The students will be able to explain that John the Baptist trusted God and was used of God to prepare the way for Jesus' ministry.
Introduction: Take a box to class with a description of the contents printed on the box. Ask your class why the information is printed on the outside. Tell them that your Bible story today is about a man whose mission in life was a little like that of the box you brought. The box pictured or described what was inside so that people would know about it and want it. John the Baptist told people about Jesus so that others would want to know Him.
Climax: Jesus came to be baptized of John, and the Holy Spirit and God both revealed that Jesus was the Son of God.
Conclusion: Because he was faithful to the call of God, John was chosen to be the one who baptized the Son of God.
Response: The students should be able to explain how John faithfully did the job God had called him to do.
Jesus said of John "There hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist" (Matthew 11:11). John truly was a unique man in a unique time in history, that of the transition between the Old Testament Law and the New Testament grace. The specific task to which he was called was to "prepare the way of the Lord" (Matthew 3:3), that is, to call the people to repentance so that when Christ did appear they would be able to receive Him. Although he did no miracles (John 10:41) and his ascetic life style, with his lonely home in the desert and plain food and clothes (Matthew 3:4), stood in stark contrast to the self-indulgent lives of many, yet the multitudes were drawn to hear John's simple but powerful message.
John had been foreordained by God to fulfill this mission. Both Isaiah and Malachi (Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 4:5-6) had prophesied of his ministry and John was "Filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb" (Luke 1:15). However, when one studies this man's character, it becomes obvious that God's choice was not arbitrary. John's task was to point the way to Jesus, and that he did with great humility. Of Jesus, John said "[His] shoes I am not worthy to bear . . ." (Matthew 3:11) and "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). Also, when some of John's disciples began following Jesus (John 1:37) he willingly relinquished his claim in them and could say, "the friend of the bridegroom . . . rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice" (John 3:29). Because of his humble spirit and holy life God could greatly use John.
Blow up several balloons and draw faces on them. Under the face write a name—Noah, Abraham, Brave Spies, Joshua, John. Have several of each character. Have a question pertaining to the person represented, inside each balloon. Have volunteers pick a balloon and answer the question it contains. Correct answers are rewarded with a prize.
Bring the following objects: the letter "W" written on construction paper, a hat, a large can, a picture of an eye, the word "DO" written on a piece of paper, a display of the number "4", a picture of Jesus. Pass these out to different ones in the room. Tell the department that you have a puzzle that they need to help you solve. Have the ones holding the objects come up one at a time and stay there, but not in order. Have the department help you line them up and put them in the right order so that they make the phrase "What can I do for Jesus?" God trusted John to help prepare the way for Jesus' ministry. He trusts us the same way to tell others about Jesus, to invite others to Sunday school, tell others about His coming again.
Show your group a number of items, one at a time, which use words or pictures to tell about something. Some possibilities: a book jacket tells about the contents of the book, a cereal box describes what the cereal inside is like, an advertisement tells about a specific product. Ask your students how we can be like these items. Develop the thought that we, as Christian witnesses, are to describe the person of Jesus Christ. Just as the items you displayed described through words and pictures, we are witnesses through the way we look and act (pictures) as well as through our words.
To make a spinner game for your review, cut a large circle (approximately 22 inches in diameter) from poster-board. Add a spinner to the center with a brad. Leave it a little loose so it will spin more freely. Divide the board into as many sections as you have words and/or symbols to put in. Some you might choose to use are: dove, Jordan River, Jesus, John, baptize, people, Lamb of God, preaching, into water, repent. After you spin the spinner ask for a volunteer to help you explain the meaning of the word or symbol on which the spinner stopped.
A tape recorder review may be given in a couple of different ways. Record the sound effects of a crowd, a river flowing, God's speaking, etc. Use this as background for a dramatized version of the story of John the Baptist at the river baptizing Jesus. Or, you can tell the story on tape leaving out certain parts. Whenever you reach one of these parts stop the recorder and let the students complete that section of the story.