John the Baptist / Baptism of Jesus
Matthew 3:1-6, 13-17; Mark 1:1-11; Luke 3:21-22 TBB: The Man Who Could Not Talk (299), In the
Jordan River (310)
Main Idea: We are baptized with water and God‟s word.
Key Verse: Matthew 3:16-17 “So Jesus was baptized. And as soon as He came out of the water, the sky
opened, and He saw the Spirit of God coming down on Him like a dove. Then a voice from heaven
said, „This is My own dear Son and I am pleased with Him.‟”
Or Mark 1:4 “So John the Baptist showed up in the desert and told everyone, „Turn back to God and be
baptized! Then your sins will be forgiven.‟”
Discussion Questions:
1. What is a messenger?
2. Who chose John the Baptist to be a messenger? (God)
3. What was John‟s message? (change your ways, prepare for the Lord, the Savior is coming)
4. In what ways are you messengers in your everyday lives?
5. How can you be a messenger for Jesus? (tell others about Him and His love for us. You can be a
messenger just by mentioning you go to church or Sunday School, it can make another person
aware of God)
6. In which river did John baptize? (Jordan River)
7. Who was the Lamb of God that John the Baptist talked about? (Jesus is the Lamb of God)
8. Why didn‟t John want to baptize Jesus? (John did not feel worthy to baptize him.)
9. What did Jesus say that convinced John to baptize him? (This was what God commanded.)
10. What was God‟s big announcement? (God boldly identified Jesus as his Son.)
11. What elements were used in Jesus‟ baptism? (Water and God’s word.)
12. What is used when we are baptized? (Water and God’s word.)
13. What does Repent mean? (turn away from wrong)
14. John the Baptist was Jesus‟ brother. (False he was a cousin)
15. It was unusual for someone Elisabeth's age to bear a child. True
16. Mary came to visit Elisabeth when they were both pregnant. True
17. John led an unusual lifestyle for the time. True
18. John taught that men could be saved without changing their lives. (False repent means change)
19. Who did Zacharias see in the temple? (The angel Gabriel.)
20. John was how many months older than Jesus? six
21. Where did John preach? in the wilderness
22. What did he eat? Locusts/flying grasshoppers and wild honey
23. What did he wear? animal skins
24. What did he teach people? to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins, the Messiah is
coming
25. Jesus was baptized for the forgiveness of sins. False Jesus never sinned
26. When Jesus Christ was baptized, the Holy Spirit appeared and the voice of God was heard True
27. The Spirit appeared in the shape of a raven. False a dove
28. Fill in the blank: "He that believes and is _baptized___ shall be saved."
29. Jesus was baptized at the baptismal font? (no He was baptized in a river)
30. How did John feel when Jesus asked him to baptize him? reluctant, humble
31. What did God say about Jesus? (Luke 3:22 "You are my own dear Son, and I am pleased with
you.")
32. How do you think Jesus felt when God made such a public statement of his pleasure? happy,
fulfilled
33. Baptism combines water with what? (God’s Word)
34. When we are baptized, we become members of a new family. What family is it? (we become
brothers and sisters in Christ; God’s family)
35. What benefits does God give in Baptism? (In Baptism God forgives sin, delivers from death and
the devil, and gives everlasting salvation to all who believe what he has promised.)
36. What is God‟s promise? (In Mark 16 our Lord Jesus Christ says: “He who believes and is
baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”)
37. How can water do such great things? (It is not the water that does these things, but the God’s
Word with the water and our trust in this Word. Water by itself is only water, but with the Word of
God it is a life-giving water which by grace gives the new birth through the Holy Spirit.)
38. Is the water that we are baptized in special or "holy"? (No, we can be baptized in any water.)
39. What does baptism represent? (Being buried as Christ was, and resurrecting a new person.)
40. What are some ways we use water? (bathing, drinking, cleaning, watering plants, etc)
41. How do we use the water in the baptismal font? (baptize people/babies)
42. Why do we baptize people in the church? (welcome them into God’s family)
43. What makes this water special? (God’s Word)
Activities in Folders:
Coloring Sheets
Ideas for John the Baptist:
1. Repent Game: A version of Simon Says to demonstrate that repent means to turn around. Have
students stand while you read the following verses. Have them turn around 180 degrees each time
they hear the word “repent” or the phrase “turn back to God”.
Matt 4:17 Then Jesus started preaching, “Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon
be here.”
Acts 2:38 Peter said, “Turn back to God! Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your
sins will be forgiven. Then you will be given the Holy Spirit.”
Luke 13:5 But you can be sure that if you don‟t turn back to God, everyone of you will also
die.
Rev 2:5 Think about where you have fallen from, and then turn back and do as you did at first.
Acts 17:30 In the past, God forgave all this because people did not know what they were
doing. But now He says that everyone everywhere must turn to Him.
2. Play "John Says". In the lines below, if it starts John says, they turn around first and then do it. If it
doesn't start John Says, they don't turn around.
John says take one step back
John says hop once on your right foot.
John says raise your hands
sit down
John says shake your head
stand up
John says stand up
John says turn around!
3. John the Baptist was a messenger. We can be messengers. Give each child a copy of a t-shirt on a
white piece of paper. Have them design a message concerning their feelings about Jesus. You
might suggest phrases like “I love Jesus”, “Jesus is my friend”, etc. Ask them to include their
names somewhere on the T-shirt. Have them cut out the t-shirts and hang them on a piece of yarn,
clothes line style.
4. Provide sensory experiences based on John‟s life. Let children feel a rough cloth such as burlap,
taste honey and milk, or sample a date or fig.
5. Create a “Jesus Loves You” plaque using glow in the dark markers. Write the words “Jesus Loves
You” in the center using glow in the dark markers. Use regular markers to create a border around
the words. Discuss how we can share the gospel message with others, but sometimes we need the
familiar comforting message to remind us Jesus is always there for us and He loves us. Have
children display their plaques in the bedrooms at home.
6. Write messages of cheer on postcards and mail them to people in need of such a message. Obtain
names and addresses from the church office or leave the postcards in the office for use as
necessary.
Ideas for Baptism of Jesus
1. Make a mural of the various ways water is used by drawing pictures or cutting pictures from
magazines. Place a picture or symbol for Baptism in the center. Title the mural, “God‟s Word
combined with water in Baptism refreshes, renews, and gives new life.”
2. Plan a baptismal anniversary party.
3. “Spirit of God” Dove. Make copies of a dove pattern on white cardstock or construction paper.
Cut tissue paper into 1”x8” streamers or use crepe paper streamers. Have children cut out the
doves and print their names across the wingspan. Glue strips of tissue paper or streamers to hang
off the dove‟s tail. Punch a hole in the top center of the dove and add yarn or fishing line to make
a hanger.
4. Baptism drops. Cover work table with newspaper. Provide a coffee filter for each child. Have
each child cut a coffee filter (or paper towel) into a large drop shape. Place the drop on newspaper
and draw designs with watercolor markers. The design could simply be spots or stripes. Then put
about ½” of the drop‟s broad end into a glass of water. Watch while the water goes to work.
Allow the drop to dry on the newspaper. Children may wish to make more then one. Dried drops
could be hung from a construction paper baptismal shell to make a mobile.
5. Baptismal Font. Sit around the baptismal font as you read the story for today. Before moving
from class area to the font, emphasize the special-ness of the place. Ask them about baptisms they
have seen in our church.
6. Symbol Strip. Provide long ribbons or pieces of yarn. Have children cut out baptismal symbols
(water drops, doves, shells, etc) Attach the symbols to the ribbon or tie together with yarn.
7. (Grades 3 & 4) Using chart paper, record ways they use water every day. Remind them that there
are so many ways we use water daily that we may not stop to think about what an important
element it is in our lives. Help them realize that we could not live our lives without water. God
generously gives us what is necessary so that we can live our lives. Water is one of these generous
gifts. What does it mean to be generous? (To be free in giving or sharing.) Place an empty glass
into a pan and begin pouring water from the pitcher into the glass. As the water spills over the
sides of the glass into the pan, let learners know that God‟s generous love also fills us and is
abundant!
8. (Grades 3 & 4) Give each learner a cup of water. Ask: What does water smell like? What does it
taste like? What does it feel like? What does it look like? Describe the feeling we call “wet”.
Then conclude: Just like when you tried to describe water and found it difficult, it is difficult to
describe something so necessary to our lives. Refer to the chart made in #1 above, noting if
anyone included Baptism as a use of water. If not, note that there is one very important way that
water is used that is missing. To be one of God‟s children, we need the waters of baptism.
9. (Grades 3 & 4) Discuss baptism and ask learners if they have any knowledge of their own
baptism. (Be aware that some learners may not be baptized or even be familiar with the term).
Share pictures of baptism, baptism dresses/outfits, faith chests (like those given at the time of
baptism in our church), baptismal napkins, candles, banners, etc. Refer to the “Rite of Baptism” in
our hymnal.
10. (Grades 3 & 4) Ask learners what names they answer to: student, son/daughter, grandchild, paper
boy/girl, baseball player, dancer, etc. Note, the greatest of names you can answer to is CHILD OF
GOD! Celebrate the day you became God‟s own in the waters of baptism. Encourage them to ask
their parents to tell them about their baptism day: the date, their sponsors, if there was a
celebration (family meal, etc) honoring their baptism, how were they dressed.
11. (Grades 3 & 4) Set the scene for the Bible story by having learners pretend they are sitting on the
banks of the Jordan River, a river important to the people of Bible times because it joined the Sea
of Galilee and the Dead Sea. Have them visualize Jesus‟ cousin, John the Baptist, baptizing
people in the water of the Jordan River as was the custom in Bible times.
12. (Grades 3 & 4) When we are baptized, the words used in baptism remind us who we are. Have a
sea shell available for each learner. Using permanent markers, have them each write their name
on a shell. Drop each shell in a bowl of water. Allow them to swish their hands in the water and
remind them that we are all joined together in the family of god through baptism.
13. (Grades 3 & 4) Baptism mobile: Have each learner print “I am God‟s Child” on a blue strip of
construction paper that has been cut 1” x 18”. Form the strip into a circle and staple the two ends
together. Give each learner some artfoam and have them trace/sketch and cut out a baptismal
symbol. Then, give each learner 2 pieces of ribbon in the lengths of 6” and 10”. Staple the short
length of ribbon to the top of the symbol and attach it to the circle so that the symbol hangs in the
center of the circle. Attach the long piece of ribbon to the outside top of the circle as a hanger.
14. (Grades 3 & 4) Water-Washed Picture: Cover the work area with newspaper. Using a white
crayon, draw baptism symbols on construction paper. Add the words “Baptism” and “Child of
God”. Then cover the entire paper with the paint wash. Let dry.
15. Spell BAPTISM on the sheets, one letter per sheet. Have students name a blessing that starts with
that letter or sound.
16. Marked by God. When we were baptized, we were marked with the cross of Christ on our
foreheads. The mark, or symbol, reminds us that God continues to care for us. Have pairs paint a
cross on each other‟s hand, face, or forehead as a reminder that God continues to care for them.
17. Names for Jesus. On the top of a large piece of paper, write “Names for Jesus.” Encourage
children to look through John 1:35-51 to find as many names for Jesus as they can. Write the
names they find on the paper. (Lamb of God, Rabbi, Messiah, son of Joseph from Nazareth, Son of
God, King of Israel, Son of Man) Talk about what each of these names tell us about Jesus (Jesus
would be killed to save us from our sins. In those days, lambs were killed so God would forgive
the people’s sins. Jesus is a teacher, our Savior, a person, God’s Son, our king, and one of us.)
18. Place an empty glass in a pan and start pouring water from a pitcher into the glass. As the water
spills over the sides of the glass into the pan, remind the children that God‟s generous love also
fills us and is abundant. His generosity frees us to be generous with our giving and sharing. Talk
about times people have shown generosity to them and times they have been generous with others.
(sharing toys or food with others who have less, bringing cookies to the elderly, giving offerings
in church, etc)
19. Water Drop Hanger. Cut blue construction paper into 4”x6” pieces. Have children draw one large
drop of water on each piece of paper and cut out the four water drops. Remind the children that
God makes great promises to us in baptism: God‟s love, grace, and Holy Spirit. In Baptism we are
reborn children of God and as His children we receive the benefits of forgiveness, salvation, and
new life with God forever (old language: freed from sin, death, and the power of the Devil). Write
their name on one drop and one of God‟s promises on each of the remaining water drops. Remind
them to cling to those promises as they meet the challenges of the day. Punch a hole at the top of
each water drop. Connect the drops with yarn or ribbon. Make a loop on the top water drop for
hanging.
20. Candle. A candle is given at baptism to remind us to shine our light to others. Have the children
draw a candle on a piece of paper. Add a yellow flame. On rays coming from the flame, write
ways they can shine their light so others can see (invite others to SS, obey parents, be generous,
etc).
21. Blessing. At the close of the lesson, use a small amount of water in a bowl, dip your thumb in the
bowl and trace the sign of the cross on the forehead of each child. As you do this say, “________,
God loves you and promises to always be with you.
22. Welcome. When children arrive, greet them with an enthusiastic “Good Morning” Talk about
how it feels good to be welcomed. God shows us we are welcomed into His family in baptism.
Talk about other ways of showing someone is welcome (shake hands, wave, smile, bow/curtsy,
etc)
23. Farmer in the Dell tune. Sing “My hand says hello, my hand says hello, Every time I see my
friends, my hand says hello.” Repeat showing different greetings with each verse (wave, shaking
hands, bowing, giving a high five, etc.)
24. “Spirit of God” Dove. Make copies of a dove pattern on white cardstock or construction paper.
Have children cut out the dove and print their names across the wingspan. Cut tissue paper into
1”x8” streamers or use 1” crepe paper strips. Glue strips of tissue paper or crepe paper streamers
to hang off the dove‟s tail. Punch a hole in the top center of the dove and add yarn or fishing line
to make a hanger.
25. Sign Language for “family”. As “adopted” children of God, we all belong to the same family; we
are brothers and sisters in Christ. Teach the American Sign Language sign for “family” (touch
forefinger to thumb on each hand; hold remaining fingers up. Forefingers and thumbs of each
hand touch each other. Circle hands around until pinkies of each hand are touching) Say “We are
the family of God.”