John fulfilled prophecy by preparing the way for the Messiah.  He preached a convicting message of repentance to the ordinary person as well as to the hypocritical Pharisees of his day. Crowds followed John and showed their true repentance through baptism and a change in how they lived their daily lives.  Hearts were being prepared for the messages Jesus would soon be preaching.

We should have soft hearts that lead us to repent and change our actions.

Bible verses used in this episode:
Luke 3:2-20

Outline:

1. Introducing John, the Prophet (Luke 3:1-6)
2. John's sermons and the people's response (Luke 3:7-14)
3. John points to Jesus (Luke 3:15-17)
4. John's preaching leads to his arrest (Luke 3:18-20)

Tips for Teaching:

• Children:  Help children understand "repentence" using a simple gesture of intertwining fingers of both hands.  Video by Lynne Jackson here.
  • Intertwined (relationship and harmony)
  • Hands apart (out of relationship and separated)
  • Intertwined again ( repented and restored) 
• Children: Make a heart craft.
• Adults: Discuss John's answers to the various groups of people who asked "What should we do?"  Challenge students to share what John's answer would be to them if they asked the same question.

Full teaching instructions available free from Mission Bible Class:
John the Baptist Prepares the Way

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org