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Actually Blessed

#blessed versus what Jesus called blessed, a search party through Matthew 5, and a debate on whether “not punching him” is good enough

  • 🔥 Youth 14–15
  • Week 7
  • 📅 Sunday, February 14, 2027
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Jesus’s higher law turns the world’s idea of “blessed” upside down and lifts me, step by step, toward becoming like my Father in Heaven.

I can live the Savior’s higher law this week in one real way, and let my light point people to Him instead of to me.

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

Luke 6:12–13 says Jesus prayed all night on a mountain before choosing His Twelve Apostles. Right after that, Luke records a shorter sermon given “in the plain,” in Luke 6:17. It’s a lot like the one Matthew records on a mountain, which we call the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5–7. It opens with the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3–12. Blessed are the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, the merciful, the peacemakers and the persecuted. None of those look “blessed” on a social feed. Jesus is redefining the word. Real blessedness comes from who we’re becoming, not from how comfortable life looks.

Then He calls His disciples salt and light, in 5:13–16. Salt gives flavor and preserves. Salt that loses its savor is useless. A light isn’t meant to hide under a bushel, which is a basket. And the light’s purpose is striking. It’s so people “glorify your Father,” not the one shining. Then comes a pattern in 5:21–44: “Ye have heard… But I say unto you.” The old law said don’t kill. Jesus goes to the anger underneath, and the JST removes “without a cause” from verse 22. The old law said don’t commit adultery. Jesus goes to the eyes and heart, in 5:27–28. That ties right to what youth watch and scroll. He asks for simple honesty, where yes means yes, in 5:37. Under Roman rule, soldiers could force people to carry things, as in Matthew 27:32. Jesus says if you’re forced to go a mile, go two, in 5:41. And He asks us to love our enemies and pray for those who mistreat us, in 5:44.

Matthew 5:48 can crush a perfectionist teen: “Be ye therefore perfect.” The footnote explains that the Greek word means complete, finished, fully developed. The manual recommends Jeffrey R. Holland’s talk “Be Ye Therefore Perfect—Eventually.” The higher law isn’t a scoreboard. It’s a direction, and the Savior’s grace carries us along it. With fourteen- to sixteen-year-olds, keep it honest. The higher law is harder than the old one, and that’s exactly why it changes people. The For the Strength of Youth section “Your Body Is Sacred” teaches that our bodies are sacred. It invites clean thoughts as well as clean behavior. Matthew 5:27–28 is the Savior’s own teaching behind that.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Matthew 5:3–16 and 5:38–48. Do the #Blessed stand-or-sit hook. Give each pair one Search Party passage and have them report one insight. Read Matthew 5:16 with the light under a bowl, or your phone or tablet face down. Talk through three Higher or Lower? situations. Close with each youth silently choosing one Beatitude to live this week.

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. Mark the six search passages in your scriptures. They’re Matthew 5:3–9, 13–16, 21–24, 33–37, 38–42 and 43–48.
  2. Plan your pairs. Six passages covers twelve youth. In a small class, give each pair two passages or take one yourself.
  3. Test the flashlight. Pick a corner of the room that can get fairly dark.

If your class is wild

  • Pair a strong reader with a quieter one, and let the quieter one report. It’s one sentence, so it feels doable.
  • The Higher or Lower? questions get loud. Remind everyone to argue the situation, not a person in the room.
  • The Second Mile bonus is a workout. Anyone who can’t do it can be the official counter.
  • If the perfection question makes someone anxious, stop and read the footnote on Matthew 5:48 together. It means complete, not flawless.

The 25-minute plan23 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

#Blessed?

3 min

Comparing social-media “blessed” to Jesus’s version shows how upside down the Beatitudes are.

  1. SAY“I’ll read a post caption. Stand up if the world would call this blessed.”
  2. Read each one. Beach week with the family. A new car at sixteen. Forgave a friend who never said sorry. Got mocked for skipping a party.
  3. SAY“Same captions. Now stand if Jesus would call this person blessed.”
  4. Watch the room change. Then ask how the two lists are different.
🌪️ If they stand for everything, have them defend one choice in a sentence.

Class screen: 📱 #Blessed? Would the world stand? Would Jesus stand? · Round 1: the world · Round 2: Jesus

2. Story

Search Party: The Sermon on the Mount

8 min

Pairs discover the higher law in the Savior’s own words and teach one insight each to the class.

  1. SAY“The Sermon on the Mount is too big to cover alone. So you’re the search party. Each pair gets one passage and finds one insight.”
  2. Give each pair a passage from the scenes. They get two minutes to read and agree on an answer to its question.
  3. Show the scenes in order. Read each summary, then that pair shares their insight in one sentence.
  4. After the last scene, ask: “Which of these would be hardest to live at school this week?”
🌪️ If a pair finishes early, have them find a cross-reference in the footnotes to share too.

Class screen: 🔎 Search party: what is Jesus really asking for? · One passage per pair · Report one insight

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Scriptures for each pair (their own, a classroom set, or Gospel Library)

  1. SAY“The Sermon on the Mount is too big to cover alone. So you’re the search party.”
  2. Show each scene and read the passage aloud. Pairs get about twenty seconds to answer its search question.
  3. Take one answer per scene. After the last one, ask which would be hardest to live at school this week.
3. Scripture

Scripture Spotlight: Let Your Light So Shine

4 min

Salt and a hidden flashlight show what disciples are for, and Matthew 5:16 shows where the light should point.

  1. SAY“Pair two told us what salt and light are for. Let me show you.”
  2. Shake a little salt into your hand. It flavors, preserves and makes people thirsty. Then dim the lights and cover the flashlight with the bowl.
  3. Ask what makes teens hide their light. Listen for embarrassment or fear of seeming fake. Then lift the bowl and point the light up.
  4. SAY“See? The light doesn’t point at me. It points to your Father.”
  5. Read Matthew 5:16 together with the motions. Then say it once more with the screen hidden.

Class screen: 🔦 Let your light so shine… and glorify your Father · Matthew 5:16

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A flashlight, A large mixing bowl or small basket (the “bushel”), A salt shaker

  1. SAY“Pair two told us what salt and light are for. Let me show you.”
  2. Ask: “What does salt do?” Listen for this. It flavors, preserves and makes people thirsty.
  3. Dim the lights. Hold up your phone or tablet with a bright screen, then lay it face down. Ask what makes teens hide their light. Then lift it up.
  4. SAY“See? The light doesn’t point at me. It points to your Father.”
  5. Read Matthew 5:16 together with the motions.
4. Talk it over

Higher or Lower?

5 min

Youth sort real-life reactions into the lower law or the higher law, and debate the tricky middle ones.

  1. SAY“I’ll show a reaction. Thumbs up for higher law, thumbs down for lower law. Then someone defends their call.”
  2. Show one situation at a time. Some really are in between. Let them argue it out.
  3. SAY“The lower law stops the damage. The higher law changes the person.”
💬 Ask the class
  • Someone posts an ugly screenshot of you. You don’t post one back, but you roast them in a private group chat. Higher or lower?
  • A teammate trips you in practice, and you help them up on the next play. Higher or lower?
  • You say “I forgive you,” then block them everywhere. Higher or lower?
  • Your mom asks you to do the dishes. You do them, and the counters too, without being asked. Higher or lower?
  • You pray by name for the kid who bullies your brother. Could you actually do that?
🌪️ If a debate gets personal, say, “Argue the situation, not the person.” Then show the next one.

Class screen: ⬆️ Higher law or lower law? Thumbs, then defend it · The lower law stops the damage · The higher law changes you

5. Testimony

Perfect, Eventually

3 min

A quiet close where each youth picks one step up and hears that the Savior makes the climb possible.

  1. SAY“Look at the Beatitudes on the screen. Silently pick one to work on this week. Just one.”
  2. Show Matthew 5:3–9 and give them about twenty seconds.
  3. Read Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s words about falling short: “If we admit that honestly and are trying to improve, we are not hypocrites; we are human.”
  4. Briefly testify how the Savior has helped you grow, slowly. Point to the challenge and invite a youth to pray.

Class screen: ⛰️ Pick one. Climb one step. He climbs with you. · Matthew 5:3–9

6. Wiggle break

The Second Mile

2 minBONUS

A short workout turns Matthew 5:41 into something youth feel in their legs.

  1. SAY“The Roman soldier has spoken. Everyone, do ten jumping jacks. You have to.”
  2. Start the Big Timer. Do them together.
  3. SAY“That was the first mile. The second is your choice, with a twist.”
  4. Do ten more, high-fiving a different person on each one.
  5. Ask what felt different about the second set. Listen for this. You chose it, and it was about people.
🌪️ Anyone who can’t jump can be the official counter or the high-five station.
⏱️ Big Timer (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🎒 Mile one: required. Mile two: your choice. · Matthew 5:41

7. Game

Scripture Showdown: The Sermon on the Mount

4 minBONUS

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

  1. SAY“Two teams. You get ten seconds to confer on each question. Then answer.”
  2. Tap Scripture Showdown.
  3. The losing team decides whether the last question is worth double.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown: Matthew 5 and Luke 6

Scripture search in pairs

Search Party: The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:1–48; Luke 6:12–13 ↗

Scenes

  1. 🙃✨ The Beatitudes · Matthew 5:3–9

    Jesus prayed all night. He chose His Twelve Apostles. Then He sat down on a mountain to teach. He started with blessings nobody expected. Not the rich, the popular or the strong. The poor in spirit. The ones who mourn. The meek. The merciful. The peacemakers.

    🙌 Pair 1 searches: which blessing sounds least like winning? Why would Jesus call them blessed?

  2. 🧂💡 Salt and light · Matthew 5:13–16

    He told ordinary people on a hillside that they were the salt of the earth. And the light of the world. A city on a hill can’t hide. And nobody lights a candle and puts it under a bushel.

    🙌 Pair 2 searches: what are salt and light for? What could hide a light?

  3. 😤➡️🤝 Anger · Matthew 5:21–24

    They had heard, “Thou shalt not kill.” Jesus said, don’t even hold on to anger. If you remember someone has something against you, go make it right first. Do it even before you bring your gift to the altar.

    🙌 Pair 3 searches: where did Jesus move the line? What comes before the gift?

  4. 🙅🤝 Yes means yes · Matthew 5:33–37

    People swore big oaths to prove they were telling the truth. By heaven. By the earth. By Jerusalem. Jesus said to skip all that. Be the kind of person whose yes means yes, and whose no means no.

    🙌 Pair 4 searches: why would a plain yes be enough for an honest person?

  5. 🪖🎒 The second mile · Matthew 5:38–42

    Roman soldiers could force people to carry their gear for a mile. Jesus said, if someone compels you to go a mile, go with him two. Choose the second mile.

    🙌 Pair 5 searches: how is the second mile different from the first?

  6. 💞⛰️ Love your enemies · Matthew 5:43–48

    Then came the hardest line. Love your enemies. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who treat you badly. Loving only people who love you back? Anyone can do that. Be perfect, like your Father in Heaven.

    🙌 Pair 6 searches: why isn’t loving your friends enough? What does “perfect” mean here?

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: Shine, but not so people look at you. Shine so they end up looking at God.
🙌 “Let your light so shine”: open your hands from your chest like a lamp. “Before men”: sweep an arm across the room. “See your good works”: point to your eyes, then hold out your hands. “Glorify your Father”: point both hands upward.

More verses

Matthew 5:3 ↗
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
In plain words: Knowing you need God isn’t weakness. It’s the first step into His kingdom.
Matthew 5:37 ↗
“But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay”
In plain words: No need to swear on anything. Be someone whose yes means yes.
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: The hardest part of the higher law: love, bless, do good and pray for the people who hurt you.
Matthew 5:48 ↗
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
In plain words: Perfect here means complete and fully grown. It’s a direction, and the Savior walks it with you.

Forehead Guess words16 words

  • ⛰️ Mountain
  • 👥 Apostles
  • ✨ Beatitudes
  • 🕊️ Meek
  • 🤝 Peacemaker
  • 💗 Merciful
  • 🧂 Salt
  • 💡 Light of the World
  • 🧺 Bushel
  • 🏙️ City on a Hill
  • 😡 Anger
  • 🎒 Second Mile
  • 😶 Other Cheek
  • 💞 Enemies
  • ⬆️ Higher Law
  • 🌅 Perfect
Clues for each word
  • Mountain: Where Jesus sat down to teach
  • Apostles: The Twelve He chose after a night of prayer
  • Beatitudes: The “Blessed are…” list
  • Meek: They shall inherit the earth
  • Peacemaker: Called the children of God
  • Merciful: They shall obtain mercy
  • Salt: Useless once it loses its savor
  • Light of the World: Can’t be hid, like a city on a hill
  • Bushel: Don’t hide your light under this
  • City on a Hill: Cannot be hid
  • Anger: The higher law goes after this, not just violence
  • Second Mile: Go twain when compelled to go one
  • Other Cheek: Turn it instead of hitting back
  • Enemies: Love them and pray for them
  • Higher Law: “But I say unto you…”
  • Perfect: Means complete, finished, fully developed
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown9 questions

  1. What did Jesus do all night before choosing the Twelve?
    • A. Fished
    • B. Prayed on a mountain
    • C. Traveled to Jerusalem
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Prayed on a mountain Luke 6:12–13. The biggest decisions start with prayer.

  2. What is promised to the peacemakers?
    • A. They shall inherit the earth
    • B. They shall see God
    • C. They shall be called the children of God
    Show answer

    ✅ C. They shall be called the children of God Matthew 5:9.

  3. What happens to salt that loses its savor?
    • A. It’s good for nothing
    • B. It turns into sugar
    • C. It becomes stronger
    Show answer

    ✅ A. It’s good for nothing Matthew 5:13. Disciples stay useful by staying who they are.

  4. Where should a candle go, according to Jesus?
    • A. Under a bushel
    • B. On a candlestick
    • C. In a closet
    Show answer

    ✅ B. On a candlestick Matthew 5:15. It gives light to everyone in the house.

  5. Who should get the glory when people see our good works?
    • A. Our Father in Heaven
    • B. Us
    • C. Our bishop
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Our Father in Heaven Matthew 5:16. The light points to God.

  6. The higher law about killing goes after what?
    • A. Weapons
    • B. Lying
    • C. Anger
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Anger Matthew 5:21–22. Jesus goes to the heart, not just the action.

  7. What did Jesus say to do if compelled to go one mile?
    • A. Refuse
    • B. Go two
    • C. Pay someone else
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Go two Matthew 5:41. Choose the second mile.

  8. How should our communication be, instead of swearing oaths?
    • A. Loud and clear
    • B. Written down
    • C. Yea, yea; nay, nay
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Yea, yea; nay, nay Matthew 5:37. Let your yes mean yes.

  9. What does “perfect” in Matthew 5:48 mean, per the footnote?
    • A. Complete, fully developed
    • B. Never making mistakes
    • C. Famous
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Complete, fully developed It’s a direction, and the Savior carries us there.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

From general conference

“If we admit that honestly and are trying to improve, we are not hypocrites; we are human.”

— Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “Be Ye Therefore Perfect—Eventually,” October 2017

Share in the closing testimony step, after youth pick one Beatitude to work on.

Read the talk ↗

Songs

  • Count Your Blessings Hymns, no. 241

    A fun follow-up to “#Blessed?”: which blessings would Jesus count? Find it ↗

  • Choose the Right Hymns, no. 239

    The higher law is a daily choice, one mile at a time. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Go the Second Mile

Once this week, when you’re asked or forced to do something, do it. Then go one step further on purpose. Don’t announce it. And pick one person who’s hard to love and pray for them by name.

Text the parents

This week in class we compared #blessed on social media to what Jesus called blessed. Pairs searched the Sermon on the Mount and debated the higher law. We talked about anger, honesty, loving enemies and going the second mile. Your teen is trying to go the second mile once this week. Ask them: which Beatitude did you pick to work on, and why?

📝 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 Deep Dive · 6 min

  1. Give each pair one Beatitude from Matthew 5:3–10.
  2. Pairs put it in their own words. They name what it looks like at school and what blessing it promises.
  3. The manual lists a conference talk for each Beatitude. Share one title and invite youth to read it this week.

🕊️ Leave Your Gift at the Altar · 4 min

  1. Read Matthew 5:23–24. Jesus says to make things right with someone before you offer your gift.
  2. Ask: “How does this connect to taking the sacrament?”
  3. Invite youth to privately think of one person to make things right with before next Sunday.

🧂 Salt Taste Test · 3 min

  1. If you brought crackers, give each person one plain and one salted. Check for allergies first.
  2. Ask what difference a little salt makes. Connect it to how one disciple can change the feel of a group.
  3. Ask: “What’s one thing that would make you lose your savor?”

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 14–15 lessons