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Upside-Down Happy

Jesus’s list of who is truly blessed, a lunch-table role-play with a rewind button, a higher law, and the “eventually” in be ye perfect

  • 🧭 Youth 11–14
  • Week 7
  • 📅 Sunday, February 14, 2027
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Jesus’s idea of real happiness turns the world’s upside down, and as I live His higher way, His light shines through me and I grow toward being like Him, one step at a time.

I can live one Beatitude on purpose this week and let my light point people to Heavenly Father, without needing to be perfect today.

Study it yourself firstRead Matthew 5; Luke 6 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Matthew 5; Luke 6)
Know the chapters

Matthew 5–7 is the Sermon on the Mount; Luke 6 records a similar sermon given “in the plain” (Luke 6:17). This week is Matthew 5. It opens with the Beatitudes (5:3–12): eight kinds of people Jesus calls “blessed,” meaning deeply happy and favored by God. The list is upside down from what the world celebrates. Not the richest, loudest, most followed or best at winning arguments, but the poor in spirit (humble enough to know they need God), those who mourn, the meek (strong but gentle), those hungry for what’s right, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted. Every one comes with a promise. Luke 6:20–26 adds “woes” to those who are full and praised by everyone now, which makes the contrast even sharper.

Salt and light (5:13–16): salt preserved food and flavored it, and in ancient Israel it was part of covenant offerings; salt that lost its savour was useless. A bushel was a measuring basket, so hiding a lamp under it defeats the point. Jesus is the Light of the World (John 8:12); our light is His, shining through our good works, and the goal is that people glorify the Father, not us. For a generation that lives online, “let your light shine” is a real question about what they post and how they treat people in the comments.

The higher law (5:21–44): six times Jesus says, in effect, “Ye have heard… but I say unto you.” Don’t just avoid murder; don’t stay angry. Don’t just avoid adultery; keep your thoughts pure (for this age, that includes what we choose to look at on a screen; keep it simple and matter-of-fact). Don’t need oaths; just be honest. Don’t retaliate. Love your enemies and pray for people who treat you badly. The law had focused on actions; Jesus goes to the heart.

“Be ye therefore perfect” (5:48) can crush conscientious 11–14s who already feel they have to be flawless. The Greek word points toward being complete or whole, and in the Book of Mormon version the Savior includes Himself as the example (3 Nephi 12:48). Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s talk “Be Ye Therefore Perfect—Eventually” (the manual points to it) is a great read: perfection is a lifelong process through the Savior’s grace, not a demand to never make a mistake. Say that out loud to your class.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Matthew 5:1–16 and 43–48. Run the “who’s most blessed” line-up hook, let Teach Mode carry the Lunch Table role-play (the class votes on each rewind), do the Beatitude wall sprint, race to find Jesus’s “but I say unto you” upgrades and teach Matthew 5:16, play Forehead Guess, and end with the light: lights low, one light shining, and “perfect… eventually.” Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing”: every step has a no-supplies version.

What to bring4 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. Make the Beatitude cards from Matthew 5:3–10 (eight halves, eight promises). Shuffle them together.
  2. Read Matthew 5:21–48 once and note the “Ye have heard… but I say unto you” pairs: verses 21–22, 27–28, 33–37, 38–39 and 43–44.
  3. Pick four confident youth for the Lunch Table roles (Sam, Taylor, Jordan and Avery) or assign them in the My Class tab.
  4. Set the flashlight and bowl near you for the testimony, lights still on.
  5. Think of someone whose quiet goodness made you want to follow Jesus. You’ll share them in two sentences at the end.

If your class is wild

  • The Lunch Table role-play is the heart of today. The rewind votes turn a lecture into a debate; let youth disagree about what the meek or merciful response would be.
  • Keep the role-play names fictional. If a scene looks a lot like something that happened in your ward, change a detail so no one feels called out.
  • Handle Matthew 5:27–28 calmly and briefly. A matter-of-fact “what we let our minds dwell on matters, including screens” lands better than a long speech.
  • It’s Valentine’s Day. “Love your enemies” on Valentine’s Day is funny; lean into it.
  • For the testimony, lights go low only if your room is safe to dim. Keep the light moving slowly; no shining it in anyone’s eyes.

The 25-minute plan24 min + bonus

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.

1. Hook

Who’s Most Blessed?

3 min

A physical line-up shows how the world ranks happiness, then Jesus flips the whole line.

  1. Point to one wall: “Most blessed, happiest life.” The opposite wall: “Least.” Give six volunteers a profile each (from the kid screen) and have the class place them on the line, the way the world would rank them.
  2. Profiles: the kid with a million followers · the one who never loses an argument · the richest kid in school · the quiet kid who’s kind to everyone · the one who just lost a grandparent and is sad · the one who stops fights.
  3. Read Matthew 5:3–9 aloud (or have a youth read it). Say: “Now rank them the way Jesus just did.” Watch the line flip.
  4. SAY“Jesus’s list of the happiest people is upside down from ours. Today we find out why.”
🌪️ Volunteers stand; the class moves them by pointing and calling “Left! Right!” Nobody pushes anybody. If someone in class has recently lost a loved one, change the grieving profile to “the one going through something really hard.”

Class screen: 🙃 Who’s most blessed? The world’s ranking vs. Jesus’s. · Million followers · Never loses an argument · Richest in school · Quietly kind · Grieving a grandparent · Stops fights

2. Story

Role-Play: The Lunch Table

5 min

A modern lunch-table scene with rewind votes turns the Beatitudes into choices youth will actually face this week.

  1. Hand out roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode). Everyone else is The Lunch Table. Say: “This is made up, but it happens in every school.”
  2. Read each scene. When a scene says “vote” or “rewind,” pause: the class calls out what the merciful, meek or peacemaker response would be, and the actors try it.
  3. After scene 5, ask: “Which is harder: being mean, being silent, or being a peacemaker? Why?”
  4. After the last scene, ask: “Which Beatitude did you see in this story?” (Merciful, meek, peacemakers, persecuted for righteousness, pure in heart.)
🌪️ Keep rewinds to one try each. If a rewind turns into jokes, say, “Now do it like it’s real,” and let the silence work.

Class screen: 🎭 The Lunch Table: what would the upside-down choice be? · Matthew 5:3–16, 38–44

3. Wiggle break

Beatitude Match-Up

2 min

A race to find your partner card drills the Beatitudes and their promises into memory.

  1. Hand out the sixteen cards (some youth may get two). Say: “Half of you have a ‘Blessed are…’ and half have a promise. Find your match. Go!”
  2. Matched pairs line up in the order of Matthew 5:3–10 without looking it up (other youth may coach).
  3. Each pair reads their Beatitude aloud, together, down the line. Check against the scriptures.

Class screen: 🧩 Find your match. Line up in order. Go! · Matthew 5:3–10

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Sixteen index cards or paper slips: eight with the first half of a Beatitude (e.g. BLESSED ARE THE MEEK) and eight with the matching promise (FOR THEY SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH)

Beatitude Wall Sprint

  1. Name four walls: front = the meek, back = the merciful, window = the pure in heart, door = the peacemakers.
  2. Read a promise from Matthew 5 (“for they shall see God,” “for they shall obtain mercy,” “for they shall inherit the earth,” “they shall be called the children of God”). Youth fast-walk to the wall it belongs to.
  3. Last one to the right wall reads the full Beatitude aloud. Repeat, faster, in mixed order.

Class screen: 🧱 Hear the promise. Walk to the right wall. · Front · the meek · Back · the merciful · Window · the pure in heart · Door · the peacemakers

4. Scripture

Ye Have Heard… But I Say

5 min

Teams race to find how Jesus raised each old commandment to a higher, heart-level law, then memorize Matthew 5:16.

  1. SAY“Six times Jesus says, ‘Ye have heard… but I say unto you.’ Each time, He takes an old rule and goes deeper. First team to find the upgrade and explain it in plain words scores.”
  2. Call them one at a time: don’t kill (5:21–22) · don’t commit adultery (5:27–28) · keep your oaths (5:33–37) · an eye for an eye (5:38–39) · love your neighbor (5:43–44).
  3. For 5:27–28, keep it simple: “Jesus said purity starts with what we let our minds dwell on, and that includes screens.”
  4. Ask: “What do all the upgrades have in common?” (They’re about the heart, not just the actions.)
  5. Teach Matthew 5:16 with the motions. Say it twice together. Ask: “Why does it end with glorifying the Father instead of us?”
🌪️ Only one team member holds the scriptures each round; rotate the holder so everyone searches once.

Class screen: ⬆️ Ye have heard… but I say. Find the upgrade! · 5:21–22 · 5:27–28 · 5:33–37 · 5:38–39 · 5:43–44

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Scriptures: Bibles, a quad, or Gospel Library on phones (one per team of two or three)

Ye Have Heard… But I Say: Old Law, New Law

  1. Say the old law (“Ye have heard… thou shalt not kill”). Teams huddle for ten seconds and guess what Jesus’s upgrade was.
  2. Read the real verses from your own scriptures or Gospel Library (5:21–22, 27–28, 33–37, 38–39, 43–44). Closest guess scores.
  3. Ask: “What do all the upgrades have in common?” (They’re about the heart.)
  4. Teach Matthew 5:16 with the motions. Say it twice together.
5. Game

Forehead Guess: On the Mountain

3 min

A fast team review of the Beatitudes, salt, light and the higher law.

  1. Tap Forehead Guess. A youth holds your phone or tablet on their forehead facing the class.
  2. Hard mode: clue-givers can’t say the word or any word in the hint. Acting it out is allowed.
  3. Two teams alternate 45-second turns. Keep score.
🌪️ Whoever guesses the most on a team becomes the next clue-giver, not the next guesser. It keeps the loud ones giving, not hogging.
▶ Play Forehead Guess on the web

Class screen: 🤔 Forehead Guess: On the Mountain · No words from the hint!

6. Talk it over

Salt, Light and Eventually

4 min

Honest questions bring the sermon into school, phones and the pressure to be perfect.

  1. Circle up. A youth reads each question from your phone or tablet and picks who answers. Anyone can pass.
  2. Keep answers short so more voices get in, and add one honest answer of your own.
💬 Ask the class
  • Salt that loses its savour is useless. What makes a follower of Jesus lose their “flavor” at school or online?
  • What’s the difference between letting your light shine and showing off? How can you tell on social media?
  • “Love your enemies” is Jesus’s hardest command. What’s one realistic way to do good to someone who’s been mean to you?
  • Elder Holland taught that “be ye therefore perfect” is a goal we reach eventually, with the Savior’s help. How does that change how you feel about your mistakes?

Class screen: 💬 Salt, light and eventually

7. Testimony

One Light in the Room

2 min

A single light in a dim room shows how much difference one follower of Jesus makes.

  1. Turn on the flashlight and put the bowl over it. Say: “Jesus said nobody lights a candle and hides it under a bushel.” Lift the bowl.
  2. If it’s safe, dim the lights and point the flashlight at the ceiling. Say: “One light changes the whole room.”
  3. Share your two sentences about someone whose quiet goodness helped you see Jesus. Testify that His light shines through ordinary kind choices, and that He is patient while we grow.
  4. Lights on. Introduce the challenge and ask a youth to pray.

Class screen: 💡 Ye are the light of the world. · Matthew 5:14–16

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A flashlight or phone light and a bowl or small basket (the bushel)

  1. Turn the screen to full brightness and cover it with your hand. Say: “Jesus said nobody lights a candle and hides it under a bushel.” Lift your hand.
  2. If it’s safe, dim the lights and hold the glowing phone or tablet up. Say: “One light changes the whole room.”
  3. Share your two sentences about someone whose quiet goodness helped you see Jesus. Testify that His light shines through ordinary kind choices, and that He is patient while we grow.
  4. Lights on. Introduce the challenge and ask a youth to pray.
8. Object lesson

Salt Taste Test

3 minBONUS

Plain crackers vs. salted ones show what Jesus meant by “the salt of the earth.”

  1. Check allergies first. Give volunteers a plain cracker, then one with a pinch of salt. Ask: “Which one would you actually want?”
  2. SAY“In Jesus’s day salt kept food from spoiling and made it taste good. It was also part of covenant offerings.”
  3. Read Matthew 5:13. Ask: “How can you make your group better, not just blend into it?”

Class screen: 🧂 Ye are the salt of the earth. · Matthew 5:13

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A few plain unsalted crackers and a salt shaker, plus napkins (bonus taste test; check allergies and your ward’s food policy)

Salt: Would You Rather?

  1. Ask would-you-rather questions: “Fries with salt or no salt? Popcorn with salt or no salt?” Youth move to one side of the room or the other.
  2. SAY“In Jesus’s day salt kept food from spoiling and made it taste good. It was also part of covenant offerings.”
  3. Read Matthew 5:13. Ask: “How can you make your group better, not just blend into it?”
9. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A team quiz reviews the Beatitudes, salt and light and the higher law.

  1. Keep the same teams. Tap Scripture Showdown.
  2. Read each question aloud; teams get ten seconds to decide, then point.
  3. Bonus point if the winning team can name the verse.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown!

Story drama

The Lunch Table

Matthew 5:3–16, 38–44 (a modern role-play) ↗

Parts to hand out

  • SamThe new kid at school. Stands with a lunch tray looking for somewhere to sit.
  • TaylorRuns the group chat. Funny, popular, and sometimes funny at other people’s expense.
  • JordanStuck in the middle. Wants to be kind but doesn’t want to lose friends.
  • AveryThe peacemaker. Tries the upside-down way and takes some heat for it.
  • The Lunch TableEveryone else: react, laugh, gasp, and vote on every rewind.

Scenes

  1. 🍱 A new kid, a full cafeteria, nowhere to sit

    It’s Sam’s first day at a new school. Sam walks out of the lunch line holding a tray and scans a loud cafeteria. Every table looks full. Every table looks like it has already decided who belongs.

    🎬 Sam stands in the middle holding an invisible tray. The Lunch Table talks loudly and doesn’t look up. Jordan notices Sam and looks away.

  2. 📸 Taylor snaps a photo for the group chat

    Taylor sneaks a photo of Sam standing there alone and types a caption into the group chat. The phones at the table buzz. Everyone looks down and a few people laugh. Jordan’s phone buzzes too.

    🎬 Taylor mimes a sneaky photo. The Lunch Table’s phones buzz (everyone says “bzzt”). Some laugh. Jordan freezes. Class votes: what would a merciful response look like? Rewind and try it.

  3. 🪑 Avery slides over and makes room

    Avery scoots down the bench and waves Sam over. Taylor rolls their eyes. It’s a small thing: a seat, a name, a question about where Sam moved from. But for Sam it changes the whole day.

    🎬 Avery waves Sam over and makes space. Sam sits. Taylor does a huge eye roll. The Lunch Table goes quiet for two seconds.

  4. 😤 Taylor turns it on Avery

    Now Taylor has a new target. “Oh, look, Avery’s the church kid. Too good for the group chat?” Some people laugh. Avery’s face gets hot. There are three easy comebacks, and all of them would really hurt.

    🎬 Taylor says the line. The table goes “Ooooh.” Class votes: what would a meek response be? Strong but not cruel. Avery tries two versions and the class picks the best.

  5. 🤝 Jordan has to choose a side

    Everyone looks at Jordan. Jordan could laugh along and stay safe. Or Jordan could do what Jesus called being a peacemaker: not attacking Taylor, but refusing to let someone be torn down. Jordan’s heart is pounding.

    🎬 Jordan stands up slowly. Class votes on what Jordan says. Jordan says it. Taylor looks surprised.

  6. 🙏 That night: pray for the person who roasted you

    That night, Avery is still upset. Avery reads Matthew 5:44 and almost laughs. Pray for them? Seriously? But Avery tries it. It doesn’t fix Taylor. It changes Avery, and it makes tomorrow’s lunch a little less scary.

    🎬 Avery kneels and folds arms. Everyone else is completely silent for five seconds.

  7. 💡 A light nobody could hide

    A week later, Sam has a table. Jordan isn’t sure how Taylor feels, but Jordan feels good about the choice. Nobody gave Avery an award. But the cafeteria was a little brighter, and at least two people noticed where that light came from.

    🎬 Sam, Jordan and Avery stand together. The Lunch Table holds up one finger each like a candle flame.

Key verse

Matthew 5:16 ↗
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
In plain words: Live so people can see the good you do, and it makes them think about Heavenly Father, not about you.
🙌 “Let your light so shine” = open your hands from your chest like a burst of light · “before men” = sweep an arm across the room · “that they may see your good works” = point to your eyes, then show your hands · “and glorify your Father which is in heaven” = point up with both hands.

More verses

Matthew 5:9 ↗
“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”
In plain words: Peacemakers aren’t pushovers. They’re the ones who stop the fight without starting a new one.
Matthew 5:13 ↗
“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?”
In plain words: You’re supposed to make the world better. If you blend in so much that you lose that, what’s left?
Matthew 5:44 ↗
“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you”
In plain words: Jesus’s hardest command: love, bless and pray for the people who treat you worst.
Matthew 5:48 ↗
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
In plain words: The goal is to become complete, like Heavenly Father. It happens over a lifetime, with Jesus’s help.

Forehead Guess words16 words

  • ⛰️ Sermon on the Mount
  • 😊 Beatitudes
  • 🐑 Meek
  • 🤲 Merciful
  • 🤍 Pure in heart
  • 🕊️ Peacemaker
  • 😢 Mourn
  • 🎯 Persecuted
  • 🧂 Salt
  • 💡 Light of the world
  • 🧺 Bushel
  • 🏙️ City on a hill
  • 🫥 Turn the other cheek
  • ❤️ Love your enemies
  • 🥾 Second mile
  • 🌱 Perfect
Clues for each word
  • Sermon on the Mount: Jesus’s famous talk in Matthew 5–7
  • Beatitudes: The “Blessed are…” list
  • Meek: Strong but gentle; they inherit the earth
  • Merciful: They forgive, and they get mercy back
  • Pure in heart: They shall see God
  • Peacemaker: Called the children of God
  • Mourn: Those who do this shall be comforted
  • Persecuted: Picked on for doing what’s right
  • Salt: Useless if it loses its savour
  • Light of the world: What Jesus called His disciples, and Himself
  • Bushel: A basket you shouldn’t hide a candle under
  • City on a hill: Can’t be hid
  • Turn the other cheek: Jesus’s answer to “an eye for an eye”
  • Love your enemies: Hardest command, Matthew 5:44
  • Second mile: Go this far when someone asks for one
  • Perfect: Be ye therefore… eventually
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown9 questions

  1. What does “blessed” mean in the Beatitudes?
    • A. Rich and famous
    • B. Deeply happy and favored by God
    • C. Never having problems
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Deeply happy and favored by God Jesus’s list of the happiest people is upside down from the world’s.

  2. What is promised to the pure in heart?
    • A. They shall see God
    • B. They shall inherit the earth
    • C. They shall be filled
    Show answer

    ✅ A. They shall see God Matthew 5:8. One of the greatest promises in scripture.

  3. The peacemakers shall be called…
    • A. the salt of the earth
    • B. the light of the world
    • C. the children of God
    Show answer

    ✅ C. the children of God Matthew 5:9. Peacemakers act like Heavenly Father’s family.

  4. What happens to salt that has lost its savour?
    • A. It turns into sugar
    • B. It’s good for nothing
    • C. It grows back
    Show answer

    ✅ B. It’s good for nothing Matthew 5:13. Disciples who blend in completely lose what makes them useful.

  5. Why should people see our good works?
    • A. So we get noticed
    • B. So we win awards
    • C. So they glorify our Father in heaven
    Show answer

    ✅ C. So they glorify our Father in heaven Matthew 5:16. Our light points to Him, not to us.

  6. Jesus raised “thou shalt not kill” to a higher law about…
    • A. Anger
    • B. Money
    • C. The Sabbath
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Anger Matthew 5:21–22. He went to the heart, where actions start.

  7. What did Jesus say to do for people who persecute you?
    • A. Ignore them forever
    • B. Pray for them
    • C. Report them to the Pharisees
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Pray for them Matthew 5:44. It changes us even when it doesn’t change them.

  8. Elder Holland’s talk title adds which word to “Be Ye Therefore Perfect”?
    • A. Today
    • B. Eventually
    • C. Alone
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Eventually “Be Ye Therefore Perfect—Eventually.” It’s a lifelong process with the Savior’s grace.

  9. Luke 6 gives a sermon like Matthew 5, but where?
    • A. On a boat
    • B. In the temple
    • C. In the plain
    Show answer

    ✅ C. In the plain Luke 6:17 says He “stood in the plain.” Similar teachings, different setting.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • I’m Trying to Be like Jesus Children’s Songbook, p. 78

    “Trying” is the key word: perfect eventually, not today. Find it ↗

  • Come, Follow Me Hymns, no. 116

    Following Jesus up the mountain means living His higher way. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

One Beatitude on Purpose

Pick one Beatitude (meek, merciful, pure in heart or peacemaker) and live it on purpose every day this week, at school, at home and online. Bonus: if someone is unkind to you, try Matthew 5:44 and pray for them. Next Sunday, be ready to share one thing that happened.

Text the parents

This week in class we learned the Beatitudes, Jesus’s upside-down list of who is truly happy (Matthew 5:3–12), and how He raised the old law to a higher, heart-level law. We role-played a lunch-table situation and practiced being merciful, meek and peacemakers. Ask your youth: which Beatitude are you living on purpose this week, and what does “perfect… eventually” mean to you?

📝 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?

✍️ Beatitude Makeover · 4 min

  1. Pairs rewrite one Beatitude in modern words as if it were a caption or text (“Happy are the ones who stop the drama, because God calls them His family”).
  2. Each pair reads theirs; the class guesses which Beatitude it is.
  3. Ask: “Which one would be hardest to live at your school?”

🥾 The Second Mile · 3 min

  1. Read Matthew 5:41. Explain that Roman soldiers could compel people to carry things for them (compare Matthew 27:32).
  2. Ask: “What’s the ‘first mile’ at home (what you have to do)? What’s the ‘second mile’ (more than asked)?”
  3. Each youth picks one second-mile act for this week.

⚖️ Rank the Woes · 4 min

  1. Read Luke 6:20–26. Ask: “Luke includes ‘woes’ as well as blessings. Who gets a woe?” (The full, the laughing, the praised by everyone.)
  2. Ask: “Why would being praised by everyone ever be a warning sign?”
  3. Talk about the difference between being liked and being good.

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 Youth 11–14 lessons