(15–20 minutes, easy set-up)
Learners will study John 1:1-5, 14 and 5:31-47 to examine Jesus’ identity in Scripture as God, Creator, and Savior.
Provide a copy of the Learner Worksheet and a pen for each learner. Also provide a dry erase board and marker.
Ask: What are some ways that people can prove their identity? Point out that, in the United States, people are issued a birth certificate and Social Security number shortly after birth that serves as a legal document proving their identity. Ask: What other legal documents might be issued to prove someone’s identity? (Possible answers: a driver’s license, passport, family Bibles, school records). Explain that, in addition to these legal documents, people have biological identifiers, such as DNA, fingerprints, dental records, and retinal scans. Say: When this evidence is examined, their identity is proven. Explain that learners will examine Scripture that proves Jesus’ identity.
1. We can trust our lives to Jesus because He is God, Creator, and Savior (John 1:1–5, 1:14).
Call on a volunteer to read John 1:1–5 and 1:14. Ask: What terms did John use to describe Jesus? List responses on the board. (Answers include the Word, with God, was God, Creator who made all things, life, light, Word became flesh, dwelt among us, revealed God’s glory, full of grace, full of truth) Point learners back to verses 1-5. Ask: Based on these verses, how does Scripture identify Jesus? (Jesus is eternal God and Creator of all things.) Explain that we also have a hint in verse 4—“life”—that Jesus is Savior, but it is specifically stated in verses 12–13. Read these verses. Discuss: How do these verses further emphasize that Jesus is also Savior?
Explain that the glory of God found in Jesus recalls God’s glorious appearances in the form of a cloud over the tabernacle (Ex. 40:34) and later in the Temple (1 Kg. 8:10). Say: Though God’s glory was awesome in the form of a cloud, it was incredible in the form of a man—the God-man, Jesus Christ.
After discussion, encourage learners to write God, Creator, and Savior in the first set of blanks on their worksheets.
2. We can trust our lives to Jesus based on the credible testimony of others (John 5:31–47).
Read John 5:31–46. Explain that the apostle John wrote this gospel (letter) at the end of the first century. Remind learners that Jesus, the self-proclaimed Messiah, had been rejected by Jewish leaders and was executed by the Romans. Say: In these verses, Jesus defended Himself from attacks from Jewish leaders (Jn. 5:18) by presenting various sources of testimony supporting His identity as the Messiah.
Divide learners into six groups. Assign one of the following verses to each group: (1) John 5:31; (2) John 5:32, 5:37–38; (3) John 5:33–35; (4) John 5:36; (5) John 5:39–40; and (6) John 5:46. Instruct learners to work together in their groups to determine what credible source Jesus cited in their assigned verse(s) and how the source gave testimony of Jesus’ identity. After two minutes, discuss responses. Then, encourage learners to write credible testimony in the second set of blanks on their worksheets.
Read verse 47. Point out that Jesus knew that these sources of testimony would not convince His religious enemies. Say: Jesus’ enemies were so focused on their own desires that they missed the truth about Jesus. Ask: How does self-interest, even in spiritual matters, prevent us from accepting God’s Truth? (God’s Truth comes to us most forcefully when we need to change: to repent, grow, give up something, or do something new. Self-interest resists all these.)
Emphasize that the identity of Jesus as God, Creator, and Savior was confirmed, despite opposition from the religious elite. Say: Because Jesus is God and Savior, He did not need the approval of the religious leaders of His day in order to complete His mission.