SUNDAY SCHOOL Come Follow Me Interactive Activities – APRIL (week 5) New Testament “I Am the Good Shepherd” Come, Follow Me (John 7-10)

Throughout John 7–10, the Savior made several declarations that can help class members better understand His mission and draw closer to Him. Consider inviting class members to read the following scripture passages and share what they teach about the Savior’s divine mission. How does Christ fulfill these roles in our lives?

• John 7:37–39: The source of “living water”

• John 8:12; 9:4–5: “The light of the world”

• John 9:8–10, 35–38: “The Son of God”

• John 10:7–9: “The door”

• John 10:11–14: “The good shepherd”

In some ways, gaining a testimony is like learning a skill—both require practice and experience. To illustrate this, you could invite class members who have a particular skill, such as juggling or playing a musical instrument, to explain how they developed their skill. Why isn’t it enough to read about the skill or watch someone else perform it? As a class, discuss how the effort involved in practicing a skill is similar to the spiritual pattern the Savior described in John 7:14–17. How is it different?

Perhaps class members could share experiences in which living a gospel truth helped them gain a testimony of it. Give class members time to think of a gospel principle they would like to gain a stronger testimony of, and then encourage them to set specific goals to live that principle more fully.

To those who feel condemned because of their sins, the story of the Savior offering mercy and repentance to the woman taken in adultery could be a source of encouragement. Or, if class members feel tempted to condemn others because of their sins, the story could serve as a warning. You could invite class members to read John 8:1–11, looking for answers to questions like the following: What does this story teach about the Savior’s mercy? How might receiving His mercy when we sin help us when we feel tempted to judge others? (see Alma 29:9–10).

To help class members find personal relevance in John 8:1–11, consider dividing the class into three groups—one to focus on the words and actions of the Pharisees, one to focus on the words and actions of the Savior, and one to focus on the words and actions of the woman. They could do this while reading the account or while watching the video “Go and Sin No More” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Invite each group to make a list of the spiritual truths they learn from reading each part of the account.

Sometimes we aren’t aware of ways in which we judge others. Here’s an activity to help class members overcome this tendency: Ask the class to help you create a list of ways we judge people (on their appearance, their behavior, their background, and so on). Give class members pieces of paper cut in the shape of a stone, and ask them to select a way of judging others that they feel they are guilty of and write it on a paper stone. What do we learn from the Savior’s words to the Pharisees in John 8:1–11? Invite the class to write on the other side of their paper stones something that will remind them not to judge (perhaps a phrase from John 8).