Come Follow Me for Teens: "He Hath Borne Our Griefs, and Carried Our Sorrows" (Isaiah 50-57)

This week’s Come Follow Me for Teens episode studies Isaiah 50–57 and the theme “He Hath Borne Our Griefs, and Carried Our Sorrows.”

Isaiah 53 gives one of the clearest descriptions of the Savior’s Atonement anywhere in the Old Testament. He does not only bear our sins; Isaiah says He bears our griefs and carries our sorrows. We talk about the difference between the burdens that come simply because mortality is difficult and the burdens connected to choices we make—and why Jesus Christ understands both.

Using a simple water-bottle object lesson, we explore why some burdens become almost unbearable not because they were enormous when we first picked them up, but because we have been carrying them alone for too long. We also look at Adam and Eve hiding from God after their transgression and what the Lord’s question, “Adam, where art thou?” can teach us about repentance. Sometimes repentance is less about God trying to catch us and more about Christ inviting us to come out of hiding and let Him help carry what we were never meant to carry alone.

Then Isaiah gives another remarkable promise: “With everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee.” We talk about the discouragement that can come when we sincerely repent, try again, and still find ourselves struggling with weakness. Mosiah adds the Savior’s promise that “as often as my people repent will I forgive them.” That does not mean sin does not matter or that repentance can be casual. It means repeated weakness does not automatically mean the Savior has grown tired of us.

Through Alma the Younger’s story, Isaiah’s promise “I have seen his ways, and will heal him,” and other teachings about the Savior’s mercy, we explore why God’s patience is greater than our tendency to give up on ourselves. The consistency in the story of God’s people is not always their faithfulness. It is His.

Finally, Isaiah asks a searching question: “Wherefore do ye spend … for that which satisfieth not?” We talk about the real things teenagers and adults thirst for—belonging, love, peace, relief, identity, forgiveness, and purpose—and the many imitations the world offers to satisfy those needs.

Using Moses’ encounter with God and later confrontation with Satan, the Savior’s conversation with the woman at the well, and a familiar Captain Crunch story, we explore why the best defense against spiritual counterfeits is not simply becoming an expert on everything false. It is becoming deeply familiar with what is real.

Isaiah’s invitation