Engaging Gospel Doctrine (Episode 138)

Lesson 12

“I Am the Bread of Life”

Hook / What do we need to live? What is the difference between surviving and thriving? And how does Jesus fit into it all?
Manual Goal / To help class members look to Jesus Christ as “the bread of life,” the source of everlasting life (John 6:47–48).
EGD Goal / To help class members understand the symbolism of the “bread of life”, to implement principles that help them foster “abundant life” (John 10:10)

I. Sunday School

a. Framing: What does it mean that Jesus is the Bread of Life? What does “bread” represent? (bread as a staple, Jesus as a spiritual staple for life)

b. Correction to consider (more a comment)

c. Review the reading

d. Bethesdas in our lives: How do we help each other, especially those with special or intense needs?

e. “Search the scriptures” (John 5:39): What are scriptures for? The relationship between scriptures and life (Scriptures more point to the answers than contain all the answers, 2 Ne. 32)

f. Human needs and Jesus (Different “staples”) Discussion: How can we meet and nurture our own needs and those of others?

g. Conclusion I

II. Scripture Study

a. Return to the reading

b. Jesus in the Synoptics vs. Jesus in John

III. Study Notes

a. We do not live by bread alone: Three models of well-being

i. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (It is hard to care about philosophy while hungry or freezing) (Attachment theory relates to the whole pyramid)

ii. PERMA

1. Positive Emotions (Emotional)

2. Engagement/flow (Actualization)

3. Relationships (Social)

4. Meaning (Spiritual)

5. Achievement (Emotional, Social, Actualization)

· “Gender Difference Psychology” (Carol Gilligan)
Preconventional morality – During this stage, there is a strong focus on survival and self-interest.

· Conventional – During this stage, women prioritize selflessness and caring about others.

· Postconventional – In the final stage of moral development, women emphasize taking responsibility for the consequences of their choices and gaining control of their own lives. Caring for others is a strong component of this high stage of moral development.

iii. Scriptures, Jesus, and the Gospel (Scripture is shaped and limited by its original context and by our interpretation. “The Gospel” can encompass everything. Whether Jesus encompasses everything seems arbitrary. You could say “Everything good in life is because of Thor.” Or Buddha. Or Gandalf. And it would function exactly the same way. This does not diminish how meaningful relationships with Jesus can be, but is worth reflecting on)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs

http://www.goodtherapy.org/famous-psychologists/carol-gilligan.html#

Packer: Conference Report, Apr. 1991

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1991/04/the-moving-of-the-water?lang=eng

(caring for those with differing abilities, lots of ways to apply this)

The very purpose for which the world was created, and man introduced to live upon it, requires that the laws of nature operate in cold disregard for human feelings. We must work out our salvation without expecting the laws of nature to be exempted for us. Natural law is, on rare occasions, suspended in a miracle. But mostly our handicapped, like the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, wait endlessly for the moving of the water…Parents, take time in the next home evening to caution your family never to amuse themselves at the expense of the handicapped or of any whose face or form or personality does not fit the supposed ideal or whose skin is too light or too dark to suit their fancy. Teach them that they, in their own way, should become like angels who “move the water,” healing a spirit by erasing loneliness, embarrassment, or rejection….Every quarter of an inch of physical and mental improvement is worth striving for. The Prophet Joseph Smith said that “all the minds and spirits that God ever sent into the world are susceptible of enlargement.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 354.) …Why not help the parents who have extra things to do and extra expenses and are confined because of a handicapped family member. Encourage the teachers and social workers who show such devotion to them. And it wouldn’t hurt you to donate a few dollars or a few hours to one of the many organizations which help the handicapped. If we do this, without the slightest idea of selfishness, it will remain in our account against that time when we may need help. And the works of God will be made manifest in our lives.

Correction to consider:

Steven: I understand that a fair number of the members on this group are GD teachers. For those who haven't taught Lesson 11 yet, I tried something this morning that worked extremely well - I emailed a large number of my class members a week ago and asked them to write their own parables and share them as part of the class. I also wrote a couple of my own in order to get things going.

We spent about half of the class sharing parables that class members had written. Most of them were funny (the Parable of the Ward Music Leader who couldn't get anyone to sing in the choir was particularly enjoyable). I would highly recommend it if you have people who would participate. The reason that it worked so well is that, because the people in the class knew each other, they could relate to the stories being told on a personal level.

Here is one example that you can use, which was written by my adult son, who is spatially challenged, i.e., he can't read a map to save his life and so is very reliant on Google Maps:

A certain man loved using Google Maps. He would map his destination, and then, while he was traveling, would call his friends on the phone, since whenever he needed to make a turn, Google Maps would tell him where to go and what to do.

One day the volume on his Google Maps became very soft, so he found that if he was talking to a friend on the phone, he would miss the turns that he needed to take to get to his destination. He had to stop talking and turn his full attention to Google Maps in order to hear the instructions.

Hear ye the parable of Google Maps. On page 96 of Preach My Gospel, Elder Packer says: "The Spirit does not get our attention by shouting or shaking with a heavy hand. Rather it whispers. It caresses so gently that if we are preoccupied we may not feel it at all."

Talking on the phone, texting, podcasts, social media, surfing the web and email can fill our time and prevent us from having quiet moments where we listen to the Spirit. Like the quiet version of Google Maps, the Holy Ghost whispers so that we have to use our agency to turn our attention to it, unlike the loud version of Maps, which interjects itself when we need to receive guidance.