Matthew 3

Matthew 3

Introduction

John the Baptist preached and baptized in Judea. Jesus Christ traveled from Galilee to the Jordan River, where He was baptized by John. God the Father testified that Jesus is His Beloved Son.

Suggestions for Teaching

The purpose of seminary

The purpose of seminary “is to help youth … understand and rely on the teachings and Atonement of Jesus Christ, qualify for the blessings of the temple, and prepare themselves, their families, and others for eternal life with their Father in Heaven” (“The Objective of Seminaries and Institutes of Religion” [2012], si.lds.org). As you prepare lessons, prayerfully determine how you can help achieve this goal each day.

Matthew 3:1–12
John the Baptist preaches in Judea

Ask the class to imagine how they would feel if one of the students in the class were to get up and begin taking personal items that belong to the other students. Then ask them to imagine that after taking each item, the offending student apologizes but continues to take items from other students. Ask:
What would you think about this student’s apologies?

How might this student’s actions be similar to trying to repent insincerely?

Invite students as they study Matthew 3 to look for truths that help us understand what we must do to truly repent.
Invite a student to read Matthew 3:1–4 aloud. Ask the class to look for what happened that would help prepare the people for the Savior’s ministry.
Who was John the Baptist? (He was the son of Zacharias and Elisabeth, who was Mary’s relative. He held the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood [see D&C 13; 84:27–28].)

What was John doing?

What did John exhort his listeners to do?

Explain that John’s mission had been foretold by Isaiah (Esaias) and other prophets (see Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1; 1 Nephi 10:7–10). John was to prepare the way for the Messiah (Jesus Christ) by declaring repentance and baptizing with water.
How do you think declaring repentance and baptizing with water helped prepare the way of the Lord?

Invite a student to read Matthew 3:5–6 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for how people responded to John’s message.
How did people respond to John’s message? (They confessed their sins and were baptized. Explain that being willing to confess one’s sins to Heavenly Father and, when necessary, to designated priesthood leaders is essential to repentance [see True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference (2004), 134].)

Invite a student to read Matthew 3:7 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for whom John spoke to.
According to this verse, whom did John speak to?

Explain that the Pharisees were a religious group of Jews whose name suggests being separate or apart. They took pride in strictly observing the law of Moses and believed that man-made additions to it, known as the oral law, were as important as the law of Moses itself (see Bible Dictionary, “Pharisees”). The Sadducees were a small but politically powerful group of Jews who believed in obeying the letter of the law of Moses. They did not believe in the doctrine of resurrection or eternal life (see Bible Dictionary, “Sadducees”).
What did John call the Pharisees and Sadducees?