Through the Roof

Four friends who wouldn’t take no for an answer, a storm that obeyed, and a dinner where Jesus flipped the script

  • 🧭 Youth 11–14
  • Week 9
  • 📅 Sunday, February 28, 2027
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Jesus Christ has power over sickness, sin and storms, He came for people who know they need Him, and I can be the kind of friend who helps carry someone to Him.

I can bring my storms to Jesus Christ, treat people who are struggling the way He does, and help carry a friend closer to Him.

Know the chapters

Matthew 8, Mark 2–3 and Luke 7 read like a highlight reel of Jesus’s power: He touches a man with leprosy, someone most people kept away from, heals a Roman centurion’s servant from a distance with a word, heals Peter’s mother-in-law, restores a man’s withered hand on the Sabbath, and stops a funeral in Nain to raise a widow’s only son. The manual invites us to ask of each one: what does this show me about Jesus, and what does it show me about faith in Him? One thread to point out to teens: the centurion was a Roman officer, an outsider, and Jesus said He hadn’t found faith that great anywhere in Israel (Matthew 8:10). Faith isn’t about what group you belong to.

Today’s drama is Mark 2:1–12. The house in Capernaum was packed past the doorway, so four men carried their paralyzed friend up onto the flat roof, dug through it (Luke 5:19 says they went through the tiling), and lowered him down right in front of Jesus. Mark says Jesus saw “their faith,” so the friends’ faith mattered too. Then He surprised everyone: before healing the man’s body, He forgave his sins. When the scribes silently objected that only God can forgive sins, He healed the man so they would know He has that power. The manual’s introduction invites us to read each physical healing as a reminder of the spiritual healing He offers us too. For youth, the four friends are a picture of ministering: noticing someone who can’t get there on their own, and refusing to give up.

Mark 2:15–17 and Luke 7:36–50 show how Jesus treats people who have sinned. Critics complained He ate with sinners, and He answered that doctors are for the sick. At Simon the Pharisee’s dinner, a woman known as a sinner washed Jesus’s feet with her tears while Simon silently judged her, and Jesus told a short story about two debtors to show that the one forgiven most loves most. He forgave her and said, “Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.” The manual asks a searching question: how do people who are weighed down feel when they’re around the Savior, and how do they feel when they’re around us? Elder Ulisses Soares’s talk “The Savior’s Abiding Compassion” (October 2021) is good background. Keep the focus on the Savior’s mercy; don’t speculate about what the woman’s sins were.

Mark 4:35–41 is the storm on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was asleep on a pillow while the boat filled with water, and the terrified disciples woke Him. The manual points out four questions in these verses (verses 38, 40 and 41). Teens know storms: anxiety, family stress, friend drama, grades, feeling alone. He doesn’t always stop the storm on our schedule, but He is never asleep to what we’re going through, and He can bring peace inside us. The hymn “Master, the Tempest Is Raging” is based on this account.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Mark 2:1–12 and Mark 4:35–41. Start with the Packed House Problem, let Teach Mode carry the roof drama (you read Jesus’s words), have pairs find the four questions in Mark 4:35–41, teach Mark 4:39, play Flip It with the scenarios in the plan, and close by asking each youth to think of one person they could help carry this week. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing”: the mat becomes invisible and you read the storm verses aloud.

What to bring3 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. Read Mark 2:1–12 twice. Picture a flat roof people could climb onto (Luke 5:19 says they let him down through the tiling).
  2. Text four of your strongest (or most restless) youth before Sunday: “You’re one of the four friends in a rescue scene. Be ready to lift.” Pick someone calm and good-humored to be the man on the mat.
  3. Look over the Flip It scenarios in the game step and swap in one that fits your ward (keep it in the third person).
  4. Add names in the My Class tab so you can hand out roles with one tap.
  5. Think of a time someone “carried” you to the Savior (a friend, a leader, a parent), or a storm when you felt His peace. You’ll share it in two sentences.

If your class is wild

  • Split into two teams at the start and keep them all lesson. Eleven- to fourteen-year-olds will work much harder for points than for approval.
  • The four friends should only mime lifting the mat or lift it at knee height with the person sitting, never over anyone’s head. Safety first, drama second.
  • Flip It gets loud. Rule: a team only answers after its whole team is standing, which slows things down just enough.
  • Don’t ask anyone to name their own sins or storms out loud. Keep examples in the third person (“a kid your age”) so nobody feels exposed.
  • Give jobs: a scorekeeper, a storm conductor for the wiggle, and a youth to read the discussion questions.

The 25-minute plan25 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 Packed House Problem

3 min

Teams brainstorm how they’d get a friend who can’t walk into a packed house, which sets up the four friends’ wild solution.

  1. Split into two teams. Say: “Your friend can’t walk. You’ve heard the one Person who can heal him is inside a house down the street. You carry him there on a mat, and the house is packed so full people are standing in the doorway. Nobody will move. You have sixty seconds to come up with a plan.”
  2. Start the timer. Each team pitches its plan in one sentence. Award a point for the most creative plan that could actually work.
  3. SAY“Two thousand years ago, four guys faced this exact problem. Their plan was better than both of yours. Let’s see it.”
🌪️ One spokesperson per team. Everyone else can whisper ideas to them, but only the spokesperson pitches.
⏱️ Big Timer (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🚪 Your friend can’t walk. The house is packed. Now what? · 60 seconds. Best plan wins.

2. Story

Story Drama: Through the Roof

5 min

Acting out the four friends’ rescue shows Jesus’s power to forgive and heal, and what faithful friends are willing to do.

  1. Hand out roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode). Everyone not cast is the Crowd. You read Jesus’s words yourself.
  2. Lay the blanket down as the mat. The four friends hold the corners; the man sits on it. They only drag or lift it at knee height.
  3. Read each scene and pause for the action. In scene 5, stop and ask: “Wait. The man came to be able to walk. Why would Jesus start with his sins?”
  4. After the last scene, ask: “Whose faith did Jesus notice in verse 5?” (Their faith, the friends’ too.) “What does that say about the faith you have for other people?”
🌪️ Cast your most restless youth as the four friends. Carrying, climbing and digging is a full-body job.

Class screen: 🎭 They couldn’t get in the door, so they went through the roof. · Mark 2:1–12

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A blanket, beach towel or sleeping bag for the man’s mat

  1. Hand out roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode). Everyone not cast is the Crowd. You read Jesus’s words yourself.
  2. The mat is invisible. The four friends each grip a corner of the air and move together; if one friend drops their corner, the others have to adjust. The man sits in the middle of them.
  3. Read each scene and pause for the action. In scene 5, ask: “He came to be able to walk. Why would Jesus start with his sins?”
  4. After the last scene, ask: “Whose faith did Jesus notice in verse 5? What does that say about the faith you have for other people?”
3. Scripture

Four Questions in the Storm

6 min

Pairs discover the four questions in Mark 4:35–41 and find the one they most need answered, then memorize Jesus’s answer to the storm.

  1. In pairs, read Mark 4:35–41. Say: “There are four questions hidden in these verses. First pair to find all four and who asked each one stands up.”
  2. Check: the disciples ask “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” (verse 38); Jesus asks “Why are ye so fearful?” and “How is it that ye have no faith?” (verse 40); the disciples ask “What manner of man is this?” (verse 41).
  3. Ask: “Which of the four questions do people your age ask the most, even if they don’t say it out loud?” Take a few answers. Point out that Jesus answered the first question by getting up and acting before He said a word.
  4. SAY“He doesn’t always stop the storm when we want. But He’s never asleep to it.” Teach Mark 4:39 with the motions. Say it twice together, then have a youth lead it once with motions only.
🌪️ First pair to stand with all four wins a point for their team. Standing is the only way to claim it, no shouting.

Class screen: ⛈️ Four questions are hiding in this storm. Find them. · Mark 4:35–41 · Who asked each one?

No supplies? Do this instead

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

  1. Read Mark 4:35–41 aloud slowly from your scriptures or Gospel Library. Say: “Every time you hear a question, stand up. Sit when the next verse starts.”
  2. List the four questions together: “Carest thou not that we perish?” (38) · “Why are ye so fearful?” and “How is it that ye have no faith?” (40) · “What manner of man is this?” (41).
  3. Ask: “Which of these do people your age ask the most?” Point out that Jesus answered the first question by acting before He spoke.
  4. Teach Mark 4:39 with the motions. Say it twice together, then have a youth lead it once with motions only.
4. Wiggle break

Storm to Silence

2 min

The class builds a body-percussion storm, then tests how fast and how completely it can go still on “Peace, be still.”

  1. Everyone stands. A youth conductor builds the storm in layers: rub hands (wind), snap fingers (first raindrops), pat thighs (rain), stomp feet (thunder).
  2. At full storm, you say “Peace, be still.” Everyone freezes silent instantly. Tap Noise Meter and see how low the class can get it.
  3. Run it twice. Second time, try to make the silence last ten full seconds.
🐭 Noise Meter (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🌊 Build the storm. Then “Peace, be still.” · Wind · rain · thunder · silence

5. Game

Flip It: Physician or Pharisee?

4 min

Teams practice turning a judgmental reaction into the way Jesus treats people who are struggling, from Mark 2:17 and Luke 7.

  1. SAY“Simon the Pharisee watched a woman known as a sinner weep at Jesus’s feet and thought that if Jesus were really a prophet, He would know what kind of woman was touching Him. Jesus said He came for people who know they need a physician. Let’s flip some Simon reactions.”
  2. Read a “Simon” reaction. The first team fully standing gives a one-sentence Jesus-style flip: something they could actually say or do so that person feels welcome. The class gives thumbs up if it sounds real, not cheesy. Real = 1 point.
  3. Scenarios (pick three or four): (1) “Look who finally decided to show up to church.” (2) A kid who got in trouble at school sits alone at youth night; everyone ignores him. (3) “She swore at practice; she’s not really a good member.” (4) Someone laughs when a new deacon fumbles the sacrament tray. (5) “He only comes to activities for the food.” (6) A friend admits she messed up and is scared to talk to the bishop.
  4. After the last one, ask: “Why is it so easy to be Simon? What made the woman in Luke 7 able to come to Jesus anyway?” Then share Elder Ulisses Soares’s words from “The Savior’s Abiding Compassion” (see Conference quotes).
🌪️ If a team gets silly, the other team gets a chance to steal the point with a better flip.

Class screen: 🔄 Flip the Simon reaction into a Jesus one. · They that are whole have no need of the physician. Mark 2:17

6. Talk it over

Roof-Digger Talk

3 min

Honest questions connect the four friends, the storm and Simon’s dinner to a young person’s real week.

  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
  • The four friends did something awkward and a little embarrassing to get their friend to Jesus. What does “going through the roof” for a friend look like at your age?
  • Jesus forgave the man’s sins before He healed his legs. Why do you think He started there?
  • Simon judged the woman; Jesus forgave her. How do people who are struggling feel when they’re around us, as a class?
  • The disciples asked, “Carest thou not?” When has it felt like the Lord was asleep during a storm, and what helped?

Class screen: 💬 Roof-digger talk

7. Testimony

Who Can You Carry?

2 min

Each youth quietly thinks of one person to help bring closer to the Savior, and hears the teacher’s witness of His power to heal.

  1. Wait for real quiet. Say: “Think of one person who can’t get through the door on their own right now: someone lonely, someone who stopped coming, someone in a storm. Don’t say the name. Just picture them.”
  2. Share your two-sentence story of someone who carried you to the Savior, or a storm when He brought you peace.
  3. Testify that Jesus Christ has power over sickness, sin and storms, that He came for people who need Him, and that He notices the faith of friends.
  4. Introduce the challenge and ask a youth to pray.

Class screen: 🤝 Who can you help carry this week? · When Jesus saw their faith… Mark 2:5

8. Game

Forehead Guess: Roof, Storm and Supper

4 minBONUS

A quick team review of the people, places and miracles in this week’s chapters.

  1. Tap Forehead Guess. One 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.
  3. Teams alternate 45-second turns; add correct guesses to the lesson score.

Class screen: 🤔 Forehead Guess: no words from the hint!

9. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A team quiz reviews the roof, the storm, the centurion and Simon’s dinner.

  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.

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown!

Story drama

Through the Roof

Mark 2:1–12 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • The Man on the MatLies (or sits) on the mat, looks hopeful, then surprised, then stands, rolls up the mat and walks out.
  • The Four FriendsFour youth: carry the mat by the corners, argue about Plan B, dig through the roof and lower their friend down.
  • The HomeownerWatches in horror as dust and branches fall from their ceiling, then slowly starts smiling.
  • The ScribesTwo youth: sit with folded arms, whisper “Who can forgive sins but God only?” and freeze when they’re caught.
  • The CrowdEveryone else: pack the doorway shoulder to shoulder, refuse to budge, then gasp and make way at the end.

Scenes

  1. 🏠 Jesus is back in Capernaum. Everyone shows up.

    Word got around that Jesus was back in town and staying in a house. So many people crowded in that there was no room left, not even around the door. He was teaching, and nobody was leaving.

    🎬 The Crowd packs into the doorway shoulder to shoulder. The Homeowner looks nervously at the furniture.

  2. 🛏️ Four friends, one mat, zero ways in

    Four men showed up carrying their friend, who was paralyzed and couldn’t walk. They had carried him all the way there, and now they couldn’t even get near the door. Most people would have said, “Well, we tried,” and gone home.

    🎬 The Four Friends carry the mat to the doorway. The Crowd won’t budge. The friends huddle and argue in loud whispers.

  3. 🪜 Plan B: up the stairs and through the roof

    Many houses there had flat roofs people could climb onto. So the friends hauled him up onto the roof and started breaking through it, right above where Jesus was sitting. Picture dust and bits of roof raining down on the crowd.

    🎬 The Four Friends mime climbing and digging. The Homeowner clutches their head. The Crowd brushes dust off their hair.

  4. ⬇️ Lowered down right in front of Jesus

    When the hole was big enough, they lowered their friend down on his mat, slowly, hand over hand, until he was lying right at Jesus’s feet. Every head in the room turned from the ceiling to the man.

    🎬 The Four Friends lower the mat hand over hand. The Crowd looks up, then down, in slow motion.

  5. 💬 “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee”

    Mark says Jesus saw their faith, the friends’ faith too. Then He said something nobody expected. Before anything about legs or walking, He told the man his sins were forgiven.

    🎬 The Man on the Mat looks up, stunned. The Scribes fold their arms and lean together to whisper.

  6. 🤨 “Who can forgive sins but God only?”

    The scribes didn’t say it out loud, but they were thinking it: only God can forgive sins, so who does this man think He is? They were right that only God can forgive. They were missing who was standing in front of them. Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking and asked which was easier to say: your sins are forgiven, or get up and walk.

    🎬 The Scribes whisper, then freeze mid-whisper, busted. Everyone else turns to stare at them.

  7. 🚶 “Arise, and take up thy bed”

    So they would know He has power on earth to forgive sins, Jesus told the man to get up, pick up his mat and go home. And he did, right in front of all of them. Everyone was amazed and praised God, saying they had never seen anything like it.

    🎬 The Man on the Mat stands, rolls up the mat and walks out. The Crowd parts to let him through. The Four Friends high-five on the roof. Everyone: “We never saw it on this fashion!”

Key verse

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 in the middle of the storm and told it to stop, and it did. He has that kind of power over our storms too.
🙌 “He arose” = stand up · “rebuked the wind” = point firmly to one side · “said unto the sea” = sweep a flat hand across in front of you · “Peace, be still” = both palms pushing slowly down · “the wind ceased” = hands freeze · “a great calm” = arms spread wide and slow, like still water.

More verses

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: Jesus is like a doctor. He came for people who know they need help, which is all of us.
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: The friends’ faith mattered. Your faith can help carry someone else to Jesus.
Luke 7:50 ↗
“Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.”
In plain words: Jesus didn’t shame the woman Simon judged. He forgave her and sent her off in peace.
Mark 4:41 ↗
“What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
In plain words: The disciples realized Jesus isn’t just a good teacher. Even the weather obeys Him.

Forehead Guess words18 words

  • 🏘️ Capernaum
  • 💪 Four friends
  • 🏠 Roof
  • 🛏️ Mat
  • 📜 Scribes
  • 🕊️ Forgiven
  • 🩺 Physician
  • ✋ Leper
  • 🪖 Centurion
  • 😢 Widow of Nain
  • 🖐️ Withered hand
  • 🍽️ Simon the Pharisee
  • 🏺 Alabaster box
  • 💰 Two debtors
  • ⛈️ Storm
  • 💤 Pillow
  • 🌊 Peace, be still
  • 🙏 Faith
Clues for each word
  • Capernaum: The town with the packed house
  • Four friends: They carried the mat to Jesus
  • Roof: They dug through it
  • Mat: The man picked it up and walked home
  • Scribes: They thought “only God can forgive sins”
  • Forgiven: What Jesus told the man before he walked
  • Physician: Jesus compared Himself to one in Mark 2:17
  • Leper: Jesus touched him and made him clean
  • Centurion: Roman officer with amazing faith
  • Widow of Nain: Jesus raised her only son
  • Withered hand: Healed on the Sabbath in the synagogue
  • Simon the Pharisee: Hosted the dinner and judged a guest
  • Alabaster box: Held the ointment for Jesus’s feet
  • Two debtors: Jesus’s short story at Simon’s dinner
  • Storm: Filled the boat while Jesus slept
  • Pillow: What Jesus was sleeping on in the boat
  • Peace, be still: Three words that stopped the wind
  • Faith: Jesus saw the friends’ and praised the centurion’s
▶ 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. They dug through the roof and lowered him down.

  2. What did Jesus say to the man before healing his body?
    • A. Thy sins be forgiven thee
    • B. Go and tell no man
    • C. Where are thy friends?
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Thy sins be forgiven thee Mark 2:5. He healed the man’s soul first.

  3. Whose faith did Jesus notice in Mark 2:5?
    • A. Only the man’s
    • B. The scribes’
    • C. Their faith, the friends’ too
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Their faith, the friends’ too “When Jesus saw their faith.” Your faith can help carry someone else.

  4. Jesus said He came like a physician for whom?
    • A. The sick
    • B. The healthy
    • C. The rich
    Show answer

    ✅ A. The sick Mark 2:17. He came to call sinners to repentance, which includes all of us.

  5. Who told Jesus, “Speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed”?
    • A. Peter
    • B. Jairus
    • C. A Roman centurion
    Show answer

    ✅ C. A Roman centurion Matthew 8:8. Jesus said He hadn’t found such great faith in all Israel.

  6. What was Jesus doing when the storm filled the boat?
    • A. Praying on the shore
    • 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?”

  7. What happened right after Jesus said, “Peace, be still”?
    • A. It rained harder
    • B. The boat sank
    • C. There was a great calm
    Show answer

    ✅ C. There was a great calm Mark 4:39. The wind stopped completely.

  8. At Simon’s dinner, how did the woman wash Jesus’s feet?
    • A. With her tears
    • B. With oil from the kitchen
    • C. With water from a well
    Show answer

    ✅ A. With her tears Luke 7:38. She wiped them with her hair and anointed them.

  9. In Jesus’s story of two debtors, who loves the lender more?
    • A. The one who owed less
    • B. Neither one
    • C. The one forgiven more
    Show answer

    ✅ C. The one forgiven more Luke 7:43. Simon got the answer right; then Jesus showed him what it meant.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

From general conference

“Just like the sinful woman and the widow of Nain, many people within our circle of influence are seeking comfort, attention, inclusion, and any help that we can offer them.”

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

Share at the end of Flip It, before the discussion.

Read the talk ↗

Songs

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

    Written about this very storm on the Sea of Galilee; try matching its lines to Mark 4:37–39. Find it ↗

  • I Need Thee Every Hour Hymns, no. 98

    The honest prayer of everyone who knows they need the Physician. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Go Through the Roof

Pick one person who can’t get through the door on their own right now and do one awkward, brave thing to help carry them closer to the Savior: a text, an invite, sitting by them, or just asking how they’re really doing. And when a storm hits this week, pray the disciples’ honest question, then say Mark 4:39 to yourself.

Text the parents

This week in class we acted out four friends lowering a paralyzed man through a roof to Jesus, who forgave and healed him (Mark 2:1–12). We found the four questions in the storm at sea and memorized “Peace, be still” (Mark 4:39), and we practiced treating struggling people the way Jesus did at Simon’s dinner (Luke 7:36–50). Ask your youth: who is someone you could help “carry” 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?

💰 Two Debtors, Real Math · 4 min

  1. Read Luke 7:40–43. Say: “A penny (a denarius) was about a day’s pay for a worker (Matthew 20:2), so five hundred pence was well over a year’s wages, and fifty was about two months’.”
  2. Ask: “Which of us is the fifty-pence debtor and which is the five-hundred? Does it actually matter, if neither can pay?”
  3. Read Luke 7:47–50. Ask: “Why would being forgiven make someone love more?”

🪖 A Man under Authority · 4 min

  1. Read Matthew 8:5–10. Ask: “What did the centurion understand about authority that made him sure one word was enough?”
  2. Ask a deacon: “Who gave you the authority you use when you pass the sacrament?” Talk about how priesthood authority comes from Jesus Christ through those He has authorized.
  3. Ask: “Why did Jesus marvel at the faith of an outsider?”

🥇 Put Him First · 3 min

  1. Read Matthew 8:19–22 and Mark 3:31–35. Ask: “What was Jesus asking these people to put second?”
  2. Each youth names (silently or on paper) one thing that tends to crowd out the Savior in their week.
  3. Ask: “What’s one small way to put Him first tomorrow morning?”

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