Feb 5 2023

John 2–4

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Table of Contents

John CHAPTER 2 Jesus turns water into wine in Cana—He attends the Passover, cleanses the temple, foretells His death and resurrection, and performs miracles.

John CHAPTER 3 Jesus tells Nicodemus that men must be born again—God so loved the world that He sent His Only Begotten Son to save men—John the Baptist testifies that he that believes on the Son has everlasting life.

John CHAPTER 4 Jesus teaches a woman of Samaria—All must worship the Father in spirit and truth—Those who harvest souls gain eternal life—Many Samaritans believe—Jesus heals a nobleman’s son.

Jesus Turns Water into Wine

Jesus Turns Water into Wine video

I can honor my mother as Jesus did.

John 2:1–11

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “John 2–4” At the wedding in Cana, Mary told Jesus that the wine had run out. According to the Joseph Smith Translation, Jesus responded to His mother by asking, “Woman, what wilt thou have me to do for thee? that will I do” (in John 2:4, footnote a). Jesus is an example of how we should treat our mothers.

  • Invite the children to read John 2:1–11 and take turns retelling the story in their own words.
  • Ask the children to list things their mother might need help with. Invite them to practice what they could say to her using some of Jesus’s words: “What wilt thou have me to do for thee?” (John 2:4, footnote a).

Friend November 2022 “A Happy Helper” Felix helps his mom get ready for Grandpa’s visit. A

  • Invite some mothers to visit your class and share what their children do to show respect for them.

To honor your parents means to love, respect, and obey them.

Friend November 2021 “Jesus Honored His Parents” As He grew up, Jesus obeyed His earthly parents. He loved and cared for them. Even when He was dying on the cross, He asked one of His disciples to take care of His mother. He also honored His Heavenly Father by keeping the commandments.

New Era March 2017 “20 Ways to Honor Mom and Dad”

Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “John 2-4” At a marriage feast in Cana, Christ changed water into wine—an event John called the “beginning of miracles” (John 2:11). That’s true in more than one sense. While this was the first miracle Jesus performed publicly, it can also symbolize another miraculous beginning—the process of our hearts being transformed as we become ever more like our Savior. This miracle of a lifetime begins with the decision to follow Jesus Christ, to change and live a better life through Him.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

Jesus Cleanses the Temple Video

What impure influences does your family need to keep out of your home so it will be a sacred place—like the temple? What will you do to keep those things out? Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “John 2-4”

“Lesson 8: Jesus Christ Cleanses the Temple,” Primary 7: New Testament  Draw a horizontal line across the chalkboard. Write RESPECT above the line and DISRESPECT below. Ask the children to pretend a friend is coming to their home. Tell them you are going to draw a “respect line” on the chalkboard. Mention things the friend does (see below), and have the class decide if the friend is showing respect or disrespect for you and your home. Draw a continuous line, intersecting the horizontal line on the chalkboard, moving up for situations showing respect and down for ones showing disrespect. Use situations such as the following:

The friend:

  • Waits quietly outside until invited in.
  • Walks in with muddy feet.
  • Thanks you for the invitation to come.
  • Shouts and yells loudly in your home.
  • Greets your parents politely.
  • Demands something to eat.
  • Treats your possessions carefully.
  • Ignores your parents when they speak to him or her.
  • Invites you to visit at his or her house.

Your “respect line” may look something like this:

respect line

Have the children answer the following questions to themselves:

  • When you visit a friend’s home, what does your “respect line” look like?
  • When you come to Primary, what does your “respect line” look like?
  • What does your “respect line” look like when you are in your own home?
  • Help the children understand that this temple was a sacred place, just as our temples and church meetinghouses are today, and Jesus wants us to respect these holy places.
  • Draw another “respect line” on the chalkboard as the children give examples of actions that show respect or disrespect in the church building. We show reverence for the temple by …

Divide students into groups of two or three. Invite the groups to write on a piece of paper as many ways to complete the statement as they can. After a minute or two, ask one group to share its list with the class. While the first group shares, ask the other groups to put a check mark next to each item on their lists that is mentioned. Next, have another group share the items on its list that were not mentioned by the first group. Repeat this process until all of the groups have shared. New Testament Seminary Teacher Manual “John 2”

Nicodemus

Explain that as “a ruler of the Jews” (John 3:1), Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was a governing council made up of Pharisees and Sadducees that directed many of the civil and religious affairs of the Jewish people.

Jesus Teaches of Being Born Again Video

I need to be baptized and confirmed to return to live with Heavenly Father.

John 3:1–10

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “John 2–4” The children you teach are preparing to take important steps to live with Heavenly Father again by being baptized (born of water) and confirmed (born of the Spirit). How can you help them understand the importance of these two ordinances?

What does it mean to be “born again into the kingdom of heaven”?

To have the Spirit of the Lord cause a mighty change in a person’s heart so that he has no more desire to do evil, but rather desires to seek the things of God. (Guide to the Scriptures, “Born Again, Born of God” scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org) For additional information click on link.

  • Summarize the story of Jesus teaching Nicodemus (see John 3:1–10). Promise the children that when they are baptized, Heavenly Father will give them the gift of the Holy Ghost.
  • Show the children this week’s activity page, and ask them to describe the drawings. Read John 3:5, and testify that we need to be baptized and confirmed to live with Heavenly Father again.
New Era April 2014
  • Ask the children to talk about what they do to wash their hands. Show the picture Girl Being Baptized (Gospel Art Book, no. 104), and help the children compare washing our hands with water to becoming spiritually clean through baptism.

Being baptized and confirmed is like being born again.

John 3:1–8

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “John 2–4” When we are baptized, which Jesus called being “born of water,” we receive a remission of our sins and can “enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). How can you help the children you teach understand what being born again means?

  • Make word strips showing the Savior’s words in John 3:3, and let the children put them in the correct order. How is being baptized and confirmed like being born again?

What does it mean to be born again?

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: “We begin the process of being born again through exercising faith in Christ, repenting of our sins, and being baptized by immersion for the remission of sins by one having priesthood authority. …

President Ezra Taft Benson taught: “In addition to the physical ordinance of baptism and the laying on of hands, one must be spiritually born again to gain exaltation and eternal life” (“Born of God,” Ensign, July 1989, 2–4). Therefore, being born again requires more than simply being baptized and confirmed. In order to be born again one needs to live in such a manner that the Holy Ghost changes the heart.

Elder David A. Bednar taught: “Conversion … is mighty, not minor—a spiritual rebirth and fundamental change of what we feel and desire, what we think and do, and what we are. As we choose to follow the Master, we choose to be changed—to be spiritually reborn” (“Ye Must Be Born Again,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2007, 20).in order to realize the intended blessings of this born-again status, we must still keep our covenants and endure to the end” (“Have You Been Saved?,” Ensign, May 1998, 56).

Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “John 2-4” Talk with your family about the miracle of pregnancy and birth—the process of creating a living, intelligent being. Jesus taught that we must be reborn before entering the kingdom of God. Why is rebirth a good metaphor for the change required of us before we can enter the kingdom of God? How can we experience the process of spiritual rebirth? (It takes time for an living intelligent being to grow in the womb and be born. Being born again is also a process and doesn’t happen instantly. )

“Total immersion in and saturation with the Savior’s gospel are essential steps in the process of being born again” (“Ye Must Be Born Again,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2007, 21).

  • Display a picture of a newborn baby and of someone getting baptized and confirmed (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 104–5). How are we like a newborn baby after we are baptized and confirmed? (see John 3:3–5).
Gospel Media “Newborn Sleeping”
  • Invite the children to share memories of their baptisms. Read Mosiah 18:8–10 and Doctrine and Covenants 20:37 to review the baptismal covenant. Teach the children that taking the sacrament thoughtfully every week is a way to continue the process of being born again.

Friend June 2002 “The Sacrament and Repentance” Dallin H. Oaks “We are commanded to repent of our sins and to come to the Lord with a broken heart and a contrite spirit and partake of the sacrament in [keeping our part of] its covenants. When we renew our baptismal covenants in this way, the Lord renews the cleansing effect of our baptism. In this way we are made clean and can always have His Spirit to be with us. (Ensign, November 1998, page 38.)

Media Library

“Lesson 33: The Sacrament Reminds Us of Our Covenants,” Primary 3 

  1. Hand out scissors, glue, and copies of the following handout to the children. Read the top part of the page with the class. Instruct the children to cut along the dotted lines and put the words in proper order. When the children have done this, the words should read “always remember Jesus Christ” and “obey the commandments.” Have them glue the word pieces in place to complete the sentence.

Help the children memorize the fourth article of faith. Print the below article of faith pages; give each person in the class a phrase to memorize. Have each child memorize their phrase. Have the class repeat or sing the Fourth Article of Faith song and have the children stand up in order in a row as they hear their phrase. Then have them repeat their phrases in order. Repeat this process until the article is memorized.

Or

Write the fourth article of faith on the board, and invite the children to read it. Then erase a word or two, and ask them to read it again, filling in the missing words from memory. Repeat this process until the children have learned the article of faith.

John 3:7–8. Why did Jesus compare being “born again” to the wind?

. New Testament Seminary Teacher Manual “John

In response to Nicodemus’s confusion about being born again, the Savior compared being born of the Spirit to the wind. (The Greek word for spirit is pneuma, which may also be translated as breath or wind.) Just as the wind is difficult to see, so it is difficult to see the process of being born again. We can see the effects of the wind but struggle to know when it starts and when it ends as well as where it comes from. A similar conclusion can be drawn about the process of being born again. It is difficult to see exactly when it starts or when it ends, but its effects are very visible as actions and desires change.

Heavenly Father loves me, so He gave me a Savior.

For God So Loved the World Video

John 3:16

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “John 2–4”

  • Ask the children to complete sentences like this one: “Because my parents love me, they …” Read John 3:16. Then help each child repeat John 3:16, replacing the words “the world” with his or her own name. Help the children notice what this verse says Heavenly Father did because He loves us. Invite the children to draw a picture of Jesus. Let them share their drawings with each other and express their love for the Savior.

Friend March 2022 “How do We Know Heavenly Father Loves Us?”

Video “For God So Loved the World”

  • Sing together a song about Jesus, such as “He Sent His Son” (Children’s Songbook, 34–35). Let the children hold up a picture of Jesus every time they sing a word like “Son,” “Jesus,” or “Savior.”

Heavenly Father loves me, so He sent His Son.

John 3:16–17

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “John 2–4” How can you help the children know that Jesus Christ was sent to earth as an expression of Heavenly Father’s love?

  • Ask the children to draw a picture of their favorite gift and the person who gave them that gift. Then ask a child to read John 3:16. What gift did Heavenly Father give us? How does this gift show His love?

Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “There is no greater evidence of the infinite power and perfection of God’s love than is declared by the Apostle John [in John 3:16]. … Think how it must have grieved our Heavenly Father to send His Son to endure incomprehensible suffering for our sins. That is the greatest evidence of His love for each of us!” (“Love and Law,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2009, 26).

If we believe in Jesus Christ, which includes repenting of our sins and obeying His word, we can have everlasting life through His Atonement

  • Ask the children to find answers to the question “Why did Heavenly Father send us Jesus Christ?” as they read John 3:16–17 or sing or listen to “He Sent His Son” (Children’s Songbook, 34–35).

Friend April 2017 “Family Night Fun” Object lesson to explain the Atonement.

  • Pour some salt onto a plate. This represents us before we sin.

  • Now sprinkle pepper on the salt. The pepper is like sin. It keeps us away from Heavenly Father.

  • Rub the spoon on a towel. Then move it slowly above the salt and pepper. The pepper will stick to the spoon. Jesus’s Atonement lets us repent and get rid of our sins

Friend July 2020 “What’s on Your Mind”

Latter Day Kids “Heavenly Father Sent His Son” Lesson ideas

Woman at the Well

Jesus Teaches a Samaritan Woman Video

Jesus Christ is my “living water.”

New Testament Seminary Student Manual (2023) “John 4 Part 1” During the Savior’s time, Jews traveling between Judea and Galilee often took a longer route to avoid passing through Samaria because of hatred that existed between the Jews and Samaritans. Great animosity had developed between the Jews and the Samaritans “because the Samaritans had apostatized from the Israelite religion” (Guide to the Scriptures “ Samaritans,” scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org; see also Bible Dictionary, “ Samaritans ”). However, John noted that Jesus Christ “must needs go through Samaria” ( John 4:4), clearly highlighting the Savior’s intention for the work He would do there.

John 4:5–15

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “John 2–4” Children in your class can all relate to feeling thirsty. How can you use that experience to help them understand how much we need the living water Jesus Christ offers?

  • Use the picture in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families to tell the story of Jesus and the woman at the well (see John 4:5–15). Ask the children to retell the story.
Media Library
  • Show a glass of water, and talk with the children about why we need water. Briefly summarize John 4:5–15, and testify that Jesus Christ and His gospel give life to our spirits, just as water gives life to our bodies.
  • Why do we need to drink water every day? How is the gospel the same?
New Testament Coloring Book “The Woman at the Well”

Jesus Christ offers me “living water.”

John 4:5–23

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “John 2–4” Just as Jesus used water to teach the woman of Samaria, you can use water to teach the children why we need the gospel of Jesus Christ.

  • Using John 4:5–23, write summary sentences from the story of the woman at the well. Ask the children to refer to these verses to put the sentences in the correct order. What was Jesus trying to teach the woman?

What Is the Living Water? The living water is the gospel of Jesus Christ. “The fountain of living waters … [is] a representation of the love of God” (1 Nephi 11:25).

David A. Bednar, “A Reservoir of Living Water” The living water referred to in [ John 4:10 ] is a representation of the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel. And as water is necessary to sustain physical life, so the Savior and His doctrines, principles, and ordinances are essential for eternal life. You and I need His living water daily and in ample supply to sustain our ongoing spiritual growth and development.The scriptures contain the words of Christ and are a reservoir of living water to which we have ready access and from which we can drink deeply and long. You and I must look to and come unto Christ, who is “the fountain of living waters” ( 1 Nephi 11:25 ; (David A. Bednar, “A Reservoir of Living Water” [Church Educational System fireside for young adults, Feb. 4, 2007], 1, broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

What do people sometimes turn to for happiness and fulfillment that can leave them feeling spiritually thirsty or unsatisfied? (TV Shows and Movies, Sports, Video Games, Etc)

  • Give the children a drink of water, and ask them to share experiences when they were thirsty. Talk about how it felt to finally get a drink of water. Invite the children to name things that, like a cup of water, satisfy us for the moment. What things are like “living water” that can satisfy us forever?
  • Write on the board How is the gospel like water? Ask the children to think about how they would answer this question as they read John 4:5–23.
  • Why do we need to drink water every day? How is the gospel the same?
Gospel Media

Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “John 2-4” Rebirth is just the beginning of the path of discipleship. Christ’s words to the Samaritan woman at the well remind us that if we continue on this path, eventually the gospel will become “a well of water” inside us, “springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).

Additional Resources

Red Crystal “John 2-4”

Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “John 2-4”

Is God a spirit?

John 4:24

Some may be confused by Jesus’s statement that God is a spirit. The Joseph Smith Translation of this verse provides an important clarification: “For unto such hath God promised his Spirit” (in John 4:24, footnote a). Modern revelation also teaches that God has a body of flesh and bones (see Doctrine and Covenants 130:22–23; see also Genesis 5:1–3; Hebrews 1:1–3).

John 3:22–36

John the Baptist teaches that Jesus is the Christ. See New Testament Seminary Teacher Manual “John 3” for lesson ideas

Jan 29 2023

Matthew 4; Luke 4–5

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Table of Contents

Matthew chapter 4: Jesus fasts forty days and is tempted—He begins His ministry, calls disciples, and heals the sick.

Luke chapter 4: Jesus fasts forty days and is tempted by the devil—Jesus announces His divine sonship in Nazareth and is rejected—He casts out a devil in Capernaum, heals Peter’s mother-in-law, and preaches and heals throughout Galilee.

Luke chapter 5: Peter, the fisherman, is called to catch men—Jesus heals a leper—He forgives sins and heals a paralytic—Matthew is called—The sick need a physician—New wine must be put in new bottles.

I can choose the right as Jesus did.

Matthew 4:1–11; Luke 4:1–13

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 4; Luke 4–5” Little children “cannot sin” (Doctrine and Covenants 29:47). However, the account of Jesus resisting Satan’s temptations can inspire the children to choose the right.

  • Tell the story of Jesus’s temptations from Matthew 4:1–11. (See also “Chapter 11: Jesus Is Tempted,” in New Testament Stories, 30–31, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.) At appropriate points in the story, ask, “What do you think Jesus should do?”
  • Display a picture of Jesus Christ, and then describe choices a young child might make. Ask the children to take a step toward the picture each time you describe a good choice. Ask them to take a step away from it each time you describe a bad choice.(See Situation Ideas listed below)
Media Library
  • Help the children learn the words to a song about making good choices, such as “Choose the Right Way” (Children’s Songbook, 160–61). Use pictures, objects, or other visual aids that relate to the lyrics.
  • “Always Ready” (February 2012 Friend)
    Jeffrey tells of the many temptations he had throughout his day and what helped him choose the right.

Jesus set the example for me by resisting temptation.

Matthew 4:1–11; Luke 4:1–13

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 4; Luke 4–5” Even Jesus Christ was tempted by Satan, but He never gave in. How can you help the children follow His example?

  • Make a chart on the board labeled Satan’s Temptations and Jesus’s Responses. Help the children fill in the chart using Matthew 4:1–11 and Luke 4:1–13. Ask the children how they can follow Jesus’s example.
  • 73.)
New Testament Seminary Teacher Manual

(Before they starting the above activity, explain that the Joseph Smith Translation corrects the statements in Matthew 4:5, 8 to show that the Spirit, not the devil, took the Savior to the different locations described in these verses (see also Joseph Smith Translation, Luke 4:5 [in Luke 4:5, footnote a]; Luke 4:9 [in Luke 4:9, footnote a]).

  • What desire did Satan try to appeal to when he tempted Jesus, who had been fasting, to turn the stones into bread? (He tried to appeal to the desire to satisfy physical appetite.)
  • What was false about Satan’s offer to give Jesus the kingdoms of the world? (Satan promised rewards that were not his to give and that he could not provide.)
  • What else does this account illustrate about the devil’s strategies to tempt us to sin? (Satan targets our weakest or most vulnerable areas and repeatedly tempts us.)
  • What was similar about the Savior’s responses to each temptation? (Jesus responded to each of Satan’s temptations by quoting from the scriptures.)
  • Write down some scenarios in which a child might be tempted to make a wrong choice. Let a child select one to read, and ask the children to talk about how they could resist temptation in that situation.

Situation Ideas

1 Your friends have invited you to a movie. When you get there, you realize that it is not a good, wholesome one. Your friends decide to see it anyway. What choice will you make?

2 Someone wants you to try drugs, smoke, or drink alcoholic beverages, saying that using such things will make you feel good. Will you do it to see if he is right?

3 You break the cookie jar while getting some cookies. Your mother asks you what happened. Will you avoid the blame by telling her that you don’t know who broke it?

4 Some of your friends swear. Will you swear, too, so that you can be more acceptable to the group?

5 Your friends invite you to go to the circus on Sunday after your church meetings are over. What will you tell them?

6 You don’t know an answer on a test at school. You promised your parents that you would try to get a good grade. Will you look at your neighbor’s paper for the right answer?

7 You earn some money to buy a new toy. When you go to pay for it, it costs more than you thought. Will you add your tithing money to what you have saved so that you can buy the toy?

8 Someone tells you some gossip about a friend. Will you pass it on to your other friends?

9 You’re very tired and get into bed before remembering to pray. Will you skip praying for one night?

10 Your brother is being mean and teasing you, and you want to get even with him. What will you do?

11 Your mother asks you to do your chores. Your friends just called you to play a game of ball. Which will you do first?

12 You see a student put some money into his desk at school. Will you take it so that you can buy some candy on the way home?

“Lesson 7: Jesus Christ Was Tempted by Satan,” Primary 7: New Testament Lesson ideas

Give each child a piece of paper. Ask the children to write down three things that they think children their age might be tempted to do that are wrong. Have the children tell you what they wrote down. You might want to list their answers on the chalkboard and discuss the problems they face today.

Fasting can help me feel close to Heavenly Father.

Matthew 4:1–2

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 4; Luke 4–5” Before beginning His ministry, Jesus fasted and “communed with God” (Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 4:2 [in Matthew 4:2, footnote c]). Help the children see how fasting can give them spiritual strength and help them feel close to Heavenly Father.

  • Invite a child to read Matthew 4:1–2 using the Joseph Smith Translation revisions found in the footnotes. What did Jesus do to “be with God”? Share how fasting has helped you feel closer to Heavenly Father.

Friend May 2021 “My First Fast” Alice participated in the worldwide fast. It was her first time fasting so she only skipped breakfast. As she said a prayer to break her fast, she felt the Spirit more strongly than ever before.

  • Invite children who have fasted before to share their experiences. How would they explain fasting to someone who has never fasted before?
  • Write questions about fasting (such as why, when, or how we fast) on pieces of paper, and place them in a bowl. Invite children to pick a question and try to answer it. What experiences can you or the children share about fasting?

Friend Feb 1983 “Why do we Fast”

Friend September 2015
Friend September 2015

To help your family learn about fasting, you might use “Fasting and Fast Offerings” in Gospel Topics (topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

Jesus Christ is my Savior.

Luke 4:18–19

Summarize Luke 4:14–17 by explaining that after Jesus returned from the wilderness, He began to preach in the synagogues in Galilee. Soon, He returned to His hometown of Nazareth. While there, He stood in a synagogue and read from the book of Isaiah.

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 4; Luke 4–5”

Luke 4:18–19 describes Jesus’s mission. How can you help the children appreciate what He has done for them?

  • Read Luke 4:18–19 to the children, and explain what Jesus Christ was sent to earth to do (to teach us how to return to Heavenly Father, to comfort us, and to heal people). Share how He has done these things for you.
Gospel Media

Friend December 2021 “Carrying Spotty” Abbie got a new puppy. She helped him feel safe when he was scared. She carried him when he was tired. In Primary, Abbie learned that Jesus suffered for us and took upon him our sorrows. He can carry us through our trials. She realized that Jesus helps her kind of like she helps her puppy. He helped her feel safe when she was afraid of the dark. He helped her feel stronger when she was worried.

  • Invite a few children to pretend to be confused, sad, or sick. Ask the other children to role-play what they could do to help them. Testify that Jesus Christ came to teach, comfort, and heal us and that we should follow His example.

Friend November 2019

  • Show pictures of Jesus fulfilling His mission (see Gospel Art Book). Ask the children to describe what Jesus is doing in each picture. Also show pictures of people trying to be like Jesus (you might find some in Church magazines). How can we help others receive the Savior’s healing and deliverance?

Friend December 2016 “A Shining Light”

Friend December 2016

Jesus Christ is my Savior.

Luke 4:16–22, 28–30

 Jesus is the Messiah who was sent to heal the brokenhearted and deliver those who are spiritually captive.

Preach the gospel to the poor

Heal the brokenhearted

Preach deliverance to the captives

Recovering of sight to the blind

Set at liberty them that are bruised, (You might also discuss how performing temple ordinances helps bring “deliverance to the captives” (Luke 4:18).)

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 4; Luke 4–5” Ponder how the Savior has blessed your life. How can you help the children better appreciate His influence in their lives?

  • Invite a child to come to class prepared to share the account in Luke 4:16–30. It might be helpful to use “Chapter 17: Angry People in Nazareth” (in New Testament Stories, 42–43, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org). You could also show the video “Jesus Declares He Is the Messiah” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

Summarize Luke 4:14–17 by explaining that after Jesus returned from the wilderness, He began to preach in the synagogues in Galilee. Soon, He returned to His hometown of Nazareth. While there, He stood in a synagogue and read from the book of Isaiah.

Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 4; Luke 4–5”

Summarize Luke 4:23 by explaining that Jesus knew that the people in Nazareth would challenge Him to prove He was the Messiah by repeating the miracles He had performed in Capernaum.

Explain that Jesus taught those in Nazareth that although there were Israelite widows and lepers, it was two non-Israelites (Gentiles) who experienced miracles.

How was the faith of the widow and Naaman different from the faith of the people in Nazareth?

Point out that Jesus performed very few miracles in Nazareth because the people there generally lacked faith in Him (see Matthew 13:54–58; Mark 6:1–6).

(We must have faith in Jesus that he is our savior and can help us and heal us spiritually.

Invite a student to read Luke 4:28–30 aloud, and ask the class to look for how those in the synagogue responded to Jesus.

  • Read Luke 4:18 while the children follow along. Ask them to create a list of things the Savior said He came to do. Invite the children to share examples of times when Christ did these things, either in the scriptures or in their lives.

Preach the gospel to the poor

Heal the brokenhearted

Preach deliverance to the captives

Recovering of sight to the blind

Set at liberty them that are bruised,

 Jesus is the Messiah who was sent to heal the brokenhearted and deliver those who are spiritually captive.

  • Write on strips of paper the words “Because of Jesus Christ …” Give a paper to each child, and invite them to write how they would complete the phrase. Let them share what they wrote.

Jesus Christ invites us to be “fishers of men.”

Matthew 4:18–22; Luke 5:1–11

“Lesson 9: Jesus Christ Calls His Apostles,” Primary 7: New Testament As you teach these accounts, make sure the children understand that Jesus had many followers, called disciples. When he first called Peter, Andrew, James, and John from their fishing boats, he was calling them to be disciples. From his larger group of disciples he chose twelve men to be his Apostles (see Luke 6:13). He ordained them the same way Apostles are ordained today, by the laying on of hands, and gave them the same authority Apostles have today (see Mark 3:13–15).

Latter Day Kids “I Will Make You Fishers of Men” Lesson ideas

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 4; Luke 4–5” The Savior’s call, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19), applies to everyone, including children.

  • Invite two children to pretend to be Simon Peter and Andrew as you read Matthew 4:18–22. Help the children identify what these men gave up to follow Jesus.
  • Let the children take turns telling the story from these verses using the picture below and in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families.

Fishers of Men: A Bible Story for Children Video

  • Sing together a song about following Jesus Christ, such as “I Will Follow God’s Plan” (Children’s Songbook, 164). Help the children find things mentioned in the song that they can do to follow Jesus.
  • Use this week’s activity page to discuss with the children how they can be “fishers of men” by following Jesus. You could also play a matching game with the activity page. Cut out two copies of each fish, place them facedown, and invite the children to turn them over one at a time to make a match.

Friend August 2006 “The Fishermen” Jenny was her grandpa’s fishing buddy. One day when they weren’t catching anything, her grandpa told her the story of time when other fishermen weren’t catching anything and Jesus helped them fill their nets with fish. Then he called the fishermen to be fishers of men and explained to Jenn what it means to be a fisher of men.

Jesus Christ invites us to follow Him and to be “fishers of men.”

Follow Me, and I Will Make You Fishers of Men video

Matthew 4:18–22; Luke 5:1–11

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 4; Luke 4–5” There are many ways children can follow the Savior and be “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). How will you help them see the good influence they can be on others?

  • Invite the children to read Matthew 4:18–22 and Luke 5:1–11. How did Jesus’s disciples respond to His call to follow Him? What can we do to follow their example?
  • Show the children some fishing equipment or a picture of a fisherman. What does it mean to be “fishers of men”? What tools do we have to help us be fishers of men?

Friend October 2022 “Fishing Game”

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20”

Friend February 2023 “Come, Follow Me Activities: Follow the Leader”

Story: Jesus Christ called two fishermen, Peter and Andrew, to follow Him. They left their fishing nets behind and served with Jesus. (See Matthew 4:18–20.)

Song: “I Will Follow God’s Plan” (Children’s Songbook, 164–65)

Activity: Play this game: One person chooses an action. All the others copy the action. Then someone else chooses a new action. All the others do the first action, then the second. Keep adding actions and see how many you can do without forgetting any.

Friend October 2017

I Want to Follow Jesus Video

Friend November 2017 “I Want to Follow Jesus”

New Testament Coloring Book “Fishers of Men”

The Red Crystal Lesson aids.

New Testament Seminary Teacher Manual

Luke 5:27–35

Invite a student to read Luke 5:27–28 aloud, and ask the class to look for the Savior’s invitation to Levi. Ask students to report what they find.

  • What impresses you about how Levi responded to the Savior’s invitation?

Remind students that Levi was also called Matthew (see Matthew 9:9). He was a publican, meaning he collected taxes from his fellow Jews for the Roman government. The Jews generally hated publicans and viewed them as outcasts, sinners, and even traitors to the nation of Israel. Summarize Luke 5:29–35 by explaining that while Jesus was eating with Levi and others, the scribes and Pharisees condemned Him for eating with sinners. Jesus taught that He came to call sinners to repentance.

Luke 5:36–39

Jesus gives the parable of new wine in old bottles

Explain that the Savior used a parable to teach the scribes and Pharisees. Invite a few students to take turns reading aloud from Luke 5:36–39. Ask the class to follow along and look for the objects the Savior used in His parable.

  • What objects did the Savior use to teach His parable?

Show students a new piece of cloth and an old piece of cloth with a hole in it. Explain that the “new garment” in verse 36 refers to cloth that had not yet shrunk. One cannot patch an old garment with new cloth because when the new piece shrinks, it would make the hole worse than before. In a similar way, the gospel of Jesus Christ was not just a patching up of old beliefs and practices but a complete restoration of truth.

Invite students to read verse 37, footnote a in the LDS edition of the King James Bible to discover that bottles referred to “leather bags or wineskins,” and if possible, show students pieces of new and old leather.

  • What is the difference between new and old leather? (New leather is soft and pliable; old leather is hard and brittle.)

Explain that as new wine fermented in leather bags, gases would build up inside and stretch the leather. Once a wineskin had already been stretched in this way, attempting to ferment new wine in it again would risk bursting it.

In the parable, the new wine represents the Savior’s teachings and the fulness of the everlasting gospel, and the old wine represents the practices, traditions, and beliefs of the Pharisees under the law of Moses.

  • In what way could the “old bottles” represent the scribes and Pharisees? (Just as old bottles are too inflexible to hold new wine, the scribes and Pharisees were hard-hearted and unwilling to change to accept the Savior and His teachings.)
  • Who could the “new bottles” represent? (Those people who were humble and willing to change to accept the Savior and His teachings.)
  • What can we learn from this parable about what we need to do to receive the Savior and His gospel? (Students should identify a principle similar to the following: To accept the Savior and His gospel, we must be humble and willing to change. Invite students to consider writing this principle in the margins of their scriptures next to Luke 5:36–39.)
Jan 23 2023

Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3

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Table of Contents

Matthew Chapter 3 John the Baptist preaches in Judæa—Jesus is baptized, and the Father acclaims Him as His Beloved Son.

Mark Chapter 1 Jesus is baptized by John—He preaches the gospel, calls disciples, casts out devils, heals the sick, and cleanses a leper.

Luke Chapter 3 John the Baptist preaches and baptizes—Jesus is baptized, and God acclaims Him as His Son—Jesus’ genealogy back to Adam is given.

I can be baptized as Jesus was.

Matthew 3:13–17

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3” How can you use the account of Jesus’s baptism to help the children prepare to be baptized?

  • Summarize the story of the Savior’s baptism (see Matthew 3:13–17; see also “Chapter 10: Jesus Is Baptized,” in New Testament Stories, 26–29, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Explain that Jesus was baptized by immersion by someone who had priesthood authority. Repeat the story several times and invite the children to share the details they remember.

Immersion means a person is “immersed” all the way under water and brought back up. Baptism by immersion is beautifully symbolic, not only of the washing away of sins, but of death, burial, and resurrection. Baptism signifies the end of your old way of life and birth to a life committed to following Jesus Christ.  (Come Unto Christ “Baptism”)

Priesthood Authority

  • What authority did John the Baptist have to baptize? (The Aaronic Priesthood.)
  • What authority must the person who is baptizing us have to baptize? (He must be a priest in the Aaronic Priesthood or hold the Melchizedek Priesthood.)
  • Show a picture of Jesus being baptized and this week’s activity page. Let the children point out similarities between the two pictures. (There’s a picture of Jesus being baptized in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families.)

Feel sorry for our sins

Have a desire to follow Jesus (keep his commandments)

Have a desire to be baptized

Desire to help others

Willing to be a witness of Jesus Christ (Tell others of Jesus and the gospel)

  • Invite a member of the bishopric to tell the children about the baptismal interview they will have before they are baptized.

Friend August 2019 “Ready to Be Baptized” Trevan’s baptism interview with the bishop was coming up and he was worried that he might not know the answers. The missionaries came for dinner and they talk about baptism and baptismal covenants

  • Sing together a song about baptism, such as “Baptism” (Children’s Songbook, 100–101). Consider asking a child to lead the other children while they sing.

The Holy Ghost helps me.

Matthew 3:11, 16

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3” In addition to preparing for baptism, the children are also preparing to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. How can you help them?

  • Use Matthew 3:11, 16 to teach the children that the Holy Ghost descended on Jesus when He was baptized (a dove appeared as a sign to show that this had happened). Show the picture The Gift of the Holy Ghost (Gospel Art Book, no. 105), and explain that we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost when we are confirmed.
  • Bring a box containing things such as a picture of Jesus, a comforting blanket, and a compass or map. Invite the children to select an item, and let them explain how each object represents a way the Holy Ghost can help us—He testifies of Jesus (see John 15:26), comforts us (see John 14:26), and shows us the right way (see 2 Nephi 32:5).

Friend June 2019 “The Holy Ghost is…”  

Friend March 2020 “How Does Heavenly Father Speak to Us?”

  1. A feeling that Jesus loves us and that the gospel is true
  2. A comforting feeling when we are sad or lonely
  3. A happy feeling after we have repented
  4. A good feeling when we hear beautiful music or see inspiring art
  5. A peaceful feeling that something is a good choice
  6. A warning feeling that something is wrong
  • Share your own experiences with receiving help from the Holy Ghost.

Friend February 2020 “Show and Tell” On our way driving home from a swim meet, it was dark and snowing. My mom was worried and asked us to pray. I remembered how Jesus taught us to pray when we need help. So I bowed my head and closed my eyes to pray to get home safely. After I prayed and opened my eyes, I felt a warm feeling in my heart. Then I heard a still, small voice whisper, “Everything will be all right.” Peichi C., age 10, Massachusetts, USA

Friend February 2021 “A Warm Feeling” After his baptism and his confirmation, Joshua’s dad said, “The Holy Ghost can always be with you. You’ll never really be alone.” A few months later, Joshua had to go to the doctor because his stomach hurt so bad. When he found out he had to have surgery and his parents couldn’t come in with him, he was scared. He then remembered what his father had said about the Holy Ghost, and he had a warm feeling in his heart. He woke up feeling better, and he knew he was going to be okay.

Friend May 2017 “A Quiet Warning” The Holy Ghost warns Rykin about the presence of a snake.

  • Invite the children to listen for ways the Holy Ghost helps us as they sing a song about Him, such as “The Holy Ghost” (Children’s Songbook, 105).

The Holy Ghost can guide me.

Matthew 3:11, 16

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3” Children are learning how to recognize and follow the Holy Ghost’s guidance. Help them understand that keeping their baptismal covenants will help them be worthy to receive His guidance.

Still small voice

Peace

Leadeth to do good

Fill your soul with joy

Enlighten your mind (Gives greater knowledge and understanding about a subject or situation.)

In your mind and in your heart

Light:

Friend January 2021 “The Party Problem” Luz felt uneasy about going to a graduation party. It didn’t sound like the kind of party where she’d be able to feel the Holy Ghost. She thought about it, made her choice not to go, and then asked Heavenly Father if that was the right choice. Afterwards she felt a wave of warmth and light and knew she had made the right choice. 

Comfort:

Image by Freepik

Friend October 2017 “Sarah and the MRI” Sarah had to have another scary MRI where she was all alone in a tube. Her mother reminder her that there was someone who could be with her to comfort her—the Holy Ghost. Her dad blessed her that she would feel the comfort of the Holy Ghost, and she did. The Holy Ghost felt warm and comforting like being wrapped in a blanket.

Refine: Fire can help refine gold and burns off the impurities that can’t be seen.

Ensign April 2016 “Always Retain a Remission of Your Sins” Conference address by Elder David A Bednar

“Additionally, the Holy Ghost is a sanctifier13 who cleanses and burns dross and evil out of human souls as though by fire.

The Savior Himself proclaimed, “Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.”25

Receiving the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost in our lives creates the possibility of an ongoing cleansing of our soul from sin. This joyous blessing is vital because “no unclean thing can dwell with God.”26

With the help of the Lord and through the power of His Spirit to “teach [us] all things,”31 indeed we can be blessed to realize our spiritual possibilities.”

Friend May 2017 “Why Do We Need the Gift of the Holy Ghost”

  • Invite the children to close their eyes and hold out their hands. Then lightly brush their palms with a feather or string. Invite them to tell you when they feel it. What does this activity teach about recognizing the impressions of the Holy Ghost?
  • Invite the children to share experiences they have had with the Holy Ghost. Why does keeping our covenants help us to have the guidance of the Holy Ghost?

I am blessed by the ordinances of the Aaronic Priesthood.

Matthew 3

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3” John the Baptist held the Aaronic Priesthood, so reading about him in Matthew 3 is a good opportunity to teach the children about the Aaronic Priesthood. Help them recognize the blessings and power that come to us through this priesthood.

  • Invite the children to make a list of Aaronic Priesthood duties, using Doctrine and Covenants 20:46, 58–60; 84:111. Ask the children to look in Matthew 3 for examples of John fulfilling some of these duties. How can all of us invite others to come unto Christ, as John did?
  • Display some pictures of Aaronic Priesthood holders performing the ordinances of baptism and the sacrament (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 103–4, 107–8). Discuss how these ordinances prepare us to receive Jesus Christ and the blessings of His Atonement.
Media Library

Friend May 2017 “Making the Sacrament Special” Fill in the missing words of the sacrament prayer for the bread. Then cut out the colored card and keep it in your scriptures to help make the sacrament special to you every Sunday!

  • Read together Doctrine and Covenants 13:1, and testify that John the Baptist restored the Aaronic Priesthood to Joseph Smith. Ask the children how they have been blessed because the Aaronic Priesthood was restored.

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “Doctrine and Covenants 12–13; Joseph Smith—History 1:66–75: “Upon You My Fellow Servants”

I can keep my baptismal covenants.

Matthew 3:13–17; Mark 1:1–11; Luke 3:2–18

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3” Learning about the account of Jesus’s baptism provides a good opportunity to help the children review their baptismal covenants and recommit to keeping them.

  • Invite the children to take turns reading verses from Mark 1:1–11. Discuss why Heavenly Father wants us to be baptized. Why was Jesus baptized, even though He did not need to be cleansed from sin? Help the children find answers to this question in Matthew 3:13–15 and 2 Nephi 31:6–7.

Why was the Savior baptized 2 Nephi 31: 4-13

  • To Be Obedient to the Father & To be an Example for Us 

7) But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments.

  • To Show us that We Need to Enter the Gate (Baptism) that Leads to the Path Towards Eternal Life

9) And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them

New Era April 2014

Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3” When you were baptized, you followed the example of the Savior. Compare what you learn from the accounts of the Savior’s baptism with what happened during your baptism.

The Savior’s BaptismMy Baptism
Who baptized Jesus, and what authority did he hold?Who baptized you, and what authority did he hold?
Where was Jesus baptized?Where were you baptized?
How was Jesus baptized?How were you baptized?
Why was Jesus baptized?Why were you baptized?
How did Heavenly Father show that He was pleased with Jesus?How did Heavenly Father show that He was pleased when you were baptized? How has He shown His approval since then?
  • Prepare several pairs of cards with matching phrases or pictures that represent our baptismal covenants. Place the cards facedown. Invite the children to take turns turning over two at a time, looking for a match. After a match is made, invite children to share ways they have kept that covenant.

Friend February 2019 “The Baptism Covenant” Cut out and mix up these cards. Then take turns matching cards that go together. With each match, talk about that part of the baptism covenant.

  • Share how keeping your baptismal covenants has blessed you.
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The Idea Door

Additional Resources

Red Crystal Lesson Ideas

Latter Day Kids “Jesus was Baptized” Lesson ideas

“Lesson 6: The Baptism of Jesus Christ,” Primary 7: New Testament

Have two children come to the front of the class, face each other, and hold hands above their heads to form an area the other children can walk under. Explain that these children represent a very important gate. Tell the children that this gate is the entrance to the strait and narrow path that leads to eternal life. Have a child read 2 Nephi 31:17. Explain that one of the first steps to eternal life is going through the gate (being baptized). Have the children walk through the gate.

  1. Write the following questions about baptism and their scripture references on the chalkboard or a piece of paper: Why are we baptized? (D&C 49:13; 2 Nephi 31:18.) How are we baptized? (D&C 20:72–74.) By whom are we baptized? (D&C 20:73.) When are we baptized? (D&C 68:27.) Have the children look up the scriptures and discuss the answers.
  2. Write each of the following phrases on a separate piece of paper:
    • For the remission of our sins
    • To become members of the Church
    • So we can receive the gift of the Holy Ghost
    • To be obedient
    • To get on the strait and narrow path
    Have the children pass through the gate used at the beginning of the lesson. As each child goes through, hand him or her one of the papers. Explain that these are reasons why we must be baptized. Discuss with the children how we can keep our baptismal covenants.

Friend February 2023 “Baptism”

Friend February 2019 “Jesus was Baptized”

We Need to Follow His Example and be Baptized

5) And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfill all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!

10) And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me 

Friend March 2017 “Jesus Was Baptized”

Friend February 2019 “Coloring Page”

Friend Feb 2015
Friend Feb 2015

Sing “When Jesus Christ Was Baptized” (Children’s Songbook, 102). Explain that Jesus was baptized to obey Heavenly Father. One day, your little ones can choose to be baptized too! Tell your children about your baptism. Why was it special to you? Friend January 2023

New Testament Coloring Book “Jesus’s Baptism”

  • “Baptism” (January 2003 Liahona and Friend)
    Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles tells how Jesus Christ set an example for us by being baptized.
  • “The Baptism of Jesus Christ” (August 1999 Friend)
    The story of the baptism of Jesus Christ. Includes figures to cut out and use to tell the story.
  • “Jesus Is Baptized” (February 2011 Friend)
    A retelling of the story of Jesus Christ’s baptism taken from the New Testament.

Friend February 2015 “Jesus Was Baptized” Scripture jar questions. Link also includes other lesson ideas.

We need to bring forth “fruits worthy of repentance.”

Luke 3:2–14

Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3”

  • In Luke 3:8, John the Baptist taught the people that before they could be baptized, they needed to show “fruits,” or evidence, of their repentance. How can you help class members recognize the evidence of their own repentance? You might ask them to search Luke 3:8–14 and look for what John considered “fruits” of repentance. They could also review Moroni 6:1–3 and Doctrine and Covenants 20:37. You might draw a fruit tree on the board and let class members label the fruit on the tree with the “fruits” of repentance they find. This could also be a good time to talk about what it means to truly repent.

Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3”

Elder David A. Bednar taught: “The baptismal covenant includes three fundamental commitments: (1) to be willing to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, (2) to always remember Him, and (3) to keep His commandments. The promised blessing for honoring this covenant is ‘that [we] may always have his Spirit to be with [us]’ [Doctrine and Covenants 20:77]. Thus, baptism is the essential preparation to receive the authorized opportunity for the constant companionship of the third member of the Godhead” (“Always Retain a Remission of Your Sins,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 60). For an example of a young boy keeping his baptismal covenants, see the story at the beginning of Sister Carole M. Stephens’s message “We Have Great Reason to Rejoice” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 115–17).

Who were the Pharisees and Sadducees?

Matthew 3:7; Luke 3:7

Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3” The Pharisees were members of a Jewish religious party who prided themselves on strict observance of the law of Moses and its rituals. The Sadducees were a wealthy Jewish class with great religious and political influence; they did not believe in the doctrine of resurrection. Both groups had strayed from the original intent of God’s laws.

See also Matthew 23:23–28; Bible Dictionary, “Pharisees,” “Sadducees.”

The members of the Godhead are three separate beings.

Matthew 3:16–17; Mark 1:9–11; Luke 3:21–22

Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3”The Bible contains numerous evidences that the members of the Godhead are three separate beings. The accounts of the Savior’s baptism are one example. As you read these accounts, ponder what you learn about the godhead. Why are these doctrines important to you?

See also Genesis 1:26; Matthew 17:1–5; John 17:1–3; Acts 7:55–56; Doctrine and Covenants 130:22.

Jan 15 2023

John 1

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Table of Contents

John Chapter 1: Christ is the Word of God—He created all things and was made flesh—John baptizes Jesus and testifies that He is the Lamb of God—John, Andrew, Simon, Philip, and Nathanael believe in Christ and follow Him.

Jesus lived with Heavenly Father before He was born.

John 1:1–2

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “John 1” John taught that Jesus Christ lived with God before His mortal experience. We too lived with God before we were born (see “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 129). How will you teach the children this truth?

Even before He was born, Jesus Christ played important roles in Heavenly Father’s plan. As you read John 1:1–5, what impresses you about Christ’s premortal work?

  • Explain that “the Word” in John 1:1 refers to Jesus. Read the verse aloud, and ask the children to say “Jesus” each time you read “the Word.” Show the line drawing Premortal Life (LDS.org). Explain that Jesus Christ lived with Heavenly Father before He came to earth.

Ask the children if they know anything about what Jesus did before He was born. Invite them to look for answers in John 1:1–5. It might help to look in Joseph Smith Translation, John 1:1–5 (in the Bible appendix).

Joseph Smith Translation, John 1:1, reads: “In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the gospel was the word, and the word was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God” (in the Bible appendix).

Jesus created all things.

John 1:3

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “John 1” Many children naturally enjoy being among the Lord’s creations. Knowing about Christ’s role as Creator can help increase their reverence for Him.

  • Read John 1:3 with the children, and show the picture from this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. Help the children memorize the phrase “all things were made by [Jesus Christ].”

Friend November 1996 “For Little Friends: Window Picture” (Print the picture of the earth and the picture of Jesus back to back.) Show the picture of the earth and ask who created it. Have the children hold it up to a light or window to check their answer or find the answer. Explain that the earth was created by Jesus under the direction of Heavenly Father. Question: Why did Heavenly Father want the earth created? (See Abraham 3:24-26 – For us to gain a body and be tried and tested to see if we would learn to exercise control over our bodies and keep the commandments.)

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Latter Day Kids “Jesus Created All Things” Lesson ideas

Friend September 1999 “The World Jesus Made” Poem about appreciating the wonderful things in the world

  • Take the children for a walk outside. Let the children take turns describing a creation they see, and ask the class to guess what they are describing.
  • Friend January 2023 Take your little ones for a walk outdoors. Look at the amazing things in nature—like the trees, birds, wind, or sky. Let your children pick up rocks or smell flowers. Tell them, “Jesus loves you and created this beautiful world for you.”

If the weather is not conducive for a walk, try showing pictures. The link below has some images that might work. Or you could bring in some items they could smell and touch.

Click to access Little-Ones-Sabbbath-Day-Visual-aids.pdf

Go for a nature walk. Wrap a section of duct tape, inside out, around your child’s wrist. Let her collect little treasures along your walk and stick them to her nature bracelet. At home, you can cut off the bracelet and discuss them further.

Friend July 2016 “A Beautiful World” Go for a walk and fill this booklet with the things you see, touch, smell, and hear.

image

Printable version

  • Ask the children to think of ways in which they can take care of the creations around them (for example, being kind to animals).

Friend February 2018 “Caring for the Earth”

Jesus Christ is my light.

John 1:4–9

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “John 1“The symbolism of light can help children understand the Savior and His gospel. How can you inspire the children to seek the light of the Savior when the world seems dark?

“Jesus Christ is the light of the world because he is the source of the light that quickens our understanding, because his teachings and his example illuminate our path, and because his power persuades us to do good.” Dallin H. Oaks

Friend January 2023 “Jesus is Our Light” Jesus is the Light of the World because His teachings and example light our way back to Heavenly Father.

Friend December 2016 “A Shining Light”

Friend December 2016

Friend December 2022 “Sharing the Light of Jesus Christ”

Those who are lonely.
Those who are tired or discouraged
Those who are afraid
  • Show a picture of the Savior and some objects that give light, such as a flashlight. How is Jesus Christ like these objects? How can we share His light with others? Sing together “The Lord Is My Light” (Hymns, no. 89) or another song about gospel light.
Ensign August 2015
Ensign August 2015

Friend January 2023 “Come, Follow Me Activities: The True Light”

Story: Jesus Christ is sometimes called the “true Light” (John 1:9). The scriptures teach that we should keep His commandments and follow Him. Then we will have “power to become the sons [and daughters] of God” (John 1:12).

Song: “Jesus Is My True Light” (page 23)

Activity: Draw a picture of a goal you have. Have someone hide your picture somewhere in the room and turn off the lights. Now get a small light and shine it around the room. Can you find your picture now? Talk about how Jesus Christ can help you reach your goals.

  • Give each child a picture of a light (such as a sun, a candle, or a light bulb). Help them think of ways they can share the Savior’s light with others. As each idea is shared, invite them to “arise” and “shine” their light by holding up their picture. Tell the children about ways you have seen them sharing the Savior’s light.
  • Ask the children what they do when they are in darkness and feel afraid. Testify that they can always turn to the Savior when they are afraid.

I can invite others to come to Jesus Christ and learn of Him.

John 1:35–51

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “John 1“

John 1 contains accounts of disciples who invited people to “come and see” that Jesus is the Son of God. Even small children can follow this example.

  • Describe how Andrew learned about Jesus, and tell how Andrew in turn taught Peter (see John 1:35–42). Share how you learned about the Church, or invite a new member to share how he or she learned about the Church.

Come and See Stories

Friend November 2020 “For Older Kids” I recently invited a friend to a stake activity. She said she was pretty confused about most of it. But when she heard the missionaries’ stories, she said she felt a warm, happy feeling inside. Then she said that she wanted to come again! I said I would invite her to more activities when I could. I really hope she studies the gospel more. Samantha T., age 9, Arizona, USA

Friend July 2019 “Will You Come to My Baptism” Oliver tells everyone about his upcoming baptism and invites them to it.

Friend December 2022 “Chieko Learns about Jesus” Chieko’s family were Buddhists and she had never heard of Jesus, but she was invited to be in a nativity play. Years later she met missionaries who asked if she would like to learn more about Jesus. She accepted and was later baptized.

Friend February 1985 “Best Friends”- Boy invites neighbor  friend to Primary sacrament program

Friend May 1984 – “Grandpa’s Trunk” – Boy Shares gospel with his grandfather by inviting him to hear his Primary talk.

  • Share the story of Philip inviting Nathanael to “come and see” (John 1:43–51). Hide a picture of Jesus in a box, and invite one child to “come and see” it and then tell the other children about what he or she saw.
  • Let the children color this week’s activity page, and encourage them to use it to invite someone to learn about Jesus.
  • Ask a child to tell about a time when he or she shared something, such as a toy or gift, with someone. How can we share the gospel? Tell a story of a child who shared the gospel with a friend, such as “A Friend and a Missionary,” Friend, July 2018, 12–13; Liahona, July 2018, 70–71.

Friend July 2018 “A Friend and a Missionary” Juan invited his best friend to lots of church activities and family dinner and family home evening. His friend sees the family praying and learning the gospel at these activities and starts to ask questions.

Friend June 2020 “Finish the Pattern” Four ways we can invite others to learn about the gospel.

Click here for additional stories of ways to share the gospel

As a follower of Jesus Christ, I can invite others to follow Him.

John 1:35–51

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “John 1” Consider how you can use the examples in John 1:35–51 to encourage the children to invite others to learn about the Savior.

  • Help the children search John 1:35–51 to find things that people said to invite others to learn about the Savior. Let them practice what they might say to invite a friend to learn about Him.

(For example: Have the children explain how the gospel of Jesus Christ has blessed their lives, such as how the teachings of the savior help with contention at home, or how prayer helped them in their lives, or how they are grateful to be able to repent of wrong things they have done, or how they are grateful they can live with their family again after death, etc. At the end they could say “Come and see.”)

Elder Neil L. Andersen taught:

Come Follow Me for Sunday School New Testament 2023 John 1 Elder Neil L. Andersen taught: “The Savior taught us how to share the gospel. I like the story of Andrew, who asked, ‘Master, where dwellest thou?’ [John 1:38]. Jesus could have responded with the location of where He lived. But instead He said to Andrew, ‘Come and see’ [John 1:39]. I like to think that the Savior was saying, ‘Come and see not only where I live but how I live. Come and see who I am. Come and feel the Spirit.’ We don’t know everything about that day, but we do know that when Andrew found his brother Simon, he declared, ‘We have found … the Christ’ [John 1:41].

  • Ask the children to use this week’s activity page to make an invitation they could use to invite a friend or family member to learn more about Jesus Christ. (Maybe include it in a Friend magazine or a Book of Mormon)
  • Give the children the opportunity to tell the class about something that they love. Help the children see how sharing the gospel can be like sharing other things we love (for an example, see the video “Good Things to Share” on ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

Friend May 2016  “A Tower for King Benjamin”  Brady tells his friend, Jamie, about Book of Mormon heroes as they play.

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Friend September 1988 “Missionary Book Report” A boy gives a book report about the Book of Mormon.

Share Your Testimony

Friend November 2019 “Jesus is Real” Everyone at Ismay’s table at school were excitedly talking about Christmas and their favorite traditions such as going to a church service. Suddenly Charlotte spoke up and said, “Jesus isn’t even real.” Ismay was sad to hear this and she quietly bore her testimony to Charlotte that Jesus was real, and that she felt it in her heart. She was glad she had spoken up and planted a seed about Jesus.

Friend November 2019
Friend November 2019
Friend November 2019

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Friend July 2019 “Show and Tell” :Sometimes at school when I have no work to do, I read the Book of Mormon. When I read it while at school, many kids ask, “What is that?” so I tell them what it is and a little about the gospel. It makes me feel good to share.” Will M., age 12, California, USA

Friend November 2018 “Sharing Friendship” Elenoa’s parents buy extra copies of the Friend when they go to the temple and Elenoa and her sister share the Friend magazine with their friends. (Photos included in article.)

Additional Resources:

Come Follow Me With Living Scriptures “Preparing the Way” Lesson ideas

Jan 10 2023

Perseverance: Lesson Ideas

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Table of Contents

Don’t Give Up

Friend June 2021 “Don’t Give Up” Resilience means not giving up, even when something is hard. It means trying again after you mess up or moving forward when bad things happen.

Friend April 2023 “Never Give Up” Blake and his classmates were given a challenge to build a tall tower with noodles and marshmallows. The tower that Blake and his teammates built was too wide and not tall and his teammates wanted to give up, but Blake encouraged them not to give up. They fixed it and came in second place. Blake learned that no matter how hard things get, we should never give up!

Friend August 2018

Friend July 2019 ” Bright Idea: Don’t Give Up”  Handout idea with swimmers each at a different points in swimming lanes and one that is lagging behind.

Friend April 2015 “On to the Victory”  The first time Elder Gifford played professional football was scary because the players were so big and hit so hard, but he kept trying and he succeeded. Joseph Smith was constantly accused of crimes he didn’t commit, but he kept going forward.

Friend March 2018 Donut Give Up. Refreshment Idea

Nephi Didn’t Give Up

Friend January 2020 “A Nephi Attitude” Bennett was tired and thirsty and not enjoying doing the service project. He wanted to go home but there was still a lot left to do. His mom talked to him about how Nephi had hard things to do like getting the plates from Laban, but he didn’t give up. Bennett liked the idea of being like Nephi. Nephi was strong and brave and good. So he kept working. He was proud of what they had accomplished when they were done. He was glad he had gotten rid of the Laman and Lemuel attitude.

Friend January 2020

How to Persevere

People in our Life Can Help us Persevere

Friend September 2018 “Keep Paddling” Life is like being on a river. Our goal to return to our Heavenly Father is upstream. We paddle toward this goal by making good choices. Temptations in the world try to take us downstream, away from our goal. It helps if we are part of a team that is paddling together.  Your family is on your rowing crew. Your Primary teachers and Church leaders are also on your rowing crew too.
Make this boat and draw who the people are that are on your rowing crew.

Friend March 2017

Friend April 2022 “Somebody Loves You” When Sister Susan H. Porter, First Counselor in the Primary General Presidency, was on her way to a new job, she started worrying that she wasn’t good enough. Then she had a clear feeling to try her best and remember that even if it doesn’t go well, there’s somebody who loves her.

Endure to the End

I Have Fought a Good Fight. I have Kept the Faith

Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “1 and 2 Timothy; Titus; Philemon”

2 Timothy is believed to be the last epistle Paul wrote, and it seems that he knew his time on earth was short (see 2 Timothy 4:6–8). How might Timothy have felt, knowing that he might soon be without his trusted mentor and leader? What did Paul say to encourage him? You might also read with your own challenges and fears in mind. What messages of hope and encouragement does the Lord have for you in 2 Timothy?

Liahona October 2023 “Come Follow Me Family Fun”

Near the end of his life, the Apostle Paul told Timothy, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). Try this activity to learn about “keeping the faith”:

Before Home Evening

  1. Interview some older people who have been faithful in the gospel. These could be grandparents or members in your ward or branch.
  2. Ask them questions you are interested in or questions like these: What trials did you experience and overcome? Did you have an experience when it took courage to live the gospel? What was most helpful in remaining faithful to your belief in Jesus Christ?
  3. Write down or record their testimonies and experiences.

During Home Evening

  1. Share with your family the testimonies you heard and lessons you learned.
  2. What did these people teach you about overcoming difficulties through faith?

Discussion: How can you keep the faith throughout your life, despite challenges?

Keep Going. Don’t Stop

Friend May 2024 “Conference Notes”

Jan 8 2023

Matthew 2; Luke 2

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Matthew 2 The wise men are directed by a star to Jesus—Joseph takes the child to Egypt—Herod slays the children in Bethlehem—Jesus is taken to Nazareth to dwell.

Luke 2 Heavenly messengers herald the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem—He is circumcised, and Simeon and Anna prophesy of His mission—At twelve years of age, He goes about His Father’s business.

Ancient prophets foretold the Savior’s birth.

Luke 2:1–21; Matthew 2:1–12

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 2; Luke 2” Prophets and believers had been looking forward to the Savior’s birth for centuries. Understanding this truth can help the children gain a deeper appreciation for the Savior’s life and mission.

  • Ask the children to talk about things they look forward to, such as a birthday or holiday. Have the children read Helaman 14:2–5 to find something prophets were looking forward to.

Ensign December 2020 “What do Book of Mormon prophets teach us about Christmas?”

Friend December 2018 “Prophecies of Jesus Christ” Match the prophecies with the picture.

Jesus Christ’s Birth: Prophets Foretold the Birth of Jesus Christ Mobile

Jesus was born.

Luke 2:1–14

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 2; Luke 2” Jesus left His home with Heavenly Father to be born on earth so He could be our Savior. How can you help the children remember the story of Christ’s birth?

  • As you read the story of Christ’s birth, invite the children to act out the story themselves, or use this week’s activity page to review the story. (See also “Chapter 5: Jesus Christ Is Born,” in New Testament Stories, 13–15, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.)

Mary and Joseph Travel to Bethlehem

Shepherds Learn of the Birth of Christ Video

  • If you have one, bring a Nativity set, and invite the children to set the pieces in appropriate places as you tell them the story of Jesus Christ’s birth. You could also show a picture of the Nativity (see, for example, this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Point to different people in the Nativity, and invite the children to share what they know about each person.

Friend December 2004 “The Christmas Story”  Flannel board figures

  • Sing together the children’s favorite songs about Jesus’s birth. As you do, look for opportunities to bear your testimony of the Savior. Invite the children to share why they love Jesus.

Witnesses of Jesus Birth

The Christ Child is Presented at the Temple video

New Testament Scripture Stories “Presentation at the Temple”

Liahona January 2023 “How Can I Be a Witness of Jesus Christ?” Read how the witnesses responded when they first saw Jesus Christ.

“Lesson 5: The Childhood of Jesus Christ,” Primary 7: New Testament  Lesson discusses the witnesses of Jesus birth

New Testament Coloring Book “Jesus’s Birth”

I can give good gifts to Jesus.

Matthew 2:1–12

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 2; Luke 2” The Wise Men gave Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. How can you use this story to teach the children that they can give gifts to Jesus too—gifts like love, service, and obedience?

Media Library “Life of Jesus Christ: Wise Men Seek Jesus”

Friend January 2023 “Gifts for Jesus”

Latter Day Kids “Gifts for Jesus” Lesson ideas

  • Gift wrap pictures or objects that represent gifts we can give to Jesus. Invite the children to help you open the gifts, and discuss how we give these gifts to the Savior
  • Help each child draw or write a list of gifts they can give Jesus, such as “being a good friend” or “praying.” Invite the children to share their lists with the class and choose one “gift” they will give Jesus today.

Friend December 2017 “Family Night Fun” Make these cute gift boxes, and write a gift you want to give Jesus, like being kind, and put it in your gift box to remember!

Friend December 2017 “Dear Friends” One reason we give Christmas presents is to remember the gift of Heavenly Father and His Son. They love us so much. And we can show how much we love Them by being kind to others. You are a gift to the world too. Your life is a blessing to those around you.

Friend December 2015
Friend December 2015 Gifts of love

Jesus was once a child like me.

Luke 2:40–52

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 2; Luke 2” Learning about the Savior’s childhood may help the children you teach relate to Him. Ask the children what they can learn from these verses about how they can be like Jesus now.

  • Invite one of the youth in the ward to visit your class and share the story of Jesus teaching in the temple when He was a young man.
Friend Jan 2015
Friend Jan 2015

Young Jesus Teaches in the Temple video

What is the “Father’s business”? (Luke 2:49; see Moses 1:39; General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1.2, ChurchofJesusChrist.org). What do we learn about that business from the story in Luke 2:41–49? Consider writing down some ways your family can participate in the Father’s business and placing them in a jar. During the coming week, as your family looks for ways to help with Heavenly Father’s work, they can select ideas from the jar. Plan a time when you will share your experiences. Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 2, Luke 2”)

Friend January 2019 “Jesus Learned and Grew”

Friend February 2017 “When Jesus was a Child” Jesus found teaching in the temple as a child.

Friend January 2011 “Jesus as a Child”

Friend May 2009 “Jesus Christ Teaches at the Temple”

Primary Visual Aids Cutouts Set 6 “Jesus as a Young Child” Church use only

Media Library “In Favour with God (Jesus Praying with His Mother)” Image (church use only)

Media Library “Jesus Teaching the Elders in the Temple”

Media Library “Jesus Teaches in the Temple”

Media Library “The Young Jesus Coming Out of the Temple with Mary and Joseph”

Media Library “Childhood of Jesus Christ”

Media Library “Jesus and his Mother”

New Testament Coloring Book “Jesus’s Childhood”

  • Ask several children ahead of time to bring pictures of themselves as babies to share. Ask them how they have grown. Share some of the ways Jesus grew (see Luke 2:40, 52). Sing with the children “Jesus Once Was a Little Child” (Children’s Songbook, 55) or another song about the Savior.

Friend March 2018 “Jesus was a Child Too!” Action poem

  • Read Luke 2:52, and explain what “wisdom” and “stature” mean. You might ask the children to perform actions that show what it means to increase in wisdom and in favor with God and other people. For example, they could act out reading a book or helping someone in need.

Friend January 2019 “Family Night Fun”

“Lesson 5: The Childhood of Jesus Christ,” Primary 7: New Testament 

Jesus grew “in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”

Luke 2:40, 52

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 2; Luke 2” Like Jesus, the children you teach have an important mission to prepare for. What can they learn from Jesus’s example?

  • As you read Luke 2:40, 52, tell the children to listen for the things Jesus did. Invite the children to share ways in which they have grown since they were little. Share your own experience of learning the gospel little by little. Bear your testimony of the Savior.

Friend January 2020 “Growing Like Jesus” Growing like Jesus did spiritually, physically, intellectually, and socially by setting goals in the Personal Development: Children’s Guidebook. (“Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52).)

  • Complete activities that illustrate phrases in Luke 2:40, 52. For example, you could measure each child’s height (“Jesus increased in … stature”) or ask the children to share their favorite scripture (“waxed strong in spirit”). Help the children notice ways they are growing and share these with their families.
  • After reviewing Luke 2:40, 52, invite the children to share what they think Jesus would have been like when He was their age. How would He have treated His mother? His brothers and sisters?

I can follow Jesus’s example.

Luke 2:41–52

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 2; Luke 2” Even as a young man, Jesus was teaching the gospel in the temple. Similarly, the children in your class have much to teach those around them.

  • Invite a child to come prepared to summarize the story in Luke 2:41–52. To help the children understand the story, teach what the “Father’s business” (verse 49) means. For example, you could tell the children what you or your parents do for a job. What was the job or “business” of Joseph, Jesus’s earthly father? (see Matthew 13:55). What is the business of His Heavenly Father? (see Luke 2:46–49; see also Moses 1:39).

What is the “Father’s business”? (Luke 2:49; see Moses 1:39; General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1.2, ChurchofJesusChrist.org). What do we learn about that business from the story in Luke 2:41–49? Consider writing down some ways your family can participate in the Father’s business and placing them in a jar. During the coming week, as your family looks for ways to help with Heavenly Father’s work, they can select ideas from the jar. Plan a time when you will share your experiences. Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 2, Luke 2”)

  • With the children, read Luke 2:46–49, and ask, “How was Jesus doing His ‘Father’s business’?” Help the children list or draw on the board ways they can help do Heavenly Father’s business too.
  • To help the children build their confidence that they, like the boy Jesus, can teach the gospel, help them practice teaching each other a principle from For the Strength of Youth.

Friend February 2016

Friend February 2016

Friend December 1991 “I Have a Testimony of Jesus Christ”

Additional Resources

Red Crystal Lesson ideas

The First Christmas Spirit (movie) A depiction of what Joseph may have felt as he faced the responsibility of caring for the Son of God.

Friend January 2023 “Journey to Egypt” After the Wise Men saw Jesus, an angel came to Joseph in a dream. The angel said that Jesus was in danger. He said they should go to Egypt, where they would be safe (see Matthew 2:13–14). Follow the maze to help Mary, Joseph, and Jesus find their way to Egypt.

Jan 2 2023

Matthew 1; Luke 1

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Table of Contents

Matthew Chapter 1 Christ is born of Mary—She conceives by the power of the Holy Ghost—Our Lord is named Jesus.

Luke Chapter 1 Gabriel promises Zacharias that Elisabeth will bear a son, whom they will name John—He also tells Mary that she will be the mother of the Son of God—Mary visits Elisabeth and utters a psalm of praise—John the Baptist is born—Zacharias prophesies of John’s mission.

Angels announced the birth of Jesus.

Matthew 1:18–25; Luke 1:26–38

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 1; Luke 1” Mary and Joseph were each visited by an angel who announced the birth of Jesus Christ. These experiences can help the children see how important Christ’s birth was.

  • Invite a child’s parents to come to class dressed up as Mary and Joseph. Ask them to share the experiences recorded in Matthew 1:18–25 and Luke 1:26–38.
  • Tell the stories of angels appearing to Mary and Joseph, as recorded in these verses. (See also “Chapter 2: Mary and the Angel” and “Chapter 4: Joseph and the Angel,” in New Testament Stories, 8–9, 12, or the corresponding videos on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.) You could show the picture in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. Invite the children to repeat the stories back to you.

An Angel Foretells Christ’s Birth to Mary video

With God nothing is impossible.

Matthew 1:18–25; Luke 1:5–37

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 1; Luke 1” The births of Jesus and John the Baptist were possible only through the power of God. Learning about these miracles can strengthen the children’s faith that God has the power to work miracles in their lives.

  • As you and the children review Matthew 1:18–25 and Luke 1:5–37, ask the children questions like “What would you say if you were Mary?” or “How would you feel if you were Zacharias?”

The naming of John the Baptist Video

Latter Day Kids “Nothing Shall Be Impossible” Lesson ideas

  • In simple terms, tell the stories described in Matthew 1:18–25 and Luke 1:5–37. Ask the children to raise their hands when they hear something that might seem impossible without God’s power. What other stories can the children share in which God did something that seemed impossible?
  • Help the children memorize Luke 1:37. To do this, you could write the verse on the board and invite the children to recite it several times. After each time, erase one word.

Friend January 2023 “Come, Follow Me Activities: A Nativity Story”

Story: Elisabeth and Zacharias wanted to have a baby, but Elisabeth was too old. One day, an angel told Zacharias that they would have a son! Their son was John the Baptist. Elisabeth and Zacharias learned that with God, nothing is impossible. (See Luke 1:11–14, 37.)

Song: “A Child’s Prayer” (Children’s Songbook,12–13)

Activity: Try this “impossible” task! First, bend your middle finger under. Then put your hand down on a table, palm down. Now try to lift your ring finger. Then ask someone else to lift it for you. How has Heavenly Father helped you do something that did not seem possible?

Liahona January 2023 “Families and the Light of the World: Come, Follow Me Family Fun”

Doing Hard Things with God’s Help

Like Mary and her cousin Elisabeth in the New Testament (see Luke 1:5–55), sometimes we are asked to do hard things and may wonder if we can.

  1. Set an empty container, such as a bucket or a box, at one end of the room.
  2. Give each family member a feather.
  3. Starting on the opposite end of the room from the container, have each family member try to get their feather into the container by blowing it to keep it in the air as they cross the room.
  4. To make it more challenging, allow only 30 seconds, and use a straw to blow air on the feather. Continue to decrease the allotted time until the activity becomes impossible.

Discussion: Keeping in mind that some challenges may not be resolved in this life, share an experience that strengthened your testimony that “the things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27) What small steps can you take each day to achieve tasks in your life that seem impossible?

For the Strength of Youth January 2023 “The Ultimate Miracle” Stories about ancient miracles and modern miracles and the ultimate miracle of the atonement

Friend January 2023 “For Older Kids”

Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Matthew 1:21–25; Luke 1:30–35, 46–47

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 1; Luke 1” Jesus Christ is the Son of Heavenly Father and Mary. What can you do to help the children learn more about Him?

Tell the children that the angel told Mary that her baby would be called the Son of God (see Luke 1:35). Help the children repeat the phrase “Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

Media Library
  • Younger children:Help the children understand who Jesus’s parents were by inviting them to draw pictures of their own parents. As they do this, tell them that Jesus had parents too—Mary and Heavenly Father. In addition, Joseph was asked to protect and take care of Jesus while He lived on earth. (See Red Crystal for an activity page for this part)
  • Older Children: Ask the children to read Luke 1:30–35, looking for answers to these questions: “Who is Jesus’s mother?” and “Who is Jesus’s Father?” Help them understand that Jesus Christ is the only person who had a mortal mother, Mary, and an immortal Father, Heavenly Father (see also 1 Nephi 11:18–21).
This is my beloved son. Hear him!
Mary, Mother of Jesus

Share your testimony that because Jesus was the Son of God, He could die for our sins and come back to life. Show pictures of Jesus’s Crucifixion and Resurrection (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 57, 59).

President Russell M. Nelson explained that the Atonement of Jesus Christ “required a personal sacrifice by an immortal being not subject to death. Yet He must die and take up His own body again. The Savior was the only one who could accomplish this. From His mother He inherited power to die. From His Father He obtained power over death” (“Constancy amid Change,” Ensign, Nov. 1993, 34).

Gospel Art Book, nos. 57,
Gospel Art Book 59
  • As you read these verses, invite the children to search for names or titles of Jesus Christ. What do these names mean, and what do they teach us about Jesus?
  • Share your testimony of Jesus Christ, and invite the children to share their testimonies as well.

Heavenly Father answers my prayers.

Luke 1:5–25, 57–63

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 1; Luke 1” Zacharias and Elisabeth had probably been praying for a child for many years. Eventually Heavenly Father answered their prayers by sending them a son, John the Baptist. How can you use this story to teach the children that Heavenly Father answers prayers?

  • In your own words, share the story from Luke 1:5–25, 57–63. You may want to repeat the story a few times. Assign children to play the parts of Zacharias, Elisabeth, and the angel and act out the story. Emphasize the angel’s words to Zacharias: “Thy prayer is heard” (Luke 1:13). Share an experience in which Heavenly Father answered your prayer.
  • Use “We Bow Our Heads” (Children’s Songbook, 25) or another song to teach the children how to pray. Every time the children sing the words “pray” or “prayer,” invite them to bow their heads and fold their arms.
  • Ask each child to do actions that represent something he or she can pray for. Let the other children guess what the actions represent. They can find ideas on this week’s activity page.

Heavenly Father hears and answers my prayers.

Luke 1:5–25, 57–66

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 1; Luke 1” God answers prayers but not always in ways we might expect. How can you use the account of Zacharias and Elisabeth to teach the children this truth?

  • Ask the children what they would say to someone who had prayed for a blessing but had not received it yet. Invite them to think about this question as they read together Luke 1:5–25, 57–66. (See also “Chapter 1: Elisabeth and Zacharias” and “Chapter 3: John the Baptist Is Born,” in New Testament Stories, 6–7, 10–11, or the corresponding videos on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.) What might Zacharias and Elisabeth tell someone who felt their prayer wasn’t being answered?

Friend March 2019 “Faith and Raindrops” A girl has faith that her prayer for rain will be answered, but she learns that we also need to have faith in God’s timing.

Friend October 2016 “The Loose Tooth Test” Tessa says a prayer that her loose tooth that is bothering her will  fall out. Tessa learns that sometimes the answer is to wait.

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Friend October 2016

For whatever reasons, God’s timing meant that the blessing Elisabeth and Zacharias desired, to have a child, came much later than they expected. If you find yourself having to wait for a blessing, or if it seems that God isn’t hearing your prayers, the story of Elisabeth and Zacharias can be a reminder that He hasn’t forgotten you. He has a plan for you, and He always keeps His promises to His righteous Saints. As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland promised, “Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come” (“An High Priest of Good Things to Come,” Ensign, Nov. 1999, 38). Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 1; Luke 1”

  • Invite several children ahead of time to share experiences when Heavenly Father answered their prayers. Share a time in which you felt your prayers were answered in an unexpected way.
  • Invite the children to draw a picture of a time when Heavenly Father answered a prayer—especially one of their own. Let them share their drawings with the class.

Additional Resources

Red Crystal “Matt 1; Luke 1” Lesson ideas

Mary and Elisabeth Rejoice Together Video

Jan 1 2023

Jesus: Songs

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Table of Contents

Friend December 2015
Friend December 2015

Shepherd

My Shepherd

Friend January 2021 “My Shepherd” By Blaine Garner (Link includes a sing-along video)

1. Long ago in Galilee Jesus walked along the sea And told the fishermen To follow Him. Like the faithful long ago, I will choose to follow, For Jesus is calling me.

2. Jesus showed us long ago How to help the sick, the cold, To love and care for those Who need us the most. I will comfort those in need. I will strengthen feeble knees And show the love inside of me.

[Chorus] I will follow where my Savior leads. I will listen when He calls to me. I will live what I believe. And when I’m in need, He will carry me. He’s my Shepherd, and I’m His sheep.

When I Return to Him

Friend April 2019 “When I Return to Him” Music Video

Words and music by Sally DeFord

1. The Shepherd loves His little lambs,
And when they go astray,
He seeks them as they wander;
He calls each one by name.
They listen for the Shepherd’s voice;
They run to Him, and then
He welcomes them with loving arms
When they return to Him.

2. The Savior loves His little ones,
And if I leave His side,
He seeks me as I wander
By day or darkest night.
I’ll listen for the Savior’s call.
I’ll come to Him, and then
He’ll welcome me with loving arms
When I return to Him.

3. The Savior marks the path for me;
He shows me how to live.
And if I stray or wander,
I know He will forgive.
So I will heed the Savior’s voice;
I’ll turn away from sin,
And He will fill my heart with joy
When I return to Him.

Atonement

The Miracle

Friend June 2018 “The Miracle” Jesus did many miracles, but the most incredible is the one that rescued each of us. Music Video

Resurrection

I Know that My Redeemer Lives

Friend June 2019 “I Know That My Redeemer Lives: I Can Play It”  Sing-Along Video

Names of Jesus

Many Names of Jesus

Friend April 2017 ” Many Names of Jesus” Sheet Music, Music Video

Words by Jan Pinborough
Music by Michael F. Moody

Words: Jesus said that He would be my Shepherd.
Jesus said that I would be His lamb.
He calms my fears with tender words of comfort,
So when He calls, I gladly follow Him.
Jesus is my Friend; He’s like no other.
Jesus is the Son, the Bread of Life.
With Him, I’m not afraid; He is my Brother.
He knows my heart. He helps me choose the right.
Jesus said that He would be my Savior.
Jesus said that He would be my Light.
He made the stars, the oceans—my Creator,
Redeemer, Lord, the Way, the Truth, the Life.
So many names of Jesus,
So many ways to know Him,
And every name means, “I love you.”
The Prince of Peace, the King of Kings,
Jesus Christ salvation brings.

Following Jesus

I Will Shine

Friend January 2022 “I Will Shine”

1. There’s a light within me— The perfect light of Christ— And I have made a promise To keep it burning bright By walking in His footsteps And following His plan In every time and every place, In every way I can.

2. One simple act of kindness Will lift a lonely soul; One gentle word that’s spoken Turns sadness to hope. One choice to be like Jesus Will spread the love He gives, And one by one the world becomes A better place to live.

Chorus: I will shine like a candle in the dark; All it takes to make a difference is a spark. And it’s easy to see that the brightest I’ll be Is when I let His light shine through me. When I let His light shine through me.

This is My Beloved

Friend September 2020 “This is My Beloved Song: I Can Play It” Also Sing-along Video

1. Jesus entered Jordan’s waters When His work had just begun. God the Father spoke from heaven:“This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”

2. Nephites gazing into heaven Saw their white-robed Savior come. And they heard the Father witness: “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”

3. Joseph saw two glorious beings Shining brighter than the sun. God again presented Jesus: “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”

4. As I read the scriptures daily— Words of Christ, the Holy One— In my heart I’ll hear God tell me: “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”

I Will Walk with Jesus

Friend February 2020 “I Will Walk with Jesus” Song and Sing-Along Video

1. Jesus walked in wisdom; Jesus grew in truth. He showed love to God and man while in His youth. Jesus wants to guide me. Jesus shows the way, Calling me to come and walk with Him each day.

2. I can grow like Jesus. I will try each day— Promising to walk His path and there to stay. Standing by my Savior, safe within His care, Step by step I’ll follow, and His love I’ll share.

3. I will trust in Jesus. I will hear His call. He will never leave me, even when I fall. Jesus gives me power, lifts and comforts me, Helping me to live and grow eternally.

Chorus: I will walk with Jesus to my home above. He will bless me with His Spirit and fill me with His love, Change my heart forever and help me clearly see. I will walk with Jesus, and He will walk with me.

I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus

Friend April 2024 “I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus: I Can Play It” Simplified version

Had I Been a Little Child

Ensign October 2020 “Family Study Fun”

Read 3 Nephi 17:21–25 with your family, which describes the Savior ministering to people after His Resurrection. Talk about what it might have felt like to be there.

  1. Draw or write these body parts on pieces of paper: hands, feet, knees, arms, eyes, and mouth. Pass them out to different family members.
  2. Listen to “Had I Been a Child” from pages 80–81 of the Children’s Songbook 
  3. Whenever a body part is mentioned in the song, have the family member holding that paper lift it up for everyone to see.

Discussion: Talk about how Jesus has a resurrected body and how one day we’ll have a resurrected body too. Jesus used His body to serve others. How can we serve others and show them love?

“Had I Been A Child” Lyrics

  1. 1. Had I been a child when Jesus cameUnto the Nephites that blessed dayAnd showed them the wounds in his hands and his feetAnd knelt with them to pray.
  2. 2. Then he might have held me safe in his arms;He might have looked in my eyes and saidA word, with his blessing of kindness and love,His hands placed upon my head.
  3. 3. Someday, when the Savior comes again,Oh, how I hope that my heart will beAs pure as the hearts of the children that dayWho gathered around his knee.

Peace in Christ

Friend September 2021 “Peace in Christ” Song

1. There is peace in Christ When we learn of Him. Feel the love He felt for us When He bore our sins. Listen to His words. Let them come alive. If we know Him as He is, There is peace in Christ.

2. There is peace in Christ When we walk with Him Through the streets of Galilee To Jerusalem. Mend the broken hearts. Dry the tear-filled eyes. When we live the way He lived, There is peace in Christ.

Chorus: He gives us hope When hope is gone. He gives us strength When we can’t go on. He gives us shelter In the storms of life. When there’s no peace on earth, There is peace in Christ.

Second ending: When there’s no peace on earth, There is peace in Christ.

Tell Me the Stories of Jesus

Friend March 2023 “Tell Me the Stories of Jesus” I Can Play It

Gratitude for Jesus

Because

Friend April 2023 “Because’ I Can Play It

1. Because He walked with men, I know the way. Because He calmed the storm, I’m not afraid. Because He bowed beneath all things, He lifted me above. Because I know He died for me, I feel His love.

2. Because He conquered death, I’ll live again. Because He is my Friend, I’ll follow Him. Because He felt all grief and pain, He calms and comforts me. And when He comes again, I’ll kneel before His feet.

Chorus: And I will praise forever The Savior of the world. And I will sing together With all the Saints on earth. Because He gave to me everything He had to give, I breathe, I see, I hope, I love, I live.

Jan 1 2023

New Testament: Come Follow Me 2023

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We Are Responsible for Our Own Learning

Reading Chart

Matthew 1; Luke 1

Angels Appear to Mary and Joseph

Elizabeth and Zacharias

Matthew 2; Luke 2

Jesus Birth

Witnesses of Jesus’s Birth

Jesus as a Child

Young Jesus Teaching in the Temple

John 1

Jesus lived in heaven before birth

Jesus created all things

Andrew and Peter learn about Jesus

Phillip tells Nathaniel about Jesus

Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3

Jesus is Baptized

Matthew 4; Luke 4–5

Jesus is Tempted

Jesus Teaches in Nazareth and declares he is the Messiah

Let down your nets: Jesus invites fishermen Peter, Andrew, James, and John to be fishers of men.

John 2-4

Jesus Turns Water into Wine

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

Nicodemus, born again

Woman at the Well

Matthew 5; Luke 6

Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 6-7

Sermon on the Mount Continues

  • Jesus teachings about prayer
  • Wise man and the foolish man
  • Judge not
  • Seek first kingdom of God
  • Do unto others

Matthew 8; Mark 2–4; Luke 7

Jesus heals

  • man with palsy
  • a leper
  • a centurion’s servant
  • Peters mother-in-law
  • a man with a withered hand

He raises the son of a widow in Nain from the dead

Jesus forgives sins

Jesus calms the storm

Matthew 9–10; Mark 5; Luke 9

Raises Jairus’s daughter from the dead.

A woman with issue of blood touches Jesus’s clothes

Matthew 11–12; Luke 11

Come unto Christ to be yoked with Him

Jesus heals on the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a day to do good

Heavenly Father gives us good gifts

Matthew 13; Luke 8; 13

Parable of the Sower

Parable of the Wheat and Tares

Parable of Buried Treasure and Pearl

Parable of the Mustard Seed and Leaven

Matthew 14; Mark 6; John 5–6

Jesus Heals a Lame Man at the Pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath.

Jesus Feeds the 5,000

Jesus Walks on Water

Matthew 15–17; Mark 7–9

Peter testifies “Thou art the Christ”

Peter and the other Apostles received priesthood keys from Jesus

Mount of Transfiguration

Disciples are unable to heal a boy with an evil spirit.

John 7–10

Jesus tells a woman to go and sin no more

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

The Good Shepherd

Luke 12–17; John 11

The Lost Sheep

The Lost Coin

The Prodigal Son

The Ten Lepers

Jesus Brings Lazarus back to Life

Matthew 19–20; Mark 10; Luke 18

Jesus Blesses the Little Children

The Rich Young Man

Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard

The Pharisee and the Publican

Matthew 21–23; Mark 11; Luke 19–20; John 12

The Lord’s Triumphal Entry

Zacchaeus in the Sycamore Tree

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

The Parable of the Two Sons

Joseph Smith—Matthew 1; Matthew 24–25; Mark 12–13; Luke 21

Second Coming (missionary work, signs, prepare)

Parable of the Ten Virgins

Parable of the Talents

Parable of the Sheep and Goats

Matthew 26; Mark 14; John 13

Mary anoints Jesus with oil

The Last Supper (Sacrament)

Jesus washes the feet of his apostles

As I have loved, you love one another

John 14–17

Additional teachings at last supper:

If ye love me, keep my commandments

Jesus teaches about the Holy Ghost

This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19

The Trials of Jesus

Jesus is crucified

Jesus asks forgiveness for the soldiers who are unkind

Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20–21

Jesus is resurrected

Jesus appears to Mary, the apostles, and two on the road to Emmaus

Doubting Thomas “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed“

Jesus implores Peter to feed his sheep

Acts 1-5

Peter is called to be the leader of the church.

Day of Pentecost: Holy Ghost

Peter and John heal a crippled man

Ananias and Sapphira lie about their donation to the church

Acts 6-9

Martyrdom of Stephen

Simon tries to buy the priesthood

Phillip teaches Ethiopian man in chariot

Saul is converted

Tabitha is raised from the dead

Acts 10-15

Peter teaches the Gentiles

An angel frees Peter from prison

Act 16-21

Paul’s travels teaching the gospel

Paul and Silas in Prison

Paul teaches on Mars hill

Acts 22-28

Paul is arrested in Jerusalem

Jesus visits him in prison.

Paul bears testimony of Jesus to King Agrippa

Paul is taken to Rome and is shipwrecked on the way

Romans 1-6

Paul writes letters to the Roman members

Baptism symbolizes death, burial, and resurrection

Romans 7-16

Paul writes letters to the Roman members

Not judging, faith comes by hearing the word of God, joint heirs with Christ

1 Corinthians 1-7

Trusting in God’s wisdom, Holy Ghost teaches truths, Jesus is our foundation, body is a temple

1 Corinthians 8-13

Heavenly Father will help us resist temptation, repent and recommit during sacrament, spiritual gifts, unity, charity

1 Corinthians 14-16

Resurrection because of Jesus, baptism for the dead, three degrees of glory

2 Corinthians 1–7

2 Corinthians 8–13

Cheerful giver and Heavenly Father always answers prayers, but not always in ways we expect.

Galatians

Unity, Fruits of the Spirit, Help those in need, Actions have consequences

Ephesians

Fellowshipping, Obeying Parents, and Armor of God

Philippians; Colossians

1 and 2 Thessalonians

Second Coming

1 and 2 Timothy; Titus; Philemon

Bishops, Be an Example, Eternal Values vs Worldly Things, Scriptures

Hebrews 1-6

Heavenly Father wants us to “harden not [our] hearts”, Priesthood holders are called of God, I believe in Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 7-13

James

1 and 2 Peter

1-3 John; Jude

Revelations 1-5

Revelations 6-14

Revelations 15-20

Jan 1 2023

Jesus’s Life: Lesson Ideas

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Table of Contents

Jesus lived with Heavenly Father before He was born.

John 1:1–2

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “John 1” John taught that Jesus Christ lived with God before His mortal experience. We too lived with God before we were born (see “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 129). How will you teach the children this truth?

Even before He was born, Jesus Christ played important roles in Heavenly Father’s plan. As you read John 1:1–5, what impresses you about Christ’s premortal work?

  • Explain that “the Word” in John 1:1 refers to Jesus. Read the verse aloud, and ask the children to say “Jesus” each time you read “the Word.” Show the line drawing Premortal Life (LDS.org). Explain that Jesus Christ lived with Heavenly Father before He came to earth.

Ask the children if they know anything about what Jesus did before He was born. Invite them to look for answers in John 1:1–5. It might help to look in Joseph Smith Translation, John 1:1–5 (in the Bible appendix).

Joseph Smith Translation, John 1:1, reads: “In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the gospel was the word, and the word was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God” (in the Bible appendix).

Birth of Jesus

See Birth of Jesus

Friend December 2019 “In the Footsteps of Jesus” Mary and her family live in Israel and have had many special experiences walking where Jesus walked. Article includes images of their visits to Bethlehem, the River Jordan, the Sea of Galilee, and Jerusalem. Friend December 2019 “Family Night Fun” We can get to know Jesus no matter where we live. Song, scripture, and discussion ideas.

Friend April 2019 “The Miracle of Easter”  Each section includes information about a certain part of Jesus’ life, and includes a scripture and song to go with it.

Childhood

Jesus was once a child like me.

Luke 2:40–52

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 2; Luke 2” Learning about the Savior’s childhood may help the children you teach relate to Him. Ask the children what they can learn from these verses about how they can be like Jesus now.

  • Invite one of the youth in the ward to visit your class and share the story of Jesus teaching in the temple when He was a young man.
Friend Jan 2015
Friend Jan 2015

Young Jesus Teaches in the Temple video

What is the “Father’s business”? (Luke 2:49; see Moses 1:39; General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1.2, ChurchofJesusChrist.org). What do we learn about that business from the story in Luke 2:41–49? Consider writing down some ways your family can participate in the Father’s business and placing them in a jar. During the coming week, as your family looks for ways to help with Heavenly Father’s work, they can select ideas from the jar. Plan a time when you will share your experiences. Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 2, Luke 2”)

Friend January 2019 “Jesus Learned and Grew”

Friend January 2019

Friend February 2017 “When Jesus was a Child” Jesus found teaching in the temple as a child.

Friend January 2011 “Jesus as a Child”

Friend May 2009 “Jesus Christ Teaches at the Temple”

Primary Visual Aids Cutouts Set 6 “Jesus as a Young Child” Church use only

Media Library “In Favour with God (Jesus Praying with His Mother)” Image (church use only)

Media Library “Jesus Teaching the Elders in the Temple”

Media Library “Jesus Teaches in the Temple”

Media Library “The Young Jesus Coming Out of the Temple with Mary and Joseph”

Media Library “Childhood of Jesus Christ”

Media Library “Jesus and his Mother”

New Testament Coloring Book “Jesus’s Childhood”

  • Ask several children ahead of time to bring pictures of themselves as babies to share. Ask them how they have grown. Share some of the ways Jesus grew (see Luke 2:40, 52). Sing with the children “Jesus Once Was a Little Child” (Children’s Songbook, 55) or another song about the Savior.

Friend March 2018 “Jesus was a Child Too!” Action poem

  • Read Luke 2:52, and explain what “wisdom” and “stature” mean. You might ask the children to perform actions that show what it means to increase in wisdom and in favor with God and other people. For example, they could act out reading a book or helping someone in need.

Friend January 2019 “Family Night Fun”

“Lesson 5: The Childhood of Jesus Christ,” Primary 7: New Testament 

Jesus grew “in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”

Luke 2:40, 52

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 2; Luke 2” Like Jesus, the children you teach have an important mission to prepare for. What can they learn from Jesus’s example?

  • As you read Luke 2:40, 52, tell the children to listen for the things Jesus did. Invite the children to share ways in which they have grown since they were little. Share your own experience of learning the gospel little by little. Bear your testimony of the Savior.

Friend January 2020 “Growing Like Jesus” Growing like Jesus did spiritually, physically, intellectually, and socially by setting goals in the Personal Development: Children’s Guidebook. (“Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52).)

  • Complete activities that illustrate phrases in Luke 2:40, 52. For example, you could measure each child’s height (“Jesus increased in … stature”) or ask the children to share their favorite scripture (“waxed strong in spirit”). Help the children notice ways they are growing and share these with their families.
  • After reviewing Luke 2:40, 52, invite the children to share what they think Jesus would have been like when He was their age. How would He have treated His mother? His brothers and sisters?

I can follow Jesus’s example.

Luke 2:41–52

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 2; Luke 2” Even as a young man, Jesus was teaching the gospel in the temple. Similarly, the children in your class have much to teach those around them.

  • Invite a child to come prepared to summarize the story in Luke 2:41–52. To help the children understand the story, teach what the “Father’s business” (verse 49) means. For example, you could tell the children what you or your parents do for a job. What was the job or “business” of Joseph, Jesus’s earthly father? (see Matthew 13:55). What is the business of His Heavenly Father? (see Luke 2:46–49; see also Moses 1:39).

What is the “Father’s business”? (Luke 2:49; see Moses 1:39; General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1.2, ChurchofJesusChrist.org). What do we learn about that business from the story in Luke 2:41–49? Consider writing down some ways your family can participate in the Father’s business and placing them in a jar. During the coming week, as your family looks for ways to help with Heavenly Father’s work, they can select ideas from the jar. Plan a time when you will share your experiences. Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 2, Luke 2”)

  • With the children, read Luke 2:46–49, and ask, “How was Jesus doing His ‘Father’s business’?” Help the children list or draw on the board ways they can help do Heavenly Father’s business too.
  • To help the children build their confidence that they, like the boy Jesus, can teach the gospel, help them practice teaching each other a principle from For the Strength of Youth.

Friend February 2016

Friend February 2016

Friend December 1991 “I Have a Testimony of Jesus Christ”

Friend March 2018 “Jesus was a Child Too!” Action poem

Friend January 2020 “Growing Like Jesus” Growing like Jesus did spiritually, physically, intellectually, and socially by setting goals in the Personal Development: Children’s Guidebook. (“Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52).)

Jesus Calls His Twelve Disciples (Apostles)

A Disciple is Someone who Receives God’s Law and Obeys it.

Doctrine and Covenants 41:5

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “Doctrine and Covenants 41–44”

  • Write Doctrine and Covenants 41:5 on a piece of paper, leaving blanks where the word “disciple” should be. Ask the children to fill in the blanks, looking in Doctrine and Covenants 41:5 if they need help. What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? A disciple is someone who receives God’s law and obeys it. Share how you are striving to be a better disciple of Christ.
  • After discussing Doctrine and Covenants 41:5, ask the children to think of laws we have received from the Lord. Invite them to take turns acting out obeying one of those laws while the rest of the class tries to guess what it is.
  • Give each class member a strip of paper, and ask them to write on it one way they can be a better disciple. Invite each child to share what they wrote, and then tape the strips together to create a paper chain.

Friend January 2023 “Catching Fish” Some of Jesus Christ’s disciples were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Can you find which child is about to catch which fish?

For the Strength of Youth February 2023 “Who Were Jesus Christ’s Early Apostles?”

Jesus Teaches

Sermon on the Mount

Matthew CHAPTER 5 Jesus preaches the Sermon on the Mount—Its teachings replace and transcend some aspects of the law of Moses—All are commanded to be perfect like their Father in Heaven.

Luke CHAPTER 6 Jesus heals on the Sabbath—He chooses the Twelve Apostles—He pronounces blessings upon the obedient and woes upon the wicked. Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:3–12

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 5; Luke 6” As you read Matthew 5:3–12, what words and phrases stand out to you? How will these teachings bless the lives of the children you teach?

Explain that the beginning of Jesus’s sermon includes what is known as the “Beatitudes.” Beatitude means to be blessed or happy. In these verses, Jesus identified attributes that He and His Father possess that lead to true happiness in this life and in the life to come. Developing these attributes will help you become more like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

  • Create a chart on the board with two columns labeled Blessed are … and Blessing. Invite the children to search Matthew 5:3–12 looking for the qualities of those Jesus said would be blessed and the blessings He promised them. Then fill in the chart with what they find. Discuss with the children what each quality and corresponding blessing mean.

Lesson 34: Jesus Teaches the Beatitudes (Click on link for instructions and printouts for this activity.)

image
  • Write each quality from these verses on a card and its corresponding blessing on a card. For example, one card would say “meek,” and another would say “inherit the earth” (verse 5). Let the children match the qualities and the blessings. Ask the children to pick one of the qualities in these verses that they want to develop.

Friend March 2019 “Sermon on the Mount” The scriptures teach us about a special talk (or “sermon”) that Jesus gave called the Sermon on the Mount. Look up the scriptures below and match them with what Jesus taught.

Friend April 2004 “If I Choose to Obey, I’ll Be Happy All Day!” In the Sermon on the Mount (see Matt. 5; 3 Ne. 12) Jesus taught us how to live so we can be happy. Some of these teachings are known as the Beatitudes. Beatitude means “happiness” or “blessing.” To make a Beatitude Book, glue page 29 onto a sheet of paper. Cut on the solid lines. Glue the second strip to the tab on the first strip. Fold back and forth on the dotted lines.

Friend March 1984 link includes instructions

Friend February 2023 “Scripture Toss” Put this page on the ground. Take turns tossing a beanbag onto the paper. When the beanbag lands on a square, read that scripture verse. If someone has already read that verse, tell what it means to you. Or you can tell how you can do what it teaches.

Friend February 2023 “How to Have Joy” When we follow Jesus Christ, we are blessed even in hard times. Read what Jesus promised us in Matthew 5 and fill in the blanks.

Friend February 2023 “Come, Follow Me Activities for Little Ones”Tell your little ones that we are happy when we choose the right like Jesus did. Hang up a paper with a smiley face drawn on it. Add a smiley face each time your little ones make a “happy” choice.

Liahona February 2023 “Building on the Teachings of Jesus Christ”

Blessed by the Beatitudes

In Matthew 5, the Savior teaches His disciples a higher law to live by so they can become like Him.

  1. Read the beatitudes in Matthew 5:1–12. Talk about each characteristic and the promise that goes with it.
  2. Write each person’s name on a separate sheet of paper.
  3. Give each person a paper, making sure they don’t get one with their own name written on it.
  4. Have everyone draw a picture of a time when the person on their paper exemplified one of the beatitudes. Write a sentence about it. For example, “Hannah is a peacemaker because she shared with her sister.”
  5. Look up the blessing associated with that beatitude and write it at the bottom of the page.
  6. Take turns sharing what was written.
Friend February 1988
Friend February 1988

Jesus Taught About Prayer

Friend March 2019 “Jesus Taught about Prayer” Jesus taught the steps of prayer in the Sermon on the Mount”

Parables

Parable of the Talents

Friend July 2015- Parable of the Talents - includes lesson ideas
Friend July 2015– Parable of the Talents – includes lesson ideas

For the Strength of Youth February 2023 “The Talents”

Parable of the Sower

Liahona January 2023 “Prepare Your Spiritual Soil” Lesson ideas

Parable of the Good Samaritan

The Savior is our Good Samaritan, sent “to heal the brokenhearted” [ Luke 4:18 ; see also Isaiah 61:1 ]. He comes to us when others pass us by. With compassion, He places His healing balm on our wounds and binds them up. He carries us. He cares for us.

(Neil L. Andersen, “Wounded,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018,

Liahona April 2023 “Finding Ourselves on the Road to Jericho” Taking a closer look at some possible symbols in the parable of the good Samaritan allows us to see how the story could apply to us today. (Interpretations come from John W. Welch, “The Good Samaritan: Forgotten Symbols,” Liahona, Feb. 2007, 26–33.)

Parable of the Good Shepherd

See above link for lesson ideas about the good shepherd.

Jesus Blesses the Children

Friend May 2019 “Family Night Fun”

  1. Before home evening, put a picture of Jesus on one side of the room. (You could use the picture on page 69 of *CFM.) Then sit on the other side of the room and read “Jesus Blesses the Children” on page FJ4. How can we “come unto Jesus” like in the story?
  2. Have everyone stand up and take turns saying what they can do to come unto Jesus by following Him.
  3. With each idea, take a step toward the picture of Christ. Keep helping each other think of good things until everyone is with Jesus together! Then talk about what it means that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. (See *CFM, page 66.)

Jesus’s Miracles

Raising the Dead

Friend August 2015
Friend August 2015 – Lazarus

Jesus Feeds

Friend February 2021 “Jesus Shared the Gospel” People are hungry when their body needs food. They are hungry in a different way when they need to hear the gospel. One day thousands of people came to see Jesus. Jesus fed them all with just five loaves of bread and a few fish. The next day, the people came to Jesus again. Jesus told them to look for a different kind of bread. “I am the bread of life,” He said. If people find Him and His gospel, their spirits will never be hungry again.

Jesus Calms the Storm

Friend September 2013 “Jesus Calms the Tempest”

Friend September 2021 “Singing for Jesus” Songs about Jesus can bring us peace and comfort

Friend August 2022 “Bright Idea”

Jesus Heals

A Woman Touches Jesus’s Clothes

Friend February 2023 “Jesus Heals a Woman”

Jesus has power to perform miracles.

Matthew 8; Mark 2–3; Luke 7

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 8; Mark 2–4; Luke 7” As you read about the Savior’s miracles of healing, ponder which miracles to share. How can you help the children you teach understand the role of faith in the miracles Jesus performed?

  • Share the account of the man with palsy from Mark 2:1–12. For help, see “Chapter 23: The Man Who Could Not Walk” (in New Testament Stories, 57–58, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Explain that the man with palsy could not walk. Help them recognize that this man was healed by the Savior.
  • Invite the children to talk about a time when they were sick. Tell one of the accounts of Jesus healing the sick, such as Matthew 8:1–4, 5–13, 14–15; Mark 3:1–5; Luke 7:11–16. Invite the children to retell the story in their own words. Testify that Jesus’s power can heal, bless, and comfort us.

Friend May 2016 “Bad Day in the Badlands” Topher and his classmates get sick on a school trip. Topher gets a priesthood blessing.

Friend May 2016
Friend May 2016
  • “Jesus Heals the Sick” (April 2015 Liahona and Friend)
    Figures to tell stories from New Testament about Jesus Healing the Sick.
Friend April 2015
Friend April 2015  Lesson Ideas

Matthew 8:1–4 ; Mark 1:40–42 Jesus heals a leper.A leper would have been shunned from society because leprosy was a painful, contagious, and sometimes deadly disease. Most people would have avoided approaching or touching him.

“Lesson 13: Jesus Christ Heals the Sick,” Primary 7: New Testament Explain that lepers suffer a terrible form of skin disease. Because leprosy was thought to be highly contagious, those with the disease were often not allowed to live in the cities and they were shunned by those without leprosy.

After Jesus healed the leper, what did He ask him to do? (Mark 1:43–44.) What does this tell us about how we should help others?

Matthew 8:5–8, 13 Jesus heals a centurion’s servant.A centurion was a commanding officer of about 100 men in the Roman military. Many Jews in Jesus’s day hated Roman soldiers because of religious differences and because they represented the nation that had conquered them.

Jesus healed man with withered hand on the Sabbath.

What do you learn about Jesus Christ from these miracles?

Jesus can perform miracles in my life as I have faith in Him.

Matthew 8; Mark 2–3; Luke 7

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 8; Mark 2–4; Luke 7” Jesus performed many miracles during His mortal ministry. How can you help the children be aware that miracles happen today?

  • Ask the children to act out how they feel when they are sick, sad, afraid, or worried. How can Jesus help us when we have these feelings? Testify that Jesus can help the children in all of these situations.
Friend April 2019

Friend March 2019 “Missing Mom and Dad” Dylan’s mom and dad were going on a trip, and he was going to stay with his grandparents. He loved staying with his grandparents, but for some reason he was scared about being away from his mom and dad for so long. He decided to pray for help, and he received comforting thoughts and feelings.

Friend January 2018

  • Invite the children to share experiences when they or someone they know received a priesthood blessing. How was that person healed or blessed?

Friend May 2016 “Bad Day in the Badlands” Topher and his classmates get sick on a school trip. Topher gets a priesthood blessing.

Friend May 2016
Friend May 2016

The Last Supper – Sacrament

Friend April 2017 “Jesus Gave Us the Sacrament”

“The Sacrament Helps Us Remember Jesus” Friend September 2015 

Friend September 2015
Friend September 2015

Life of Jesus

Friend April 2017 “Jesus Gave Us the Sacrament”

After Jesus’ Resurrection

Paul

Friend August 2019 “Paul Repents”

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Friend September 1986 “Saul Becomes Paul” Story

Friend November 2015
Friend November 2015

“Paul Testifies of Christ” – Link includes story of the prison earthquake miracle, and it also includes lesson ideas.

Friend November 2015
Friend November 2015

Friend October 2019 “Paul’s Missionary Journeys”

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Coloring Page: Jesus Can Help Me Do Hard Things

Friend November 2019 “James Taught the Gospel” James, the brother of Jesus, taught the gospel and helped lead the church when he grew up. One of his teachings in James 1:5. says that if we have questions, we can ask God. Many years after James wrote this scripture, a boy named Joseph Smith read it. He prayed to know which church to join. Joseph’s prayer was answered!When I have questions, I can ask God, like James taught. (Memorize James 1:5 as a family. Talk about how this verse led Joseph Smith to receive the First Vision.)

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Coloring Page: I Can Learn From the Scriptures