Below are the quotes that were used in the video.
Jesus Christ is the master teacher. John 2-4 gives examples of how Christ teaches to strengthen faith and connect individuals to heaven. This week we are also taught how we can take continue in the process of being ‘born again.’
Ages for Life’s events in the Mishna – Jewish oral tradition
Elder James E. Talmage: “The noun of address, ‘Woman,’ as applied by a son to his mother may sound to our ears somewhat harsh, if not disrespectful; but its use was really an expression of opposite import. . . . When, in the last dread scenes of His mortal existence, Christ hung in dying agony upon the cross, He looked down upon the weeping Mary, His mother, and commended her to the care of the beloved apostle John, with the words: ‘Woman, behold thy son!’ Can it be thought that in this supreme moment, our Lord's concern for the mother from whom He was about to be separated by death was associated with any emotion other than that of honor, tenderness and love?” (Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed. [1916], 144-45).
“In the court of most Jewish homes sat water pots. These stored water not only for cleansing and cooking, but also for the ritual washing of the hands and feet of guests. The host would show respect for the guest by offering a filled pot, and the guest would plunge the lower part of both arms into the water, which ceremonially washed off any pagan contamination. It was also the practice among many Jews to so wash before eating. The criticism leveled at the Lord about the disciples eating grain in a field without first washing had to do with this practice. (See Mark 7:1-5.)
“The custom of ritual washing required a great amount of water if one entertained many guests. Thus, the water pots were often quite large. At the marriage feast in Cana, during which Jesus performed his first miracle (see John 2:1-11), John tells us that there were six empty water pots “after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece” (John 2:6). Firkin translates the Greek word metretes, a unit of measure equal to about ten (U.S.) gallons. The total amount the six pots held would therefore be between 120 and 180 (U.S.) gallons. (Ensign, Sept. 1987, Home Life at the Time of Christ By Richard D. Draper)
Some thoughts on Christ's Miracle in John 2
“Tradition says that after the Resurrection . . . [Nicodemus] became a professed disciple of Christ, and received baptism from Peter and John; that the Jews then stripped him of his office, beat him, and drove him from Jerusalem; that his kinsman Gamaliel received and sheltered him in his country house till death, and finally gave him honourable burial near the body of St. Stephen. [He may have] outlived the fall of Jerusalem, and his family were reduced from wealth to such horrible poverty that, whereas the bridal bed of his daughter had been covered with a dower of 12,000 denarii, she was subsequently seen endeavouring to support life by picking the grains from the ordure of cattle in the streets.” (Farrar, Life of Christ, 1:197)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “We are born again as we die as pertaining to unrighteousness and when we live as pertaining to the things of the Spirit. But that doesn't happen in an instant, suddenly. That ... is a process. Being born again is a gradual thing, except in a few isolated instances that are so miraculous that they get written up in the scriptures. As far as the generality of the members of the Church are concerned, we are born again by degrees, and we are born again to added light and added knowledge and added desires for righteousness as we keep the commandments.” (Bruce R. McConkie, "Jesus Christ and Him Crucified," 1976, BYU Devotional)
Elder David A. Bednar: "And after we come out of the waters of baptism, our souls need to be continuously immersed in and saturated with the truth and the light of the Savior’s gospel. Sporadic and shallow dipping in the doctrine of Christ and partial participation in His restored Church cannot produce the spiritual transformation that enables us to walk in a newness of life. Rather, fidelity to covenants, constancy of commitment, and offering our whole soul unto God are required if we are to receive the blessings of eternity.
"'I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved' (Omni 1:26).
"Total immersion in and saturation with the Savior’s gospel are essential steps in the process of being born again. ("Ye Must Be Born Again," General Conference, April 2007)
Christ is the Master teacher - The Characteristics of Wind
Question for John 4:9-29
Elder David A Bednar: “The living water referred to in this episode is a representation of the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel. And as water is necessary to sustain physical life, so the Savior and His doctrines, principles, and ordinances are essential for eternal life. You and I need His living water daily and in ample supply to sustain our ongoing spiritual growth and development” (“A Reservoir of Living Water,” 2).
Questions for John 4:46-54
Teaching Thoughts:
Ages for Life’s events in the Mishna – Jewish oral tradition
- 8 days circumcise
- 40 days redemption
- 5 years Torah
- 12 years you become an adult in the community
- Translated into 13 years in medieval era - bar mitzvah
- 18 years – Bridal Chamber
- 30 years – Authority
- At age 30, can officiate in the temple (Num 4:3, 47).
- Christ starts ministry at about age 30 (Luke 3:23).
- 50 years - Sit in council
- 70 years – getting released
Elder James E. Talmage: “The noun of address, ‘Woman,’ as applied by a son to his mother may sound to our ears somewhat harsh, if not disrespectful; but its use was really an expression of opposite import. . . . When, in the last dread scenes of His mortal existence, Christ hung in dying agony upon the cross, He looked down upon the weeping Mary, His mother, and commended her to the care of the beloved apostle John, with the words: ‘Woman, behold thy son!’ Can it be thought that in this supreme moment, our Lord's concern for the mother from whom He was about to be separated by death was associated with any emotion other than that of honor, tenderness and love?” (Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed. [1916], 144-45).
“In the court of most Jewish homes sat water pots. These stored water not only for cleansing and cooking, but also for the ritual washing of the hands and feet of guests. The host would show respect for the guest by offering a filled pot, and the guest would plunge the lower part of both arms into the water, which ceremonially washed off any pagan contamination. It was also the practice among many Jews to so wash before eating. The criticism leveled at the Lord about the disciples eating grain in a field without first washing had to do with this practice. (See Mark 7:1-5.)
“The custom of ritual washing required a great amount of water if one entertained many guests. Thus, the water pots were often quite large. At the marriage feast in Cana, during which Jesus performed his first miracle (see John 2:1-11), John tells us that there were six empty water pots “after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece” (John 2:6). Firkin translates the Greek word metretes, a unit of measure equal to about ten (U.S.) gallons. The total amount the six pots held would therefore be between 120 and 180 (U.S.) gallons. (Ensign, Sept. 1987, Home Life at the Time of Christ By Richard D. Draper)
Some thoughts on Christ's Miracle in John 2
- All of Christ’s miracles are quality miracles.
- Christ can take the worst of us (purification water – washed hands in) and changes it into the best
- Christ has power over time – makes wine instantly.
- Christ has power over matter.
- 6 is symbolic of incompleteness, imperfection, or man
- 6 pots of water
- 6 pots of wine
- 6 (man) + 1 (God) = miracles, perfection
“Tradition says that after the Resurrection . . . [Nicodemus] became a professed disciple of Christ, and received baptism from Peter and John; that the Jews then stripped him of his office, beat him, and drove him from Jerusalem; that his kinsman Gamaliel received and sheltered him in his country house till death, and finally gave him honourable burial near the body of St. Stephen. [He may have] outlived the fall of Jerusalem, and his family were reduced from wealth to such horrible poverty that, whereas the bridal bed of his daughter had been covered with a dower of 12,000 denarii, she was subsequently seen endeavouring to support life by picking the grains from the ordure of cattle in the streets.” (Farrar, Life of Christ, 1:197)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “We are born again as we die as pertaining to unrighteousness and when we live as pertaining to the things of the Spirit. But that doesn't happen in an instant, suddenly. That ... is a process. Being born again is a gradual thing, except in a few isolated instances that are so miraculous that they get written up in the scriptures. As far as the generality of the members of the Church are concerned, we are born again by degrees, and we are born again to added light and added knowledge and added desires for righteousness as we keep the commandments.” (Bruce R. McConkie, "Jesus Christ and Him Crucified," 1976, BYU Devotional)
Elder David A. Bednar: "And after we come out of the waters of baptism, our souls need to be continuously immersed in and saturated with the truth and the light of the Savior’s gospel. Sporadic and shallow dipping in the doctrine of Christ and partial participation in His restored Church cannot produce the spiritual transformation that enables us to walk in a newness of life. Rather, fidelity to covenants, constancy of commitment, and offering our whole soul unto God are required if we are to receive the blessings of eternity.
"'I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved' (Omni 1:26).
"Total immersion in and saturation with the Savior’s gospel are essential steps in the process of being born again. ("Ye Must Be Born Again," General Conference, April 2007)
Christ is the Master teacher - The Characteristics of Wind
- The wind is invisible.
- The effects of the wind can be seen and felt.
- Wind can be subtle.
- Wind can be powerful.
- Wind is directional.
- The wind is largely unexplainable.
- The wind “bloweth where it listeth” (John 3:8)
Question for John 4:9-29
- What does Christ do to help her feel the Spirit?
- What names/titles does she call Christ that helps us to see how her understanding of Christ is changing?
- Why is water an appropriate symbol of the Savior and His gospel?
- How might the Savior’s words have helped the woman realize her need for the living water He offered?
- What principle can we learn about worshipping from these verses?
- When have you been blessed as you have sought to worship the Father in ‘spirit and truth’?
- How did this woman gain a testimony of Jesus Christ?
Elder David A Bednar: “The living water referred to in this episode is a representation of the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel. And as water is necessary to sustain physical life, so the Savior and His doctrines, principles, and ordinances are essential for eternal life. You and I need His living water daily and in ample supply to sustain our ongoing spiritual growth and development” (“A Reservoir of Living Water,” 2).
Questions for John 4:46-54
- What blessing did he seek from the Savior?
- Based on what Jesus said, why did He delay granting the blessing this man sought?
- How did this man demonstrate that he did not need a sign to believe?
- According to verses 51–53, how was this man’s belief in Jesus Christ confirmed?
- What principle can we learn from this man’s experience?
Teaching Thoughts:
- Jesus is the master teacher.
- The woman at the well – how Christ teaches to convert.
- What can I learn from Christ this week to improve my teaching?
- Symbolism in Christ’s miracles
- Essential steps in being ‘born again.’