A heavy backpack, a chariot on a desert road, and a man who couldn’t wait to be baptized
Jesus Christ carried our sins and our sad feelings, so He can help me when I feel sad and when I need to say sorry.
I can give my heavy feelings to Jesus by praying, saying sorry, and thinking about Him during the sacrament.
Isaiah 53 is one of the clearest pictures of the Savior in the whole Old Testament. Isaiah wrote it about 700 years before Jesus was born. He describes Someone humble and gentle who would be rejected. He would carry “our griefs” and “our sorrows” and be wounded for our sins. He’d stay quiet “as a lamb,” even when people were cruel. In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Abinadi quoted this chapter to wicked King Noah. He taught that it’s about Jesus Christ. You can read it in Mosiah 14–15.
The New Testament tells a true story about this very chapter, in Acts 8:26–39. An angel sent Philip to a desert road. An important man from Ethiopia was riding home in his chariot, reading Isaiah 53. The Spirit told Philip to go near. Philip explained that Isaiah was writing about Jesus. When they came to some water, the man asked to be baptized. That’s today’s story, told with pictures. It’s a perfect fit for children looking forward to their own baptism.
For ages 4–7, make the Atonement concrete and gentle. Jesus carried two kinds of heavy things for us. One is our wrong choices, our sins, which He helps take away when we repent. The other is our sad and hurting feelings, which He understands and helps us carry when we pray. That’s taught in Alma 7:11–12. He may not take every hard thing away right now, but He makes the load lighter, as in Mosiah 24:14–15. The sacrament each Sunday helps us remember what He carried. Keep the focus on His love and help, not on the details of His suffering.
There are other bright spots this week. In 52:1, Isaiah calls, “Awake, awake; put on thy strength.” In 55:6 he invites us to “seek ye the LORD.” And in 55:9 he reminds us the Lord’s ways are higher than ours, “as the heavens are higher than the earth.” The hook and the wiggle use these for little bodies.
Fill a backpack with a few heavy books. Tell the chariot story in Teach Mode. Say Isaiah 53:4 with motions and do The Heavy Backpack. Close with a quiet testimony of Jesus. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing.” Instead of a backpack, classmates rest their hands on a helper’s shoulders.
Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.
Before class
Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Steps that mention Teach Mode, the Sound Board or other class games refer to the Gospel Sparks app; on the web you can play Forehead Guess and Scripture Showdown from this page.
A silly wake-up gets wiggles out.
Class screen: ⏰ Awake, awake! Who carries our heavy things? · 🤷 Who is it?
A true New Testament story shows that Isaiah wrote about Jesus, and it ends with a baptism.
Class screen: 🛞 The Chariot on the Desert Road · 🤷 Who is it? · ❤️ It’s Jesus!
Isaiah 55:9 becomes a quick stretch before the verse.
Class screen: ☁️ Higher than the sky!
Gentle motions help every age remember what Jesus carried for us.
Class screen: 💜 He carried our griefs and our sorrows.
Feeling a real heavy load shows what Isaiah meant, and practices giving our heavy things to Jesus.
Class screen: 🎒 How heavy is this backpack? · Hop, hop, hop!
Instead of: A backpack, 4–5 heavy things to fill it (hardback books, cans of food, full water bottles)
Class screen: 🙌 How heavy are all those heavy things? · Hop, hop, hop!
End quietly with the Savior’s love, so kids leave feeling lighter.
Class screen: 🕊️ Jesus helps carry our heavy things. · Pray · Say sorry · Remember Him
A quick Heads Up–style review of the story words.
Class screen: 🤔 Forehead Guess! · Give clues, don’t say the word!
A fast team quiz reviews the lesson.
Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown!
Optional helpers
Scenes
📜🐑 Isaiah writes about a gentle Lamb
About seven hundred years before Jesus was born, Isaiah wrote about a Savior. He would carry our sad feelings and our wrong choices. He would be gentle and quiet, like a lamb. People wondered. Who could it be?
🙌 Palms up, shrug: “Who is it?”
👼🛣️ An angel sends Philip down the road
After Jesus rose again, an angel came to His disciple Philip. The angel said, “Go south, to the desert road.” Philip didn’t know why. But he went right away.
🙌
🐴📜 Here comes a chariot!
Down the road came a chariot pulled by horses. Riding in it was an important man from Ethiopia. He took care of his queen’s treasure. And he was reading the words of Isaiah.
🙌
🕊️🏃 “Go near that chariot!”
The Holy Ghost whispered to Philip, “Go near the chariot.” So Philip ran! He asked if the man understood what he was reading. The man said, “How can I, unless someone helps me?”
🙌
🤔🐑 “Who is this about?”
The man was reading about Someone who stayed quiet like a lamb. He stayed quiet even when people were unkind to Him. The man asked Philip, “Who is the prophet talking about?”
🙌 Shrug again: “Who is it?”
💛🙏 “It’s about Jesus!”
Philip smiled and taught him about Jesus. Jesus suffered for everyone’s sins and sadness. He died, and He rose again. Isaiah had been writing about Jesus all along!
🙌 Hand on your heart. Whisper: “It’s Jesus!”
💧🎉 “Look! Here is water!”
They came to some water. The man said, “Here is water! Can I be baptized?” He believed that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. So Philip baptized him. And the man went home so happy.
🙌
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows”
More verses
“All we like sheep have gone astray”
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways”
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings”
✅ B. Lamb 🐑 Isaiah 53:7. Jesus was gentle, even when people were unkind.
✅ A. An angel 👼 Acts 8:26. Philip obeyed right away, even though he didn’t know why.
✅ C. The words of Isaiah 📜 He was reading the part about the Savior being like a quiet lamb.
✅ A. The Holy Ghost 🕊️ The Holy Ghost helps us know what to do. You can have His help too.
✅ B. Jesus Christ Philip taught the man that Isaiah 53 is all about Jesus.
✅ C. Be baptized He believed in Jesus and wanted to be baptized right away!
✅ C. Sins When we repent, Jesus helps take our wrong choices away.
✅ B. Pray and say sorry 🙏 He always hears us, and He helps our hearts feel lighter.
Sing it after the story. The man from Ethiopia couldn’t wait to be baptized. Find it ↗
Pairs with Lighter Hearts: during the sacrament we remember what Jesus carried for us. Find it ↗
Goes with the Seek the Lord extra and Isaiah 55:6. Find it ↗
When you feel sad or make a wrong choice this week, say a prayer and ask Jesus to help. If you need to say sorry, say it! Then take a big stretch. Notice how much lighter you feel.
This week we learned from Isaiah 53:4 that Jesus “carried our sorrows.” We heard how Philip met a man from Ethiopia who was reading Isaiah in his chariot. Philip taught him it was about Jesus, and the man asked to be baptized right away. We also felt how heavy a full backpack is. Then we talked about how Jesus helps carry our sad feelings and our wrong choices. Ask your child, “What did we put in the heavy backpack? Who helps us carry it?”
📝 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.
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.
