Scripture: Matthew 3, Mark 1:1-12, Luke 3 and John 1:1-34
Learning Objectives:
- Students will learn John the Baptist prepared the people to hear Jesus’ message.
- Students will learn John the Baptist fulfilled a prophecy in the Old Testament.
- Students will learn Jesus modeled baptism for us as submission to the will of God, even though he had no sins that needed forgiving.
- Students will learn about different climates around the world.
Guiding Question: What types of climates are in the Bible and in our world?
Materials: Internet access, paper, pencils, materials to serve as visual aids
Procedure: Review the story of John’s ministry and Jesus’ baptism from the scriptures above. Explain that Jesus was perfect yet He modeled baptism for us because He wanted us to know how we could receive forgiveness for our sins and become Christians. Jesus’ baptism was also a prophecy from the Old Testament that John the Baptist helped to fulfill. The fulfilled prophecy was another way for people to learn about Jesus and want to become Christians.
Introduce the activity. Ask students about what type of weather John the Baptist may have experienced and why. Add to students’ responses as needed. Divide the students into small groups. Assign each group a different climate and have them research about that climate. After researching have each group create and share a presentation with visual aids on their assigned climate.
Additional Questions: How do animals survive in different climates?
Supplemental Activity: Have each student pick and research about a specific animal that lives in a certain climate. Have each student give a quick presentation about the animal they chose and how it lives in that climate.