The Gospel of John - BaptistWay Press

BAPTISTWAY PRESS 

Dallas, Texas 

baptistwaypress.org 

Adult 

Bible Study 

in 

Simplified 

English 

Study 

Guide 

The Gospel of John 

THE WORD BECAME FLESH 

INCLUDES BONUS CHRISTMAS LESSON 

Carolyn Cree

ADULT BIBLE STUDY IN SIMPLIFIED ENGLISH 

Study Guide 

Copyright © 2007 by BAPTISTWAY PRESS®. 

All rights reserved. 

The Gospel of John: 

The Word Became Flesh 

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW LIFE Version, 

Copyright © 1969, 1976, 1978, 1983, 1986, Christian Literature International, 

P. O. Box 777, Canby, OR 97013. Used by permission. Identified by “N.L.V.” 

First edition: February 2007 

BAPTISTWAY Management Team 

Executive Director, Baptist General Convention of Texas: Charles Wade 

Director, Missions, Evangelism, and Ministry Team: Wayne Shuffield 

Ministry Team Leader: Phil Miller 

Publisher: Ross West 

Language Materials Team 

Writer for The Gospel of John Study Guide 

Carolyn Cree, University Baptist Church, Fort Worth, Texas 

Editor for The Gospel of John Study Guide 

Janet Roberts, Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, Texas 

Jane Wilson, Facilitator for Basic English Team, Youth Ministry/Youth Bible Study Specialist; Missions, 

Evangelism and Ministry; Baptist General Convention of Texas 

Patty Lane, Director, Office of Intercultural Ministries, Baptist General Convention of Texas 

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Adult Bible Study in Simplified English - Study Guide Introduction 

The Gospel of John: The Word Became Flesh 

Many people love the Gospel of John more than any other book in the New Testament. The 

more we study this gospel, the more we come to love it. John had thought about Jesus more 

than seventy years. Now he was near the end of his life. He wanted people to know what he 

knew about Jesus. He wanted people to know what Jesus said. He wanted people to know 

what he meant. 

This gospel is the work of John. But it is also the work of the Holy Spirit. We can learn 

what Jesus meant. John and the church at Ephesus wrote this so that we can understand and 

believe. 

Unit 1—Jesus’ Public Ministry 

Lesson 1 From Eternity to Here John 1:1-12, 15-18, 29-36, 43-45 

Lesson 2 Searching for Real Life John 3:1-16 

Lesson 3 Meeting the Savior of the World John 4:1-30, 39-42 

Lesson 4 Honoring the Son John 5:1-24 

Lesson 5 Relying On Our Only Hope John 6: 1-15, 25-35, 48-51, 66-69 

Lesson 6 Believing in Jesus as the John 11:1-13, 17-27, 38-44 

Resurrection and the Life 

Unit 2—Jesus’ Farewell Message to His Disciples 

Lesson 7 Practice Love Beyond the Limits John 13:1-17, 34-35 

Lesson 8 Rest in Truth John 14:1-11, 15-18, 25-27 

Lesson 9 Stay United to Jesus John 15:1-17 

Lesson 10 What Jesus Wants for His Followers John 17 

Unit 3—Jesus’ Passion and Victory 

Lesson 11 It Is Finished John 19:13-30 

Lesson 12 I Send You John 20:1-21 

Lesson 13 What Is That to You? John 21:15-23 

Christmas Lesson After Jesus Was Born Matthew 2:1-12 

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Adult Bible Study in Simplified English - Study Guide 

The Gospel of John: The Word Became Flesh 

Word List 

Lesson 1 

recognize: to see and know 

divine: God, very wonderful 

disciple: someone who follows and learns 

from another; here, a follower of Jesus 

Lesson 2 

wealthy: very rich, have a lot of money 

Pharisee: a proud religious law-keeper, an 

honored religious leader 

pledge: a promise to be faithful 

Lesson 3 

sympathy: feeling sorry for someone, 

wanting to help 

embarrass: feel bad about yourself or 

something you have done 

Lesson 4 

satisfied: nothing more needed or wanted 

superstition: a belief in things that are not 

true because of fear or not understanding the 

facts 

cancer: a disease in which certain cells 

grow too fast and may cause death 

Lesson 5 

relying: depending on for needs; trusting 

sympathy: feeling sorry for someone and 


barley: a kind of grain, like wheat or rye 

confessed: told something that is true; told 

sins to ask forgiveness 

Lesson 6 

resurrection: dead and then alive again 

treatments: things done by a doctor to try to 

cure a person 

miracle: an amazing thing that only God 

can do 

Lesson 7 

character: all the things a person does, 

feels and thinks which show what kind of 

person he/she is 

argument: a talk where the people talking 

do not agree 

custom: The usual way of doing things. 

symbol: an object, mark or thing that has 

the meaning of something else, $ is a 

symbol for dollar. 

3

Study Guide 

Word List 

Lesson 8 

cultures: the ways of life of people from 

different places or different times that define 

them as a group 

protected: kept safe against harm or danger 

confused: troubled and unsure of the facts 

advice: to give an answer about what to do 

or how to do something 

obedience: choosing to do what we are told 

to do and then doing it 

Lesson 9 

produce: things grown on a farm; 

vegetables and fruit 

abide: to stay faithful and true to; to stay 

with 

pruned: cut away dead or unwanted 

branches of a tree, vine, or bush 

produce: to grow, give or make something 

mature: ripe, fully grown, or ready to eat 

Lesson 10 

testimony: a true story about yourself 

sufferers: those who feel pain, discomfort, 

or grief 

cruel: causing pain or suffering to someone 

else; unkind 

enemies: those who are against us 

victory: win over our enemies 

Lesson 11 

sentence: the decision by a judge of how a 

guilty person is to be punished for a crime 

criminals: people guilty of a crime 

innocent: not guilty 

crucified: died on a cross 

crucifixion: death on a cross 

support: help, be with, or give whatever is 

needed 

Lesson 12 

shocked: very surprised 

amazed: filled with joy and wonder 

convinced: made to believe something is true 

ordinary: usual, normal, or expected. 

Lesson 13 

denied: said it was not true 

face: to think of doing with courage 

pay attention: look at or think about only one 

thing 

Christmas Lesson 

decorated: added colorful and pretty things to 

make it look special 

sacrifice: a gift given to God in worship 

suspicious: believe something bad about 

others without proof 

4

JESUS’ PUBLIC MINISTRY 

Adult Bible Study 

in SimplifiedEnglish 

Lesson 1 

From Eternity to Here 

John 1:1-12, 15-18, 

29-36, 43-45 

Lesson 2 

Searching for Real Life 

John 3:1-16 

Lesson 3 

Meeting the Savior 

of the World 

John 4:1-30, 39-42 

Lesson 4 

Honoring the Son 


Unit One has six lessons on John 1-11. The unit begins with 

a study of the whole Gospel of John. It points to its meaning. 

The next lesson is about Jesus’ talk with Nicodemus. It is 

followed by Jesus’ talk with the Samaritan woman. Jesus 

healed the lame man. Then, Jesus fed the 5,000. The last 

lesson deals with the raising of Lazarus. 

All these lessons show Jesus in places where the 

people were and with the people that He loves so much. 

This is the meaning of “public ministry.” It is telling the 

good news of God to all people. It is healing and helping 

those who need it the most. It is preaching and teaching. 

The first lesson also tells about John the Baptist who 

had a public ministry. His public ministry ended not long 

after Jesus’ public ministry began. He told others to follow 

Jesus. Let’s learn about the public ministry of Jesus. 

Lesson 5 

Relying on Our Only Hope 


Lesson 6 

Believing in Jesus as the 


John 11:1-13, 17-27, 38-44 

Carolyn Cree wrote the study guide for The Gospel of John: The Word 

Became Flesh. Carolyn has been a teacher and director of 

international programs since 1971. She is the author of the book Beyond 

the Golden Door: A Layman’s Ministry to International Families. She 

and her husband, Dick live in Fort Worth, Texas, and are members of 

University Baptist Church in Fort Worth. They have two daughters and 

two grandchildren. 

5

JOHN –The Word Became Flesh • Unit 1: Jesus’ Public Ministry • Lesson 1: From Eternity to Here Page 6 

Lesson 

1 

Adult Bible Study in 

Simplified English 

Bible Text 


29-36, 43-45 

Memory Verse 

“The Word (Christ) 

was in the beginning. 

The Word was with 

God. The Word was 

God. He was with 

God in the beginning. 

He made all things… 

His Life was the Light 

for men.” 

(John 1:1-3a, 4b) 

Word List 

recognize: to see and 

know 

divine: God, very 

wonderful 

disciple: someone 

who follows and 

learns from another; 

here, a follower of 

Jesus 

John began his book by telling about John the Baptist. John 

the Baptist was a very important man. He was sent from God to 

tell what he knew about Jesus. He wanted people to believe in 

Jesus. The Bible verses call Jesus the Light. The Light came into 

the world as a little baby. The Jews were expecting a great King. 

They were expecting great things. 

Jesus was born in a little town. His earthly father was a 

carpenter. Jesus grew up as a small-town boy. It is no wonder that 

the Jews did not recognize Him. 

The Word, Life, and Light (John 1:1-9) 

Christianity began with the Jews. But very soon after Jesus‟ 

death Christianity spread. Many Greek people became Christians. 

The Greeks did not understand the Jewish way of thinking. This 

was a problem for the church. 

John began to think about the problem. He lived in a Greek 

city. He knew the people. He knew that Jewish ideas were hard for 

the Greeks to understand. What could he say to help the Greeks 

understand? 

From Eternity to Here 

He thought of a plan. Both the Jews and the Greeks knew 

about The Word. Both of them could easily understand this. Jesus 

is the Word, the Life and the Light. In this gospel we find a great 

picture of Jesus. He was a human being. But He was also divine. 

Jesus lived before time began. He was God and He was 

with God. Jesus was God before there was a world. Right at the 

beginning of his Gospel, John tells us that Jesus (God) always was. 

He tells us that God will always be.


Things To 

Think About 

1.Think how hard it 

must have been for 

John to talk about 

Jesus when he had 

never seen Him. 

2. John knew Jesus 

was the Son of God 

right away. Would 

you know Him? 

3. We can know Jesus 

with our minds and 

with our hearts. 

The Gift rejected! (1:10-12) 

In those early days, when everyone looked forward to a 

Messiah ( the Son of God), so many did not recognize Him. We 

must be careful today not to miss who Jesus really is. Many 

people today do not know Him. “He came to His own, but His 

own did not receive Him” (1:11). 

Jesus was a Jew. He came to His own people, the Jews. 

But we must understand that we are all “His own.” Everything 

in the world belongs to Jesus. “The earth is the Lord‟s, and all 

that is in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1). 

If Jesus were here today, would we know Him? Most 

pictures we see are of a white man. He has long hair and a 

beard. But Jesus came from the Middle East part of the world. 

He would probably have had dark hair and a light tan face. Do 

you think we would know Him? 

When you know who Jesus is you can receive Him. He 

gives you the power to be a child of God. You can trust in 

Jesus. Are you a child of God? 

John the Baptist (1:15-18) 

John the Baptist began his work. He was helping people 

understand that the Messiah was coming. He was coming soon. 

He told the people that God had sent His Son, that we all might 

know Him. God sent His Son that we all might have everlasting 

life. 

Look at John 1: 19 - 28 in your own Bible. Some of the 

proud religious leaders came to John. They wanted to know 

who he was. They asked if he was Elijah. John was quick to tell


them that he was not. John said he was “ the Simon Peter. He told him they had found the 

voice of one crying in the desert. „Make the Messiah. Think how excited they must have 

road straight for the Lord,‟ as the early been. Jesus planned to return to Galilee. He 

preacher Isaiah said” (Isaiah 40:3). called Phillip to follow Him. 

John told them that there was one 

Philip found Nathanael and asked him 

who was greater than John. John knew that to “come and see” Jesus for himself (1:46). 

he was not worthy to take off Jesus‟ shoes. Jesus asked Andrew and Andrew‟s friend to 

John knew that Jesus was coming soon. He come also. These were the first disciples. 

wanted the people to look for this Son of There were other disciples that came later. 

God. He did not want them to think that 

Christ has asked us all to be His 

John was that One. 

disciples. The people Jesus chose to be 

disciples were not special men. They were 

John meets Jesus (1:29-36) hard working, simple people. That tells us 

John saw Jesus coming toward him. something. Jesus does not want only 

He knew Him right away. He called Him, educated people. He does not want only rich 

“The Lamb of God who takes away the sins people. Jesus wants people who follow Him. 

of the world”(1:29b). That must have been a He wants people who are believers. 

wonderful moment. John had been telling 

John was what every preacher and 

people about Jesus. And there He was! teacher ought to be. He was only a voice. He 

John saw the Holy Spirit coming pointed to the King. He did not want people 

down on Jesus. It was like a dove (bird). to look at him. He wanted them to forget 

John knew for sure that Jesus was the Son of him. He wanted them to see only the King. 

God. The next day, John saw Jesus again. Can people see Jesus in you? Do your 

John said, “See! The Lamb of God” (1:36b). thoughts and words tell people that you are a 

true Christian? Do you know in your heart 

Jesus picks His disciples (1:43-45) that Jesus is Lord? Would you like to know 

Andrew and the other disciple Jesus with you heart and not only with your 

followed Jesus. Andrew found his brother head?


1 The Word (Christ) was in the beginning. The 

Word was with God. The Word was God. 

2 He was with God in the beginning. 

3 He made all things. Nothing was made without 

Him making it. 

4 Life began by Him. His Life was the Light for 

men. 

5 The Light shines in the darkness. The darkness 

has never been able to put out the Light. 

6 There was a man sent from God whose name 

was John. 

7 He came to tell what he knew about the Light 

so that all men might believe through him. 

8 John was not the Light, but he was sent to tell 

about the Light. 

9 This true Light, coming into the world, gives 

light to every man. 

10 He came into the world. The world was made 

by Him, but it did not know Him. 

11 He came to His own, but His own did not 

receive Him. 

12 He gave the right and the power to become 

children of God to those who received Him. He 

gave this to those who put their trust in His 

name. 

John 1:1-12, 15-18, 29-36, 43-45 

...15 John told about Christ and said, "I have 

been telling you about this One. I said, 'He is 

coming after me. He is more important than I 

because He lived before me.' " 

16 From Him Who has so much we have all 

received loving-favor, one loving-favor after 

another. 

17 The Law was given through Moses, but 

loving-favor and truth came through Jesus 

Christ. 

18 The much-loved Son is beside the Father. No 

man has ever seen God. But Christ has made 

God known to us. 

...29 The next day John the Baptist saw Jesus 

coming to him. He said, "See! The Lamb of 

God Who takes away the sin of the world! 

30 I have been talking about Him. I said, 'One is 

coming after me Who is more important than I, 

because He lived before I was born.' 

31 I did not know who He was, but I have come 

to baptize with water so the Jews might know 

about Him." 

32 Then John said, "I saw the Holy Spirit come 

down on Jesus as a dove from heaven. The Holy 

Spirit stayed on Him. 

33 I did not know Him then. But God sent me 

to baptize with water. God said to me, 'The 

Holy Spirit will come down and stay on Him. 

He is the One Who baptizes with the Holy 

Spirit.' 

34 I saw this happen. I am now saying that 

Jesus is the Son of God." 

35 The next day John the Baptist was standing 

with two of his own followers. 

36 Jesus walked by. John looked at Him and 

said, "See! The Lamb of God." 

...43 The next day Jesus wanted to go to the 

country of Galilee. He found Philip and said to 

him, "Follow Me." 

44 Philip was from the town of Bethsaida. 

Andrew and Peter were from this town also. 

45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We 

have found the One Moses wrote about in the 

Law. He is the One the early preachers wrote 

about. He is Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of 

Joseph."

JOHN –The Word Became Flesh • Unit 1: Jesus’ Public Ministry • Lesson 2: Searching for Real Life Page 10 

Lesson 

2 



Bible Text 


Memory Verse 

“For God so loved the 

world that He gave 

His only Son. 

Whoever puts his trust 

in God’s Son will not 

be lost but will have 

life that lasts forever.” 

(John 3:16) 

Word List 

wealthy: very rich, 

have a lot of money 

Pharisee: a proud 

religious law-keeper, 

an honored religious 

leader 

pledge: a promise to 

be faithful 

Searching for Real Life 

My friend is going to the state of Louisiana. Her husband 

is giving this trip to her because it is a present. She has always 

enjoyed listening to a great religious singer. He is going to sing in 

a town she knows. They will travel many miles to hear him. Like 

Nicodemus, she has thought long and hard about this singer. 

But, not like Nicodemus, she does not have to see him 

secretly. She can go to hear his music on a Sunday afternoon. 

Nicodemus (3:1-2) 

Nicodemus must have been wealthy. We know that when 

Jesus died, Nicodemus gave spices to help bury His body. These 

spices cost a lot of money. Only a rich man could have had the 

money to buy so many spices (19:39). 

Nicodemus was a Pharisee. He was among the best people 

in the country. Pharisees promised to spend their lives obeying 

the Law. The Law was the most important law in the world. It 

was the first five books in the Old Testament. Pharisees believed 

the Law was the perfect word of God. 

If the Law was perfect, then it must be obeyed in every 

way. But the Pharisees decided that the Law needed help. They 

wanted rules for every part of life. They changed the great Law to 

many, many rules for everyday life. Many men spent their lives 

thinking of rules and more rules. 

Because he was a Pharisee, Nicodemus spent every day 

studying the Law. He had agreed to live that kind of life. It is a 

surprise that Nicodemus would want to see Jesus at all.


Things To 

Think About 

1. Why do you think 

Nicodemus came to 

Jesus at night? 

He worshiped the one living God. Nicodemus may have 

been one of the most religious people of that time. He had 

studied well. So well that he was a member of the Sanhedrin, 

the ruling council. 

But something was missing. Nicodemus knew the rules. 

He studied them every day. But he did not have the 

2. Why should we 

take Jesus at His 

word? 

relationship. He asked Jesus, “No one can do these powerful 

works You do unless God is with Him” (3:2). He saw power in 

Jesus’ life. That power was missing in his own life. 

Nicodemus came to see Jesus for an important reason. He 

3. Isn’t it wonderful 

that we can be born 

again? 

was not happy with his own life. But think how hard it must 

have been for him. Maybe that is the reason he came to Jesus at 

night. Nicodemus was a well known teacher. He did not want 

others to see him with Jesus. 

Nicodemus has questions (3:3-8) 

Nicodemus did not ask the question. But Jesus knew that 

Nicodemus was looking for answers. Jesus answered that the 

really important thing was that a man should change his whole 

life. He should change so much that it could be called a second 

birth. 

Jesus told Nicodemus that he needed God’s help to be 

born again. We can hear that message, too. This new birth is not 

from what we do. It is by the grace of God. God can help us if 

we will let Him. We cannot be born again by trying. But we can 

trust God. 

Every two days I go to kidney dialysis. The doctor takes 

bad things out of my blood. This takes more than four hours.


When I am finished, I am weak and tired. Moses lifted up the snake. The people 

But I am alive. I thank God that there is looked and they lived. The snake was only 

dialysis. It keeps me able to live a nearly to make them look toward God. It made 

complete life. 

them turn their thoughts to God. When they 

The idea of a new birth, or being did, God healed them. 

born again, is all through the New 

What does it mean to believe in 

Testament. Sometimes this idea is spoken Jesus? It means that God is as Jesus said He 

of as a death. It is followed by a new birth. was. It means that God loves us. It means 

Read Romans 6:1-11. Then read Ephesians that God cares for us and wants to forgive 

4:15. All through the New Testament you us. We must believe truly that God is love. 

can find the idea of rebirth in Christ. 

It was hard for a Jew to believe that. 

Nicodemus did not understand Jesus’ To a Jew, God was a God of law. Jews 

words. He had much to think about. We, looked on God as a judge. They had a hard 

too, have much to think about. We must, time believing that God was a God of love. 

like Nicodemus, come out of the dark. We We must believe that Jesus is the Son 

must come into the light by giving our lives of God. We must believe that Jesus knew 

to Jesus. 

God well. Jesus told us the complete truth 

about Him. We believe that God is a loving 

We have questions (3:9-16) Father. 

Jesus’ answers were hard for 

We must pledge our lives on the fact 

Nicodemus to understand. And they are that what Jesus said is true. Whatever He 

sometimes hard for us to understand. Jesus says we must do. When He tells us to 

talked about Moses and the snake. When depend on the mercy of God, we must do 

the Israelites were in the desert, they so. We must take Jesus at His word. 

complained. They were sorry they had left All of us have wished for a new 

Egypt. The Lord sent a great number of beginning. The only place we can find it is 

snakes. They were poison snakes. 

in Jesus. We can be born from above if we 

The story is told in Numbers 21:4-9. put our trust in Jesus Christ.



the same with everyone who is born of the 

1 There was a man named Nicodemus. He Spirit of God." 

was a proud religious law-keeper and a 9 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can this 

leader of the Jews. 

be?" 

2 He came to Jesus at night and said, 10 Jesus said, "Are you a teacher among 

"Teacher, we know You have come from the Jews and do not know these things? 

God to teach us. No one can do these 11 For sure, I tell you, We are talking 

powerful works You do unless God is with about things We know. We tell of what 

Him." 

We have seen. Yet you do not take Our 

3 Jesus said to him, "For sure, I tell you, words to be true. 

unless a man is born again, he cannot see 12 I tell you about things of the earth and 

the holy nation of God." 

you do not believe them. How will you 

4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a believe if I tell you things about heaven? 

man be born when he is old? How can he 13 "No one has gone up into heaven 

get into his mother's body and be born the except the One Who came down from 

second time?" 

heaven. That One is the Son of Man 

5 Jesus answered, "For sure, I tell you, *Who is in heaven. 

unless a man is born of water and of the 14 As Moses lifted up the snake in the 

Spirit of God, he cannot get into the holy desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted 

nation of God. 

up. 

6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh. 15 Then whoever puts his trust in Him 

Whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. will have life that lasts forever. 

7 "Do not be surprised that I said to you, 16 For God so loved the world that He 

'You must be born again.' 

gave His only Son. Whoever puts his trust 

8 The wind blows where it wants to and in God's Son will not be lost but will have 

you hear its sound. You do not know life that lasts forever. 

where it comes from or where it goes. It is

JOHN –The Word Became Flesh • Unit 1: Jesus’ Public Ministry • Lesson 3: Meeting the Savior of the World Page 14 

Lesson 

3 



Bible Text 


Memory Verse 

“Whoever drinks the 

water that I will give 

him will never be 

Meeting the Savior of the World 

Our church has a ministry to people from other countries. 

We teach English. The classes are free. We teach more than the 

language. We teach how to live in an English-speaking land. 

Many times our students have problems. We try to help any way 

we can. I have helped students find jobs. I have kept a young girl 

from marriage to a man who had another wife. I have worked 

out many problems. When I did not know what to do, I have 

asked the Lord to guide me. He has never failed me. 

Almost every time, the student has asked, “Why do you 

do this?” They do not understand why we do what we do. We 

care for others because Jesus died for us. He gave His life that 

we might have life forever. We want to share this wonderful gift 

with others. 

thirsty. The water I 

will give him will 

become in him a well 

of life that lasts 

forever.” (John 4:14) 

Word List 

sympathy: feeling 

sorry for someone, 


embarrass: feel bad 

about yourself or 

something you have 

done 

Samaria (4:1-9) 

The Jewish leaders heard about Jesus baptizing. He did 

not want to have a hard time with those leaders. He left Judea 

and took the shortest way to Galilee. The shortest way was 

through Samaria. 

Most Jewish men took the long way so that they did not 

have to pass through Samaria. Jews and people living in Samaria 

hated each other. This hatred had been going on many years. It 

was unusual for a Jew to travel through Samaria. And yet, Jesus 

and His band of disciples walked right through Samaria. 

On the way, they came near the town of Sycar. Jacob’s 

well was there. It was about half a mile from the town. Jesus was 

tired. He sat down by the well to rest. A Samaritan woman came 

to get water. Why do you think the woman came so far to get 

water? There was water in the town. 

The woman had a bad past. She lived with many men who 

were not her husbands. The women of the town may have kept


Things To 

Think About 

1. Why did Jesus go 

through Samaria? Do 

you think He knew he 

would meet the 

Samaritan woman? 

2. Because He talked 

to the Samaritan 

woman, the whole 

town of Sycar was 

saved. 

3. If you were to meet 

Jesus today, would 

you know Him? 

her from the town well. She had no one to be a friend. Think how 

surprised she must have been when Jesus talked to her. 

A barrier is something that keeps us from something. There 

were many barriers in Jesus’ time. A man could not speak to a 

woman in the street. He could not even speak to his wife away 

from home. Jesus broke down that barrier when He spoke to the 

woman. 

Why? (4:10-15) 

The woman of Samaria did not understand why Jesus spoke 

to her. His disciples had gone ahead to buy food. He was sitting 

by the well. It was the middle of the day. It was the hottest part of 

the day. Jesus asked the woman for a drink. 

The woman must have been surprised. Jews did not speak 

to women or to Samaritans. Jesus and the woman must have 

spoken for a long time. She must have told Him about her life. 

Few stories in the Gospel which show us this much about 

Jesus’ character. It shows us how much He was like us. Tired 

from the trip and thirsty, He sat down to rest. But He was not too 

tired to help this woman. John shows us a Savior who saw life as 

it was. He shows us a person who was tired, but had to go on. 

This story shows us Jesus’ sympathy. If the Samaritan 

woman had met one of the religious leaders of the day, she would 

have run away. But it was easy for her to talk with Jesus. She had 

at last met someone who was a friend. He would not embarrass 

her. He understood. 

Here again, Jesus was breaking down barriers. To a Jew, 

this story was a surprise. The Son of God was tired and thirsty. He 

was the holiest of men listening to a sad story. He broke through 

the barriers of Jewish custom. Here is God, loving all of us. Here 

is God in action. 

Jesus began to talk about living water. The woman did not 

understand. She was thinking about plain water. Jesus explained


that plain water would not last long. A 

person would be thirsty again. But the 

living water He would give would last 

forever. It is not surprising that the woman 

would want that living water. 

Jesus is the One (4:16-30, 39-42) 

The woman asked in a joking way 

for Jesus to give her the living water. She 

wanted water so she might not be thirsty 

again. She did not want to walk so far to get 

water. But Jesus made her get serious. 

She suddenly had to look at herself. 

No one ever sees himself or herself until we 

are in the presence of Christ. What we see 

is terrible. We can see all the mistakes we 

have made. We can see our sins. We can 

see that the life we are living must be 

changed. We see ourselves. And we see our 

need for God. 

Read John 4:23-24. The woman 

began to wonder who Jesus might be.” 

Then, Jesus said to her, I am the Christ, the 

One talking to you” (4:26). 

The woman left her water jar. She 

went back to town. She was very excited. 

She told everyone about the Man at the 

well. She wondered if He could be the 

Christ. The men of the town went to see 

Jesus. 

Once she knew who Jesus was, she 

wanted to tell everyone about Him. We can 

learn a lesson from her. Do we sit in church 

and just listen? We should do as the 

woman did, tell someone. We should 

spread the news about Jesus. We should 

tell the whole world. 


1 Jesus knew the proud religious law-keepers 

had heard He was making and baptizing 

more followers than John. 

2 Jesus did not baptize anyone Himself but 

His followers did. 

3 Then Jesus went from the country of Judea 

to the country of Galilee. 

4 He had to go through the country of 

Samaria. 

5 So He came to a town in Samaria called 

Sycar. It was near the piece of ground that 

Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 

6 Jacob's well was there. Jesus was tired from 

traveling so He sat down just as He was by 

the well. It was about noon. 

7 A woman of Samaria came to get water. 

Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." 

8 His followers had gone to the town to buy 

food. 

9 The woman of Samaria said to Him, "You 

are a Jew. I am of Samaria. Why do You ask 

me for a drink when the Jews have nothing to 

do with the people of Samaria?" 

10 Jesus said to her, "You do not know what 

God has to give. You do not know Who said 

to you, 'Give Me a drink.' If you knew, you 

would have asked Him. He would have given 

you living water." 

11 The woman said to Him, "Sir, the well is


deep. You have nothing to get water with. 

Where will You get the living water? 

12 Are You greater than our early father 

Jacob? He gave us the well. He and his 

children and his cattle drank from it." 

13 Jesus said to her, "Whoever drinks this 

water will be thirsty again. 

14 Whoever drinks the water that I will give 

him will never be thirsty. The water that I will 

give him will become in him a well of life that 

lasts forever." 

15 The woman said, "Sir, give me this water so 

I will never be thirsty. Then I will not have to 

come all this way for water." 

16 Jesus said to her, "Go call your husband and 

come back." 

17 The woman said, "I have no husband." 

Jesus said, "You told the truth when you said, 

'I have no husband.' 

18 You have had five husbands. The one you 

have now is not your husband. You told the 

truth." 

19 The woman said to Him, "Sir, I think You 

are a person Who speaks for God. 

20 Our early fathers worshiped on this 

mountain. You Jews say Jerusalem is the place 

where men should worship." 

21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me. The 

time is coming when you will not worship the 

Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 

22 You people do not know what you worship. 

We Jews know what we worship. It is through 

the Jews that men are saved from the 

punishment of their sins. 

23 The time is coming, yes, it is here now, 

when the true worshipers will worship the 

Father in spirit and in truth. The Father wants 

that kind of worshipers. 

24 God is Spirit. Those who worship Him 

must worship Him in spirit and in truth." 

25 The woman said to Him, "I know the Jews 

are looking for One Who is coming. He is 

called the Christ. When He comes, He will tell 

us everything." 

26 Jesus said to her, "I am the Christ, the One 

talking with you!" 

27 Right then the followers came back and 

were surprised and wondered about finding 

Him talking with a woman. But no one said, 

"What do You want?" or, "Why are You 

talking with her?" 

28 The woman left her water jar and went into 

the town. She said to the men, 

29 "Come and see a Man Who told me 

everything I ever did! Can this be the Christ?" 

30 They went out of town and came to Him. 

...39 Many people in that town of Samaria 

believed in Jesus because of what the woman 

said about Him. She said, "He told me 

everything I ever did." 

40 So the people of Samaria came to Him. 

They asked Him to stay with them. Jesus 

stayed there two days. 

41 Many more people believed because of 

what He said. 

42 They said to the woman, "Now we believe! 

It is no longer because of what you said about 

Jesus but we have heard Him ourselves. We 

know, for sure, that He is the Christ, the One 

Who saves men of this world from the 

punishment of their sins."

JOHN –The Word Became Flesh • Unit 1: Jesus’ Public Ministry • Lesson 4: Honoring the Son Page 18 

Lesson 

4 



Bible Text 


Memory Verse 

“For sure, I tell you, 

anyone who hears My 

Word and puts his 

trust in Him Who sent 

Me has life that lasts 

forever.” (John 5:24a) 

Word List 

satisfied: nothing 

more needed or 

wanted 

superstition: a belief 

in things that are not 

true because of fear or 

not understanding the 

facts 

cancer: a disease in 

which certain cells 

grow too fast and may 

cause death 

Honoring the Son 

People pray in different ways. One of my favorite 

people, Dina Smith, prays in a special way. I am sure she prays 

for herself. But I know that she prays for other people. She has 

a long list of people she prays for. 

On Sunday mornings, she prays for the pastor before he 

begins to preach. She asks that the Lord give him the words. 

She prays that his words will be understood by the people. 

There are many people who pray like Dina. But some of 

us only pray for ourselves. We ask God to give us things. We 

ask and ask. When God gives us what we want, we are not 

satisfied. We want more, more. How do you pray? 

What if we ask too little? Maybe we are too easily 

satisfied. Jesus asked the lame man if he wanted to be healed. 

The man was satisfied. He wanted to walk again. But he did 

not want to be healed spiritually. 

What do you want from God? (5:1-9) 

Jesus cared about people. Remember that he met the 

woman at the well. He healed a young man in Galilee (John 4). 

Then he went back to Jerusalem. We think he was alone. There 

is no mention of his disciples. But they could have been there. 

Jesus went to the pool called Bethesda. Many sick 

people were there every day. The pool was deep enough to 

swim in. Under the pool there was a stream. Sometimes the 

stream bubbled up and made the waters move.


Things To 

Think About 

1. Why did Jesus ask 

the man if he wanted 

to get well? 

2. Why did the man 

try to blame Jesus for 

carrying his bed on 

the Sabbath? 

3. Do you try to put 

the blame on others 

when you do wrong? 

The people believed that the first person to go into the 

bubbling waters would be healed. They believed that an angel 

moved the waters. Sick and lame people waited by the water 

every day. This seems like superstition to us. 

It was. But people in those times believed in many things 

that were just superstition. In those long-ago days people 

believed in all kinds of spirits and demons. In some places, those 

thoughts are still believed. 

One person stood out in the crowd. He was a man who 

had been lame, or crippled, for 38 years. Jesus asked him if he 

wanted to be healed. The man was sorry for himself. There was 

no one to help him into the pool. 

But Jesus was always the friend of the friendless. He was 

the helper of anyone who had no help. Jesus did not waste time 

telling the man he was superstitious. He did not tell him how 

useless it was to wait for the waters to bubble. 

Jesus wanted to help. With His word of power, He healed 

the man who had waited so long. Jesus told the man to get up. 

He was to pick up his bed and walk. God never gives us power 

alone. If we are in trouble, we must do our best, too. No one can 

sit back, relax, and expect a miracle. It is our will and God‟s 

power that makes a miracle happen. 

When I had a cancer, the doctor told me I had very little 

chance to get well. All I could do was wait and pray. I was sorry 

to leave this life. But I knew that life in Heaven would be 

wonderful. God heard my prayers. I was healed. I want to spend 

these last years in God‟s service.


This man was satisfied with the good Carrying anything large was breaking a 

of his healing. But he missed the best he rule. 

could have had. He missed the best Jesus 

The man made an excuse. The Man 

had for him. 

who healed him had told him to walk and 

Jesus still has time for you and me. carry his bed. He did not know who the 

Jesus cares about us when we are hurting or Man was. It was later that he found out who 

afraid. God wants to do more for us than you had helped him. But then he told the 

might think. God wants to heal us. The man Pharisees. He was trying to pass on the 

didn‟t think he could be healed. He couldn‟t blame for carrying his bed on the Sabbath. 

get in the water fast enough. But it was God The leaders accused Jesus of working 

who healed him, through Jesus. 

on the Sabbath. He broke the Sabbath law 

Do we sometimes ask God to heal all the time. But what Jesus said surprised 

us? Do we not believe that God will? What them. He said that God did not stop 

do we really want from God? Are we only working just because it was the Sabbath. 

glad to get good health? Or do we want Jesus did the same. 

more. Do we want to know God? Jesus can “Jesus said to them, „My Father is 

make us well. But he also can make our still working all the time, so I am working 

spirits well. 

also‟ ” (5:17). 

This scripture was a great surprise to 

Healing and hatred (5:10-24) the Pharisees. They saw that Jesus was 

This man had been healed of a terrible making himself the same as God. What 

illness. You would think it was a time of joy Jesus was saying is that we must always 

and thanksgiving. But there were Pharisees help people in need. We do not have any 

who met the whole thing with dark looks. day when we cannot help someone. 

Jews stopped him for carrying his bed on the The love of a Christian must be like 

Jewish Day of Rest called the Sabbath. We the love of God...unending. Other work can 

have seen what the Pharisees did with God‟s be laid aside. But the work of love can 

law. They had made thousands of little rules. never be laid aside.



1 Some time later, there was a religious 

gathering of the Jews. Jesus went up to 

Jerusalem. 

2 In Jerusalem there is a pool with five 

porches called Bethesda near the sheep gate. 

3 Inside these porches lay many sick people. 

Some were blind. Some could not walk. Some 

could not move their bodies. 

4 (*An angel of the Lord came at certain times 

and made the water move. All of them were 

waiting for it to move. Whoever got in the 

water first after it was moving was healed of 

whatever sickness he had.) 

5 A man was there who had been sick for 

thirty-eight years. 

6 Jesus saw him lying there and knew the man 

had been sick a long time. Jesus said to him, 

"Would you like to be healed?" 

7 The sick man said, "Sir, I have no one to put 

me in the pool when the water is moving. 

While I am coming, another one gets in first." 

8 Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your bed 

and walk." 

9 At once the man was healed and picked up 

his bed and walked. This happened on the Day 

of Rest. 

10 The Jews said to the man who had been 

healed, "This is the Day of Rest. It is against 

the Law for you to carry your bed." 

11 He said to them, "The Man Who healed me 

said to me, 'Pick up your bed and walk.' 

12 Then the Jews asked him, "What man said 

to you, 'Pick up your bed and walk'?" 

13 The man who had been healed did not 

know Who He was. Jesus had gone away 

while many people were there. 

14 Later Jesus found the man who had been 

healed in the house of God. He said to him, 

"Listen! You have been healed. Stop sinning or 

something worse will come to you." 

15 The man went away and told the Jews that it 

was Jesus Who had healed him. 

16 Because Jesus did these things on the Day of 

Rest, the Jews made it very hard for Him. 

17 Jesus said to them, "My Father is still 

working all the time so I am working also." 

18 The Jews tried all the more to kill Him, not 

only because He had worked on the Day of Rest, 

but because He had also called God His Own 

Father. This made Him the same as God. 

19 Then Jesus said to them, "For sure, I tell you, 

the Son can do nothing by Himself. He does 

what He sees the Father doing. Whatever the 

Father does, the Son does also. 

20 The Father loves the Son and shows the Son 

everything He does. The Father will show Him 

greater works than these. They will surprise you. 

21 The Father raises up the dead and makes 

them live. The Son also gives life to anyone He 

chooses. 

22 The Father does not say who is guilty. He 

gives this to the Son to do. 

23 He does this so that all people will honor the 

Son as they honor the Father. He who does not 

honor the Son does not honor the Father Who 

sent Him. 

24 "For sure, I tell you, anyone who hears My 

Word and puts his trust in Him Who sent Me has 

life that lasts forever. He will not be guilty. He 

has already passed from death into life.

JOHN –The Word Became Flesh • Unit 1: Jesus’ Public Ministry • Lesson 5: Relying On Our Only Hope Page 22 

Lesson 

5 



Bible Text 


48-51, 66-69 

Memory Verse 

“Jesus said to them, 

„This is the work of 

God, that you put your 

trust in the One He 

has sent.‟ ” 


There is a big store in our town. You can buy almost 

anything there. I like to go there. But I have noticed an interesting 

thing. When you go in the store, you notice the best smell. The 

smell is of baking bread. It smells wonderful. The smell makes 

you want to go to the bakery in the store. 

I look up at the ceiling. There is a large pipe from the 

bakery to the front door. The wonderful smell comes out there. 

Everyone coming in that door smells baking bread. The smell 

makes us want to go buy some bread. 

The store wants to sell bread. It is a good idea to let us smell 

the bakery. Everyone needs bread. For hundreds of years, people 

have needed bread. We are no different from the people in Jesus‟ 

time. 

Relying On Our Only Hope 

Word List 

relying: depending on 

for needs; trusting 

sympathy: feeling 

sorry for someone and 


barley: a kind of 

grain, like wheat or 

rye 

confessed: told 

something that is true; 

told sins to ask 

forgiveness 

Jesus feeds the five thousand (6:1-15) 

There must have been times when Jesus needed to be away 

from so many people. He needed some time to rest. He was tired. 

But he needed some time alone with his disciples. They needed 

more understanding of who Jesus was. So Jesus and his disciples 

went around the Sea of Galilee. 

They crossed the Jordan river. They went to a small area 

where the grass always grows. At first, Jesus and his disciples 

went up on the hill. He sat there with his disciples. He was going 

to teach them. 

Then the crowd began to come. They had gone about nine 

miles. They wanted to hear what Jesus would say. There were so


Things To 

Think About 

1. What does the 

feeding of the 5,000 

tell about Jesus‟ 

feeling for others? 

many people because many were on their way to Jerusalem. It was 

near the Feast of the Passover. They had to go to Jerusalem for this 

feast. Many people were on the road. It was easy for them to 

follow the crowd. 

Jesus must have had sympathy for all the people. They were 

tired and hungry. They must be fed. Phillip was from Bethsaida 

(1:44). He knew that part of the country. Jesus asked him how they 

2. Why did the other 

disciples leave Jesus? 

could feed so many. Phillip didn‟t know. 

Then Andrew came to Jesus. He had found a boy who had 

his lunch. It was made up of five small loves of barley bread and 

3. If you had been by 

the lake, would you 

have left? Why not? 

two small fish. This was the food of the very poor. 

I have thought many times of that small boy. How did he 

happen to be in that place at that time? What did he think when 

Jesus took his lunch? Then, Jesus fed five thousand people with 

five loves of bread and two little fish. What did that boy think 

about the miracle? 

And so the hungry crowd was fed. The little boy gave all he 

had to Jesus. If we would do as the boy did, what miracles could 

we see? If we give our lives to Jesus, what will He do with them? 

We may not have much. But little is always much in the hands of 

the Lord. 

At that moment, the people were ready to accept Jesus as the 

Messiah. He had fed them and healed them. But Jesus did not want 

to be made a king. So he went alone again to the hill. 

Bread for the soul (6:25-35, 48-51) 

When we eat bread, we grow hungry again. The crowd was 

just like us. They went after Jesus. They were asking him for more.


Jesus‟ point was that the people had gotten a 

free meal. They were still asking for more. 

There are other hungers. There is the 

hunger for truth. He alone can give people 

the truth. There is the hunger for life. He 

alone can give people life. We hunger for 

love. Only Jesus can give us the love that 

lasts forever. Only Christ can feed the 

hunger of the heart and soul. 

Jesus came to his disciples on the 

other side of the lake. He walked on water to 

get there (6:16-20). But again the crowd 

found him. They asked for another miracle. 

They had enjoyed the meal. They wanted 

more of the same. They were not interested 

in the great gift of God—Jesus Christ. 

Jesus offered himself as the Bread of 

Life. Jesus said again that anyone who 

believes in him will live forever (6:48-51). 

He was pointing to His death on the cross. 

That was coming, but not yet. 

The words of life (6:66-69) 

John tells us that the Jews began to 

argue over Jesus‟ teachings. In John 6:61, we 

learn that even His disciples were not sure 

about him. Some of them left because they 

could not understand. His teaching was too 

hard for them. They went back to their old 

lives. 

Jesus did not soften his teaching. 

Instead, Jesus asked the ones who were left if 

they would stay or not. Simon Peter 

confessed his heart. He said, “Lord, who else 

can we go to? You have words that give life 

that lasts forever. We believe and know You 

are the Christ. You are the Son of the Living 

God” (6:69). They knew Jesus was the 

answer for their lives. 

We can buy bread anywhere. But the 

Bread of Life is only in Jesus Christ. We 

should not be like the foolish crowds. They 

wanted a messiah who would feed their 

bodies. We believe in Jesus who was sent by 

the Father. He was set apart as the Son of 

God. He can give us eternal life. 

John 6: 1-15, 25-35, 48-51, 66-69 

1 After this Jesus went over to the other side of 

the sea of Galilee. It is sometimes called Tiberias. 

2 Many people followed Him. They saw the 

powerful works He did on those who were sick. 

3 Jesus went up on a mountain and sat down with 

His followers. 

4 The special religious supper to remember how 

the Jews left Egypt was soon. 

5 Jesus looked up and saw many people coming 

to Him. He said to Philip, "Where can we buy 

bread to feed these people?" 

6 He said this to see what Philip would say. Jesus 

knew what He would do.


7 Philip said to Him, "The money we have is not 

enough to buy bread to give each one a little." 

8 One of His followers was Andrew, Simon 

Peter's brother. He said to Jesus, 

9 "There is a boy here who has five loaves of 

barley bread and two small fish. What is that for 

so many people?" 

10 Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There 

was much grass in that place. About five thousand 

men sat down. 

11 Jesus took the loaves and gave thanks. Then He 

gave the bread to those who were sitting down. 

The fish were given out the same way. The people 

had as much as they wanted. 

12 When they were filled, Jesus said to His 

followers, "Gather up the pieces that are left. None 

will be wasted." 

13 The followers gathered the pieces together. 

Twelve baskets were filled with pieces of barley 

bread. These were left after all the people had 

eaten. 

14 The people saw the powerful work Jesus had 

done. They said, "It is true! This is the One Who 

speaks for God Who is to come into the world." 

15 Jesus knew they were about to come and take 

Him to make Him king, so He went to the 

mountain by Himself. 

…25 The people found Him on the other side of 

the lake. They said to Him, "Teacher, when did 

You come here?" 

26 Jesus said to them, "For sure, I tell you, you are 

not looking for Me because of the powerful works. 

You are looking for Me because you ate bread and 

were filled. 

27 Do not work for food that does not last. Work 

for food that lasts forever. The Son of Man will 

give you that kind of food. God the Father has 

shown He will do this." 

28 Then the people said to Him, "What are the 

works God wants us to do?" 

29 Jesus said to them, "This is the work of God, 

that you put your trust in the One He has sent." 

30 They said to Him, "Can You show us some 

powerful work? Then we can see it and believe 

You. What will You do? 

31 Our early fathers ate bread that came from 

heaven in the desert. This happened as it is 

written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' 

" (Exodus 16:15) 

32 Then Jesus said to the people, "For sure, I tell 

you, it was not Moses who gave you bread from 

heaven. My Father gives you the true Bread from 

heaven. 

33 The Bread of God is He Who comes down 

from heaven and gives life to the world." 

34 They said to Him, "Sir, give us this Bread all 

the time." 

35 Jesus said to them, "I am the Bread of Life. He 

who comes to Me will never be hungry. He who 

puts his trust in Me will never be thirsty.” 

...48 I am the Bread of Life. 

49 Your early fathers ate bread that came from 

heaven in the desert. They died. 

50 But this is the Bread that comes down from 

heaven. The one who eats it never dies. 

51 I am the Living Bread that came down from 

heaven. If anyone eats this Bread, he will live 

forever. The Bread which I will give is My flesh. 

I will give this for the life of the world." 

...66 From that time on, many of His followers 

turned back to their old ways of living. They 

would not go along with Him after that. 

67 Then Jesus said to the twelve followers, "Will 

you leave Me also?" 

68 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, who else can 

we go to? You have words that give life that lasts 

forever. 

69 We believe and know You are the Christ. You 

are the Son of the Living God."

JOHN –The Word Became Flesh • Unit 1: Jesus’ Public Ministry • Lesson 6: Believing in Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life Page 26 

Lesson 

6 



Bible Text 


38-44 

Memory Verse 

“Jesus said to her, „I 

am the One who raises 

the dead and gives 

them life. Anyone 

who puts his trust in 

Me will live again, 

even if he dies.‟” 


Word List 

resurrection: dead 

and then alive again 

treatments: things 

done by a doctor to try 

to cure a person 

miracle: an amazing 

thing that only God 

can do 

Our daughter, Janet, has cancer. She has had two cancers 

before this. Now, the doctor has told Janet that her cancer cannot 

be cured. Her doctor has sent her to a special place in San Antonio, 

Texas. 

Believing in Jesus as the 


This is a place where they are trying new drugs. They are 

trying new treatments for cancer. Janet goes every week for these 

treatments. She is a little better. But she does not have much hope 

that she can be cured. 

Janet loves God. She trusts Jesus. She knows that she will 

live again in heaven even if she dies. But she does not want to die 

yet. She wants to see her daughter finish college this year. 

But Janet is making plans. She is trying to get her affairs in 

order. She is always happy. She is happy because she knows that 

she will live again in heaven, even if she dies. 

When God waits (11:1-13) 

It is a wonderful thing to have a home where we can always 

go. It is a place where we can find rest and understanding. Peace 

and love are always there. Jesus had no home of His own. 

In Bethany, Jesus had just such a place. Three people were 

there who loved Him. In their home He could rest. This is a great 

gift we can give to others. To make a place where a friend can find 

rest is a wonderful thing. Every one of us needs a friend who will 

not laugh at our dreams. We need a friend who understands when 

we tell our secrets.


Things To 

Think About 

1. Was there a time 

when you waited for 

God to answer your 

prayer? Did he 

answer or did you 

have to wait? Do you 

realize that sometimes 

the answer is “No!”? 

No one gives a greater gift than to offer friends a place to 

rest. That is the gift Jesus found in Bethany. It was the house 

where Martha, Mary and Lazarus lived. 

Lazarus became ill. His sisters were worried. They sent a 

message to Jesus. They did not ask that Jesus come to Bethany. 

They knew He would come. Our need brings Jesus to our side 

right away. 

Jesus knew what He was doing when He went to Bethany. 

He knew He could heal Lazarus. But the time was not right. It was 

time for a miracle. This sickness had happened for God‟s glory. 

The cure would make men see God‟s glory in action. But Jesus 

2. What does this 

story tell about who 

Jesus is? 

was looking toward the cross. 

We may find it strange that Jesus waited two days before 

going to Bethany. John shows that Jesus did things in His own 

chosen time. We should think about that. We would like Jesus to 

3. How does that help 

us in the face of 

do things our way. I would like Jesus to heal my daughter. But we 

must let Him do things His own way. 

sickness and death? 

Will Lazarus live again? (11:17-27) 

When Jesus came to Bethany, Lazarus had been dead four 

days. The house was full of friends who were sad about his death. 

They wondered why Jesus had waited so long. 

Martha had seen Jesus do miracles before. She knew Jesus 

could have stopped Lazarus from dying (11:21-22). Mary fell at 

His feet (11:32). But did they know that Jesus could bring Lazarus 

back to life? 

Jesus offers hope to all who are near death. “Jesus said to 

her, „I am the One who raises the dead and gives them life.


Anyone who puts his trust in Me will live 

again, even if he dies‟ ” (11:25). 

These words are an invitation to faith. 

He asked, “Do you believe this?” Martha 

answered, “Yes, Lord, I believe you are the 

Christ, the Son of God. You are the One who 

was to come into the world” (11:27). 

Hope again (11:38-44) 

We can see Jesus‟ human feeling 

when He went to the grave. He cried (11:35). 

This shows again that Jesus was human like 

we are. He felt sad because His friend had 

died. He was human, but also divine. 

The grave was a hole in the side of a 

hill or mountain. There was a great stone in 

front of the opening. Jesus wanted the stone 

taken away. But Martha thought there would 

be a bad smell. “Jesus said to her, „Did I not 

say that if you would believe, you would see 

the shining-greatness of God‟ ” (11:40)? 

Jesus prayed to the Father. The power 

which came to Him was not His power. It 

was the power of God. Jesus did not do this 

for His own glory. Everything Jesus did was 

for the glory of God. 

Many times we do things for 

ourselves. We do not think about God. 

Wouldn‟t it be good if we thought about 

God more? Wouldn‟t it be better if we 

always put God in His rightful place? 

When Jesus said in a loud voice, 

“Lazarus, come out!,” Lazarus came out of 

the tomb. What an amazing thing that must 

have been. Jesus let people know that He 

was His Father‟s Son. He left no doubt in 

anyone‟s mind. Think how the people must 

have felt. To see a man walk out of his 

grave after being dead four days must have 

made the people believe! 

Jesus is the Resurrection and the 

Life for every person who is dead in sin. A 

person who is dead to God can still be 

saved. It is by believing in Jesus that we 

can all be saved. Jesus will always be the 

Resurrection and the Life. 

John 11:1-13, 17-27, 38-44 

1 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in 

the town of Bethany with his sisters, Mary and 

Martha. 

2 This was the Mary who put perfume on the 

Lord and dried His feet with her hair. It was 

her brother Lazarus who was sick. 

3 The sisters sent word to Jesus, saying, "Lord, 

your friend is sick!" 

4 When Jesus heard this, He said, "This 

sickness will not end in death. It has happened 

so that it will bring honor to God. And the Son 

of God will be honored by it also."


5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 

6 But when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He 

stayed where He was two more days. 

7 Then He said to His followers, "Let us go into 

the country of Judea again." 

8 The followers said to Him, "Teacher, the Jews 

tried to throw stones at You to kill You not long 

ago. Are You going there again?" 

9 Jesus said, "Are there not twelve hours in the 

day? If a man walks during the day, he will not 

fall. He sees the light of this world. 

10 If a man walks during the night, he will fall. 

The light is not in him." 

11 After Jesus had said this, He spoke again and 

said, "Our friend Lazarus is sleeping. I will go 

and wake him up." 

12 The followers said to Him, "If he is sleeping, 

he will get well." 

13 But Jesus meant Lazarus was dead. They 

thought He meant Lazarus was resting in sleep. 

…17 When Jesus got there, He heard that 

Lazarus had been in the grave four days. 

18 Bethany was about one half hour walk from 

Jerusalem. 

19 Many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to 

give words of comfort about their brother. 

20 Martha heard that Jesus was coming and went 

to meet Him. Mary stayed in the house. 

21 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been 

here, my brother would not have died. 

22 I know even now God will give You 

whatever You ask." 

23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise 

again." 

24 Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise 

again when the dead are raised from the grave 

on the last day." 

25 Jesus said to her, "I am the One Who raises 

the dead and gives them life. Anyone who puts 

his trust in Me will live again, even if he dies. 

26 Anyone who lives and has put his trust in 

Me will never die. Do you believe this?" 

27 She answered, "Yes, Lord, I believe that 

You are the Christ, the Son of God. You are 

the One Who was to come into the world." 

…38 Jesus went to the grave with a sad heart. 

The grave was a hole in the side of a hill. A 

stone covered the door. 

39 Jesus said, "Take the stone away." The dead 

man's sister, Martha, said to Him, "Lord, by 

now his body has a bad smell. He has been 

dead four days." 

40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say that if you 

would believe, you would see the shininggreatness 

of God?" 

41 They took the stone away. Jesus looked up 

and said, "Father, I thank You for hearing Me. 

42 I know You always hear Me. But I have 

said this for the people standing here, so they 

may believe You have sent Me." 

43 When He had said this, He called with a 

loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 

44 The man who had been dead came out. His 

hands and feet were tied in grave clothes. A 

white cloth was tied around his face. Jesus said 

to the people, "Take off the grave clothes and 

let him go!"

Jesus’ Farewell Message to 

His Disciples 



Jesus knew that His time on earth would soon be finished. 

The time had come. He spent His last night alone with His 

Lesson 7 

Practice Love Beyond 

the Limits 


Lesson 8 

Rest in Truth 


25-27 

disciples. He had one night to prepare them for His death. 

All His teaching must last the rest of their lives. How could 

Jesus prepare them for their future? 

John 13 - 17 tells us Jesus’ farewell message to His 

disciples. Farewell is another word for goodbye. Usually it is 

used when saying goodbye and then leaving for a long time. 

Jesus was leaving but He was also going to come back. 

Lesson 9 

Stay United to Jesus 


Lesson 10 

What Jesus Wants for 

His Followers 

John 17 

A message is an important idea or fact that one person 

tells another person. Many times you give someone a 

message from someone else. Jesus gave His disciples a 

message from God. It was His last message before He died. 

He prepared them for His death on the cross the very next 

day. 

30

JOHN –The Word Became Flesh • Unit 2: Jesus’ Farewell Message to His Disciples • Lesson 7: Practice Love Beyond the Limits Page 31 

Lesson 

7 



Bible Text 


Memory Verse 

“I give you a new 

Law. You are to love 

each other. You must 

love each other as I 

have loved you.” 


Practice Love Beyond 

the Limits 

Linda, my grown daughter, broke her leg. It was the 

second time this had happened. She came to our house to get 

well. It was very hard for her. 

She could not get in the shower. She could not get in the 

bath tub. She took what we call “spit” baths. She could not reach 

her feet. Guess who got to wash them. That’s right. It was I. 

I had washed her baby feet. Now she was a grown woman. 

It was different. But the act of washing her feet took on new 

meaning. It was something to do in love. She was thankful for the 

help. I was thankful to be able to help. It was good for both of us. 

Word List 

character: all the 

things a person does, 

feels and thinks which 

show what kind of 

person he/she is 

argument: a talk 

where the people 

talking do not agree 

custom: The usual 

way of doing things. 

symbol: an object, 

mark or thing that has 

the meaning of 

something else, $ is a 

symbol for dollar. 

An act of love (13:1-5) 

There are few places in the gospel story which show Jesus’ 

character like these verses do. They show His love as well. We 

can find the wonder of what He did and who He was. 

Jesus knew that His hour of death was near. He knew that 

His hour of glory was near, too. It was not long before He would 

take His place on the throne of God.. That thought might have 

filled Him with pride. Even with the thought of the power and 

glory that were His, He washed His disciples’ feet. 

Love is always like that. When someone becomes ill, the 

person who loves him or her will do the most humble things. 

When I saw my daughter’s need, I did not stop to think about it. I 

helped her in every way I could.


Things To 

Think About 

1. What are some 

ways you can serve 

fellow believers this 

week? 

Sometimes people feel too important to do little things 

for another. Jesus was not like that. He knew He was Lord of 

all. But still, He took a towel and washed His disciples’ feet. 

Jesus knew that He would soon be betrayed. He knew 

that the Devil was working with one of His disciples. Judas 

Iscariot would turn Him over to the Jewish leaders. Knowing 

this might have made Jesus bitter. It might have made Him hate 

2. Is it sometimes 

easier to give money 

instead of service? 

all men. 

But it made His heart have greater love than ever. The 

more people hurt Jesus, the more He loved them. Jesus met the 

worst trouble with the greatest love. 

3. Why do you think 

Peter at first didn’t 

want Jesus to wash 

his feet? 

Peter says no! (13:6-11) 

The disciples had an argument. Who was the greatest 

among them? The disciples did not understand what was about 

to happen. If they had understood, the argument would have 

had no meaning. Who was the greatest among them? If they had 

known that Jesus was going to die on the cross, they would not 

have spent a moment arguing. 

It was the custom for a servant to wash the guests’ feet at 

a dinner. But there was no servant to wash their feet. Think how 

surprised the disciples must have been when Jesus got ready to 

wash their feet. 

When a person was invited to a dinner, he bathed himself 

before he went. But the roads were dry and dusty. Or, if it 

rained, the roads were very muddy. The people wore sandals. It 

was not the custom to go into the house with dirty feet. It was 

the custom for a servant to wash a guest’s feet.


At first, Peter was not going to let who would be servants to others. 

Jesus wash his feet. But Jesus spoke 

There is a message for us. The world 

sharply. If Peter would not let Jesus wash is changed around. Those at the top are 

his feet, Jesus would have no part of him. now at the bottom. If you want to be in 

Quickly, Peter changed his mind. 

God’s new order, you must first learn how 

In the early church, the way into the to serve others. 

church was by baptism. It is still that way 

today. In these verses, Jesus was drawing 

A new Law (13:34-35) 

a picture. 

In His last few hours, Jesus showed 

Washing (or baptism) is the entry His love for His disciples. Jesus showed 

into the church. Jesus was telling people His great love for us when He died for us 

that they must not be too proud to be on the cross. We must show that same kind 

baptized. But He also said that one of the of love for our fellow believers. 

disciples was not clean, talking about 

It is easy to help others. But it is 

Judas betraying Him. 

hard to accept help from other people. We 

try to take care of our own problems. I 

The message (13:12-17) 

have been told that I should take help from 

Jesus put on His coat again. He others. It is hard to admit that I need 

went back to His position as the teacher anything. 

and leader. Jesus made sure the disciples 

In order for a church to work fully, 

understood His meaning. He had washed we must be willing to offer help. But, we 

their feet. He wanted them to do the same should be willing to accept help when it is 

thing for each other. 

needed. Jesus told us that we should show 

The message is a symbol. Jesus the same kind of love which He showed. 

played the role of servant to His disciples. 

They should then do the same for each 

other. Jesus showed His Nation. The 

leaders in God’s Nation would be those


1 It was before the special religious 

gathering to remember how the Jews left 

Egypt. Jesus knew the time had come for 

Him to leave this world and go to the 

Father. He had loved His own who were in 

the world. He loved them to the end. 

2 He and His followers were having supper. 

Satan had put the thought into the heart of 

Judas Iscariot of handing Jesus over to the 

leaders of the country. 

3 Jesus knew the Father had put everything 

into His hands. He knew He had come from 

God and was going back to God. 

4 Jesus got up from the supper and took off 

His coat. He picked up a cloth and put it 

around Him. 

5 Then He put water into a wash pan and 

began to wash the feet of His followers. He 

dried their feet with the cloth He had put 

around Himself. 

6 Jesus came to Simon Peter. Peter said to 

Him, "Lord, are You going to wash my 

feet?" 

7 Jesus answered him, "You do not 

understand now what I am doing but you 

will later." 

8 Peter said to Him, "I will never let You 

wash my feet." Jesus said, "Unless I wash 

you, you will not be a part of Me." 

9 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, do not 

wash only my feet, but wash my hands and 

my head also." 


10 Jesus said to him, "Anyone who has 

washed his body needs only to wash his 

feet. Then he is clean all over. You are all 

clean except one." 

11 Jesus knew who was going to hand Him 

over to the leaders. That is why He said, 

"You are all clean except one." 

12 Jesus washed their feet and put on His 

coat. Then He sat down again and said to 

them, "Do you understand what I have done 

to you? 

13 You call Me Teacher and Lord. You are 

right because that is what I am. 

14 I am your Teacher and Lord. I have 

washed your feet. You should wash each 

other's feet also. 

15 I have done this to show you what 

should be done. You should do as I have 

done to you. 

16 For sure, I tell you, a workman who is 

owned by someone is not greater than his 

owner. One who is sent is not greater than 

the one who sent him. 

17 If you know these things, you will be 

happy if you do them. 

...34 I give you a new Law. You are to love 

each other. You must love each other as I 

have loved you. 

35 If you love each other, all men will 

know you are My followers."

JOHN –The Word Became Flesh • Unit 2: Jesus’ Farewell Message to His Disciples • Lesson 8: Rest in Truth Page 35 

Lesson 

8 



Bible Text 

John 14:1-11, 

15-18, 25-27 

Memory Verse 

“Do not let your heart 

be troubled. You have 

put your trust in God, 

put your trust in Me 

also.” (John 14:1) 

Word List 

cultures: the ways of 

life of people from 

different places or 

different times that 

define them as a group 

protected: kept safe 

against harm or 

danger 

confused: troubled 

and unsure of the facts 

advice: to give an 

answer about what to 

do or how to do 

something 

obedience: choosing 

to do what we are told 

to do and then doing it 

It was the last meeting of Internationals for the year. The 

ladies from the different language groups had been asked to sing 

for the larger group. The Japanese ladies sang about cherry 

blossoms. The Chinese ladies sang about magnolia blossoms. 

There was a little time before we heard from the Korean 

group. Everyone but UnJu had left on vacation. Very quietly UnJu 

said she would sing a “religious song.” In a soft, trembling voice, 

UnJu began to sing that old hymn, “Amazing Grace.” As she sang, 

her voice stopped. 

She stood, embarrassed. Before any of the workers could do 

anything, Dorothy Mwakitwile began to sing the old hymn in 

Swahili (an African language). Quickly, Mizuko and Toshhiko 

joined the chorus. The Chinese ladies added their voices to those 

of their Japanese friends. 

The Ethiopians, the Mexicans and the Cambodians began to 

sing. The Americans added English to our international choir. The 

song came to a glorious end. 

There we were, a group of people from around the world. 

Our language and cultures were different. But we were the same 

in our love for our Father and each other. It was a moment I will 

never forget. 

Rest in Truth 

I will prepare a place for you (14:1-7) 

Jesus spoke to his disciples for the last time. He promised 

them that the Holy Spirit would be with them. They were not sure 

what Jesus was talking about. Until this time, they had been close 

to Jesus. He had taught them. He had protected them. He had 

been everything a leader should be.


Things To 

Think About 

1. Can we keep Jesus’ 

commandments? 

2. Do we need the 

Holy Spirit to guide 

us? 

3. Jesus said in John 

14:20, “When that 

day comes, you will 

know that I am in my 

Father. You will 

know that you are in 

Me. You will know 

that I am in you.” 

What did Jesus mean? 

Jesus spoke about leaving them. One of his disciples would 

betray him. The disciples must have been confused. How could 

this be? What would they do after Jesus was gone? Would all their 

hopes and dreams be gone? 

In a short time, the disciples’ world was going to change. 

At such a time, the only thing to do was to hold on to trust in God. 

There comes a time when we must believe what we cannot prove. 

We must accept what we cannot understand. 

We must have faith in our darkest hour. We believe that 

there is a purpose in life. That purpose is love. Then, we can take 

what seems too much to take. Even in the darkness there is light. 

Jesus’ promise means that there is room for all in heaven. A 

house on earth becomes too small. A hotel becomes too crowded. 

It is not so in our Father’s house. There is room for all of us. Jesus 

was telling his friends that they should not be afraid. They would 

never be shut out of heaven. 

Jesus said, “ I am going away to make a place for you” 

(14:2). Jesus goes in front for us to follow. He opens the way. We 

can follow in his steps. 

Heaven is where Jesus is. Christians know that we will be 

with Him always. Heaven is that place where we will always be 

with him. Nothing can take us away from Him anymore. 

Jesus had told his disciples many times where He was 

going. But they still did not understand. Read John 7:33. They still 

did not understand that Jesus was leaving by the way of the cross. 

Thomas told his doubts. He did not understand. We should 

never be ashamed for having doubts. God gave us a mind. That 

mind questions. It is true that he who questions will find the 

answer.


Show us the way (14:8-11) He is the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus gives us more than directions. The Holy Spirit is still with us. He helps us 

He gives us advice. He takes us by the hand stand up when life is the hardest. He helps 

and leads us. He walks with us. He gives us us keep going when life is at its hardest. 

strength. He guides us everyday. He does 

Jesus promised that he would send 

not tell us about the way. He is the Way. the Holy Spirit to guide them and us. That 

In Jesus, God gave His grace to Spirit would bring us truth. He would help 

human birth. He loved the homes of us us win the battle for truth. 

humble people. God was not ashamed to do 

a man’s work. Jesus was a carpenter. God I give you My peace (14:25-27) 

understands our work. He understands how Jesus had taught the disciples many 

hard it is to earn enough to live. He knows things. He knew that they would not 

every problem we can have. 

remember everything He had taught them. 

We see God loving in Jesus. When He told them that the Holy Spirit would 

love comes into the picture, pain comes too. help them remember. He would also teach 

But in Jesus, we see God loving men and them new things. 

women. We see him caring so much that he The disciples must have been afraid. 

gave His Son to be nailed to a cross. They were trying to understand. What 

would happen to them when Jesus was 

The Helper (14:15-18) gone? Jesus tried to help them. The Holy 

John thought there was only one test Spirit would teach them about the things 

of love. That is obedience. It was by His Jesus had said in their three years together. 

obedience that Jesus showed His love of 

Jesus must have known how worried 

God. It is by our obedience that we show the disciples were. Read John 14:27. That 

our love of Jesus. We know all too well verse has been a comfort for many years. 

those who say they love us. Those same People in terrible trouble have loved and 

people give us sorrow. They break our said that verse again and again to help 

hearts. 

them. The peace of the world does not last 

This love coming from obedience is long. The peace of Jesus lasts forever. 

not an easy thing. So God sent us a Helper.


1 "Do not let your heart be troubled. You 

have put your trust in God, put your trust in 

Me also. 

2 There are many rooms in My Father's 

house. If it were not so, I would have told 

you. I am going away to make a place for 

you. 

3 After I go and make a place for you, I will 

come back and take you with Me. Then you 

may be where I am. 

4 You know where I am going and you know 

how to get there." 

5 Thomas said to Jesus, "Lord, we do not 

know where You are going. How can we 

know the way to get there?" 

6 Jesus said, "I am the Way and the Truth 

and the Life. No one can go to the Father 

except by Me. 

7 If you had known Me, you would know My 

Father also. From now on you know Him and 

have seen Him." 

John14:1-11, 15-18, 25-27 

8 Philip said to Jesus, "Lord, show us the 

Father. That is all we ask." 

9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you 

all this time and you do not know Me yet? 

Whoever has seen Me, has seen the Father. 

How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 

10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father 

and that the Father is in Me? What I say to 

you, I do not say by My own power. The 

Father Who lives in Me does His work 

through Me. 

11 "Believe Me that I am in the Father and 

that the Father is in Me. Or else believe Me 

because of the things I do. 

…15 "If you love Me, you will do what I 

say. 

16 Then I will ask My Father and He will 

give you another Helper. He will be with 

you forever. 

17 He is the Spirit of Truth. The world 

cannot receive Him. It does not see Him or 

know Him. You know Him because He lives 

with you and will be in you. 

18 "I will not leave you without help as 

children without parents. I will come to you. 

...25 "I have told you these things while I am 

still with you. 

26 The Helper is the Holy Spirit. The Father 

will send Him in My place. He will teach 

you everything and help you remember 

everything I have told you. 

27 "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give 

to you. I do not give peace to you as the 

world gives. Do not let your hearts be 

troubled or afraid.

JOHN –The Word Became Flesh • Unit 2: Jesus’ Farewell Message to His Disciples • Lesson 9: Stay United to Jesus Page 39 

Lesson 

9 



Bible Text 


Memory Verse 

“This is what I tell 

you to do: Love each 

other just as I have 

loved you.” 

(John 15:12 ) 

Word List 

produce: things 

grown on a farm; 

vegetables and fruit 

abide: to stay faithful 

and true to; to stay 

with 

pruned: cut away 

dead or unwanted 

branches of a tree, 

vine, or bush 

produce: to grow, 

give or make 

something 

mature: ripe, fully 

grown, or ready to eat 

There is a farmer’s market in our town. The farmers bring 

their produce into town and sell it. All the food is homegrown. 

That means it is fresh. I go to the farmer’s market about once a 

week. They sell their food from April through November. 

There are piles of onions, squash, corn, and all kinds of 

melons. There are lots of other things. But my favorite food to 

buy is tomatoes. They have big, juicy, red tomatoes. The tomatoes 

grow on a vine. 

The taste of homegrown tomatoes is special. The tomatoes 

you buy from the store in the winter do not taste as good. That is 

because they are picked before they are ripe. The good things 

about tomatoes do not appear until they ripen on the vine. The 

tomato depends on the vine for the fruit to grow. 

We as Christians depend on Jesus to make us fruitful. 

“Abide in Me” (15:1-9) 

Jesus was working with old ideas that were familiar to the 

Jews. Many times in the Old Testament Israel is seen as the vine 

or the vineyard of God. This was used so much that the vine 

became the symbol of Israel. 

But Jesus was saying that Israel was not the true vine. Israel 

had forgotten God’s way. All the prophets of the Old Testament 

had said that Israel had gotten away from what God wanted. Israel 

was not the true vine. 

Stay United to Jesus 

Grapevines grew all over the country. They needed the best 

care. The ground had to be perfectly clean. The vine grew very 

fast. So, it had to be pruned often.


Things To 

Think About 

1. What does abiding 

in Jesus mean? 

A young vine was not allowed to produce fruit for three 

years. Each year it was cut far back. This let it develop its life 

and energy. When it was mature, it was pruned in December 

and January. It grew two kinds of branches. One produced fruit. 

The other branch did not produce fruit. 

2. Isn’t it wonderful 

to be a friend of Jesus 

and God? 

The branches that did not produce fruit had to be cut away. 

They could not be allowed to drain away the strength of the good 

vine. The vine would never produce good fruit without good 

pruning. And Jesus knew that. 

3. What does it mean 

to “bring in fruit”? 

Also, the wood from the grapevine was not good for 

anything else. It could only be burned. Jesus used the bad wood 

to show what He meant. Jesus said that His followers are like 

that. Some are fruit giving branches of Himself. Others are of no 

use because they give no fruit. 

When Jesus spoke, He was thinking of the Jews. They 

were God’s branches. They did not listen to God. They had 

become useless branches. Also, Jesus was thinking of people like 

us. He was thinking of Christians who are useless branches. They 

are all leaves and no fruit. 

He was also thinking of Christians who heard the message, 

but fell away from God. Those are the ones who left their faith. 

They forgot that they had once promised to serve Him. 

There are three ways we can be useless branches. First, we 

do not listen to Jesus at all. Second, we listen but do not follow 

Him. Third, we call Him Master, but if we find following too 

hard, we do as we like. 

The secret of the life of Jesus was His contact with God. 

Many times He went into a secret place to meet God. He was


always abiding with God. It must be the which we are called. 

same with us and Jesus. We must abide 

We are chosen for joy. The way of a 

with Him. 

Christian is filled with joy. There is always 

It means having no day when we do joy in doing the right thing. The Christian is 

not feel His presence. It means letting Him the person of joy. 

order our lives. It means praying and 

It is true that a Christian is a sinner. 

having times of silence with God. 

But he has been forgiven. There is his joy. 

The relationship between Jesus and How can any person fail to be happy, when 

God was full of obedience. Jesus did he or she walks the way of life with Jesus? 

exactly what the Father asked of Him. Can We are chosen for love. We are sent 

you think of Jesus trying to get God to let into the world to love one another. The 

Him do something bad? Our greatest joy Christian is sent into the world to live so 

should be to be with Jesus. We should do that people can see what is meant by loving 

what He asks with our whole hearts. each other. 

A disciple of Jesus does two things. Jesus called us to be His friends. He 

First, he makes his life better. His contact did not call us to be His slaves. The servant 

with Jesus makes him or her a fruitful of God was a title of honor. The great men 

branch. Second, he brings glory to God. of the past had been called servants of God. 

God is glorified when we produce fruit. Our But here Jesus called us His friends. 

lives and the way we live should bring 

He offered us something more. We 

glory to God. 

are not slaves. We are friends. We share 

something with God which was not 

The love law (15:10-17) 

possible before Jesus came into the world. 

Jesus told His disciples that they did 

Jesus called us to be His friends. He 

not choose Him. Jesus chose them. We 

called us to be the friends of God. That is a 

have not chosen God. God reached out to 

great offer. It means that we do not have to 

us with a call. It is a call made out of love. 

look on God from far off. We can be close 

We can think of the things for which we are 

to God. 

chosen. We can think of the things for


Jesus did a wonderful thing. He gave honored. This shows you are My followers. 

us a closeness to God. God is no longer a 9 I have loved you just as My Father has 

stranger, but our closest friend. 

loved Me. Stay in My love. 

10 If you obey My teaching, you will live in 


My love. In this way, I have obeyed My 

1 "I am the true Vine. My Father is the One Father's teaching and live in His love. 

Who cares for the Vine. 

11 I have told you these things so My joy 

2 He takes away any branch in Me that does may be in you and your joy may be full. 

not give fruit. Any branch that gives fruit, He 12 "This is what I tell you to do: Love each 

cuts it back so it will give more fruit. other just as I have loved you. 

3 You are made clean by the words I have 13 No one can have greater love than to 

spoken to you. 

give his life for his friends. 

4 Get your life from Me and I will live in 14 You are My friends if you do what I tell 

you. No branch can give fruit by itself. It has you. 

to get life from the vine. You are able to give 15 I do not call you servants that I own 

fruit only when you have life from Me. anymore. A servant does not know what his 

5 I am the Vine and you are the branches. owner is doing. I call you friends, because I 

Get your life from Me. Then I will live in have told you everything I have heard from 

you and you will give much fruit. You can My Father. 

do nothing without Me. 

16 You have not chosen Me, I have chosen 

6 "If anyone does not get his life from Me, you. I have set you apart for the work of 

he is cut off like a branch and dries up. Such bringing in fruit. Your fruit should last. And 

branches are gathered and thrown into the whatever you ask the Father in My name, 

fire and they are burned. 

He will give it to you. 

7 If you get your life from Me and My 17 "This is what I tell you to do: Love each 

Words live in you, ask whatever you want. It other. 

will be done for you. 

8 "When you give much fruit, My Father is

JOHN –The Word Became Flesh • Unit 2: Jesus’ Farewell Message to His Disciples • Lesson 10: What Jesus Wants for His Followers Page 43 

Lesson 

10 



Bible Text 


Memory Verse 

“You have given Him 

power over all men. 

He is to give life that 

lasts forever to all 

You have given to 

Him.” (John 17:2) 

Word List 

testimony: a true 

story about yourself 

sufferers: those who 

feel pain, discomfort, 

or grief. 

cruel: causing pain or 

suffering to someone 

else; unkind. 

enemies: those who 

are against us 

victory: win over our 

enemies 

What Jesus Wants for 

His Followers 

There are times when things seem so bad, there is nothing 

to do but pray. I came across this testimony in my files: 

“I have been living in the United States since last 

Christmas. I left my country, my father, my mother, my brothers, 

my sisters, and everything. I came to this country because I need 

to worship. I need to share the love of God, and I need to be free. 

Now I am lucky very much more than my family. I feel sad 

when I am thinking about them. They are sufferers of the 

communists. I cannot do anything but pray. I turn all to the Lord. 

Lord will bless them.” (Mylink Trinh Le) 

Have you had times in your life when you felt helpless? 

Times when you do not know what to do? That is a time to turn to 

God. When you feel all alone, you are not. God is there. You only 

need to call on Him. He will listen. And He will answer. 

Father, glorify Your Son (17:1-5) 

All Jesus’ life was a path to the cross. To Jesus, the cross 

was the glory of life. It was the way to glory for all time. 

Often in history, people have died a cruel death. Before 

they died, other people made fun of them. It was only after they 

died that people realized how great they were in life. When 

President Lincoln died, even his enemies were sad. It was that 

way with Jesus. Even a soldier at the foot of the cross said, “For 

sure, this Man was the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54b). 

The cross was the glory of Jesus. Jesus was never greater 

than in His death. The cross was His glory. The cross drew people


Things To 

Think About 

1. We are not a part of 

the family of God , if 

we do not really know 

God. 

2. Jesus wanted his 

disciples to spread 

Christianity through 

all the world. 

3. We should let the 

Holy Spirit work in 

our hearts and lives. 

to Jesus in a way His life had never done. And it is still so today. 

The cross was Jesus’ glory because He had finished His 

work. If Jesus had not gone to the cross, He would not have 

finished. He had come into the world to tell people about God. He 

had come to tell people about God’s love. 

By going to the cross, Jesus showed that there was nothing 

that would stop God’s love. There was no limit to the love of God. 

How did the cross glorify God? There is only one way to 

glorify God. That is to obey God. Jesus glorified God by doing 

what He was told to do. He could have turned away from the 

cross. But He went ahead and did what God told Him to do. 

For Jesus, the cross was the way to glory. If He had not 

gone to the cross, there would have been no glory. For Jesus the 

cross was His obedience to God. 

I showed You to My disciples (17:6-10) 

Jesus showed God’s love for everyone. In the early days, 

people did not know God’s name. Jesus brought God near to 

people. We know God is with us. 

To be a disciple, one must know that Jesus came to us from 

God. In Jesus’ words, we can hear the voice of God. What Jesus 

did, He did because God told Him to do it. 

The disciple sees God in Jesus. A disciple is one who keeps 

God’s word. That word comes from Jesus. The disciple has made 

the words of Jesus the law of his life. 

The disciples were beginning to understand. Jesus always 

gave the message God gave Him. Jesus was obedient to God. He 

expected His disciples to be obedient to Him. They were to be 

obedient to Him, just as He was obedient to the Father.


Jesus’ prayer was not for the whole Let the world know (17:20-26) 

world. It was just for His disciples. God had Over the years, Jesus’ prayer has been 

made the world. Jesus had come into the going to the ends of the earth. First, He 

world to save it. It was only through the prayed for Himself as He faced the cross. 

witness of the disciples that the world could Then, He prayed for His disciples. He 

be saved. 

wanted God to protect them. 

Then, He prayed for those of us in the 

Protect My disciples (17:11-19) 

future. He prayed for those in lands far 

Jesus had kept the disciples safe while 

away. He prayed we might come to know 

He was with them. Now He asked God to 

Jesus and His Father. He prayed we would 

protect them. He did not ask God to protect 

enter the Christian faith. 

Judas. Judas’ evil heart had ruined him. 

We can see Jesus’ complete faith. He 

Jesus did not pray that the disciples be 

was facing the cross. He had only a few 

taken out of this world. He did not pray they 

followers. But He thought of us. He was 

might not die. He prayed they would find 

praying for those who would believe in Him. 

victory. Jesus wanted us to live in the world. 

This is an important Scripture for all of us. 

But, we need quiet times. We need times of 

Jesus was praying for us. We know His 

prayer. We need to think about God. 

name. 

Christianity does not give us a life of 

no problems. It gives us a way to solve those 


problems. The Christian does not want to get 1 When Jesus had said these things, He looked 

up to heaven and said, "Father, the time has 

away from the world. The Christian wants to 

come! Honor Your Son so Your Son may 

win the world. 

honor You. 

Jesus prayed His disciples might be 2 You have given Him power over all men. He 

together. They did not need to go against is to give life that lasts forever to all You have 

each other. But they would all be together in given to Him. 

3 This is life that lasts forever. It is to know 

His name. They would all go out in the 

You, the only true God, and to know Jesus 

world. They would tell about Jesus to many 

Christ Whom You have sent. 

people. Jesus wanted the disciples to be safe. 4 I honored You on earth. I did the work You


gave Me to do. 

15 I do not ask You to take them out of the 

5 Now, Father, honor Me with the honor I had world. I ask You to keep them from the devil. 

with You before the world was made. 

16 My followers do not belong to the world just 

6 "I have made Your name known to the people as I do not belong to the world. 

You have given Me from the world. They were 17 Make them holy for Yourself by the truth. 

Yours but You gave them to Me. They have Your Word is truth. 

obeyed Your Word. 

18 "As You sent Me into the world so I have 

7 Now they know that everything You have sent them into the world also. 

given Me came from You. 

19 I set Myself apart to be holy for them. Then 

8 I gave them the Word which You gave Me. they may be made holy by the truth. 

They received it. They know I came from You 20 "I do not pray for these followers only. I pray 

and they believe You sent Me. 

for those who will put their trust in Me through 

9 "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world. I the teaching they have heard. 

pray for those You gave Me. They are Yours. 21 May they all be as one, Father, as You are in 

10 All that is Mine is Yours. All that is Yours is Me and I am in You. May they belong to Us. 

Mine. I have been honored through them. Then the world will believe that You sent Me. 

11 I am no longer in the world. I am coming to 22 I gave them the honor You gave Me that they 

You. But these are still in the world. Holy may be one as We are One. 

Father, keep those You have given to Me in the 23 I am in them and You are in Me so they may 

power of Your name. Then they will be one, be one and be made perfect. Then the world may 

even as We are One. 

know that You sent Me and that You love them 

12 While I have been with them in the world, I as You love Me. 

have kept them in the power of Your name. I 24 "Father, I want My followers You gave Me to 

have kept watch over those You gave Me. Not be with Me where I am. Then they may see My 

one of them has been lost except the one who is shining-greatness which You gave Me because 

going to be destroyed, which is the son of death. You loved Me before the world was made. 

The Holy Writings said it would happen. 25 Holy Father, the world has not known You. I 

13 But now I come to You, Father. I say these have known You. These have known You sent 

things while I am in the world. In this way, My Me. 

followers may have My joy in their hearts. 26 I have made Your name known to them and 

14 "I have given Your Word to My followers. will make it known. So then the love You have 

The world hated them because they do not for Me may be in them and I may be in them." 

belong to the world, even as I do not belong to 

the world.

Jesus’ Passion and Victory 



Lesson 11 

It Is Finished 


Lesson 12 

I Send You 


Lesson 13 

What Is That to You? 


Unit Three has three lessons on John 19 - 21. The unit 

begins with Jesus in front of Pilate before His death. It tells 

about His terrible death on a cross. This is what is called the 

Passion or suffering of Jesus. The next lesson tells about the 

victory of Jesus. He did not stay in the tomb after He died. It 

tells about His important words to His disciples when He 

saw them again. The last lesson talks about Peter and how 

Jesus talked to him about being a servant. 

All these lessons show how Jesus had passion in His 

death and with His disciples. Passion is a strong feeling. 

Here it is the strong love that Jesus has for all people. His 

love was strong enough to help Him suffer and die on the 

cross for us. His love was strong enough to forgive and teach 

His disciples again. The lessons also show the victory that 

Jesus had over sin and death. Victory is winning over an 

enemy. Jesus is the winner forever! Now His followers are 

winners over sin and death, too. 

47

JOHN –The Word Became Flesh • Unit 3: Jesus’ Passion and Victory • Lesson 11: It is Finished Page 48 

Lesson 

11 



Bible Text 


Memory Verse 

“Jesus took the sour 

wine and said, „It is 

finished.‟ He put his 

head down and gave 

up His spirit and 

died.” (John 19:30) 

Word List 

sentence: the decision 

by a judge of how a 

guilty person is to be 

punished for a crime 

criminals: people 

guilty of a crime 

innocent: not guilty 

crucified: died on a 

cross 

crucifixion: death on 

a cross 

support: help, be with 

and give whatever is 

needed 

Few things in life make us feel satisfied. When we finish an 

important job, we have a feeling of freedom. We are glad to finish. 

We can take a deep breath. And then we look ahead to the next 

job. 

Jesus must have felt something like that. He had lived His 

life explaining God‟s love. It had been a hard life. But He must 

have felt free. He had done the work God had sent Him to do. 

He suffered. But He knew this was not the end. There was 

more to come. 

Jesus’ sentence (19:13-16) 

There was no death more terrible than death on a cross. It 

was used only in the case of a very bad person. It was the death of 

slaves and criminals. This was the kind of death that Jesus died. 

Pilate did not want to kill Jesus. He thought Him innocent. 

But the Jewish leaders wanted Jesus crucified. They made it hard 

for Pilate. He tried to free Jesus. But the crowd would not let him. 

The way of crucifixion was always the same. The case had 

been heard. The criminal had been called guilty. The judge had 

given the legal decision…guilty. 

It Is Finished 

The sentence was carried out right away. The criminal was 

placed between four guards. He was beaten, badly. He carried His 

own cross. He was marched through many streets. 

The Jewish leaders wanted people to see. They wanted 

people to see that Jesus was only a criminal. They did not want 

Him to be seen as the Son of God. “Then Pilate handed Him over


Things To 

Think About 

1. Why was it 

important for Jesus to 

die on the cross? 

to be nailed to a cross. They took Jesus and led Him away” 

(19:16). 

Jesus’ sacrifice (19:17-27) 

The soldiers made Jesus carry His own cross. Jesus went 

out bruised and bleeding. His skin was torn from the beating. He 

2. What friends and 

family can you 

depend on when you 

are in trouble? 

carried His own cross to the place where He would die. 

Jesus was nailed to the cross. He was between two others. 

They were true criminals. But Jesus was on a cross higher than the 

others. 

There is a picture here. There on the cross, Jesus was dying 

3. What does Jesus‟ 

crucifixion mean to 

you? 

in great pain. But the world did not care. At the foot of the cross, 

the soldiers did not care. They gambled away His clothes. Read 

Psalm 22:18. 

Too often, the world does not care. We treat the love of 

God as if it does not matter. Too often, we get so busy with our 

daily lives, we forget about God. We forget about His loving 

kindness. 

It was the custom to put the reason of the crucifixion at the 

foot of the cross. In Jesus‟ case, it was written in Hebrew, in Latin 

and in Greek. These were the three great languages of that longago 

time. 

They stood for three great nations. Greece taught the world 

about beauty. Rome taught the world about good government. The 

Hebrew nation taught the world religion. It taught about the one, 

true God. 

All of these things are seen in Jesus. He was the highest 

beauty of God. In Him was the very picture of God. He taught the


law of God. He showed us God‟s kingdom. able to keep His mind on His mission from 

It is important to us that three great God. But He was also able to take care of 

languages were used. All three called Jesus His mother‟s future. 

the King of the Jews. This is another way How often we forget about family. 

God used to spread the His Word. 

We get so busy caring about other things. 

There were four of Jesus‟ loved ones We have many things that steal away our 

at the foot of the cross. Jesus‟ mother Mary time. Jesus was facing death. Yet He took 

was there with Jesus‟ aunt. It may be that time to care about His mother. 

His aunt was the mother of James and John. 

The other two women were Mary 

Jesus’ spirit (19:28-30) 

Magdalene and Mary the wife of Clopas. John helps us to see two things about 

Do you have family and friends who Jesus‟ suffering on the cross. Jesus was 

give you courage? Do they support you holy. But He was also a man. He had to 

when you have troubles? Our daughter has become what we are. That is so that we can 

friends like that. She is facing her death. become what He is. That is why John wants 

Friends and people from her church have us to know that Jesus was thirsty. That is to 

given her all kinds of support. She is made show the real manhood of Jesus. It shows 

stronger from that support. 

how much pain He suffered. 

A man on a cross could give 

Jesus said, “It is finished.” But He 

instructions to those left alive. Jesus was did not say it in sad defeat. He said it with a 

thinking about the things God told Him to glad heart. For Jesus the fight was over. 

do. But He took time to think about His The battle was won. Even on the cross He 

mother. The “disciple whom He loved” was knew the joy of victory. He could rest 

probably the Apostle John. This is the one knowing that He had completed His work. 

who wrote the Gospel of John. 

He could lean His head back. He was 

John may have been Jesus‟ cousin. content and at peace. 

We can understand why Jesus would ask 

John to take care of His mother. Jesus was



22 Pilate said, "What I have written is to stay 

just as it is!" 

13 When Pilate heard this, he had Jesus brought 

23 The soldiers who nailed Jesus to the cross 

in front of him. Pilate sat down at the place 

took His clothes and divided them in four 

where men stand in front of him if they are 

parts, each soldier getting one part. But His 

thought to be guilty. The place is called the 

coat which was not sewed was made in one 

Stone Floor. 

piece. 

14 It was the day to get ready for the special 

24 They said to each other, "Let us not cut it 

religious gathering to remember how the Jews 

up. Let us draw names to see whose it should 

left Egypt. It was about noon. Pilate said to the 

be." This happened as the Holy Writings said 

Jews, "See, your King!" 

it would happen, "They divided My clothes 

15 They spoke with a loud voice, "Take Him 

among them and they drew names for My 

away! Nail Him to a cross!" Pilate said to them, 

coat." (Psalm 22:18) 

"Do you want me to nail your King to a cross?" 

25 This is what the soldiers did. The mother 

The head religious leaders said, "We have no 

of Jesus and her sister Mary, the wife of 

king but Caesar!" 

Cleophas, were standing near the cross. Mary 

16 Then Pilate handed Him over to be nailed to 

Magdalene was there also. 

a cross. They took Jesus and led Him away. 

26 Jesus saw His mother and the follower 

17 Jesus carried His own cross to a hill called 

whom He loved standing near. He said to His 

the Place of the Skull. 

mother, "Woman, look at your son." 

18 There they nailed Him to the cross. With 

27 Then Jesus said to the follower, "Look at 

Him were two others. There was one on each 

your mother." From that time the follower 

side of Jesus. 

took her to his own house. 

19 Then Pilate put a writing on the cross which 

28 Jesus knew that everything was now 

said, JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF 

finished. Everything happened as the Holy 

THE JEWS. 

Writings said it would happen. He said, "I am 

20 This was read by many of the Jews. The 

thirsty." (Psalm 69:21) 

place where Jesus was nailed to the cross was 

29 There was a jar full of sour wine near. 

near the city. The writing was written in the 

They filled a sponge and put it on a stick and 

Hebrew and the Latin and the Greek languages. 

put it to His mouth. 

21 Then the head religious leaders of the Jews 

30 Jesus took the sour wine and said, "It is 

said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the 

finished." He put His head down and gave up 

Jews'! Write, 'He said, I am the King of the 

His spirit and died. 

Jews.' "

JOHN –The Word Became Flesh • Unit 3: Jesus’ Passion and Victory • Lesson 12: I Send You Page 52 

Lesson 

12 



Bible Text 


Jesus‟ followers did not realize at first that Jesus had risen 

from the dead. They had seen Him die. To them, dead was dead. 

All their hopes and dreams were dead. We are much like the 

disciples. It is hard to believe that Jesus rose from the dead. 

But we have the story of Jesus rising from the dead. John 

saw the empty grave. He told the story so we would believe. The 

Gospel of John tells the story as fact and truth. How can we not 

believe? 

I Send You 

Memory Verse 

Then Jesus said to 

them again, "May you 

have peace. As the 

Father has sent Me, I 

also am sending you." 


Word List 

shocked: very 

surprised 

amazed: filled with 

joy and wonder 

convinced: made to 

believe that something 

is true. 

ordinary: usual, 

normal, or expected. 

The empty tomb (20:1-9) 

People in Palestine visited the grave (or tomb) for three days 

after death. They believed that the loved one‟s spirit stayed near 

the body for three days. Only after three days did the spirit leave. 

Jesus‟ friends could not come to the grave on Saturday. To 

travel on that day was to break the law. So it was on Sunday that 

Mary Magdalene went to Jesus‟ grave. 

It was very early in the morning. It was almost dark when 

Mary came. She could not stay away When Mary came to the 

grave, she was shocked. The stone had been rolled away. 

In those days, a round stone was put in the graves‟ opening. 

It was a heavy stone, rolled in front of the grave. Matthew tells us 

that the people in charge had put a seal on the stone (Matthew 

27:66). The seal was to make sure no one could move the stone. 

Mary was shocked to see the stone moved. Two things must 

have come into her mind. She may have thought the Jews had 

taken away Jesus‟ body. Killing Him was not enough. His death 

on the cross was not enough. She may have thought they wanted to 

hurt Him more even after He was dead.


Things To 

Think About 

1. What is the most 

important thing in 

your life to you? 

2. What is your life‟s 

mission? 

3. How are you 

working for Jesus‟ 

mission on earth? 

Also, there were people who robbed tombs. They came at 

night and took things from the bodies. Mary may have thought the 

tomb had been robbed. She was afraid that Jesus‟ body had been 

stolen. 

Mary could not face these things by herself. She went back 

into the city to find Peter and John. Mary kept believing when she 

could not understand. She kept on loving. Belief and love in the 

end find its glory. 

Peter was still the leader of the disciples. Mary went to him 

and John. They set out right away. They ran to the tomb. John 

must have been younger than Peter. He got to the tomb first. 

When they got to the tomb, John did not go in. He looked, 

but stayed outside. Peter looked, and then went in. He was 

amazed. He looked at the grave clothes. They were lying in folds. 

It was as if the body of Jesus had just disappeared. 

The sight convinced John. He knew what had happened. 

He believed. It was not what John had read. It was what he saw 

with his own eyes. 

It was Mary who was first at the tomb. She loved Jesus so 

much. John was the disciple whom Jesus loved. John loved Jesus, 

too. He was the first to believe in the Resurrection. He was the 

first man to see and believe. Love gave him eyes to see and the 

mind to understand. 

The resurrected Lord (20:10-18) 

Mary looked inside the tomb. She saw two angels sitting 

there. One sat at the place where Jesus‟ head had been. The other 

angel sat where His feet had been. The angels wanted to know the 

reason for Mary‟s tears. Mary told them someone had stolen her 

Lord‟s body.


Mary had the glory of being the first woman was not believed like a man. Jesus 

person to see the risen Lord. We can see would have to talk to the disciples Himself. 

Mary‟s love. She had come to the tomb. She 

had gone back to the city to tell Peter and Mission of a lifetime (20:19-21) 

John. They had run to the tomb. When Mary The disciples probably still met in the 

got back to the tomb, the others had left. She upper room where they had had the last 

was all alone. 

supper. They must have been very afraid. 

She stood there crying. She could not They had seen how much the Jews had hated 

see Jesus through her tears. She showed her Jesus. They were afraid their turn might 

love for Him as she spoke to Him. She come next. 

thought He was the one who cared for the Think how afraid they must have 

garden. She asked where He had taken Jesus‟ been, listening for a soldier‟s step on the 

body. 

stair. They listened for a knock on the door. 

Jesus called her name. At last she Suddenly, Jesus was with them. He gave 

knew who He was. Why had she not known them the ordinary greeting: “May you have 

before? 

peace” (20:19). This was ordinary. Nothing 

Her tears had blinded her eyes. She else was. 

was facing the wrong direction. It is 

“When He had said this, He showed 

sometimes that way with us. 

them His hands and His side. When the 

When we lose a loved one, we cry. It followers saw the Lord, they were filled 

is not so much for the dead loved one. It is with joy” (20:20). 

for us. But we must never let our tears blind “Then Jesus said to them again, „May 

us to the glory of heaven. There must be you have peace. As the Father has sent me, I 

tears. But through the tears, we must see that also am sending you‟ ” (20:21). 

our loved one is with Jesus. 

Jesus was not talking only to the 

Jesus told Mary to go to the disciples. eleven disciples. His words have a clear 

She did what she was told. She went to the meaning for all of us. Jesus has sent us to do 

disciples and told them what she had seen. His mission. Believers over the years have 

She told them what she had heard. 

carried His message to the world. Can we do 

The disciples did not believe Mary. A any less?



13 They said to her, "Woman, why are you 

crying?" She said to them, "Because they 

1 It was the first day of the week. Mary 

have taken away my Lord. I do not know 

Magdalene came to the grave early in the 

where they have put Him." 

morning while it was still dark. She saw that 

14 After saying this, she turned around and 

the stone had been pushed away from the grave. 

saw Jesus standing there. But she did not 

2 She ran to Simon Peter and the other follower 

know that it was Jesus. 

whom Jesus loved. She said to them, "They 

15 He said to her, "Woman, why are you 

have taken the Lord out of the grave. We do not 

crying? Who are you looking for?" She 

know where they have put Him." 

thought He was the man who cared for the 

3 Then Peter and the other follower went to the 

garden. She said to Him, "Sir, if you have 

grave. 

taken Jesus from here, tell me where you 

4 They ran but the other follower ran faster than 

have put Him. I will take Him away." 

Peter and came to the grave first. 

16 Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned 

5 He got down and looked in and saw the linen 

around and said to Him, "Teacher!" 

cloths but did not go in. 

17 Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to Me. I 

6 Then Simon Peter came and went into the 

have not yet gone up to My Father. But go to 

grave. He saw the linen cloths lying there. 

My brothers. Tell them that I will go up to 

7 The white cloth that had been around the head 

My Father and your Father, and to My God 

of Jesus was not lying with the other linen 

and your God!" 

cloths. It was rolled up and lying apart by itself. 

18 Mary Magdalene went and told the 

8 Then the other follower, who had come first, 

followers that she had seen the Lord. She told 

went in also. He saw and believed. 

them the things He had said to her. 

9 They still did not understand what the Holy 

19 It was evening of the first day of the 

Writings meant when they said that He must 

week. The followers had gathered together 

rise again from the dead. 

with the doors locked because they were 

10 Then the followers went back again to their 

afraid of the Jews. Jesus came and stood 

homes. 

among them. He said, "May you have peace." 

11 Mary stood outside the grave crying. As she 

20 When He had said this, He showed them 

cried, she got down and looked inside the 

His hands and His side. When the followers 

grave. 

saw the Lord, they were filled with joy. 

12 She saw two angels dressed in white clothes. 

21 Then Jesus said to them again, "May you 

They were sitting where the body of Jesus had 

have peace. As the Father has sent Me, I also 

lain. One angel was where His head had lain 

am sending you." 

and one angel was where His feet had lain.

JOHN –The Word Became Flesh • Unit 3: Jesus’ Passion and Victory • Lesson 13: What Is That to You Page 56 

Lesson 

13 



Bible Text 


Even after Jesus was raised from the dead, He served others 

(21:9). As the disciples came in to the shore from fishing, Jesus 

was making breakfast. He was showing the disciples that they 

should do the same. His disciples were to live their lives serving 

others. 

What Is That to You? 

Today, we must serve others. That is one way to show that 

we are followers of Jesus. How can we serve others? 

Memory Verse 

“Jesus said to him, 

„Feed my sheep.‟ ” 


Word List 

denied: said it was 

not true 

face: to think of doing 

with courage 

pay attention: look at 

or think about only 

one thing 

Making a servant (21:15-19) 

Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times in the past. 

Now, Jesus asked him three times, “Simon, son of John, do you 

love Me more than these?” (21:15). 

It may be that Jesus was asking Peter if he was willing to 

give up things. A family, the fishing business, life as he knew it 

were important things to Peter. Was he willing to give it all up for 

Jesus? 

Did Peter love Jesus more than anything else in his life? 

This is being a servant: to love Jesus more than anything else in 

life. Being Jesus‟ servant would be worth more than life itself. 

Love brought Peter a job. If we love Jesus, we will give our 

lives to helping others. We show our love for Jesus by loving 

others. Love is the greatest gift we have in life. But love gives us 

more work to do in the world. 

Love gave Peter a cross. Later in his life, Peter was nailed to 

a cross. When he was being nailed to the cross, he asked to be 

nailed upside down. He said that he was not worthy to die as his 

Lord had died.


Things To 

Think About 

1. What work can you 

do in your life? 

We do not really love Jesus unless we are ready to face 

our work. We do not really love Him, unless we are willing to 

face His cross. Peter was shown as the leader of Christ‟s 

people. 

Here is how we can follow Jesus. We may not be able to 

2. Do you see 

yourself as a servant? 

write like John. We may not be able to go to the countries of the 

world like Paul. But we can all work for the people of the 

world. Each one of us can feed the lambs. Each of us can feed 

3. Can you think 

the lambs of Christ with the food of the Word of God. 

about the good work 

of others? Does it 

make you want to 

work harder? 

Workers for Christ 

I have known many good people in my life. I have seen 

what wonderful things they have done. It is good to know about 

them. I will tell you about a few of them. 

Colonel Wallace Hopkins was in South Korea during the 

war with North Korea. One day, he saw some children living 

under a bridge. It was very cold. He got some blankets and 

some food for the children. 

He got some other soldiers to help him. They found a 

building they could use. They worked on the building. They got 

beds and a stove. They got food. They found a cook. A woman 

took over the care of the children. They had a home. 

Not one of the children died. “Hop” and his friends saved 

more than fifty children. Later, the home for orphan children 

grew. After the war, the Korean government gave Colonel 

Hopkins an award for doing such a good thing. 

Dina Smith is another good person. She cannot go 

anywhere to work for the Lord. So, she spends her time


working for the Lord right where she lives. for the Lord there. She doesn‟t have much 

Every time before the pastor speaks, Dina money, but she has been to Cambodia 

prays for him. She asks the Lord to guide several times. She taught Cambodian 

him as he preaches. 

pastors how to teach their church members. 

Dina used to be a Sunday School Edlyne is another person who does what 

teacher for International people. She is she can for Jesus 

ninety years old now. But she sends cards There are so many people who are 

to people who are sick. She calls people spending their lives working for Christ‟s 

when they cannot go to church. She is kingdom. It would be hard to name them 

doing what she can for the Lord. 

all. Do you know people who are Christ‟s 

Mara is working for the Lord. She is witnesses? Could you be one? 

in a country far away. She is teaching 

English. But she is letting people know 

“You follow Me” (21:22) 

about Christ. I cannot tell everything about Peter was wondering about what 

Mara. The leaders of the country would not would happen to John. But Jesus was quick 

like it if they knew what she is really doing. to answer, “...what is that to you?” (21:22). 

Mara is a soldier for Christ. 

Jesus was telling Peter to pay attention to 

Ann Pitman is another of the Lord‟s his own work. He was not to think about 

people. She is a special person. She started anything else. He was not to compare 

a program for International people in her himself to anyone else. 

church. She has been working in the 

That is the trap we sometimes fall 

program 37 years. Several hundred people into. We compare ourselves to someone 

in the program have been saved. They else. Is our work as important as theirs? Are 

know Christ. Many of them have taken we doing as much for Christ as someone 

Christ back to their own countries. else? What is that to us? We should do the 

Edlyne Dickson is another worker for work God gives us to do. That is all we 

Christ. She was a school teacher. She was a need to think about. 

volunteer teacher in China. But she worked



someone else will put on your belt and 

15 When they were finished eating, Jesus 

take you away where you do not want to 

said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, 

go." 

do you love Me more than these?" Peter 

19 He said this to tell Peter what kind of 

answered Jesus, "Yes, Lord, You know 

death he would die to honor God. After 

that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed 

Jesus said this, He said to Peter, "Follow 

My lambs." 

Me." 

16 Jesus said to Peter the second time, 

20 Peter turned around. He saw the 

"Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" He 

follower whom Jesus loved, following. 

answered Jesus, "Yes, Lord, You know 

This one had been beside Jesus at the 

that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Take 

supper. This is the one who had asked 

care of My sheep." 

Jesus, "Lord, who will hand You over?" 

17 Jesus said to Peter the third time, 

21 Peter saw him and said to Jesus, "But 

"Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" 

Lord, what about this one?" 

Peter felt bad because Jesus asked him the 

22 Jesus said, "If I want this one to wait 

third time, "Do you love Me?" He 

until I come, what is that to you? You 

answered Jesus, "Lord, You know 

follow Me." 

everything. You know I love You." Jesus 

23 So the news spread among the 

said to him, "Feed My sheep. 

followers that this follower would not die. 

18 For sure, I tell you, when you were 

But Jesus did not say to him that he would 

young, you put on your belt and went 

not die. He said, "If I want him to wait 

wherever you wanted to go. When you get 

until I come, what is that to you?" 

old, you will put out your hands and

Christmas Lesson • After Jesus Was Born Page 60 

Christmas 

Lesson 



Bible Text 

Matthew 2:1-12 

Memory Verse 

“They went into the 

house and found the 

young Child with 

Mary, His mother. 

Then they got down 

before Him and 

worshiped Him. They 

opened their bags of 

riches and gave Him 

gifts of gold and 

perfume and spices.” 

(Matthew 2:11) 

Word List 

decorated: added 

colorful and pretty 

things to make it look 

special 

sacrifice: a gift given 

to God in worship 

suspicious: believe 

something bad about 

others without proof 

I have seen a lot of Christmases. Looking back, it seems 

to me that sometimes we lost sight of the real meaning of 

Christmas. There were lots of parties. We cooked lots of 

special foods. We decorated our houses. We spent too much 

money on presents. We were too busy to think about the Baby 

Jesus. 

Long before Thanksgiving, the stores were decorated for 

Christmas. Television was full of ads for presents. It is the time 

of year when everyone spends too much money. It is the same 

today. We don’t seem to have the time to think about the Christ 

Child. 

Bethlehem (2:1-2) 

Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The little town has a long 

history. Much had happened there. The most important thing 

about Bethlehem was that it was the home and city of David 

(1 Samuel 16:1, 20:6). To the people of Israel, Bethlehem was 

special. 

It was from the line of David that God would send a king 

to rule Israel. Read Micah 5:2. The Jews expected that 

Bethlehem would be the place where David’s greater Son 

would be born. It was there that the King of the Jews would be 

born. 

After Jesus Was Born 

The houses in Bethlehem are built on a rocky slope. It 

was common for the people to build their stables under their 

houses. They made a cave under their houses. That became a


Things To 

Think About 

1. What do you think 

about the Magi 

coming from the 

Gentile world to see 

the Baby Jesus? 

People who are not 

Jews are Gentiles. 

That means that Jesus 

came for all of us. 

stable. That was probably the kind of place where Jesus was 

born. Many years later, the Romans became Christians. An 

emperor built a church on the spot where they believed Jesus 

was born. That church still stands. 

When Jesus was born, He was born in a cave where 

animals were kept. That cave is under the Church of the 

Nativity in Bethlehem. We will never know if it is the same 

cave. But it does not matter. 

The church has a very low door where one can enter the 

cave. One must lean over very far to enter. One goes on his or 

her knees to go where the infant Jesus was born. 

2. Are you full of joy 

and peace during the 

Christmas season? 

King Herod and the Magi (2:3-8) 

The Magi were a tribe of priests. They were the teachers 

of the Persian kings. A sacrifice could not be offered unless 

one of the Magi was there. They became men of holiness and 

3. What difference 

will Christmas have 

on your life after 

January 1 st ? 

wisdom. Most of them were good men. They looked for truth. 

We do not know what bright star the Magi saw. It must 

have looked like God was making some special thing known. It 

was their business to watch the heavens. Some bright star made 

them think that a special king was about to be born into the 

world. 

Do not think that the story of the Magi is just a story. It is 

exactly what happened in that long ago time. People were 

waiting for God. They knew that they could not build a better 

world without God. 

Jesus came to a waiting world. When He came, the world 

was at His cradle. It was the first sign of Christianity on earth.


Herod heard that wise men had 

The Christ Child is found (2:9-12) 

come from the east. They were looking for There were three ways that people 

a child born to be the King of the Jews. thought about Jesus. Herod was filled with 

Any king would be worried if he heard of hatred. He wanted to kill the Baby. The 

someone who could take his place. high priests didn’t care. They were busy 

Herod was not a bad king. He did with things about the law. 

many good things. He kept the peace. He The Magi were different. They loved 

built the temple in Jerusalem. Herod did and respected the Baby. They were full of 

not take taxes when times were hard. But worship. They brought the best gifts they 

there was one problem with Herod. could bring. When anyone realizes the love 

He had always been very 

of God in Jesus Christ, he or she must be 

suspicious of others. He was afraid that no lost in wonder, love and praise. 

one liked him. He was afraid that someone God took care of His Son. In a 

would try to take his place. Think what dream He sent the wise men home another 

Herod must have thought when he heard way. They did not go back to Herod. 

from the wise men. 

God came to Joseph and Mary, just 

Herod called the high priests as He comes to us. He sends us out on a 

together. He wanted to know where this mission for the Christ Child. Christmas is 

King of the Jews would be born. They told one of the high holidays of the year. People 

him about Micah 5:2-5. Read these verses want to be with their families. It is a time to 

again in the Old Testament. Herod called think about what our families have done for 

for the Magi. He told them to find the Christ in the last year. 

child in Bethlehem. They were to come 

The Gospel is not just for our 

back and tell Herod. Herod said he wanted families. It is for the whole world. Real 

to worship the Child. But he really wanted followers of Jesus give their lives to share 

to kill Him. 

the good news of the Christ Child with all 

the world.


Matthew 2:1-12 

8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, 

1 Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem "Go and find the young Child. When you 

in the country of Judea. It was the time find Him, let me know. Then I can go and 

when Herod was king of that part of the worship Him also." 

country. Soon after Jesus was born, some 9 After the king had spoken, they went on 

wise men who learned things from stars their way. The star they had seen in the 

came to Jerusalem from the East. 

East went before them. It came and 

2 They asked, "Where is the King of the stopped over the place where the young 

Jews Who has been born? We have seen His Child was. 

star in the East. We have come to worship 10 When they saw the star, they were 

Him." 

filled with much joy. 

3 King Herod heard this. He and all the 11 They went into the house and found 

people of Jerusalem were worried. 

the young Child with Mary, His mother. 

4 He called together all the religious leaders Then they got down before Him and 

of the Jews and the teachers of the Law. worshiped Him. They opened their bags 

Herod asked them where Christ was to be of riches and gave Him gifts of gold and 

born. 

perfume and spices. 

5 They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea. 12 Then God spoke to them in a dream. 

The early preacher wrote, 

He told them not to go back to Herod. So 

6 'You, Bethlehem of Judah, are not the they went to their own country by another 

least of the leaders of Judah. Out of you will road. 

come a King Who will lead My people, the 

Jews.' " (Micah 5:2) 

7 Then Herod had a secret meeting with the 

men who learned things from stars. He 

asked them about what time the star had 

been seen.

The Gospel of John - BaptistWay Press

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