Gospel Sparks Join the beta

A Man of Sorrows

Seven centuries before Calvary, Isaiah described a Servant nobody expected, who would carry our griefs and heal us by His wounds

  • 📖 Adult Sunday School
  • Week 41
  • 📅 Sunday, October 11, 2026
🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Isaiah 53 testifies that Jesus Christ was despised, wounded and silent for us, carrying not only our sins but our griefs and sorrows; because He was bruised we can be healed, and because He knows sorrow from the inside, He knows how to help us.

I can bring both my sins and my sorrows to Jesus Christ, trust that He understands them, and let Him heal me.

Study it yourself firstRead Isaiah 50–57 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Isaiah 50–57)
Know the chapters

Isaiah 50–57 moves from promises of rescue to a portrait of the Rescuer. In chapter 50 a Servant gives His back to the smiters and sets His face “like a flint” (50:6–7). Chapters 51–52 call Zion to “awake” and “shake thyself from the dust” and praise the “beautiful” feet of those who bring good tidings (52:1–2, 7). Then comes Isaiah 52:13–53:12, the passage often called the Suffering Servant. Afterward the tone brightens: “my kindness shall not depart from thee” (54:10), “Ho, every one that thirsteth” (55:1), a house of prayer “for all people” (56:7), and a God who dwells with the contrite (57:15).

Who is the Servant? That exact question is asked in Acts 8:34. Many Jewish readers understand the Servant as the people of Israel. The New Testament, the Book of Mormon and latter-day prophets testify that Isaiah was describing Jesus Christ. Abinadi quoted the entire chapter to King Noah’s priests and explained it (Mosiah 14–15). The details fit strikingly: silent before His accusers (Mark 15:3–5), crucified between two thieves (Mark 15:27–28), buried in a rich man’s new tomb (Matthew 27:57–60). On the night before He died, Jesus Himself quoted Isaiah 53:12 and said it “must yet be accomplished in me” (Luke 22:37).

A word note that helps adults: the Hebrew words translated “griefs” and “sorrows” in 53:4 are elsewhere translated as sicknesses and pains. Matthew quotes the verse after a day of healing the sick: “Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses” (Matthew 8:16–17). Alma teaches the same doctrine: the Savior took upon Him our pains, afflictions, sicknesses and infirmities “that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people” (Alma 7:11–12). The Atonement of Jesus Christ answers our sins and also our sorrows.

Twenty-five minutes is enough for one chapter read well. Stay in Isaiah 53. Read slowly, let the class notice the pronouns, and give people room to be tender. Isaiah 55 is a short second stop if time allows; the Acts 8 story is ready as a bonus.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Isaiah 53 and 55:1–3 once. Open by asking what qualities people would expect in a rescuer, then read Isaiah 53:2–3. Read 53:4–6 together, counting “we/our/us” against “he/him,” and spend most of the time on the Acquainted with Grief questions. Close by reading 53:5, inviting a testimony or two, and asking each person to bring one specific sorrow or sin to the Savior this week.

What to bring2 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Read Isaiah 52:13–53:12 straight through, out loud if you can. Mark verses 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.
  2. Ask two people ahead of time to read: a Reader for Isaiah 53:1–3 and a Witness for 53:7–9. A quick text on Saturday is plenty.
  3. Read Alma 7:11–12 and Mosiah 15:10–11 so you can explain them in a sentence each if they come up.
  4. Think of your own honest answer to “When did the Savior carry a sorrow of yours, not just a sin?” If the room is quiet, you’ll go first.
  5. Cut the slips of paper and bring pencils. Nobody will turn these in or share them.

Discussion tips

  • Quiet class? Isaiah 53 is tender, and silence may mean people are feeling, not bored. Give it a moment, then send a question to pairs first.
  • One voice filling every pause? Thank them warmly, then say, “Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t had a chance yet.”
  • Someone may be carrying a heavy grief: a death, a diagnosis, an abuse they didn’t choose, a child who is struggling. Make clear that the Savior carried sorrows, not only sins, so no one hears that their pain is their fault.
  • If someone raises the question of who the Servant is, welcome it. Acknowledge that readers have understood the passage differently, then look at why the fit with the Savior’s life is so striking, and at Luke 22:37, where He applies it to Himself.
  • Visitors and new members: explain in one sentence that Latter-day Saints read Isaiah 53 as a prophecy of Jesus Christ, show references on the shared screen, and never ask anyone to read aloud without checking first.

The 25-minute plan25 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Each “On the screen” line is what the class sees on a shared screen in Teach Mode in the Gospel Sparks app; on paper, read it aloud or write it on the board. On the web you can play Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

Hiring a Rescuer

3 min

Surfaces our assumptions about what a savior should look like, so Isaiah 53 can overturn them.

  1. Ask: “If you were writing a job description for the Messiah, a rescuer for the whole world, what qualities would you put at the top?”
  2. Take three or four quick answers: powerful, impressive, persuasive, a strong leader.
  3. Read Isaiah 53:2 aloud: “he hath no form nor comeliness… there is no beauty that we should desire him.”
  4. SAY“Isaiah described a Savior almost nobody would have picked. Today we’ll read what He actually came to do.”

On the screen: 📝 If you were choosing a rescuer for the world, what would you look for?

2. Story

Read It in Context: The Servant Nobody Expected

7 min

Reads Isaiah 52:13–53:12 as one movement, from misunderstanding to realization, so the class hears it as testimony.

  1. Open Teach Mode to the scripture scene. The shared screen shows one scene at a time.
  2. Read each scene’s context yourself, then let the assigned voices read the verses. No one is assigned to speak as the Lord or as the Savior.
  3. Slow down for scene 3. Let the whole class read verses 4–6 together, as a confession.
  4. After scene 5, let a few seconds of silence sit before moving on.

On the screen: 🌱 Isaiah 53: the Servant who was despised, wounded and silent for us · Follow along in Isaiah 52:13–53:12

3. Scripture

Our Griefs, Our Sorrows

4 min

Studies Isaiah 53:4–5 closely so class members see how personal the Savior’s suffering was.

  1. Put Isaiah 53:4–5 on the shared screen and read it slowly.
  2. SAY“With the person next to you, count the words ‘our,’ ‘we’ and ‘us’ in verses 4–6. Then count ‘he’ and ‘him.’ What do you notice?”
  3. Share the word note: “griefs” and “sorrows” can mean sicknesses and pains. Read Alma 7:11–12: He took them on Himself so He would know how to succor us.
  4. Ask: “Why does it matter that He carried our sorrows, and not only our sins?”
  5. Share Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s words (in “From general conference” below).

On the screen: 🩹 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows… with his stripes we are healed. · Isaiah 53:4–5 · Count: our, we, us. Then he, him.

4. Talk it over

Acquainted with Grief

5 min

Helps adults connect the Savior’s suffering to their own sins and sorrows, and to how they treat others who suffer.

  1. Pick two or three questions; don’t try to cover all of them.
  2. Start the third question in pairs: one minute with a neighbor, then a few share with the room.
  3. Let silence work. Count to seven in your head before rescuing a question.
  4. If the room is quiet, share your own experience first.
💬 Ask the class
  • Verse 3 says “we hid as it were our faces from him.” In what ways do people still look away from the Savior, or from others who are suffering?
  • Verse 4 says people assumed He was “smitten of God.” Why do we sometimes assume that about people who are suffering, or about ourselves?
  • How has knowing that the Savior understands sorrow changed the way you pray or the way you grieve? (Talk with a neighbor first.)
  • Verse 6 says we have turned “every one to his own way.” What does going astray look like for good, busy people?
  • Verse 7: He “opened not his mouth.” What does His silence before His accusers teach you?

On the screen: 🕯️ A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. · Isaiah 53:3–7

5. Talk it over

Without Money and Without Price

3 min

Turns from what the Savior did to His open invitation to come and receive it.

  1. Ask a volunteer to read Isaiah 55:1–3 while the class follows along.
  2. SAY“After Isaiah 53, this is the invitation: come and drink, no money needed.”
  3. Ask one or two questions, then move to the testimony on time.
💬 Ask the class
  • What do we “spend money for” that “is not bread,” things that never quite satisfy?
  • Why is it sometimes harder to accept a free gift than to earn something?
  • Verse 3 says, “hear, and your soul shall live.” What helps you actually hear Him in a noisy week?

On the screen: 💧 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters. · Isaiah 55:1–3

6. Testimony

With His Stripes We Are Healed

3 min

Ends with testimony of Jesus Christ as the One who carried our sins and sorrows, and a private, specific invitation.

  1. Hand each person a slip of paper and a pencil.
  2. SAY“Privately, write one sin or one sorrow you want to bring to the Savior this week. No one will see it. Keep it in your scriptures.”
  3. Read the end of Isaiah 53:5: “with his stripes we are healed.”
  4. Invite one or two people to share, in a sentence or two, how the Savior has carried something for them.
  5. Bear a short testimony that Jesus Christ is the Servant of Isaiah 53, that He knows our sorrows from the inside, and that He heals.
  6. Invite: “This week, pray about what you wrote, by name. Let Him carry it.”

On the screen: 🐑 He was wounded for our transgressions… and with his stripes we are healed. · Isaiah 53:5 · This week: bring Him one specific sin or sorrow.

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A small slip of paper and a pencil for each class member (for the testimony)

  1. Ask each person to think privately of one sin or one sorrow they want to bring to the Savior this week.
  2. Read the end of Isaiah 53:5: “with his stripes we are healed.”
  3. Invite one or two people to share, in a sentence or two, how the Savior has carried something for them.
  4. Bear a short testimony that Jesus Christ is the Servant of Isaiah 53, that He knows our sorrows from the inside, and that He heals.
  5. Invite: “This week, pray about that one thing by name. Let Him carry it.”
7. Talk it over

Understandest Thou?

5 minBONUS

Shows Isaiah 53 opening a seeker’s heart to Jesus Christ in the New Testament.

  1. Read Acts 8:26–31: an Ethiopian official is reading Isaiah in his chariot, and Philip asks, “Understandest thou what thou readest?”
  2. Read Acts 8:32–35: he is reading Isaiah 53:7–8, and Philip “preached unto him Jesus.”
  3. Read Acts 8:36–39: he is baptized and goes “on his way rejoicing.”
  4. Ask one or two questions.
💬 Ask the class
  • The Ethiopian asked, “How can I, except some man should guide me?” Who guided you to understand the scriptures?
  • Philip “began at the same scripture.” How can we start where people already are when we share the gospel?
  • What in Isaiah 53 would you point to if a friend asked how you know it is about Jesus?

On the screen: 📜 “How can I, except some man should guide me?” · Acts 8:26–39

8. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A light, friendly review if you finish early.

  1. Split the room down the middle into two teams.
  2. Launch Scripture Showdown on your phone or tablet and read each question aloud.
  3. After each reveal, read the reference so people can mark it.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

On the screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown: how well do you know Isaiah 50–57?

Read it together

The Servant Nobody Expected

Isaiah 52:13–53:12 ↗

Reading parts

  • ReaderReads Isaiah 53:1–3, the root out of dry ground.
  • WitnessReads Isaiah 53:7–9, the lamb brought to the slaughter.
  • The ClassEveryone reads the “we” confession together: Isaiah 53:4–6.

Scenes

  1. 👑 “My servant shall be exalted”

    The passage opens with the ending first: the Servant will be lifted up and kings will be speechless. But the same verses say His appearance would be marred more than any man’s. Glory and suffering, side by side.

    🎬 The teacher reads Isaiah 52:13–15.

  2. 🌱 A root out of a dry ground

    Now the speakers are ordinary people looking back. They admit that the Servant didn’t look like anything special. They didn’t want Him. They looked away.

    🎬 The Reader reads Isaiah 53:1–3. Pause after “we esteemed him not.”

  3. 💔 “Surely he hath borne our griefs”

    Then the realization hits. We thought God was punishing Him. He was carrying us: our griefs, our sorrows, our sins, our wandering.

    🎬 The Class reads Isaiah 53:4–6 together, slowly.

  4. 🐑 As a lamb to the slaughter

    He doesn’t defend Himself. He is taken, judged, cut off, and buried with the rich. Centuries later, Jesus stood silent before Pilate, died between two thieves, and was laid in a rich man’s tomb.

    🎬 The Witness reads Isaiah 53:7–9.

  5. 🌅 “He shall see his seed”

    The last verses turn to victory. His suffering has a purpose: He will justify many, see His “seed,” and make intercession for transgressors. Abinadi explained that His seed are all who hear the prophets and look to Him for redemption.

    🎬 The teacher reads Isaiah 53:10–12. Let a few seconds of quiet follow.

Key verse

Isaiah 53:4–5 ↗
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
In plain words: The Savior carried our pains and sorrows as well as our sins. People thought God was punishing Him, but He was suffering for us, and His wounds are how we are healed.

More verses

Isaiah 53:6 ↗
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
In plain words: Every one of us has wandered in our own way, and the Lord placed all of it on His Son.
Isaiah 50:7 ↗
“For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.”
In plain words: The Servant faced suffering with complete determination, trusting that God would help Him. Luke says Jesus “stedfastly set his face” toward Jerusalem.
Isaiah 54:7–8 ↗
“For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.”
In plain words: Hard seasons can feel as if God has turned away, but those moments are small next to His everlasting kindness.
Isaiah 55:1 ↗
“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”
In plain words: The Lord’s invitation is open to everyone who is thirsty, and what He offers can’t be bought. It is a gift.

Scripture Showdown6 questions

  1. In Isaiah 53:2, the Servant grows up like what?
    • A. A cedar of Lebanon
    • B. A root out of a dry ground
    • C. A vine by the river
    Show answer

    ✅ B. A root out of a dry ground “He shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground.”

  2. Finish Isaiah 53:5: “and with his stripes we are…”
    • A. healed
    • B. saved
    • C. forgiven
    Show answer

    ✅ A. healed “The chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

  3. Which Book of Mormon prophet quoted all of Isaiah 53 to King Noah’s priests?
    • A. Alma
    • B. Nephi
    • C. Abinadi
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Abinadi Abinadi quoted it in Mosiah 14 and explained it in Mosiah 15.

  4. Who was reading Isaiah 53 in a chariot when Philip met him?
    • A. A Roman centurion
    • B. An official from Ethiopia
    • C. A priest from Jericho
    Show answer

    ✅ B. An official from Ethiopia Acts 8:27–35. Philip began at that scripture and “preached unto him Jesus.”

  5. In Isaiah 55:1, what does the Lord invite the thirsty to do?
    • A. Wait for rain
    • B. Dig a new well
    • C. Come to the waters
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Come to the waters “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money.”

  6. In Isaiah 54:10, what will not depart even if the mountains do?
    • A. The Lord’s kindness
    • B. The temple
    • C. The land of Israel
    Show answer

    ✅ A. The Lord’s kindness “The mountains shall depart… but my kindness shall not depart from thee.”

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

From general conference

“We are to remember in as personal a way as possible that Christ died from a heart broken by shouldering entirely alone the sins and sorrows of the whole human family.”

— Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “Behold the Lamb of God,” April 2019

Share in Our Griefs, Our Sorrows, after the class counts the pronouns in Isaiah 53:4–6.

Read the talk ↗

Songs

  • I Know That My Redeemer Lives Hymns, no. 136

    A joyful witness of the risen Redeemer: the Servant of Isaiah 53 who was wounded and now lives. Find it ↗

  • The Lord Is My Shepherd Hymns, no. 108

    Pairs with Isaiah 53:6: we are the sheep who went astray, and He is the Shepherd who brings us back. Find it ↗

This week’s invitation

Let Him Carry It

Pray this week about one specific sin or sorrow, by name, and ask the Savior to carry it with you. Read Isaiah 53 once more slowly, and each time you see “our” or “we,” read it as “my” and “I.”

Take it home

In Sunday School we read Isaiah 53, written seven centuries before Jesus was born: “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows… and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4–5). Take it home: read Acts 8:26–39 together, where an Ethiopian traveler reading this chapter learns it is about Jesus.

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

⛰️ Beautiful upon the Mountains · 4 min

  1. Read Isaiah 52:7, then Mosiah 15:13–18, where Abinadi explains whose feet are beautiful.
  2. Point out that Abinadi says the Lord Himself is the one who publishes peace most beautifully (Mosiah 15:18).
  3. Ask: “When have someone’s ‘feet’ brought you good tidings?”

⛺ Enlarge the Place of Thy Tent · 4 min

  1. Read Isaiah 54:2: lengthen the cords and strengthen the stakes.
  2. Read Doctrine and Covenants 82:14, where Zion’s borders must be enlarged and her stakes strengthened. This is where the Church’s word “stake” comes from.
  3. Ask: “What would it look like to enlarge the tent in our own ward this year?”

🪨 A Face like a Flint · 4 min

  1. Read Isaiah 50:5–7, the Servant who gives His back to the smiters and sets His face like a flint.
  2. Read Luke 9:51, where Jesus “stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.”
  3. Ask: “What gave Him that resolve, according to Isaiah 50:7? Where do we need it?”

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

All Adult Sunday School lessons