“John 14–17,” New Testament Institute Teacher Manual (2025)
Not My Will, But Thine, by Dan Wilson
John 14–17
On the final evening of His mortal ministry, the Savior taught His Apostles important truths about love, obedience, and the Holy Ghost. These truths would prepare them for their roles as leaders in His kingdom. Before entering the Garden of Gethsemane, the Savior offered the Intercessory Prayer.
Additional Resources
Scripture Helps: New Testament, “John 14–17”
Note: The “Introduction to the Course” provides guidance on how to use the four standard lesson elements that follow.
Encouraging Personal Study
Before class, consider sending students one or more of the following messages or some of your own:
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Some people believe that truth is relative—that we each can decide for ourselves what is true. Read John 14:1–6, looking for the Savior’s view of truth.
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How often do you try to do things on your own? Read John 15:1–8, and ponder why you always need the Savior.
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Do you need help to get through the day? Read John 14:16, 26–27; 15:26–27; 16:13–14, and reflect on how the Holy Ghost can help you.
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As you read John 17, ponder what it might be like to hear the Savior pray for you.
Questions and Sharing
Provide time for students to ask questions and share insights and truths they discovered in their personal study of John 14–17.
Skill Training
John 14:6 might be a helpful place to use the skill “Using Teachings of Church Leaders to Understand the Scriptures” in Scripture Study Skills.
Learning Activity Options
Multiple learning options are provided for you and your students. Prayerfully choose which option or options will be most meaningful for your class.
What does it mean that Jesus Christ is “the way, the truth, and the life”?
Consider discussing the following scenario:
After you invite a friend to learn more about Jesus Christ and His gospel, he or she responds: “While I respect your beliefs in Jesus, I don’t think He is relevant to my life. Jesus is just one of many great moral teachers. Whether I follow Him or someone else doesn’t really matter. What matters is that I find my truth and live it my way.”
Invite students to read John 14:1–6, looking for a truth that they could share with the friend in the scenario. Consider reading John 13:36–37 and pointing out that John 14:1–6 was in response to Peter’s concern that he could not go with the Lord. Consider asking:
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What does Jesus Christ teach about truth? (Help students identify a principle like the following: Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.)
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Why is it important to know that Jesus Christ is “the way, the truth, and the life” and not simply a way, a truth, or a life? (Consider reading and discussing Acts 4:12; Mosiah 3:17.)
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How does knowing that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life” affect your faith in Him? How can this belief influence your decisions and actions?
Invite students to read John 14:6–13 and look for how Jesus Christ shows us the way to Heavenly Father.
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How have the teachings, example, and Atonement of Jesus Christ helped you draw closer to Heavenly Father?
To deepen students’ understanding of John 14:6, invite them to use the search function in Gospel Library to find Church leaders’ teachings about this verse (see the skill “Using Teachings of Church Leaders to Understand the Scriptures” in Scripture Study Skills). Encourage students to highlight and tag the quotes they find especially meaningful (see the skill “Tagging Scriptures and Other Gospel Teachings” in Scripture Study Skills).
Give students time to share Church leaders’ teachings they find most relevant and meaningful. As students share, you could ask questions that invite application, such as:
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How could you apply this teaching to your life?
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When have you been blessed by living this teaching?
You could invite students to review the scenario from the beginning of the learning activity. They could discuss how they would respond based on what they have learned today.
What does it mean to abide in the Savior?
Consider displaying a branch that has been cut from a tree, shrub, or small plant. Discuss what will eventually happen to the branch. Invite students to read John 15:1–8 and look for what the Savior taught using the analogy of a branch separated from a vine.
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What does the title “true vine” teach us about Jesus Christ? What might the fruits represent?
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What does this analogy teach you about your relationship with the Savior? (Students may identify a principle like the following: As I abide in Jesus Christ, I will bring forth “much fruit.”)
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What fruits, or blessings, have come into your life as you have relied on the Savior?
Consider discussing the following statement by President Jeffrey R. Holland (or you might choose to watch “True Vine” [2:37]):
The English verb “abide” … means “to remain, to stay.” …
Jesus said, “Without me ye can do nothing” [John 15:5]. … Christ is everything to us and we are to “abide” in Him permanently, unyieldingly, steadfastly, forever. For the fruit of the gospel to blossom and bless our lives, we must be firmly attached to Him, the Savior of us all, and to this His Church, which bears His holy name. He is the vine that is our true source of strength and the only source of eternal life. In Him we not only will endure but also will prevail and triumph in this holy cause that will never fail us. (“Abide in Me,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 32)
Display the following incomplete statements, and invite students to complete the one that resonates most with them. Or students could create one of their own.
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When facing a serious health challenge, I can abide in the Savior by …
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When I have questions about the gospel or the Church, I can abide in the Savior by …
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When someone has hurt me or treated me unfairly, I can abide in the Savior by …
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When a loved one dies, I can abide in the Savior by …
Invite students to share and explain their completed statements. Encourage them to continue to look for ways they can more fully abide in Christ in their everyday lives.
How can God’s love change my life?
Consider reading the following statement by President Susan H. Porter, or watch “I Feel My Savior’s Love” (3:39). Then discuss why experiencing God’s love is a life-changing experience.
When you know and understand how completely you are loved as a child of God, it changes everything. (“God’s Love: The Most Joyous to the Soul,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 33)
Explain that on the final evening of His mortal ministry, Jesus taught His disciples important truths about love. Invite students to work in small groups to study John 14:15–24; 15:9–14, looking for truths about love. To deepen their understanding of what the Savior taught, they could look for connections between love and …
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Obedience.
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Heavenly Father.
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Jesus Christ.
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The Holy Ghost.
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Other people.
(Truths that students might find include the following: If we love the Lord, we will strive to keep His commandments. The Lord promises the Holy Ghost to those who love Him and keep His commandments. We are commanded to love one another as Jesus loves us.)
You could invite groups to share the truths they found. Consider whether any of the following questions could help your students feel the importance of what they are learning:
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What have you learned from the Savior’s life about love and obedience?
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How have you felt when you have kept the commandments out of love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
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When have you felt God’s love through the Holy Ghost? How did it affect you?
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When have you experienced Christlike love for someone or from someone?
To conclude this learning activity, you could invite students to reflect on what they can do to allow God’s love to change their lives.
Note: It is common for people to say that God’s love is unconditional. If this conversation comes up in class, consider reading and discussing the following statement by Elder D. Todd Christofferson:
There are many ways to describe and speak of divine love. One of the terms we hear often today is that God’s love is “unconditional.” While in one sense that is true, the descriptor unconditional appears nowhere in scripture. Rather, His love is described in scripture as “great and wonderful love” [Doctrine and Covenants 138:3], “perfect love” [1 John 4:18], “redeeming love” [Alma 5:26], and “everlasting love” [Jeremiah 31:3]. These are better terms because the word unconditional can convey mistaken impressions about divine love, such as, God tolerates and excuses anything we do because His love is unconditional, or God makes no demands upon us because His love is unconditional, or all are saved in the heavenly kingdom of God because His love is unconditional. God’s love is infinite and it will endure forever, but what it means for each of us depends on how we respond to His love. (“Abide in My Love,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 48)
John 14:16, 26–27; 15:26–27; 16:13–14, 33
Why do I need the Holy Ghost?
Consider displaying the following statement by President Russell M. Nelson.
In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost. (“Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 96)
Invite students to discuss why “it will not be possible to survive spiritually” without the Holy Ghost.
Explain that during the final evening of His mortal ministry, Jesus promised to send His disciples the Holy Ghost. He taught them important truths about the profound impact the Holy Ghost can have on our lives.
Invite students to search John 14:16, 26–27; 15:26–27; 16:13–14 for different ways to complete the following statement to reflect a truth they learned: The Holy Ghost … Students could do this as a class or in small groups. Then invite students to write their statements on the board. (Encourage students to mark or tag truths they discover.)
The following are some possible ways students may complete the statement:
The Holy Ghost …
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teaches us all things. (John 14:26)
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brings all things to our remembrance. (John 14:26)
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brings us peace. (John 14:27)
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comforts. (John 14:16; 15:26)
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testifies of Christ. (John 15:26)
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guides us into all truth. (John 16:13)
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shows us things to come. (John 16:13)
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glorifies the Savior. (John 16:14)
Invite students to think of a time when the Holy Ghost influenced them in one of the ways listed on the board. Students could share their experience with a partner, a small group, or the class.
It is common for young adults to have questions about how the Holy Ghost operates in their lives. You could display the questions below and ask students to select one they feel is most relevant to them. Then invite students to imagine they are a Church leader at a Face to Face devotional and have been asked the question they selected. Invite students to share their responses.
If helpful, you could share one or more of the following videos to learn how others, including Church leaders, have answered these questions.
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“How can I tell the difference between the Holy Ghost and my emotions?” (4:39)
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“How can I feel the Holy Ghost more often?” (4:12)
4:12 -
“How does the Holy Spirit guide?” (3:25)
3:25
Invite students to identify something they can do to invite the Spirit into their lives.
What might Jesus include in a prayer for me?
Invite students to think of a time when they prayed for another person or when they heard someone else pray for them or others. Have one or two students share how they felt.
Remind students that the Savior prayed for us just before He entered the Garden of Gethsemane. This is known as the Intercessory Prayer. Clarify that an intercessor is someone who advocates or pleads on behalf of another.
Invite students to study John 17:3, 11–17, 22–26 in pairs or small groups and to mark in their scriptures how they could complete the following statement: Jesus Christ prayed that we might …
After students have had time to read, ask them to report what they found and to write their responses on the board. Your completed list might look something like this: Jesus Christ prayed that we might …
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have eternal life. (John 17:2–3)
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know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. (John 17:3)
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be kept (protected) by Heavenly Father. (John 17:11)
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be one, as He and His Father are one. (John 17:11, 21–23)
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be kept from the evil of the world. (John 17:11, 14–16)
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have His joy. (John 17:13)
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be sanctified. (John 17:17, 19)
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be made perfect. (John 17:23)
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be with Him. (John 17:24)
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have the Father’s love. (John 17:26)
After the list is complete, you could ask:
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What does this prayer teach you about Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father?
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How do you feel about the Savior, knowing He wants you to have these blessings?
To help students understand the connection between the Savior’s Intercessory Prayer and His Atonement, remind them that He gave this prayer just before suffering in the garden. Erase the incomplete statement “Jesus Christ prayed that we might …” and replace it with “Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we may …”
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What connections do you see between the Intercessory Prayer and the Atonement of Jesus Christ? (Help students identify the truth that because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we may receive the blessings He prayed for in His Intercessory Prayer.)
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How do you feel about the Savior, knowing He gave His life so you could have these blessings?
Consider asking students to review the list on the board and to choose one or two blessings they would like to have in their lives. Invite students to pray regularly for the Lord to grant them those blessings.