“January 23–29. Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3: ‘Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord,’” Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: New Testament 2023 (2022)
“January 23–29. Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3,” Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: 2023
Stained-glass window in Nauvoo Illinois Temple, by Tom Holdman
January 23–29
Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3
“Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord”
As you read and ponder Matthew 3; Mark 1; and Luke 3, record the impressions you receive. This will invite the Spirit as you prepare to teach. In addition to the teaching ideas in this outline, the study ideas in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families can be adapted to use with your class.
Invite Sharing
To help class members share how learning from the New Testament is blessing their lives, you could write the following question on the board: What did you do because of what you read in the New Testament this week? Invite class members to share their answers.
Teach the Doctrine
Disciples prepare themselves and others to receive Jesus Christ.
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How do we prepare for the visit of an important guest? A question like this can help you introduce a discussion about how John the Baptist prepared people to receive Jesus Christ. You could then divide the class into three groups. Each group could read either Matthew 3:1–6; Matthew 3:7–12; or Luke 3:10–15, looking for how John the Baptist prepared people to receive Jesus Christ into their lives. Let each group take a turn sharing what they found.
John the Baptist Preaching in the Wilderness, by Robert T. Barrett
We need to bring forth “fruits worthy of repentance.”
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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.
We follow Jesus Christ by being baptized and receiving the Holy Ghost.
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To review the story of Jesus Christ’s baptism, try this idea: Ask class members how they could use Matthew 3:13–17 to teach someone, such as a child or someone of another faith, about baptism. (They could also use the picture in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families.) What important elements of baptism would they emphasize? They could practice their ideas by teaching each other.
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To help class members reflect on the importance of living their baptismal covenants, you might invite someone to read Elder Bednar’s statement in “Additional Resources.” Class members might enjoy sharing their feelings about their own baptisms and their baptismal covenants. They could also sing a hymn about following the Savior, such as “Come, Follow Me” (Hymns, no. 116).
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John the Baptist taught that the Savior would baptize “with the Holy Ghost, and with fire” (Matthew 3:11). The baptism of fire happens when we are confirmed and we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Why must we have the gift of the Holy Ghost to progress in God’s kingdom? What effect does the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost have on us? (see Alma 5:14). The video “Baptism of the Holy Ghost” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org) could help with this discussion.
Additional Resources
Our baptismal covenants.
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).
Improving Our Teaching
Teach basic doctrine. Hyrum Smith taught, “Preach the first principles of the Gospel—preach them over again; you will find that day after day, new ideas and additional light concerning them will be revealed to you. You can enlarge upon them so as to comprehend them clearly. You will then be able to make them more plainly understood by those you teach” (in History, 1838–1856 [Manuscript History of the Church], volume E-1, 1994, josephsmithpapers.org).