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THE WOMAN TAKEN IN ADULTERY (John 8:1-11)
ICEBREAKER
For an icebreaker to our first story, I like to begin by sharing an embarrassing moment. And though that may be a bit intimidating to do as a teacher, people usually enjoy it. Then, you could ask if anyone else in the class would be willing to share one of theirs. And, why not, I’ll go ahead and share one of mine here. I’ve got plenty to choose from. A few years ago, while serving as the Bishop of my ward, I was sitting there on the stand for sacrament meeting, obviously. And one of your jobs as bishop is to make sure the priests say the sacramental prayers correctly. And so I have those memorized, and I would listen carefully to the priest and afterwards they’d look to me for a second and I’d give them either the nod if they said it correctly or a shake of the head if they needed to do it again. Well, anyway, on this particular Sunday, I listened carefully to the prayer on the bread, and it was delivered correctly, I gave the nod, and the deacons began passing the sacrament. Well, I always like to use that time to ponder and pray and focus on the Savior, as we should. So I closed my eyes and bowed my head and sank deep into thought. Although, being a very busy person with a lot on my plate and sometimes having late nights and early mornings, let’s just say I started to ponder a little too deeply, and before I knew it, I was out. I fell asleep on the stand and was oblivious to deacons passing the bread to everyone, bringing it back to the priests, and then one of the priests offering the prayer on the water. Well I’m still out of it at that point, completely. And the priest finishes the prayer, looks to me, and there I am head down, completely asleep. And from what my wife tells me, the priests don’t know what to do. They’re looking at each other, and around, and there’s this awkward moment where they’re trying to figure out whether they should just go ahead or wait for me. And so my first counselor realizes what’s going on and he bumps me in the ribs, and I come to, and I’m looking around for a second, trying to figure out where I am and what’s happening, and I look to the side and there’s the priests wide-eyed and wondering what to do. So I gave them a quick nod and the sacrament proceeded. But, you know, I have to be honest, I don’t whether the prayer was said correctly or not. I hope and pray it was. But, I guess I’ll never know. I still remember looking out over the congregation and seeing some of my ward members trying to suppress their laughter. So that was an embarrassing moment for me, which I can laugh about now, but in the moment, I distinctly remember feeling humiliated, in front of the entire congregation and just kind of wanting to hide. Thank heavens that was during Covid though and I had a mask on to cover my, I’m sure, very red face.
TRANSITION
Well that’s typical of embarrassing moments. Right? We don’t want everybody to see our mistakes. When we err, it’s very natural, very human to conceal those things. In the story from the life of Christ that we’re going to take a look now, we’re going to encounter somebody who has made a very serious moral mistake. But that mistake is going to be brought out in front of everyone, including Jesus. And what’s great about this little story is that we get a chance to see the how Savior reacts to that kind of situation—how he reacts to someone’s mistakes. Let’s watch him, and perhaps it can help us to know what we should do when we become aware of other people’s mistakes or sins. Her story is found in John 8:1-11.
SEARCH
Let’s set up the situation by reading verses 1-5 together including the first sentence of verse 6 with a question in mind.
Why are the scribes and Pharisees doing this?
Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him.
So what are the scribes and Pharisees hoping to accomplish here? They’re trying to trap him. It seems like they’ve always got some scheme up their sleeves to make Jesus look bad. And of course, they always fail. But here, the plan is that, If he says, don’t do it, then they could accuse him of disregarding the Law of Moses, which is everything to the Jews. If he says, do it, then that would make him look unpopular in the eyes of the people and perhaps even get him in trouble with the Roman law. So, they don’t really care about this woman, and I would argue, they don’t really care much about the law of Moses or that she’s broken a commandment even. They are using her as a pawn to try and get at Jesus and demand that he judge her. And that’s where the real value of this story comes to play. We get to see Jesus as judge. He’s going to teach us what to do and what not to do when opportunities to judge the mistakes, the sins, and shortcomings of others are presented to us. This story is going to illustrate something that he said in the previous chapter. John 7:24 24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
I see at least six different truths about “righteous judgment” taught by these verses—Six principles of judging righteously. What do you see? Read the rest of the story and come up with as many truths as YOU can from this story. To help you in that search, I’ll give you some verse numbers where I particularly see a truth. But you can disregard those if you like and just see what you can find. Dig deep. What truths stand out to you? When I see the mistakes of others I should/shouldn’t . . . what? Here are the verses I would focus on in particular—:3, :6, :7, :9, :10, :11 As a teacher, I might just write these verses on the board and invite my students to search and share what they find. And then discuss those truths as they are revealed.
And here’s my thoughts:
:3 When They Had Set Her In the Midst
Verse 3. I see a shouldn’t in this verse. When the Pharisees and scribes discover her mistake, what do they do? They parade her out in front of everyone else. It says that “they set her in the midst.” Now the fact that they are doing in the temple, in his Father’s house, in front of everybody else and especially with this air of self-righteousness and lack of compassion must have been deeply offensive to the Savior. This was not a matter for the entire community to be involved in. But isn’t that exactly what we’re tempted to do when we become aware of the mistakes of others? We gossip about it. We tell everyone we know. We bring it out into the open and call attention to it. At worst, we denigrate or ridicule them in public. In a more public sphere, tabloid magazines are some of the biggest sellers in the country, and what are they full of? The public judgment of others. Drawing attention to the mistakes and sins and problems of our fellowman. Jesus, on the other hand, understood that sins, especially those of a serious nature are personal, private, and confidential matters between God and that individual, or sometimes, God’s priesthood leaders, and the people directly involved and affected by it, and nobody else. It’s not our place to display those things to the world. Or, if we legitimately have an issue to hash out with someone, we should do as Jesus suggests in Matthew 18:15 that reads
15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
So, it there truly is a problem between us and someone else, their actions or mistakes are directly affecting us, then we don’t do it out in front of everyone, but in private. That’s our first principle, then. When I see the mistakes of others, I shouldn’t “set them in the midst” or focus public attention on them. Instead, if it’s a matter that is none of our business (which is usually the case) perhaps we can do what Jesus does in verse 6.
:6 As Though he Heard them Not
“But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.” So what does he do? He ignores them. He acts as if he can’t even hear them. He’s not going to take the bait or respond to their judgment. Which is really a hard thing for us to do. I mean, how are we temped to react when someone comes to us and says, “Hey, did you hear about so and so. Did you hear what they did?” Do we seek to ignore it, or do we lean in and say, “Oooo, give me all the juicy details.” Do we openly criticize or call out the mistakes of our friends, neighbors, and family members in front of others? Do we publicize those kinds of things on social media? Or go around looking for the negative in others and shout what we find from the rooftops? Or do we try to ignore it? Do we walk away from the gossipy conversation? Do we focus on the good in others rather than the bad? Do we shout our praises and hold back our disparagement? Jesus sought to do the latter. So when I see the mistakes of others, I should seek to ignore it. Or when others present those kinds of things to me, I should act as though I heard them not.
:7 He That is Without Sin Among You, Let Him First Cast a Stone
Of course, that’s not good enough for the Pharisees. So they push him. They demand a judgment. So Jesus does. They ask whether they are justified in stoning her. And what’s Jesus’s answer in verse 7? You might be surprised.
7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
So what’s his suggestion? To do it or not do it? It’s to do it! “Ok, go ahead and stone her. It’s in the law of Moses, so do it. But before you do, I want you to consider one thing. He who is without sin, let him go first.” Now that’s fascinating because it changes the whole dynamic of the situation. He’s saying to do it but in a specific way. Rather than a mob mentality where everybody just grabs rocks and starts throwing, and nobody needs to feel personally responsible for the condemnation of this woman, somebody has to throw the first stone, alone. Now interestingly enough, Jesus is really appealing to the actual law of Moses here. There was an order, some rules, one capital punishment, or on stoning people to death. Check this out in Deuteronomy 17:7.
7 The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you.
Now you can probably see the wisdom in that kind of a system. What effect do you think that would have? If you were going to bring an accusation against someone, but you knew that you were going to have to be the person to first cast a stone at someone, how might that affect your decision? This was probably an effort to keep people from making frivolous or false accusations. You would probably think twice. I mean, I don’t think I would want to be put into the role of executioner.
So Jesus’s answer here is brilliant. It’s the perfect way out of this trap that they’re setting for him. They can’t accuse him of defying the law of Moses because he does give them permission to stone her, but at the same time, he creates a situation where the focus of judgment shifts elsewhere. And so he gives these men, these scribes and Pharisees, somebody else to judge first. It’s like he’s saying, “Oh, you’re so eager to judge and condemn somebody, well, let me give you somebody to judge.” And who does he offer them? Themselves.
So that’s the principle here. When I see the mistakes of others, I should judge myself instead. I should focus on my own sins and weaknesses. I should realize that about myself. It’s the “motes and beams” from the sermon on the mount played out in real life. And so these men do judge themselves. And what’s their verdict apparently based on verse 9?
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
Their verdict on themselves was: Guilty. They were convicted. Convicted by Christ? No, convicted by their own consciences. And who knows what those men were guilty of, but they knew that they were in no position to be casting stones.
:9 And Jesus was Left Alone, And the Woman
The accusers teach us the fourth truth about judging. What did they do after they had been convicted by their own conscience? They:
“went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
They leave. And it’s not until Jesus sees “none but the woman,” as it says in the next verse, that he deals with the situation. This was the way it should be. Like we said earlier, these situations should not be a matter of public scrutiny.
So what should we do when we’re tempted to judge? When I see the mistakes of others, I should . . .leave the judgment to Christ. And interestingly, if you really stop and think about Jesus’s condition for throwing the first stone, which was, “He who is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her,” I ask you, was there anyone in that courtyard that fit that qualification? Who met that requirement? Somebody “without sin”. YES! There was! Jesus himself! He was without sin, truly and completely. So if anyone would have been justified in throwing the first stone, he would be it. He’s the only one who can fairly and righteously and perfectly, make those kinds of judgments. Because he knows the person and the soul, better than they know themselves. So let’s put the matter into his hands or the hands of those who have been called, appointed, and authorized BY HIM to make such judgments. And how are those judgments carried out in the Church today. In private, behind closed doors—dealt with as confidentially as possible.
:10 Jesus . . . Saw None but the Woman
I really love that phrase, “Jesus saw none but the woman” in verse 10. We’re learning something about the way Jesus sees people. Those scribes and Pharisees, all they saw was a sinner, an adulteress, an opportunity to accuse Jesus. But Jesus saw “the woman”, the person, the individual. He saw HER! That’s what we should seek to see in others—the person behind the problem, the soul behind the sin. So when I see the mistakes of others, I should seek to see the person, not the problem.
:11 Go, and Sin No More
Now what do we make about the rest of the story? Does Jesus condone adultery? Is he telling her it wasn’t that big a deal? Did Jesus forgive her right then and there?
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
So which of the following do you feel best reflects how Jesus is handling her sin. Because, there’s no doubt here, she has sinned, and grievously. Which of the following do you feel best describes Jesus’s judgment.
Is the message tolerance: What you did is not that big a deal. Don’t worry about it.
Is the message acquittal: I forgive you of your mistake. The charges have been dropped.
Is the message warning: I’m not going to condemn you for this, but don’t let it happen again.
Is the message encouragement: You have value in God’s eyes, you don’t have to live like this anymore.
Is the message challenge: I invite you to change. The evidence of forgiveness is a changed life.
So which of those would you choose? And you could choose more than one.
Personally, I lean towards the last three options and away from the first two. I don’t see anything in those verses that suggests disregard for sin or automatic forgiveness. Jesus is not condoning or minimizing the seriousness of adultery. He just doesn’t condemn her. I feel there’s a good mix of warning, encouragement, and challenge in that short 5-word phrase: Go, and sin no more.
So what should we do when offered a chance to judge? When I see the mistakes of others, I should not condemn, but should give them a chance to change.
And there you go, six powerful principles on judgment.
The Result
Now I want to show you something really cool. I am so grateful for the Joseph Smith Translation, because without it, we would never know the rest of this woman’s story. We would be left to wonder if she changed or not? Did this experience with the Savior’s mercy have an impact on her or did she just run away from that courtyard relieved that she was able to escape that perilous situation, and then go right back to her old ways?
I think our Heavenly Father wanted the members of his restored Church to get the benefit of one more principle, one more truth from this story, and so he inspired Joseph to add this little phrase to the end of verse 11. Which by the way, if you have an older church version of the New Testament, it’s not included. Which always used to blow my mind. Like, of all the JST’s to leave out, why would they not include this one? So I’m grateful that they realized this and added it when they released the new version of the scriptures. So now there is a footnote John 8:11c. Which changes verse 11 to read like this:
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. And the woman glorified God from that hour, and believed on his name.
Our final truth from this beautiful story. Mercy and constructive counsel are more likely to produce change in a person than condemnation and public shame.
TRUTH
So a recap of our truths here. When I see the mistakes of others I . . .
Shouldn’t “set them in the midst” of others.
Should seek to ignore it.
Should judge myself instead.
Should leave the judgment to Christ.
Should seek to see the person, not the problem.
Should condemn them not, but give them a chance to change.
Now before we conclude. There’s another perspective that we should consider to this story. This story not only helps us when we are tempted to judge others, but also when we are the ones looking up at the crowd as the sinner, when we are in the position to be judged. How does Christ treat us?
Jesus does not condemn me because of my sins, but is merciful and offers me numerous second chances to overcome my sins.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
How could this story help you to treat others more like Jesus?
How does the way Jesus treated this woman help you face your own sins?
CONCLUSION
Well, my friends, can we accept the fact that we’re all sinners, and that none of us wants to have our sins and weaknesses and embarrassing matters paraded before the world? I hope that we can remember the Savior’s example when we’re tempted to judge or condemn the people around us for their wrongdoings. The result we desire is changed people, people that glorify God from that hour, and not broken souls, battered by our stones of condemnation. And may we also remember the Savior’s actions when we find ourselves in the position of this woman—caught in the very act by a God who sees and knows all. May we remember that he is merciful and slow to condemn—that he sees US and not just our sins. I encourage us to always keep in mind the Savior’s words to this woman. “Neither do I condemn thee. Go, and sin no more!”
THE MAN BORN BLIND
ICEBREAKER
Our next story from John 9—The Man Born Blind. As an icebreaker, I like to begin by taking a class survey. I ask “Which of the following senses do you feel would be the worst to lose?
Hearing
Taste
Touch
Sight
Smell
Then take a vote and see which answer comes out to be the most popular. I've done this activity many times and almost without fail the most popular answer is “sight.” Most people feel that being blind would be the most difficult sense to lose. And you might ask some of them to explain why they think that would be so hard.
TRANSITION
Today we’re going to study a story about a young man who had never seen anything in his life. A man BORN blind and his incredible experience with the Savior. Sometimes certain chapters in the scriptures carry themes. And especially the gospel of John. I would argue that the theme of this chapter (and in much of the gospel of John) is “seeing.” In John’s writings, seeing is symbolic of believing and understanding. So it shouldn’t surprise you which “I AM” statement Jesus is going to use in this chapter. You know, Jesus gave us quite a few “I AM” statements in his ministry. I am the bread of life, I am the way, I am the good Shepherd, I am Alpha and Omega. Well, in this context? A story about healing a blind man, a man who has lived his entire life in darkness. What famous “I am” statement of Christ do you think he’s going to use here? Can you guess it? Go to John 9:5 to see if you got it right.
And what does he say?
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
So let’s see how Jesus brings “Light” into the life of this young man—both physically AND spiritually.
SEARCH
First, I find the way that Jesus heals the blind man really fascinating. What did Jesus have the blind man do in order to receive his sight? From verses 6-7.
6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
7 And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
Now why do you think that Jesus healed the blind man like this? Why not just heal him on the spot with the touch of his hand. He seemed to heal other people that way. Why like this here? It could teach us that if we wish to see, in a spiritual sense, then we too need to follow the specific instructions of the Savior. Also, I believe the clay can be symbolic as well. The clay could symbolize the world or the things of this world. Therefore, if we wish to “see” we need to wash away the dirt of our worldly concerns and desires.
Then what happens next is so awesome. After the man washes and sees, Jesus is nowhere to be found. He’s walked away and has disappeared into the crowds. Well, as you can imagine, this miracle causes quite a stir as the people who know him realize the miracle.
So I like to approach the story by saying that “This story is going to show us how people often respond to the light of Jesus Christ and his truth. This man has just experienced the power of Christ’s light. Now what does he do with it? And how do other people respond to this evidence of Christ as the light of the world.
At this point, I might consider showing my class the church Bible video of this story. It’s very well done and follows the scriptures word for word. I’ll provide you with a link to it here:
But as they watch or as they read it, invite them to consider the following questions.
How is the man born blind a good example of what we should do when we have experienced “Christ’s light”?
How are the Pharisees a bad example of what to do when we see evidence of “Christ’s light?
What happened to the man’s faith as the story progresses?
If you haven’t ever read this story, or seen the Bible video, I encourage you to pause and do that now.
And how is the man born blind a good example? He stands up for the truth. He has experienced this great evidence of Christ’s power, and so he testifies of it! Over and over again. And so should we!
How are the Pharisees a bad example? They make excuses and seek to rationalize away the miracle. Even when it was obvious that this thing was done by the power of God. Their main hang up with the miracle, is that, of course, Jesus has done the miracle on the Sabbath. He seems to do that quite a lot—trying to teach the Pharisees a lesson. To them, Jesus making the clay was work and also the man washing the clay away was work and that was not acceptable on the Sabbath. This man must be a sinner.
And in the case your students struggle to see that let's go through the story together and let me show you examples of these two responses. You may even encourage your students to mark these two responses in two different colors in their scriptures labeled “Testimonies” and “Rationalizations”. So the Pharisees first rationalization shows up in verse 16. This man is not of God because he keepeth not the Sabbath day. And then we have the man born blinds response to that excuse. We have his first declaration of testimony. In verse 17, He is a prophet. I mean, this is such an amazing miracle in his life that he can't help but immediately come to the conclusion that Jesus is more than just an ordinary man. But that's just not good enough for the Pharisees. So we get rationalization number two in verses 18 through 23, which is “Ah, he must not really have been born blind. He's lying. Go get his parents and let's verify this.” So they go and get them and ask, “Is this your son and was he really born blind?” and they say, “Yes, this is our son and yes, he was born blind. But we don't know how this happened. Ask him. He's of age.” Then we get excuse number 3 in verse 24. They say, “Give God the praise, we know that this man is a sinner.” So God did this miracle, but not through Jesus. He had nothing to do with it. So the man born blind responds with another testimony. He’s not going to let them get away with it. He says, “Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.” And I'm sure the people around him were maybe like, “Yeah, that's a pretty good indicator that this man is good. And I think the Pharisees see that their losing face and so they question him again. How did this happen? And I just love the courage of this young man. He testifies in verse 27 (and there’s a really good JST change that I’ll add here. He says, “I have told you already, and ye did not believe it. Wherefore would you believe if I told you again? Will you also be his disciples? And wow, that is direct. He's obviously getting a little fed up with the pride and sheer ignorance of the Pharisees. Now they sense his indignation, and they revile him, and we get excuse number 4 in verses 28 through 29. “Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses's disciples We know that God spake unto Moses: but as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.” So he must have done this miracle by some other power than, but we're Moses disciples. And oh, I just love this young man, such a good example, he's not going to just quietly walk away. He going to stand up to their blindness. And these are my favorite verses of the whole story. Just listen to the power and the boldness of his testimony. He says:
Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.
31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.
32 Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.
33 If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.
And oh, it’s just like, “Yeah! Take that, Pharisees!” And their last dig or excuse then comes in verse 34. Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? and they cast him out. Which is typical of most unbelievers or opponents of faith. They dismiss the witness. We can’t explain the miracle, so we’ll just label you as crazy, or a deceiver, or an imposter. We don't have to listen to you. You were just a sinner to begin with. They blind themselves to the truth.
Now all throughout this story we're seeing those two responses to light. We can either rationalize it away, dismiss it, make excuses, or we can accept it and testify of it and stand up for it with boldness.
And our third question here: What happened to the man’s faith as the story progresses?
Did you notice it? Every time he testifies, it gets stronger. You sense his conviction grow and grow and his commitment to Christ deepen.
TRUTH
And there’s a truth in that. The more I testify of Christ and his light, the stronger my faith becomes.
And then, the conclusion of the story in verses 35 to 38 is really beautiful. I wish I could have been there to see this moment. It says:
35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.
38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
Superb. So why should we be more like the blind man and not the Pharisees? Because those who are willing to stand up for what they believe and boldly testify will one day see and know with 100% perfect clarity that it's true. And I also believe that the Savior himself will one day stand in front of those who believe in him and confirm all that they've stood for. So we started this story with a blind man who receives sight, and we end the story with a man who not only sees physically now but more importantly, sees spiritually as well. While the Pharisees, who could always see physically are exposed as the blind. And then just in case we missed that message, Jesus makes sure we get the point in verse 39. He says:
39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
How’s your spiritual vision? If you were compare it to the following condition
20/20
Nearsighted—always focused on what's right in front of you
Farsighted—always focused on the future
Do you have a couple of blind spots?
Going blind
Blind
How has your testimony grown by standing up for it?
CONCLUSION
The man born blind is one of my favorite examples of testimony in the scriptures. Testimony is power. Whenever it is proclaimed it releases that power both outward and inward. When we have had the clay of the world washed from our eyes and we see, we rush out into the world to celebrate and proclaim that magnificent miracle with all around us. Like a man born blind seeing for the first time. And may we realize the light by which we see, the light of the world, our Savior Jesus Christ. And that testimony will grow stronger and stronger, our vision will become clearer and clearer as we stay true to that witness. And just like us, that man saw Jesus spiritually first, before he ever saw him physically. We can believe in Christ and have a deep conviction of his divinity without ever actually seeing him with our physical eyes. But one day, we too will stand before the Savior himself and he will say, “Thou hast both seen him, (spiritually and now physically) and it is he that talketh with thee.” Until that day, continue to testify, no matter how strong or intimidating the opposition.
THE GOOD SHEPHERD (John 10)
ICEBREAKER
A short message here from John 10. For an icebreaker, I would play “Whose Voice is this?” And all you really need to play this with your class would be a phone or a laptop with access to the Church’s website or the gospel library app. And you’ll go in and find the most recent general conference. Then select a talk from one of the apostles and at the top of that page you’ll find a video of their talk and then you just play a small portion of it and see if they can recognize who it is by only listening to the voice. And I would use this handout as a study guide for this portion of the lesson and you’ll see that at the top there is a place to write down their answers. And I would suggest that you make sure to choose some of the brethren whose voices are really unique and recognizable, if I can say that. Like Elder Uchtdorf, President Oaks, Elder Ballard, President Nelson, Elder Soares, and really any of the brethren will do. Then when you’re done, you can go through and correct them.
TRANSITION
And, you know, if the theme of John chapter 9 was seeing the Savior. John chapter 10 is all about hearing. And as we’ve just demonstrated, everyone’s voice is unique. And with those voices that you did recognize, why was it that you were able to do that? It’s because you’ve heard their voices before. At least every six months. You’ve heard them enough to identify the owner of the voice. Now if you couldn’t recognize them, perhaps you haven’t had enough experience with listening to that particular person to distinguish them from the others. Well Jesus had a little metaphor he used to help his apostles understand the importance of getting to know his voice.
SEARCH
What did Jesus compare himself to in John chapter 10:11 and 14? He compared himself to a shepherd. But not just any kind of shepherd, a good shepherd. Which means, what is he comparing all of us to? Sheep? Now having been someone who has actually worked with sheep on a ranch as a young man, I’m not totally sure that’s a compliment, to be honest. Sheep are not the most intelligent of animals. But this chapter is mainly going to revolve around that image of Jesus as a good shepherd.
So with that analogy in mind, let’s search for what Jesus wants us to know about him, and what he wants us to know about ourselves. So the next portion of the handout contains two separate crossword puzzles to complete. One for each of the two major symbols in the chapter. The Good Shepherd, and the Sheep. The clues for the Crossword puzzles are going to highlight the important qualities that each of those things possess.
So first, the Good Shepherd. How is Jesus like a good shepherd?
ACROSS 2. I am come that they might have _______, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:9) LIFE 4. He calleth his own sheep by ________. (John 10:3) NAME 7. He _____________ them out. (John 10:3) LEADETH 8. I lay ________ my life for the sheep. (John 10:15) DOWN DOWN 1. The good shepherd _____________ his life for the sheep. (John 10:11) GIVETH 3. I am the good shepherd and __________ my sheep. (John 10:14) KNOW 5. And I give unto them __________ life, and they shall never perish. (John 10:27) ETERNAL 6. He goeth __________ them. (John 10:4) BEFORE
Now as you look over each of those statements. Pick your favorite one. What does it teach you about Christ?
My favorite one is that he calls his sheep by name. He knows us. He knows us by name. We’re not just a number. We’re not just another face in the crowd. Jesus loves and leads and knows us as individuals. That’s a comforting truth for me.
Now that’s Jesus’s part. He’s our Shepherd, and he does so much for us. He protects us, he leads us, he lays down his life for us, so that we can have a more abundant life. I love that thought. Jesus wants us all to have abundant lives—good lives—happy lives. So he was willing to give up his in order to provide that for us. I have a little statue in my office of Jesus holding a lamb. I keep it there to remind me of the gentle, compassionate, and caring nature of my Savior.
But now let’s turn our attention to the other symbol. Us as his sheep.
The Sheep:
ACROSS 3. A _____________ will they not follow (John 10:5) STRANGER 4. The sheep ___________ him. (John 10:4) FOLLOW DOWN 1. The sheep __________ his voice (John 10:3) HEAR 2. They ________ his voice. (John 10:4) KNOW
What is our part in this relationship then? We’ve got to hear his voice and follow that voice. And there’s really only one way that we get to know somebody’s voice, isn’t there. You’ve got to spend time with them. You’ve got to speak to them. You’ve got to get to know them. Then, when you hear their voice, you know who it is without them even identifying themselves. Actually, picture this, maybe you’ve even had this happen before. Let’s say you come to the door of your house late at night and you find the door locked. You knock and knock on it and perhaps one of your family members come to the door and they ask, “Who is it?” How would you respond? I’m guessing you would probably respond by saying, “It’s me!” Right? Although if you stop to think about it, that’s kind of silly statement, isn’t it. It’s me. That doesn’t tell them who you are at all. But I’m guessing they would probably let you in immediately. Why? Because they recognize your voice. It’s amazing how unique and distinct our voices are. Each voice is as different as our fingerprints.
Now if the sheep metaphor isn’t doing much for you, let me give you an alternate one because most of us don’t spend a lot of time around sheep and shepherds anymore. But I imagine that a lot of you out there have dogs. We could maybe call translate this as the parable of the good dog owner. Let’s say we went to the church building, and we put your dog in a room on one side of the church, and I went into one room on the other side of the building, and you went into yet another, and we both started calling out to him, who would he go to? Who would he run to first? He would go to you, right? Why? Because he knows your voice. You feed him. You take care of him. You spend time with him. So he’ll go to you.
What’s the lesson then? How well do you know the voice of the Good Dog Owner, or the Good Shepherd?
If he called out to you from heaven right now, would you recognize him? Do you spend time with him? Do you feast on what he has to feed you? His words?
There’s a cross reference that I would want to share at this point. Mosiah 5:12-13
12 I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts, that ye are not found on the left hand of God, but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you.
13 For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?
So one day, symbolically speaking, Jesus Christ is going to call for us. He’ll say, “All those who bear my name, come out of the world,” And if we’ve spent our lives getting to know that voice, and hearing it in the scriptures, in the voices of the living prophets, in the promptings of the Spirit, we might respond, “Ah, I know that voice! That’s the voice of my master! I’ve spent my whole life hearing that voice. I’ll go to him now.” And you will be saved and protected.
But if we haven’t spent our lives getting to know that voice. If we’ve spent our lives focusing on and heeding the voices of strangers, the voices of the world, the celebrities, the politicians, the so-called experts. If we’ve spent little time hearing the voice of the good shepherd in the scriptures, and in the voices of the living prophets, and in the promptings of the Spirit, then we might say, “Who is that? I don’t know that voice. I’ll stay right here.” And there we will vulnerable and open to attack and destruction.
TRUTH
Jesus Christ knows, loves, leads, cares for, protects me, and has laid down his life for me like a good shepherd. If I hear him and follow him, I will have an abundant life.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
When do you feel you’ve heard the voice of the Good Shepherd?
What do you do to better “HEAR HIM?”
What could you do to get to know the voice of the Good Shepherd better?
How do you discern his voice from all the others that vie for your attention?
CONCLUSION
Well I bear witness that Jesus Christ knows you by name, that he loves you, that was willing to lay down his life for you, because you are one of his precious sheep. And I invite you to make hearing his voice a priority in your life. Instead of filling your life with the voices of strangers, spend the majority of your time really getting to know the gentle and loving voice of the Savior. I can promise you that, if you do, when it really matters most, and at the end of days, he calls out to his flock, you will recognize it, and enjoy an abundant life in much greener pastures than we now inhabit, with our good Shepherd for eternity.
“POWER PHRASES FROM THE PRINCE OF PEACE” PUZZLE
Now those are the big three principles that I would choose to cover if that’s all the time I had. But one final quick activity suggestion for chapters 7 and 8. These two chapters contain a wide variety of Jesus’s teachings to the Pharisees at the temple. And we won’t cover those teachings deeply here, but there are some really great one-liners in these chapters that I feel are worthy of our attention. One way to highlight these statements would be to do the following puzzle activity. I call it the “Power Phrases from the Prince of Peace Puzzle.” So what you’ll do is print out as many of these puzzles that you need depending on the size of your class and cut them up into their individual pieces or squares. But be sure to print an extra one that isn’t cut up that can act as your answer key. And then take each puzzle’s pieces and places them into envelopes to keep them separated. Then divide up your class into teams of 2 to 4 students (I find 4 works well) and challenge them to be the first team to successfully assemble the puzzle. And it’s not your traditional kind of puzzle. What they’ll need to do is match up the edges with scripture references from the two chapters on them with the Power Phrase that’s found within that verse. A red line on one or two sides of the square indicates a part of the border of the puzzle. So when they think they’ve successfully completed it, it should look like this. If you feel you have time, after the activity is done, you could encourage your students to go through their scriptures and mark each of the power phrases.
You’re also going to notice that the phrases come in two different colors. That’s because I’ve divided up the statements in to two different categories or two types of power phrases that I like to focus on in these chapters. The statements in blue are teaching statements—doctrines or truths that the Savior teaches here. And then the statements in green are what I would call the “I” statements. These are things that Jesus says about himself that I find inspiring because they’re statements that we should seek to be able to say about ourselves. Since we’ve all been invited to become like Christ. So which of those statements would you like to be able to say?
And here they all are in one place. All 24 of them. First, the teaching statements.
1. 7:17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine.
2. 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
3. 7:37 If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.
4. 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
5. 8:12 He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
6. 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
7. 8:34 Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
8. 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
9. 8:39 Do the works of Abraham
10. 8:51 If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death
And now the “I” statements. Again, just imagine how powerful it would be if we could say these same things about ourselves.
11. 7:29 I know him, for I am from him, and he hath sent me
12. 7:33 I go unto him that sent me.
13. 8:12 I am the light of the world.
14. 8:14 I know whence I came, and whither I go.
15. 8:15 I judge no man.
16. 8:16 I am not alone.
17. 8:23 I am not of this world.
18. 8:26 I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.
19. 8:28 I do nothing of myself, but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
20. 8:29 I do always those things that please him.
21. 8:45 I tell you the truth.
22. 8:49 I honor my Father.
23. 8:50 I seek not mine own glory.
24. 8:55 I know Him, and keep his saying.
Once you’ve completed the puzzle activity, you can display these phrases and invite your students to pick their favorite and to be prepared to share why they chose that statement.
If I had to choose just one to focus on with you here, it would be that truth taught in John 7:17. That is such a critical principle to understand about testimony. It reveals the true order of testimony. I think a lot get this process backwards. They assume that the order of testimony is KNOW then DO. Once I know something is true, then I’ll act on it. So somebody might say, I don’t believe in the Book of Mormon, so why read it. A member of the Church might claim, I don’t pay my tithing because I don’t really have a testimony of that principle. No, if any man will DO his will, he shall KNOW of the doctrine. So I read the Book of Mormon, then I can gain a testimony of it. I pay my tithing for a time, then I will gain a testimony of it. I express my faith and trust in God’s word, or the words of his prophets and I seek to live them. Then, Jesus promises that the conviction will come. But it starts with action, not knowledge. As President Oaks once said:
“We should remember that acquiring a testimony is not a passive thing but a process in which we are expected to do something.”
(Dallin H. Oaks, “Testimony,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2008, 27)
Your lessons are so powerful and cause us to strongly feel the Spirit. I lead and guide and guide a group of senior, single sisters. We are so grateful for your knowledge, Brother Ben Wilcox.