“February 6–12. John 2–4: ‘Ye Must Be Born Again,’” Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: New Testament 2023 (2022)
“February 6–12. John 2–4,” Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: 2023
February 6–12
John 2–4
“Ye Must Be Born Again”
Reading John 2–4 is a good way to start preparing to teach. Record any spiritual impressions you receive, and use this outline to find additional insights and teaching ideas.
Invite Sharing
Write three headings on the board: John 2, John 3, and John 4. Class members could take a few minutes to review these chapters and then write under each heading a verse that helped them understand the doctrine and events in that chapter. Discuss the verses they wrote.
Teach the Doctrine
Jesus Christ’s miracles “manifested forth his glory.”
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This week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families suggests reading John 2:1–11 from the perspective of someone who was present when Jesus turned water into wine. Perhaps class members could share insights they gained from doing this. What do we learn about the Savior from these verses? How did this miracle manifest the glory of God? (see verse 11).
We can defend sacred places and things.
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To help class members learn from the account of Jesus driving the money changers out of the temple, you might ask them to think of other things, in addition to temples, that the Lord considers sacred. How can we help preserve the sanctity of these sacred things?
We must be born again to enter the kingdom of God.
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How might we explain to someone what it means to be born again? Consider inviting class members to practice how they would answer this question with the person sitting next to them. As they do, they could discuss questions like these: What do we learn from Jesus’s words in John 3:3–7? How do repentance, baptism, and confirmation help us be born again? The statements in “Additional Resources” could add to this discussion.
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Some people believe that a person can’t really change. Nicodemus, however, is an example of someone who did change as a result of following the gospel of Jesus Christ. To help class members see this, you could invite them to search John 3:1–2; John 7:45–52; and John 19:38–40. What do we learn from these passages about Nicodemus’s attitudes and beliefs? How did he change over time? What examples can we share of people who have changed because of the gospel?
Jesus Christ offers us “living water” and the “meat” of doing God’s work.
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Our bodies need food and water daily. Jesus referred to these universal needs when He taught both the Samaritan woman and His disciples (see John 4:5–34). To help class members understand what the Savior was teaching, you could put pictures of food and water on the board and invite class members to write under each picture the truths about spiritual food and water that Jesus taught. How does the Savior satisfy our spiritual hunger and spiritual thirst?
Imagestream of waterJesus Christ offers us living water.
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Reflecting on the progression of the Samaritan woman’s testimony of Jesus Christ can help your class members ponder how they have come to know He is the Messiah. As a class, look for the terms the Samaritan woman used to refer to the Savior in John 4:6–30. What do these terms imply about her knowledge of who Jesus was? How have we grown in our testimonies that He is our Savior?
Additional Resources
What it means to be born again.
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. Indeed, the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ entails a fundamental and permanent change in our very nature made possible through our reliance upon ‘the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah’ (2 Nephi 2:8). 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).
President Dallin H. Oaks taught: “We were born again when we entered into a covenant relationship with our Savior by being born of water and of the Spirit and by taking upon us the name of Jesus Christ. We can renew that rebirth each Sabbath when we partake of the sacrament. Latter-day Saints affirm that those who have been born again in this way are spiritually begotten sons and daughters of Jesus Christ (see Mosiah 5:7; 15:9–13; 27:25). Nevertheless, 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).
Improving Our Teaching
The teacher is no better than the learner. Your role as a teacher is important, but you are not the sole source of inspiration in the class. Help class members learn from the Spirit and share with each other what they learn.