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To Fulfil All Righteousness

A voice in the wilderness, real-life repentance, and three separate witnesses at the Jordan

  • ⭐ Valiant 9–10
  • Week 4
  • 📅 Sunday, January 24, 2027
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Jesus Christ, who never sinned, was baptized to fulfil all righteousness and show me the way; real repentance changes what I do, and the Holy Ghost keeps refining me.

I can follow Jesus Christ’s example by keeping my baptism covenant, repenting with real changes, and listening to the Holy Ghost.

Study it yourself firstRead Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3)
Know the chapters

John the Baptist, the miracle baby from week 1, is grown. He preaches in the wilderness of Judaea in camel’s-hair clothes, eating locusts and wild honey. Crowds pour out from Jerusalem to be baptized in the Jordan, “confessing their sins.” That’s Matthew 3:1–6. All three Gospels quote Isaiah 40:3 about him: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” Luke adds Isaiah’s road-building picture in Luke 3:4–6. Valleys are filled, mountains brought low and crooked paths made straight. John’s job was to get hearts ready for the Savior.

John’s message was blunt. Proud religious leaders counted on being Abraham’s descendants. John told them, “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance.” He warned that God could raise up children to Abraham from stones. That’s Matthew 3:7–10. Ordinary people asked, “What shall we do then?” He gave concrete answers in Luke 3:10–14. Share your extra coat and food. Tax collectors, take no more than you’re owed. Soldiers, don’t bully, don’t accuse falsely, and be content. The Bible Dictionary explains that the word for repentance means a change of mind. It’s a fresh view of God, of ourselves and of the world. For 9–11s, repentance becomes something they can see: good fruit in real life.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to be baptized. John protested, “I have need to be baptized of thee.” Jesus answered, “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.” That’s Matthew 3:14–15. Nephi explains why the sinless Savior was baptized, in 2 Nephi 31:5–9. He showed His obedience and humility before the Father. And He showed us the path and the gate we must enter. He went “up straightway out of the water,” so He was baptized by immersion. The heavens opened, and the Spirit of God descended like a dove. The Father’s voice declared, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” That’s Matthew 3:16–17. All three members of the Godhead are present and clearly separate. In Matthew 3:11, John promised Jesus would baptize “with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.” The Holy Ghost purifies and refines us the way fire refines metal.

This lesson connects straight to your oldest kids’ next steps. On May 15, 1829, John the Baptist came back as a resurrected being. He conferred the Aaronic Priesthood on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. See Doctrine and Covenants 13 and Joseph Smith—History 1:68–72. That priesthood holds the keys of baptism. Deacons receive it the year they turn twelve, and priests use it to baptize. At that age, young men and young women can be baptized in the temple for their ancestors. Many of those ancestors never had the chance. Nobody plays Jesus or Heavenly Father. You read Their words from the story.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Matthew 3 and Luke 3:1–22. Play Baptism Myth-Busters with thumbs up or down. Tell the Voice in the Wilderness story in Teach Mode, with a few sounds from the class. Say Matthew 3:15 with motions. Play What Shall We Do? in two teams. End with John’s return in 1829 and your testimony. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing.” The real and paper fruit become two imaginary apologies.

What to bring2 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Read Matthew 3 and Luke 3:1–22. Draw a simple apple or orange on paper and cut it out.
  2. Mark the Scripture Reader’s verses: Luke 3:4, Matthew 3:8, Luke 3:10–14 and Matthew 3:11. Also mark 2 Nephi 31:7 and 9 for the key verse.

If your class is wild

  • Myth-Busters works best fast: read the statement, count “3, 2, 1,” and everyone shows a thumb at the same moment.
  • The Pharisees scene is about pride, not insults. Read “generation of vipers” as a serious warning, not a joke.
  • In What Shall We Do?, only the captain answers. The Judge job is perfect for a kid who likes to be in charge.
  • Most of your class was baptized at eight. Invite one or two to share a memory from their baptism day during the testimony.
  • At scene 7, drop to a whisper and wait for silence before reading the Father’s words.

The 25-minute plan24 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Steps that mention Teach Mode, the Sound Board or other class games refer to the Gospel Sparks app; on the web you can play Forehead Guess and Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

Baptism Myth-Busters

3 min

A fast thumbs-up, thumbs-down challenge gets everyone committing to answers and sets up the real story.

  1. SAY“True or myth? I’ll read a statement about Jesus’s baptism. Thumbs up for true, thumbs down for myth. Everyone commits on three, two, one.”
  2. Read each statement on the screen. Don’t explain yet. Say: “Keep score in your head. By the end, you’ll be able to prove every answer.”
🌪️ On “1,” everyone shows a thumb at the same moment. Anyone who waits to copy a friend has to explain their answer.

Class screen: 🕵️ True or myth? Thumbs up or thumbs down! · Jesus was baptized because He had sinned · John tried to talk Jesus out of it · Jesus was sprinkled with a little water · John ate bugs · Father, Son and Holy Ghost are one person · Jesus traveled far to be baptized with authority

2. Story

Story: A Voice in the Wilderness

7 min

John’s preaching and Jesus’s baptism make repentance, baptism and the Godhead concrete.

  1. SAY“A wild prophet. A crowded river. And the day the heavens opened. You’ll help with the sounds.”
  2. Open the story in Teach Mode. Make each sound together. Nod to the Scripture Reader at scenes 1, 3, 4 and 5.
  3. After scene 4, ask: “John’s answers were super specific. Why didn’t he just say, be good?”
  4. After scene 7, go back to Myth-Busters. Ask: “Which answers can you prove now?” Then: “Where was each member of the Godhead?”
🌪️ If the room drifts, cup your hands and call “Prepare the way!” softly. Wait until every voice answers.

Class screen: 🌊 A Voice in the Wilderness · 📣 Prepare the way! · 🌊 Shhhhh… · 💦 Sploosh!

3. Scripture

Key Verse: Matthew 3:15

4 min

Kids memorize Jesus’s reason for being baptized and learn how Nephi explained it.

  1. SAY“Jesus never sinned. So why was He baptized? Here’s His answer.”
  2. Show the verse on your phone or tablet. Teach the motions and say it together twice.
  3. Ask: “What does ‘suffer it to be so’ mean?” Allow it. A kid reads 2 Nephi 31:7 and 9 from their seat.
  4. Ask: “According to Nephi, why did Jesus need to be baptized?” To obey the Father and show us the path and the gate.
  5. SAY“Jesus walked all the way from Galilee to be baptized with the right authority. You were baptized by that same priesthood.”

Class screen: 🌊 “Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.” · Matthew 3:15 · Compare 2 Nephi 31:7, 9

4. Game

What Shall We Do?

7 min

Teams give John-style specific answers for kids today, turning repentance into real, visible changes.

  1. SAY“Real fruit or paper fruit. Which one came from a living tree?”
  2. Hold up both. Say: “The paper one looks right, but there’s nothing inside. John wanted real fruit.”
  3. SAY“Now you are John. I’ll read a person. Your team has 20 seconds to give one specific thing they should do.”
  4. Read each person on the screen. A kid Judge gives 2 points for a specific, doable answer. A vague one, like “be nice,” gets 1 point.
  5. Ask: “What’s one real fruit you could grow this month to show you’re keeping your baptism covenant?” Crown the champions.
🌪️ Teams whisper inside their huddle. Only the captain answers out loud.
⏱️ Big Timer (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🧥 “What shall we do then?” You be John! · A kid with a closet full of clothes · A captain who picks only their friends · A big sister who teases the little one · A gamer up past bedtime · A kid who got extra change at the store · Someone new at school

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A real apple or orange, and a paper drawing of the same fruit

  1. SAY“Picture two kids who both said sorry. One rolled their eyes and did it again. The other fixed what went wrong and changed. Which one grew real fruit?”
  2. SAY“Now you are John. I’ll read a person. Your team has 20 seconds to give one specific thing they should do.”
  3. Read each person on the screen. A kid Judge gives 2 points for a specific, doable answer. A vague one, like “be nice,” gets 1 point.
  4. Ask: “What’s one real fruit you could grow this month to show you’re keeping your baptism covenant?” Crown the champions.
5. Testimony

John Came Back

3 min

End quietly with the Restoration of the priesthood that baptized them, and what’s ahead for them.

  1. SAY“In 1829, John the Baptist came back. He gave the Aaronic Priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. That’s the priesthood that baptized you.”
  2. Share a short testimony of Jesus Christ’s example and what your baptism covenant means to you. Invite one or two kids to share a baptism-day memory.
  3. Share the Good Fruit challenge on the screen, then ask a child to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🕊️ “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” · Matthew 3:17 · Doctrine and Covenants 13

6. Game

Forehead Guess: Jordan River Hard Mode

4 minBONUS

A Heads Up–style round with harder words reviews John’s preaching, Jesus’s baptism and the Aaronic Priesthood.

  1. SAY“Challenge words like Publicans and Chaff need story clues. Not rhymes!”
  2. Tap Forehead Guess. The guesser holds your phone or tablet on their forehead, screen facing their team. Tilt down for got it, up to pass. 45 seconds each.
  3. Teams alternate guessers. Most words wins.
🌪️ Hands up to give a clue. The guesser picks who goes next.
▶ Play Forehead Guess on the web

Class screen: 🤔 Forehead Guess: Can you get Publicans? · No saying the word! · Story clues only

7. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A tough team quiz reviews John’s preaching, Jesus’s baptism and the Restoration.

  1. SAY“It’s Team Wheat against Team Fire!”
  2. Tap Scripture Showdown. Read each question aloud. Teams huddle 10 seconds, then a captain answers. Rotate captains every question.
  3. Bonus point for naming the verse.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown!

The story

A Voice in the Wilderness

Matthew 3; Luke 3:2–22; Mark 1:1–11 ↗

Optional helpers

  • Scripture ReaderFrom their seat, reads Luke 3:4, Matthew 3:8, Luke 3:11 and Matthew 3:11 aloud when you nod.
  • Sound HelperSits next to you and taps each scene’s sound on your phone or tablet.

Scenes

  1. 🐪📣 A voice crying in the wilderness

    Isaiah promised a messenger would prepare the way for the Lord. Then a man appeared in the wilderness, in camel’s hair. He ate locusts and wild honey. It was John, Zacharias’s son. He preached, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

    🙌 Cup your hands and call: “Prepare the way!”

  2. 🌊🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Everyone comes to the Jordan

    People came from Jerusalem and all of Judaea. They came from all around the Jordan River. They confessed their sins. And John baptized them in the river.

    🙌 Make the river sound: “Shhhhh…”

  3. 🎩🍎 “Bring forth fruits meet for repentance”

    Some proud leaders came to watch. They thought being Abraham’s children was enough. John warned them. Don’t just claim you’re good. Show it! A tree that doesn’t grow good fruit gets cut down.

    🙌

  4. 🧥💰 “What shall we do then?”

    The people asked, “What shall we do?” John told them. If you have two coats, give one away. Tax collectors, don’t take more than you should. Soldiers, don’t bully. Don’t lie about people. Be content.

    🙌 Hold up two fingers, then give one away to your neighbor.

  5. 🔥🕊️ “One mightier than I cometh”

    Everyone wondered if John was the Christ. He said no. He baptized with water. But Someone mightier was coming. He would baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire. John wasn’t worthy to carry His shoes.

    🙌

  6. 🚶✋ “Suffer it to be so now”

    Then Jesus came all the way from Galilee to be baptized. John tried to stop Him. He said, “I have need to be baptized of thee.” But Jesus said it was right. It was “to fulfil all righteousness.” So John agreed.

    🙌

  7. 🌊🕊️☁️ “This is my beloved Son”

    Jesus went all the way under the water. He came straight up out of it. The heavens opened. The Spirit descended like a dove. And the Father said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

    🙌 Make a splash: “Sploosh!” Then three silent seconds.

Key verse

Matthew 3:15 ↗
“Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.”
In kid words: Jesus said, “Let it happen. This is the right thing to do to obey everything God asks.”
🙌 “Suffer it to be so now” = open both palms toward John, calm and patient · “for thus it becometh us” = point to yourself, then to everyone · “to fulfil all righteousness” = sweep your arm in a big circle, then point up.

More verses

Matthew 3:16–17 ↗
“and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove … This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
In kid words: The Son was baptized, the Holy Ghost came like a dove, and the Father spoke from heaven.
Matthew 3:8 ↗
“Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance”
In kid words: Show you’ve really changed by what you do.
Luke 3:10–11 ↗
“What shall we do then? He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none”
In kid words: “What should we do?” “If you have two coats, give one to someone who has none.”
Matthew 3:11 ↗
“he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire”
In kid words: Jesus gives us the Holy Ghost, who cleans and refines us like fire.

Forehead Guess words20 words

  • 🧔 John the Baptist
  • 🏜️ Wilderness
  • 🐪 Camel’s hair
  • 🦗 Locusts
  • 🌊 Jordan River
  • 🔄 Repent
  • 🎩 Pharisees
  • 💰 Publicans
  • 🛡️ Soldiers
  • 🧥 Two coats
  • 🍎 Good fruit
  • 🪓 Axe
  • 🌾 Chaff
  • 🔥 Fire
  • 💦 Immersion
  • 🕊️ Dove
  • 3️⃣ Godhead
  • ✅ Righteousness
  • 🙌 Aaronic Priesthood
  • 📜 Isaiah
Clues for each word
  • John the Baptist: Son of Zacharias; prepared the way for Jesus
  • Wilderness: Where John’s voice cried out
  • Camel’s hair: What John’s rough clothes were made of
  • Locusts: Bugs John ate with wild honey
  • Jordan River: Where Jesus was baptized
  • Repent: Change your mind and heart and turn to God
  • Pharisees: Proud leaders John warned to bring good fruit
  • Publicans: Tax collectors told not to take extra
  • Soldiers: Told to be content and not bully anyone
  • Two coats: If you have these, give one away
  • Good fruit: Shows your repentance is real
  • Axe: Laid at the root of trees with no good fruit
  • Chaff: Light husks that blow away from the wheat
  • Fire: Jesus baptizes with the Holy Ghost and with this
  • Immersion: All the way under the water
  • Dove: Sign of the Holy Ghost at Jesus’s baptism
  • Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Ghost, three separate beings
  • Righteousness: Jesus was baptized to fulfil all of it
  • Aaronic Priesthood: John restored it in 1829
  • Isaiah: Prophesied a voice crying in the wilderness
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown10 questions

  1. Which Old Testament prophet foretold “the voice of one crying in the wilderness”?
    • A. Jeremiah
    • B. Isaiah
    • C. Daniel
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Isaiah Isaiah 40:3, quoted in Matthew 3:3 (Esaias is the Greek form of Isaiah).

  2. What did John the Baptist eat in the wilderness?
    • A. Locusts and wild honey
    • B. Manna and quail
    • C. Figs and bread
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Locusts and wild honey Matthew 3:4. He wore camel’s hair and a leather belt too.

  3. What did John tell someone with two coats?
    • A. Sell one
    • B. Wear both in winter
    • C. Give one to someone who has none
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Give one to someone who has none Luke 3:11. Same with food: share it.

  4. What did John tell the publicans, or tax collectors?
    • A. Quit your jobs
    • B. Take no more than you’re supposed to
    • C. Move to Jerusalem
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Take no more than you’re supposed to Luke 3:13. Repentance showed up right in their everyday work.

  5. John said God could raise up children to Abraham from what?
    • A. These stones
    • B. The river water
    • C. The desert sand
    Show answer

    ✅ A. These stones Matthew 3:9. Being Abraham’s descendant wasn’t enough; they needed good fruit.

  6. John said Jesus would baptize with the Holy Ghost and with…
    • A. oil
    • B. water
    • C. fire
    Show answer

    ✅ C. fire Matthew 3:11. The Holy Ghost refines and purifies us like fire.

  7. Why did John first try to stop Jesus from being baptized?
    • A. The river was too cold
    • B. John felt he needed to be baptized by Jesus
    • C. The Pharisees told him to
    Show answer

    ✅ B. John felt he needed to be baptized by Jesus Matthew 3:14: “I have need to be baptized of thee.”

  8. Jesus said He was baptized to fulfil all…
    • A. righteousness
    • B. the prophecies
    • C. the law of Moses
    Show answer

    ✅ A. righteousness Matthew 3:15. Nephi explains more in 2 Nephi 31:5–9.

  9. Which detail shows Jesus was baptized by immersion?
    • A. He wore white
    • B. John used a cup
    • C. He went up straightway out of the water
    Show answer

    ✅ C. He went up straightway out of the water Matthew 3:16. You can only come up out of the water if you went all the way in.

  10. Who restored the Aaronic Priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in 1829?
    • A. Peter
    • B. John the Baptist
    • C. Elijah
    Show answer

    ✅ B. John the Baptist Doctrine and Covenants 13. The same priesthood baptizes children today.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • Baptism Children’s Songbook, p. 100

    Tells the story of Jesus’s baptism in the Jordan. Find it ↗

  • The Holy Ghost Children’s Songbook, p. 105

    John promised Jesus would baptize with the Holy Ghost. Find it ↗

  • Choose the Right Hymns, no. 239

    Good fruit comes from choosing the right every day. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Good Fruit

Ask yourself John’s question: “What shall I do?” Pick one real change. You could share something you have two of, apologize and fix something, or drop a habit you know isn’t right. Do it this week so the change shows on the outside. Each night, think of one way you kept your baptism covenant.

Text the parents

Today in Primary we studied Matthew 3 and Luke 3. John the Baptist taught that real repentance shows up as “fruits meet for repentance.” That’s Matthew 3:8. Jesus never sinned, but He was baptized “to fulfil all righteousness,” in Matthew 3:15. The Holy Ghost descended like a dove, and the Father spoke from heaven. We learned that John returned in 1829 to restore the Aaronic Priesthood. Ask your child: if John the Baptist visited our family, what would he tell each of us to do?

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

🔥 Refiner’s Fire · 4 min

  1. Explain how metalworkers heat gold or silver. The impurities rise to the top and get skimmed away. The metal is left purer.
  2. Read Matthew 3:11. Ask: “How does the Holy Ghost do something like that in us?” He helps us notice what’s wrong, feel sorry and want to change.
  3. Ask: “When has the Holy Ghost helped you want to be better?”

⚖️ Two Baptisms, Side by Side · 5 min

  1. Make two columns on a whiteboard or paper: Jesus’s baptism and my baptism.
  2. Kids fill in each column. Who baptized? Someone with authority. How? By immersion. Where? What came after? The Holy Ghost and confirmation. What was promised?
  3. Read Mosiah 18:10 together and add the covenant they made. Ask: “Which part of your baptism day do you remember most?”

🏞️ Susquehanna, 1829 · 4 min

  1. Read Joseph Smith—History 1:68–72 together, taking turns verse by verse.
  2. Ask: “What were Joseph and Oliver doing right before John appeared?” Praying about baptism, after reading about it in the Book of Mormon.
  3. Ask: “Why does it matter that baptism is done by someone with real priesthood authority?”

🌾 Wheat or Chaff? · 3 min

  1. Explain that at harvest, farmers tossed grain in the wind. Heavy wheat fell and was gathered. Light chaff blew away. See Matthew 3:12.
  2. Read a choice. Good choice: everyone pulls both fists in and says “Wheat!” Bad choice: everyone blows it away, “Chaff!”
  3. Choices: sharing your extra snack. Copying homework. Inviting the new kid. Lying to a teacher. Saying sorry first. Praying when you’re scared.

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

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