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.
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:
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.
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.
- 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.
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).
- 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.)
“Lesson 33: The Sacrament Reminds Us of Our Covenants,” Primary 3
- 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 Articles of Faith 1:4.
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
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.
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.
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.
- 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?
Jesus Christ offers me “living water.”
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?
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
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “John 2-4”
Is God a spirit?
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 the Baptist teaches that Jesus is the Christ. See New Testament Seminary Teacher Manual “John 3” for lesson ideas
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