eternal life. The parable is about the real life greatest sacrifice in the history of our world. It's upsetting, but it's also beautiful in that it's the true story of our Father's love for us, and our love for him. Verse 44 says, "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." In relation to the parable - the vineyard will be taken from the wicked farmer and to someone else that is worthy and wants to reap the fruits of the vineyard. 

As I studied this gut wrenching parable, I also thought about the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard that I studied the previous week and how they relate - in both cases the Kingdom of Heaven is available for everyone.

Relating this to Primary children, with music:

• Love On Another - If we love our neighbors as ourselves, we would not want to do harm to them. Sing this song while passing a heart around the room. When the song stops, have whomever is holding the heart share one story they love about Jesus.

Rejoice - I Have Found My Sheep Which Was Lost - Chris the Lost Sheep

For those in my class today, quotes I referenced can be found in Lesson Part 1 - Seek Those Who are Lost and Lesson Part 2 - What Lack I Yet?

This post includes song and activity ideas to use with children at the end of the story about the lost sheep.

This week, one of our key topics in church was about finding lost sheep, based on the Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Parable of the Lost Coin, and the Parable of the Prodigal Son - all stories that can be found in Luke 15, about being lost, then found. Each parable is similar in that it was about something being lost and that it was of great importance to find the lost item, but the parables are different in what caused the item to be lost.

In pondering and preparing for this lesson, I came across an Australian sheep named Chris, who became famous in 2015 when some hikers noticed him and his unusually large fleece.

Photo credit: https://www.nma.gov.au/explore/collection/highlights/world-record-sheep-fleece

They notified a shelter. Chris is a variety of sheep that has been bred so that the fleece would keep growing until someone cut it, unlike wild sheep, whose fleece would naturally shed. As a result, his fleece just kept growing, which made it difficult for Chris to walk. If he had fallen over, he would not have been able to get back up. He could not run easily from predators. He had infections under his heavy fleece. He was probably miserably hot every summer.

Various sources have estimated that based on the size of his fleece, Chris had been wandering lost for five to six years. He had been in the woods by himself for so long that he was afraid of humans. When he was found, the shelter called upon a national sheep sheering champion to shave him. While normally it would take this champion about two minutes to sheer a sheep, he had to have help, and then, it still took over 45 minutes. The sheep had to be sedated to be sheered because they were worried that he would be too scared and confused, and probably because of how long it would take to sheer him. By the time they were done, they had sheered about 88 pounds of wool off the sheep - eight times more than the average merino sheep.

Photo credit: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-34135805

Once he was shaved, the shelter found a new home for him. He was still scared of humans when he arrived at his new home. His new owners at Little Oaks Sanctuary said, "When we first took him to the farm he was really shy but he is now really cheeky. He is more brave around people and no longer struggling to sit down."

Photo credit: https://www.nma.gov.au/explore/collection/highlights/world-record-sheep-fleece

What do we learn from this story?

1. We are resilient. We can come back from our dark places, and all the weight we bear on us, if someone will give us the warm and helping hand that we may not even realize that we desperately need.

2. Every year in the wilderness our burdens and need for help increases. The lost sheep may not realize they are even lost at first and their burden grows so slowly that they don't notice at first, until suddenly, their weight is so great that if they were to fall over, they would not be able to get back up.

3. We need to be gentle and loving with bringing sheep back into the fold. It took the sheep a while to learn that there were people that cared about it, and that he could trust people, but once he did, he was happy. 

Recommended songs to go with this story and the concept of lost sheep:

1. Jesus Said Love Everyone
2. I'll Walk with You

3. I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus

One fun way to discuss lost sheep with children is to print and cut out a bunch of sheep. On the back, write facts about Chris the Lost Sheep or a Song from the above list. As children take turns turning the sheep over, they will learn more about Chris the Lost Sheep and/or sing a song!

Recommended quotes related to lost sheep on a separate blog post here:
https://singingmagic.blogspot.com/2019/05/seek-those-who-are-lost-and-rejoice.html

Sources for Chris the Sheep story:

Overgrown Australian sheep Chris 'breaks world record'

3 September 2015

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-34135805

Hikers Saw That This Neglected Sheep Could Barely Stand, So a Shelter Begged for Experts to Save Him (Video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2yzYC3Loe4

World Record Sheep Fleece

https://www.nma.gov.au/explore/collection/highlights/world-record-sheep-fleece