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Through the Roof

A load too heavy for one person, four friends who wouldn’t give up, and a Pharisee who only saw a label

  • 🔥 Youth 14–15
  • Week 9
  • 📅 Sunday, February 28, 2027
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Jesus Christ came to heal and forgive sinners, not to condemn them, and He wants me to be the kind of friend who carries people to Him instead of judging them from the doorway.

I can carry a friend closer to the Savior, see people the way He sees them, and bring my own mistakes to Him instead of hiding them.

Study it yourself firstRead Matthew 8; Mark 2–4; Luke 7 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Matthew 8; Mark 2–4; Luke 7)
Know the chapters

Matthew 8, Mark 2–4 and Luke 7 are packed with healings. Jesus actually touches a leper, in Matthew 8:3. He heals a Roman centurion’s servant from a distance, in Matthew 8:5–13. He heals Peter’s mother-in-law, a man with palsy and a man with a withered hand. In Nain, He raises a widow’s only son during his funeral procession, in Luke 7:11–16. Mark 2:10 tells us why the miracles matter. They show that the Son of Man “hath power on earth to forgive sins.” The physical healing points to a deeper one. The manual’s title for the week is the Savior’s promise to a forgiven woman: “Thy faith hath saved thee,” in Luke 7:50.

Mark 2:1–12 is today’s story. Many houses then had flat roofs people could climb onto. Luke 5:19 says they let him down through the tiling. So breaking through was possible, but it was still a bold, messy, all-in move. Notice two things. First, verse 5 says “when Jesus saw their faith.” The friends’ faith got the man there. Second, the first thing Jesus gave him was forgiveness. Healing came after. For fourteen- to sixteen-year-olds, friends are one of the strongest forces in their lives. This lesson flips that around. Friends can carry someone toward the Savior, too.

Luke 7:36–50 shows two ways of seeing people. Simon the Pharisee invited Jesus to dinner but skipped the normal courtesies for a guest. No water for dusty feet, no kiss of greeting, no oil for the head. A woman known in the city as a sinner came in and washed the Savior’s feet with her tears. Simon silently judged them both. Jesus told a short parable about two debtors. One was forgiven 500 pence and one 50. Then He asked Simon, “Seest thou this woman?” Simon saw a reputation. Jesus saw a person who loved Him and was ready to change. Teens live in a screenshot culture where one bad moment can follow you forever. The Savior doesn’t define anyone by their worst moment. See also Mark 2:15–17 and John 3:17.

Mark 4:35–41 adds one more picture of His power: the storm on the Sea of Galilee. The passage has four questions. The disciples ask, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” The Savior asks, “Why are ye so fearful?” Honest fear isn’t the end of faith. It can be where faith starts. The block also has hard sayings about putting the Savior first, in Matthew 8:19–22 and Mark 3:31–35. They make a good extra for a class that’s ready for more.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Mark 2:1–12, Mark 2:17 and Luke 7:36–50. Open with the Weight Test. Your own scriptures held at arm’s length work if you have nothing else. Tell the Through the Roof story from the screen with its questions, then say Mark 2:17 together. Talk through two or three Simon or the Savior? situations. Close with a short, honest testimony about how the Savior sees people.

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. Pack a backpack with enough books to feel heavy at arm’s length. Heavy, not dangerous. Fold the blanket next to it.
  2. Read the seven story scenes once so you can tell them in your own words. Mark Mark 2:1–17 and Luke 7:36–50.
  3. Think of a time someone helped carry you closer to the Savior, or you carried someone. Or think of when someone saw past your worst moment. You’ll share it briefly at the end.

If your class is wild

  • In the Weight Test, the backpack rides on the blanket, never a person. Nobody lifts anybody.
  • Teens can smell a lecture. Ask more than you tell. Let a question hang for ten seconds before you rescue anyone.
  • The Simon or the Savior? situations may hit close to home. Keep it about situations, never real classmates. Shut down any “that’s so you” comments right away.
  • Give your loudest youth a job, like Weight Test volunteer or timekeeper. Energy pointed at a task stops competing with you.

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

The Weight Test

5 min

A heavy load that’s miserable for one person and easy for four opens up what it means to carry a friend to the Savior.

  1. SAY“I need one strong volunteer. Hold this backpack straight out in front of you for forty-five seconds. Arms locked.”
  2. Start the clock. When their arms shake, set the bag on the blanket on the floor. Four people each lift a corner. Easy.
  3. Ask: “What changed?” Then ask when something in their life has felt too heavy to carry alone. Take one or two answers.
  4. SAY“Today we meet four friends who carried someone who couldn’t get to Jesus on his own. And they didn’t quit when the door was blocked.”
🌪️ If your volunteer is a show-off who lasts forever, add a second backpack. Or have them use one arm.

Class screen: 🎒 Too heavy for one. Easy for four. · 45 seconds, arms locked

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A blanket, beach towel or bedsheet (the mat), A heavy backpack or a stack of books

The Heavy Book

  1. SAY“I need one strong volunteer. Hold my scriptures straight out in front of you for forty-five seconds. Arms locked.”
  2. Start the clock. When their arms shake, four people each slide one finger under the book. Suddenly it floats.
  3. Ask: “What changed?” Then ask when something has felt too heavy to carry alone.
  4. SAY“Today we meet four friends who carried someone who couldn’t get to Jesus on his own.”
2. Story

The Story: Through the Roof

6 min

Hearing Mark 2 told with questions shows that the friends’ faith carried the man, and that Jesus forgave him before He healed him.

  1. SAY“Picture a house so packed you can’t even see the door. Now picture four friends who refuse to take no for an answer.”
  2. Tell each scene in your own words as the screen shows it. Ask its question and take one or two answers.
  3. At the last scene, let the question sit.
  4. SAY“He came for exactly this. For people who need Him.”

Class screen: 🏠 Four friends, one blocked door, and a hole in the roof

3. Scripture

Scripture Spotlight: Mark 2:17

4 min

The key verse shows who the Savior came for, and asks what church looks like if it’s a hospital.

  1. SAY“Right after this, Jesus ate dinner with tax collectors. And the scribes complained.”
  2. Read Mark 2:15–16. Explain that publicans worked for Rome and were seen as traitors.
  3. Say Mark 2:17 together with the call-and-answer motions.
  4. Ask: “Say our ward acted like a hospital for hurting people, not a museum for perfect people. What would change?”

Class screen: 🩺 They that are whole have no need of the physician · Hospital or museum? · Who is church for?

4. Talk it over

Simon or the Savior?

5 min

Real situations show the difference between seeing a label and seeing a person, and push youth to name something realistic they could do.

  1. SAY“Simon the Pharisee hosted Jesus. But he judged a woman who washed the Savior’s feet with her tears.”
  2. Read Luke 7:44 and 7:47.
  3. Show one situation at a time. Ask for the honest Simon reaction. Then ask what a real fifteen-year-old could do Monday, the Savior’s way.
  4. After three or four, share Elder Ulisses Soares’s words from the lesson notes. They’re from “The Savior’s Abiding Compassion.”
💬 Ask the class
  • A guy who got suspended last year shows up at a youth activity. It’s his first time, and the group goes quiet. Simon or the Savior?
  • A girl’s old posts from middle school resurface in a group chat, and people start screenshotting them. Simon or the Savior?
  • Someone who hasn’t been to church in a year sits alone on the back row. Simon or the Savior?
  • In seminary, someone asks a question that sounds like doubt, and a couple of kids roll their eyes. Simon or the Savior?
  • You messed up, people know, and you wonder whether you still belong at church. What would the Savior say to you?
🌪️ If the Simon answers get too savage, pause. Say, “That’s exactly why this is hard. We’re all a little bit Simon.”

Class screen: 👀 Seest thou this person? Simon’s reaction vs. the Savior’s · The Simon reaction · The Savior reaction · Could a real teen do it?

5. Testimony

Who’s on Your Mat?

3 min

End quietly with one real person to carry toward the Savior this week and the reminder that He sees them, and us, with mercy.

  1. SAY“Someone once carried me toward the Savior.”
  2. Share your story briefly, or how He saw past your worst moment. Testify that He came for people who need Him.
  3. Hand out cards. Each person writes the initials of someone who might be stuck outside the door. Then they add one small thing to do this week.
  4. Show the challenge on the screen. Invite someone to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🛏️ Who’s on your mat this week? · Write their initials · One thing you’ll do

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: One sticky note or index card per person, and a few pens

  1. SAY“Someone once carried me toward the Savior.”
  2. Share your story briefly, or how He saw past your worst moment. Testify that He came for people who need Him.
  3. Invite everyone to picture someone who might be stuck outside the door. Then they pick one small thing to do for them this week.
  4. Show the challenge on the screen. Invite someone to say the closing prayer.
6. Wiggle break

Rainstorm, Then Peace

2 minBONUS

The whole class builds a storm with their hands and feet and then stops it on the Savior’s words, a physical picture of Mark 4.

  1. SAY“Everybody up. I’m the conductor. Copy my hands. Rub your palms for drizzle. Snap for rain. Pat your legs for a downpour. Stomp when the storm hits.”
  2. A volunteer shouts Mark 4:38 at the peak: “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” Slice the air: “Peace, be still.” Then five seconds of silence.
  3. Ask if they’ve ever felt like asking, “Don’t you care?” Point out that He answered with calm, not a lecture.

Class screen: 🌊 Build the storm. Stop on “Peace, be still.” · Rub · Snap · Pat · Stomp · Then total silence

7. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A fast team quiz reviews the whole lesson.

  1. SAY“Two teams, one captain each. Huddle for ten seconds. Then only the captain answers.”
  2. Tap Scripture Showdown.
  3. Use the steal rule. If a team misses, the other team can steal by naming the chapter.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown!

Object lesson

Four Friends and a Hole in the Roof

Mark 2:1–12 ↗

Scenes

  1. 🏠👥 Capernaum: a packed house, no way in

    Word spread that Jesus was back in Capernaum. People crammed into the house where He was teaching. There was no room left. Not even around the door. If you weren’t already inside, you weren’t getting in.

    🙌 Ask: “Who might feel stuck outside the door at church or school?”

  2. 🛏️🚶 Four friends carry a man who can’t walk

    Outside, four men arrived carrying a friend with palsy. He couldn’t walk. We don’t know their names or how far they carried him. We just know they showed up for him.

    🙌 Point to the blanket from the Weight Test. Ask: “Who would carry you like that?”

  3. 🚫🚪 The door is blocked

    They couldn’t get anywhere near Jesus. The crowd wasn’t moving. This is the moment most people say, “Well, we tried,” and go home.

    🙌 Ask: “Be honest. At this point, would you have gone home?”

  4. 🪜🏚️ Up the stairs and through the roof

    So they climbed up onto the flat roof. And they started breaking a hole through it. Picture it. Jesus is teaching, and chunks of roof start falling on the audience.

    🙌 Everyone glances up at the ceiling for two seconds. Imagine it opening.

  5. ⬇️🛏️ Lowered right in front of Jesus

    They let the mat down through the hole, right in front of the Savior. Mark says Jesus saw their faith. The friends’ faith. Then He said the last thing anyone expected. Not “be healed.” He said, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.”

    🙌 A youth reads Mark 2:5. Ask: “Whose faith did Jesus see?”

  6. 🤨📜 The scribes wonder: who can forgive sins?

    Some scribes sat there thinking this was blasphemy. Only God can forgive sins. Jesus knew what they were thinking. He asked which is easier to say. “Thy sins be forgiven thee”? Or “Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk”? He wanted them to know He had power on earth to forgive sins. So He told the man to rise.

    🙌 A youth reads Mark 2:7. Ask: “What were the scribes missing about who Jesus is?”

  7. 🙌🚶 He rolls up his bed and walks out

    Immediately, the man stood up. He picked up the mat he’d been carried on. And he walked out in front of everyone. The whole crowd was amazed, and they praised God. They had never seen anything like it.

    🙌 Ask: “Why do you think Jesus forgave him before He said ‘arise’?”

Key verse

Mark 2:17 ↗
“They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
In plain words: Healthy people don’t need a doctor; sick people do. Jesus didn’t come for people who think they’re already perfect. He came for people who know they need Him, which is all of us.
🙌 Split the room: one side says “They that are whole have no need of the physician,” the other answers “but they that are sick,” and everyone finishes the verse together. Swap sides, then try it once with the screen covered.

More verses

Mark 2:5 ↗
“When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.”
In plain words: Jesus noticed the friends’ faith, and the first thing He gave their friend was forgiveness.
Luke 7:44 ↗
“And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman?”
In plain words: Jesus asked Simon if he could actually see her, as a person and not a reputation.
Luke 7:50 ↗
“And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.”
In plain words: Your faith in Me has saved you. You can leave in peace.
Mark 4:39 ↗
“And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”
In plain words: Jesus stood up and told the storm to stop, and it did. Everything went calm.

Forehead Guess words16 words

  • 🏘️ Capernaum
  • 🛏️ Palsy
  • 🏚️ Roof
  • 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Four Friends
  • 📜 Scribe
  • 🩺 Physician
  • 💰 Publican
  • 🍽️ Simon the Pharisee
  • 🏺 Alabaster Box
  • 🧾 Two Debtors
  • 🪖 Centurion
  • ⚱️ Widow of Nain
  • 🤲 Leper
  • ⛈️ Storm
  • 🌊 Peace, Be Still
  • 💗 Forgiveness
Clues for each word
  • Capernaum: Town by the Sea of Galilee where the roof got dug up
  • Palsy: Why the man couldn’t walk
  • Roof: The friends dug through it
  • Four Friends: Carried the mat when the door was blocked
  • Scribe: Thought “Who can forgive sins but God only?”
  • Physician: The sick need one; the whole don’t
  • Publican: Tax collector Jesus ate dinner with
  • Simon the Pharisee: Hosted Jesus, skipped the foot washing, judged everyone
  • Alabaster Box: Held the ointment the woman used on Jesus’s feet
  • Two Debtors: Jesus’s parable: one owed 500, one owed 50
  • Centurion: Roman officer whose servant was healed from far away
  • Widow of Nain: Her only son was raised during his funeral
  • Leper: Jesus touched him and made him clean
  • Storm: Filled the boat while Jesus slept on a pillow
  • Peace, Be Still: Three words that stopped the wind
  • Forgiveness: What Jesus gave the man before healing him
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown9 questions

  1. How did the four friends get the man to Jesus?
    • A. Through a window
    • B. Through the roof
    • C. Through the back door
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Through the roof Mark 2:4. The door was blocked, so they dug through the roof.

  2. Whose faith did Jesus notice first in Mark 2:5?
    • A. The friends’ faith
    • B. The scribes’ faith
    • C. Peter’s faith
    Show answer

    ✅ A. The friends’ faith “When Jesus saw their faith.” Your faith can help carry someone else.

  3. What did Jesus say to the man before telling him to walk?
    • A. Where are your friends?
    • B. Stop worrying
    • C. Thy sins be forgiven thee
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Thy sins be forgiven thee He met the deepest need first.

  4. What did the scribes think when Jesus forgave sins?
    • A. That it was blasphemy
    • B. That it was kind
    • C. That it was a joke
    Show answer

    ✅ A. That it was blasphemy Mark 2:7. They knew only God can forgive sins. They just didn’t see who Jesus was.

  5. Mark 2:17: who needs a physician?
    • A. Those who are whole
    • B. Those who are sick
    • C. Only the scribes
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Those who are sick He came for people who know they need Him.

  6. What courtesies did Simon skip when Jesus came to dinner?
    • A. Music and dancing
    • B. Bread and fish
    • C. Water for feet, a kiss, oil
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Water for feet, a kiss, oil Luke 7:44–46. The woman did all three, with tears.

  7. In the parable of two debtors, who loves the lender most?
    • A. The one forgiven most
    • B. The one forgiven least
    • C. Neither one
    Show answer

    ✅ A. The one forgiven most Luke 7:43. Simon got the answer right; he just didn’t apply it to himself.

  8. What was Jesus doing when the storm filled the boat?
    • A. Fishing
    • B. Sleeping on a pillow
    • C. Rowing
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Sleeping on a pillow Mark 4:38. The disciples woke Him: “Carest thou not that we perish?”

  9. Which miracle happened during a funeral procession?
    • A. The centurion’s servant
    • B. Peter’s mother-in-law
    • C. The widow of Nain’s son
    Show answer

    ✅ C. The widow of Nain’s son Luke 7:11–15. Jesus had compassion on a mother who had lost her only son.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

From general conference

“Unlike you and me, Christ is capable of clearly seeing all facets of a given situation. Even knowing all our weaknesses as He does, the Savior does not rashly condemn us but continues to work with us compassionately over time, helping us to remove the beam from our eye.”

— Elder Ulisses Soares, “The Savior’s Abiding Compassion,” October 2021

Share at the end of the Simon or the Savior? discussion, before the testimony.

Read the talk ↗

Songs

  • Master, the Tempest Is Raging Hymns, no. 105

    Written about the storm in Mark 4. Try matching its lines to Mark 4:37–39. Find it ↗

  • I Need Thee Every Hour Hymns, no. 98

    The sick need a physician, and so do we, every hour. Find it ↗

  • Come, Follow Me Hymns, no. 116

    These chapters include Jesus’s hard sayings about following Him first. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Be One of the Four

Pick one person who might be stuck outside the door right now. Maybe they’re lonely, struggling, new or away from church. Do one real thing this week to carry them a little closer. Sit by them, invite them, or send a message that isn’t about you. And when you mess up, go straight to the Savior instead of hiding. He’s eager to forgive when we repent.

Text the parents

Today in class we heard about four friends who dug through a roof to bring their friend to Jesus, in Mark 2:1–12. We talked about Simon the Pharisee, who saw a sinner where Jesus saw a person, in Luke 7:36–50. Ask your teen: who has been one of the four friends for you? And who might need you to be one for them this week?

📝 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?

🪖 Faith from a Distance · 4 min

  1. Read Matthew 8:5–13. A Roman officer, an outsider, trusts Jesus to heal his servant without even coming to the house.
  2. Ask: “Why do you think Jesus marveled at this man’s faith?”
  3. Ask: “Who are the outsiders at your school with more faith or goodness than people expect?”

🥇 Who Comes First? · 5 min

  1. Read Matthew 8:19–22 and Mark 3:31–35. Jesus’s answers sound harsh at first.
  2. Ask what He’s really teaching about putting Him first, and whether He’s against families. Following Him comes first. Everyone who does God’s will becomes His family.
  3. Ask: “What’s one thing that competes with the Savior for first place in your week?”

❓ Four Questions in the Storm · 4 min

  1. Read Mark 4:35–41. Find the four questions.
  2. Write them where everyone can see. Ask which one each person relates to most right now.
  3. Ask for their answer to the last question: “What manner of man is this?”

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.

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