Old Testament Seminary Teacher Manual

Contents
Old Testament Lessons
Title Page
Lessons 1–2
Introduction to the Teacher Manual
- Lessons 1–2
  Welcome to the Old Testament
- Lessons 3–6
  Moses 1; Abraham 3
- Lessons 7–9
  Genesis 1–2; Moses 2–3; Abraham 4–5
- Lessons 10–12
  Genesis 3–4; Moses 4–5
- Lessons 13–15
  Genesis 5; Moses 6
- Lessons 16–18
  Moses 7
- Lessons 19–21
  Genesis 6–11; Moses 8
- Lessons 22–24
  Genesis 12–17; Abraham 1–2
- Lessons 25–28
  Genesis 18–23
- Lessons 29–32
  Genesis 24–33
- Lessons 33–34
  Genesis 37–41
- Lessons 35–37
  Genesis 42–50
- Lessons 38–40
  Exodus 1–6
- Easter
- Lessons 41–44
  Exodus 7–13
- Lessons 45–47
  Exodus 14–18
- Lessons 48–51
  Exodus 19–20; 24; 31–34
- Lessons 52–55
  Exodus 35–40; Leviticus 1; 4; 16; 19
- Lessons 56–57
  Numbers 11–14; 20–24; 27
- Lessons 58–60
  Deuteronomy 6–8; 15; 18; 29–30; 34
- Lessons 61–64
  Joshua 1–8; 23–24
- Lessons 65–67
  Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16
- Lessons 68–70
  Ruth; 1 Samuel 1–7
- Lessons 71–73
  1 Samuel 8–10; 13; 15–16
- Lessons 74–76
  1 Samuel 17–18; 24–26; 2 Samuel 5–7
- Lessons 77–80
  2 Samuel 11–12; 1 Kings 3; 6–9; 11
- Lessons 81–82
  1 Kings 12–13; 17–22
- Lessons 83–85
  2 Kings 2–7
- Lessons 86–89
  2 Kings 16–25
- Lessons 90–91
  2 Chronicles 14–20; 26; 30
- Lessons 92–93
  Ezra 1, 3–7; Nehemiah 2; 4–6; 8
- Lessons 94–96
  Esther
- Lessons 97–99
  Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42
- Lessons 100–103
  Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46
- Lessons 104–106
  Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86
- Lessons 107–108
  Psalms 102–103; 110; 116–119; 127–128; 135–139; 146–150
- Lessons 109–112
  Proverbs 1–4; 15–16; 22; 31; Ecclesiastes 1–3; 11–12
- Lessons 113–116
  Isaiah 1–12
- Lessons 117–118
  Isaiah 13–14; 22; 24–30; 35
- Lessons 119–122
  Isaiah 40–49
- Lessons 123–125
  Isaiah 50–57
- Lessons 126–129
  Isaiah 58–66
- Lessons 130–133
  Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20
- Lessons 134–137
  Jeremiah 31–33; 36–38; Lamentations 1; 3
- Lessons 138–141
  Ezekiel 1–3; 33–34; 36–37; 47
- Lessons 142–145
  Daniel 1–7
- Lessons 146–148
  Hosea; Joel
- Lessons 149–151
  Amos; Obadiah; Jonah
- Lessons 152–154
  Micah; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah
- Lessons 155–157
  Haggai 1–2; Zechariah 1–4; 7–14
- Lessons 158–160
  Malachi
Lessons 166–170
Life Preparation Lessons
- Doctrinal Mastery: Finding Answers to My Questions
- Lessons 166–170
  Scripture Study Skills
- Lessons 171–176
  For the Strength of Youth Guide
- Lessons 177–180
  Building Self–Reliance
- Lessons 181–187
  Physical and Emotional Health
- Lessons 188–191
  Preparing for Future Education and Employment
- Lessons 192–195
  Succeed in School
- Lessons 196–200
  Missionary Preparation
- Lessons 201–204
  Temple Preparation
- Lessons 205–208
  Teachings of Church Leaders
Appendix

Isaiah 61: The Mission of Jesus the Messiah

“Isaiah 61: The Mission of Jesus the Messiah,” Old Testament Seminary Teacher Manual (2026)

“Isaiah 61: The Mission of Jesus the Messiah,” Old Testament Seminary Teacher Manual

Isaiah 58–66: Lesson 128

Isaiah 61

The Mission of Jesus the Messiah

Jesus healing a lame man. Outtakes include some of the other cast members, Jesus and disciples, and Jesus helping the lame man up by the hand.

In Isaiah 61, Isaiah taught about Jesus Christ’s mission in Heavenly Father’s plan to heal, free, comfort, and save us. Some people may be unsure if Jesus Christ is providing that help and comfort in our lives at times. This lesson can help students increase their confidence in the Savior’s ability to heal, free, and comfort us.

Student preparation: Invite students to consider the evidence they have seen in their lives or the lives of others that Jesus Christ heals, comforts, and lifts people today. Ask them to come prepared to share their thoughts.

Possible Learning Activities

Our need for the Messiah

To help students recognize our need for Jesus Christ, consider beginning class by displaying the picture depicting the woman from the New Testament who had an issue of blood (see Mark 5:24–34).

Ask students to share what they know about her situation. If necessary, explain that she had a health concern, an “issue of blood twelve years” (Mark 5:25). She “had spent all that she had” seeking a cure from physicians, but her illness only got worse (Mark 5:26). Under the law of Moses, someone with an issue of blood was considered unclean (see Leviticus 15:19–33), so this woman was likely excluded from society in some ways during those 12 years.

Ask the following questions while displaying the picture.

A woman with an issue of blood for twelve years, sitting on the ground.

What do you imagine she could have thought or felt?
How might a teenager experience similar thoughts or feelings today?

Students can invite personal revelation to their study by thinking about their lives and circumstances. One way to help them do this could be to display instructions like the following:

Think about the challenges you or someone you know is facing right now and how the Savior’s help is needed. Isaiah prophesied how the Savior could help us and this woman. As you study Isaiah 61 today, seek guidance from the Spirit to help you see how Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are at work in your life.

The mission of the Messiah

To prepare students to study Isaiah 61, write at the top of the board the following phrase: Heavenly Father sent Jesus Christ to …

In Isaiah 61, Isaiah prophesied of the Savior and His mission. In these verses, Isaiah speaks messianically or as if the Savior is saying the words.

Read Isaiah 61:1–3, and finish the statement on the board: Heavenly Father sent Jesus Christ to …

You might want to explain that anointed in verse 1 means that Jesus Christ was set apart or sent with a specific purpose. “Christ (a Greek word) and Messiah (a Hebrew word) mean ‘the anointed’” (“Jesus Christ,” Guide to the Scriptures).

You might also explain that meek in the context of verse 1 could mean poor, afflicted, or humble.

What did you find that helps you understand how the Savior can help someone today?

You could either write on the board what students share or invite them to do so. As students share, they might finish the following statement: Heavenly Father sent Jesus Christ to …

Preach the gospel to the poor, afflicted, and humble (see verse 1).
Heal the brokenhearted (see verse 1).
Free the captive (see verse 1).
Comfort all who mourn (see verse 2).
Give beauty and joy to those weighed down (see verse 3).

Asking follow-up questions is an effective skill to help students analyze what they have just studied in the scriptures or what they have heard someone share. You might consider asking follow-up questions such as the following to help students consider the meaning of the text: “In what ways might someone be captive?” or “What do you think it means that he will give us ‘beauty for ashes’?”

Recognizing how the Savior fulfills His mission

You might want to share the following summary of Luke 4:16–21 with students.

During His life on earth, Jesus Christ read from Isaiah 61 at the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. Through Isaiah’s words, Jesus Christ testified that He was the promised Messiah sent by Heavenly Father with a mission to heal, free, comfort, and save (see Luke 4:16–21).

To help students begin to see how the Savior can fulfill His mission in their lives, you could invite students to study examples from the scriptures in groups.

Pick one of the statements on the board. Study an example in the scriptures where the Savior fulfills His mission by helping someone with their unique challenge. You can use the scriptural example provided or find your own. You might also think of a modern example.

Afflicted: Man, sick of the palsy (Mark 2:1–12)
Brokenhearted: The woman with an issue of blood (Mark 5:24–34)
Captive: Alma the Younger (Alma 36:16–21)
Mourning: Mary and Martha (John 11:20–36)
Weighed down: Alma and his people (Mosiah 24:8–21)

As you study, look for answers to the following questions:

What does this account teach you about how Jesus Christ can fulfill His mission for you in your life?
What does this account teach you about how you can invite His power into your life?

As students study, be available to help answer any questions they might have.

After they have finished studying, you could invite students to share what they learned that could help someone who is facing a difficult challenge.

Asking questions that invite students to reflect on personal experiences, such as the following, can help them recognize Jesus Christ’s love, power, and mercy in their lives. (For additional training on giving invitations that help learners recognize the Lord’s love, power, and mercy in their experiences, see “Help learners recognize the Lord’s love, power, and mercy in their lives” in Teacher Development Skills.)

If students would benefit from seeing a modern-day example before sharing their experiences, you could watch Darlyn’s experience in “Feeling the Lord’s Love and Goodness in Trials” (4:18).

4:17
In what ways have you seen Jesus Christ fulfill His mission in your life or in the life of someone you know?

Sharing what you believe about Him

Give students time to process how the things they have learned can affect their lives outside of class. The following activity connects to the challenge they thought about at the beginning of class.

Write a message to the person you were thinking about today who is currently experiencing difficulty in their life (this person could be yourself). Seek the help of the Spirit to guide you as you write. In the letter, share truths or experiences you have heard and learned about the Savior today that you think could encourage or bring hope to this person.

Consider ending with your testimony of Jesus Christ and His power.

Additional Resources

Isaiah 61:3. What might “give unto them beauty for ashes” mean?

The Israelites had a custom of pouring ashes on their heads when deeply saddened during times of ruin, death, or despair. The use of ashes in this verse likely draws upon that symbolism.

Elder Bruce C. Hafen of the Quorum of the Seventy taught:

Each of us will taste the bitter ashes of life, from sin and neglect to sorrow and disappointment. But the atonement of Christ can lift us up in beauty from our ashes on the wings of a sure promise of immortality and eternal life. He will thus lift us up, not only at the end of life, but in each day of our lives. (“Beauty for Ashes: The Atonement of Jesus Christ,” Liahona, April 1990, 48)

Sister Kristin M. Yee, Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, testified:

10:7

I have personally witnessed the miracle of Christ healing my warring heart. With permission of my father, I share that I grew up in a home where I didn’t always feel safe because of emotional and verbal mistreatment. In my youth and young adult years, I resented my father and had anger in my heart from that hurt.

Over the years and in my efforts to find peace and healing on the path of forgiveness, I came to realize in a profound way that the same Son of God who atoned for my sins is the same Redeemer who will also save those who have deeply hurt me. I could not truly believe the first truth without believing the second.

As my love for the Savior has grown, so has my desire to replace hurt and anger with His healing balm. It has been a process of many years, requiring courage, vulnerability, perseverance, and learning to trust in the Savior’s divine power to save and heal. I still have work to do, but my heart is no longer on a warpath. I have been given “a new heart” [Ezekiel 36:26]—one that has felt the deep and abiding love of a personal Savior, who stayed beside me, who gently and patiently led me to a better place, who wept with me, who knew my sorrow. (“Beauty for Ashes: The Healing Path of Forgiveness,” Liahona, Nov. 2022, 37)

Isaiah 61:3, 10. What might Isaiah mean when he talks about being “clothed … with the garments of salvation” or “covered … with the robe of righteousness”?

President Russell M. Nelson taught, “In Hebrew, the basic word for atonement is kaphar, a verb that means ‘to cover’ or ‘to forgive’” (“The Atonement,” Ensign, Nov. 1996, 34). Thus, the images of being clothed by garments of salvation and being covered with a robe of righteousness have a direct connection to the blessings that come to us through Jesus Christ and His Atonement.

Elder Kent F. Richards of the Quorum of the Seventy taught:

The Savior is not a silent observer. He Himself knows personally and infinitely the pain we face ….

Sometimes in the depth of pain, we are tempted to ask, “Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there?” [Jeremiah 8:22] I testify the answer is yes, there is a physician. The Atonement of Jesus Christ covers all these conditions and purposes of mortality. (“The Atonement Covers All Pain,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2011, 15–16)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Alternate beginning

To begin class, you could draw a picture on the board of a broken heart and ask students to list situations in which a teenager might feel brokenhearted. Students could also list other thoughts or emotions a teenager might feel in those situations. Then, students could complete the journal activity as it is written in the lesson.

How Jesus Christ fulfills His mission today

When students are invited to read examples in the scriptures where Jesus Christ fulfilled some of the prophecies in Isaiah 61, you could also invite students with electronic devices and headphones to pick one of the videos from the “His Grace” video collection found in the Gospel Library. They could watch the video and consider the same questions as those who choose to read the scripture stories. These videos contain the stories and testimonies of fellow saints who have experienced the Savior’s grace during difficult circumstances.