Teachers: The lessons in the manual contain more information than you will probably be able to teach in one class period. Seek the Spirit of the Lord in selecting the scripture accounts, questions, and other lesson materials that best meet the needs of class members.

Basic Resources

• Do you want to see this week's Gospel Doctrine lesson? Lesson 39

• Would you like to see the class member study guide for this week? Lesson 39

• You can read the assigned scriptures for this week online: Isaiah 50–53.

• Do you have an MP3 player? Try downloading Isaiah 53, which is in this week's reading. For more Old Testament audio, click here.

• The official scripture study aids often have helpful information you can use in your lessons. For example, for this week's lesson, read the definition of "Isaiah" in the Bible Dictionary.

Art

The picture in the upper-right corner of this page shows the Savior, Jesus Christ, praying in Gethsemane. The picture is available online or in your meetinghouse library: Jesus Praying in Gethsemane, Gospel Art Picture Kit, no. 227.

Recent Talks and Articles in Church Magazines

Would you like to see what Church leaders have said recently about topics in this week's lesson? Click on the photographs or talk titles below to read the complete talks.

What did President Gordon B. Hinckley say was "the supreme act of forgiveness"? "The great Atonement was the supreme act of forgiveness. The magnitude of that Atonement is beyond our ability to completely understand. I know only that it happened, and that it was for me and for you. The suffering was so great, the agony so intense, that none of us can comprehend it when the Savior offered Himself as a ransom for the sins of all mankind" ("Forgiveness," Ensign, Nov. 2005, 84). Download this talk or listen to it online in MP3 format.

How do gospel ordinances remind us of the Atonement? Elder Russell M. Nelson explained: "Essential ordinances of the gospel symbolize the Atonement. Baptism by immersion is symbolic of the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Redeemer. Partaking of the sacrament renews baptismal covenants and also renews our memory of the Savior’s broken flesh and of the blood He shed for us. Ordinances of the temple symbolize our reconciliation with the Lord and seal families together forever. Obedience to the sacred covenants made in temples qualifies us for eternal life" ("The Atonement," Ensign, Nov. 1996, 35).

Music

Below is a Church hymn that relates to this week's lesson. You could read words from the hymn in class or have your class sing it together. Click on the hymn title below to go to the Church Music site, where you can read or listen to the hymn online. Or, search for other hymns that relate to the lesson.

Isaiah 53:2–5

• "O God, the Eternal Father," Hymns, no. 175

Additional Helps

• Hymns can be an effective way to teach doctrine and invite the Spirit into our lessons. Elder Dallin H. Oaks encouraged Church members to use hymns more often to strengthen themselves and others: "I wonder if we are making enough use of this heaven-sent resource in our meetings, in our classes, and in our homes. . . . We need to make more use of our hymns to put us in tune with the Spirit of the Lord, to unify us, and to help us teach and learn our doctrine. We need to make better use of our hymns in missionary teaching, in gospel classes, in quorum meetings, in home evenings, and in home teaching visits" ("Worship through Music," Ensign, Nov. 1994, 10, 12; paragraph divisions altered). For more ideas about using music to teach the gospel, see the suggestions in "Music," in Teaching, No Greater Call, 172–74.
• In addition to the questions suggested in the teacher's manual, you might ask your class: What can class members do at this time in their lives to increase their love for the Savior as they consider His great gift to us of the Atonement?
• Your own personal testimony of the effect of the Atonement in your own life will allow the Spirit to bear witness to the class members of the Savior’s love for each one of us.

Historical Context

• Isaiah 53 is often referred to as the "suffering servant" story and has been interpreted by scholars as referring to various persons or people, but there is no doubt in Latter-day Saint minds that this chapter is referring to Jesus Christ.
• Isaiah 53 has been called the "Old Testament Gospel."

  53:1—Quoted in John 12:38; Romans 10:16.
  53:2—This verse describes the Savior as having "no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him." On the other hand, the Hebrew word for beauty (translated as "comely") is used to describe King David in 1 Samuel 16:18, meaning that Jesus had none of the appearance of King David, even though the Messiah was supposed to be the descendant of King David.
  53:4—This verse uses words similar to those found in Matthew 8:17.
  53:5—Jesus "was wounded for our transgressions" (John 19:34); Jesus was the great substitute (see 2 Corinthians 5:21).
  53:5—"With his stripes we are healed" (see 1 Peter 2:24).
  53:7—John called Jesus "the Lamb of God" (John 1:29, 36); Jesus was silent before the chief priests, Herod, and Pilate (see Matthew 27:12–14; Mark 14:60–61; Luke 23:8–9; John 19:8–9).