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Never Thirst Again

Five-minute fixes versus forever water, a woman whose whole story didn’t scare Jesus off, and a cup that can’t hold anything

  • 🔥 Youth 14–16
  • Week 6
  • 📅 Sunday, February 7, 2027
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Jesus Christ knows everything about me and still offers living water, and coming to Him again and again changes me from the inside, like being born again.

I can stop chasing things that only satisfy for five minutes and keep coming to Jesus Christ, who knows me completely and fills me for real.

Study it yourself firstRead John 2–4 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (John 2–4)
Know the chapters

John 2–4 is full of beginnings. At a wedding in Cana, Jesus turns water into wine, the “beginning of miracles” (John 2:11). In Jerusalem He drives the money-changers out of the temple: “make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise” (2:16). Then two very different people come to Him. Nicodemus is a respected Pharisee and ruler who comes “by night” (3:2), maybe to avoid being seen. A Samaritan woman comes to a well at about the sixth hour, around noon (4:6–7). Jesus teaches both of them about a change so deep it’s like a new birth.

To Nicodemus He says, “Ye must be born again” (3:7) and explains that it means being “born of water and of the Spirit” (3:5): baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost, followed by a lifetime of being changed by the Savior. Nicodemus doesn’t get it right away, but John shows him growing: later he defends Jesus in front of the other leaders (7:50–51) and helps bury Him (19:39). A night-time question can become a daylight disciple. John 3:16–17 is the Savior’s own summary of His mission: God gave His Son out of love, not to condemn the world but to save it.

Jews and Samaritans avoided each other, and a Jewish rabbi talking alone with a Samaritan woman was surprising even to His disciples (4:9, 27). Jesus asks her for a drink, offers “living water” and then shows He knows her whole story (4:16–18). He doesn’t shame her; He reveals Himself to her plainly: “I that speak unto thee am he” (4:26). She leaves her waterpot and runs to tell the town (4:28–29), and later the townspeople say they believe not just because of her words but because they heard Him themselves (4:42). For 14–16s, this is a chance to talk about reputation, being fully known, borrowed versus personal testimony, and the difference between things that satisfy for five minutes (likes, snacks, scrolling) and the Savior, who satisfies for good. Jeremiah 2:13 is a great cross-reference: people traded the fountain of living waters for “broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”

This week ends on fast Sunday. If you teach this lesson that day, keep the water in the object lesson for pouring only; nobody drinks.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read John 4:5–30 and 4:39–42. Play “Five Minutes or Forever?” by pointing at two walls, run the reader’s theater in Teach Mode, then do Leaky Hands and the Night Questions discussion. Close with the question “Who could I say ‘come and see’ to?” and a short testimony.

What to bring4 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. Poke five or six holes in the bottom of a cup. Test it over a sink so you know how fast it drains.
  2. Read John 4:5–42 once. You will read the Savior’s words in the reader’s theater; no youth plays Jesus.
  3. Text one youth on Saturday and ask them to lead the John 4:14 spotlight. Send them the verse and the steps.
  4. February 7 is fast Sunday and some youth may be fasting, so nobody drinks the water.

If your class is wild

  • The leaky cup is messy by design. Do it over a bowl or sink, and let a youth pour.
  • Be careful with the woman at the well’s past. The point is that Jesus knew everything and didn’t walk away, not guessing at her story.
  • In the “Five Minutes or Forever?” hook, some items are honestly both. Let youth argue that; it’s the best part.
  • If the discussion stalls, jump to the Take These Things Hence game early; competition wakes up a quiet room.
  • On fast Sunday, some youth will be hungry and tired. Keep the energy up, and keep it short.

The 25-minute plan25 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

Five Minutes or Forever?

3 min

A walk-to-your-side sort gets everyone moving and surfaces what actually satisfies versus what wears off.

  1. Everyone stands. Point to one wall: “Five minutes.” Point to the opposite wall: “Forever.” Say: “I’ll name something. Walk to how long it really satisfies. Middle is allowed if you can defend it.”
  2. Read: “A new follower.” “A friend who knows the real you.” “Your crush texting back.” “A new hoodie.” “Being forgiven.” “A viral post.” “Winning the game.” “Knowing God loves you.”
  3. After a few, ask someone in the middle or on the minority side to defend their spot.
  4. SAY“Some things are good but wear off. That’s not bad; that’s just how they work. Today Jesus offers something that doesn’t.”
🌪️ If people clump together, ask one person to argue the other side on purpose.

Class screen: ⏱️♾️ How long does it really satisfy? Five minutes or forever? · Walk to your wall · Defend the middle if you pick it

2. Story

Reader’s Theater: Water at Noon

5 min

Acting out John 4 lets youth feel how completely Jesus knew the woman and how quickly she became a witness.

  1. Tap Roles in Teach Mode and hand out parts. Everyone else is the Townspeople. Say: “I’ll read the Savior’s words.”
  2. The Narrator reads each scene. Pause for the actions and the lines.
  3. At scene 4, ask quietly: “What would you expect most people to do once they knew her whole story? What did Jesus do?”
  4. At scene 6, point to the imaginary waterpot on the floor. Say: “She came for water and left the pot behind. She found what she really needed.”
  5. SAY“Susan H. Porter put it this way in a talk about this chapter: ‘Her past and present circumstances did not determine her future.’ The same is true for you.”
  6. After scene 7, everyone sits.
🌪️ If the Townspeople whisper too loudly, make it a rule: whispers only when the Narrator points at you.

Class screen: 🏺🎭 Reader’s theater: Water at Noon · The teacher reads the Savior’s words · Everyone else is the town

3. Wiggle break

Leave the Waterpot

2 min

A quick freeze game reviews the week’s moments and resets attention.

  1. Tap Freeze Dance. While the music plays, everyone walks around hauling a heavy imaginary waterpot.
  2. When it stops, call a pose: “Night visitor!” (hood up, sneaking), “Living water!” (drink from cupped hands), “Wind!” (sway, John 3:8), “Leave the waterpot!” (drop it and sprint in place), “Come and see!” (wave someone over).
  3. Three or four rounds. The last one to freeze calls the next pose.
🌪️ Feet stay on the floor. Sprinting is in place, not across the room.
🧊 Freeze Dance (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🏺🕺 Haul the pot. Freeze in the pose when music stops! · Night visitor · Living water · Wind · Come and see

4. Object lesson

The Leaky Cup

3 min

A cup with holes shows why five-minute fixes never fill us, and why we need to keep coming back to the Savior.

  1. Hold the leaky cup over the bowl. Ask a youth to fill it. It drains as fast as they pour. Say: “Keep going.” It never stays full.
  2. Read Jeremiah 2:13. Say: “People dug their own tanks, broken ones that can’t hold water, and walked away from the fountain.”
  3. Ask: “What are some ‘leaky cups’ people our age keep trying to fill?” (Likes, attention, being liked by everyone, the next purchase, endless scrolling.)
  4. SAY“Here’s the twist. Even we leak. We can’t fill up once and be done. That’s why Jesus said His water becomes a spring inside us: a source that keeps flowing as we keep coming to Him.”
  5. Remind everyone: nobody drinks the water today.

Class screen: 🥤💧 Broken cisterns that can hold no water · Jeremiah 2:13 · What are you trying to fill?

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A paper or plastic cup with several holes poked in the bottom (a pencil or pen works), A pitcher or water bottle full of water, A bowl, sink or tray to catch the water

Leaky Hands

  1. Ask everyone to cup their hands tightly. Mime pouring water into them. Say: “Hold it.”
  2. Now say: “Spread your fingers a little.” Mime the water pouring through. “That’s what happens with some things we try to fill ourselves with.”
  3. Read Jeremiah 2:13. Ask: “What are some ‘leaky cups’ people our age keep trying to fill?” (Likes, attention, being liked by everyone, the next purchase, endless scrolling.)
  4. SAY“Even we leak. We can’t fill up once and be done. That’s why Jesus said His water becomes a spring inside us that keeps flowing as we keep coming to Him.”

Class screen: 🤲💧 Broken cisterns that can hold no water · Jeremiah 2:13

5. Scripture

Youth-Led Spotlight: John 4:14

3 min

A youth teaches the key verse, so the class hears the promise from a peer.

  1. Invite the youth you asked ahead of time to lead. Put John 4:14 on the screen.
  2. They read it and ask the class to find the difference between “never thirst” and “a well of water springing up.” (One means He satisfies; the other means He becomes a source inside you.)
  3. They teach the motions, and the class says the verse together once.
  4. They ask: “What helps the ‘well’ keep flowing for you: prayer, scriptures, the sacrament, seminary, music, something else?” Take two or three answers.

Class screen: ⛲ A well of water springing up into everlasting life · John 4:14

6. Talk it over

Night Questions

4 min

Youth connect Nicodemus, the temple cleansing and the woman at the well to worrying about what people think and owning their testimony.

  1. Sit in a circle. Say: “Nicodemus came at night with his questions. This is a safe place for questions in daylight.”
  2. Briefly tell Nicodemus’s arc: he came by night (John 3:2), later defended Jesus in front of the council (7:50–51) and helped bury Him (19:39).
  3. Show one question at a time. Let two or three people answer; skip one if it isn’t landing.
💬 Ask the class
  • Nicodemus came to Jesus “by night.” Why might someone your age keep their faith quiet, and what helped Nicodemus step into the daylight later?
  • Jesus said we must be “born of water and of the Spirit.” If you were baptized at eight, what does being born again look like at fifteen?
  • The woman at the well was fully known and not rejected. How does it feel to know the Savior sees everything and still stays?
  • The town said, “We have heard him ourselves.” What’s the difference between borrowing your parents’ or leaders’ testimony and having your own? How do you get there?
  • Jesus cleared the temple of things that didn’t belong. If your phone, your room or your weekends were a temple, what would you take out?
🌪️ If nobody talks, share an honest “night question” you had at their age and how you worked through it.

Class screen: 🌙💬 Night questions, daylight answers · Questions are welcome here

7. Game

Take These Things Hence

3 min

Teams turn John 2:16 into real, specific choices about keeping sacred things sacred.

  1. Split into two teams. Read John 2:16: “Take these things hence.”
  2. Name a “temple” in their lives: your phone, your Sunday, your body, your friend group, your bedroom, the sacrament meeting row. Teams get 20 seconds to name one thing to take out and one thing to put in.
  3. Use the Name Spinner to pick who answers for each team. The other team gives a thumbs-up for real, specific answers (a point) or a thumbs-sideways for vague ones.
  4. Say at the end: “Jesus didn’t clean the temple because He hated the people. He did it because the place mattered. So do you.”
🌪️ Ban “Just don’t do bad stuff” as an answer. Make it specific.
🎡 Name Spinner (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🧹 Take these things hence: one out, one in · 📱 Phone · 🗓️ Sunday · 🏠 Room · 👥 Friends

8. Game

Scripture Showdown: John 2–4

4 minBONUS

A quick team quiz reviews Cana, the temple, Nicodemus and the well.

  1. Keep the same teams. Tap Scripture Showdown.
  2. Ten seconds to confer on each question.
  3. The losing team picks whether the last question is worth double.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown: John 2–4

9. Game

Forehead Guess: Cana to Samaria

4 minBONUS

A fast Heads Up–style review of this week’s people, places and symbols.

  1. Tap Forehead Guess. One person holds your phone or tablet on their forehead facing the class.
  2. Everyone else gives clues without saying the word. Tilt down for got it, up to pass. 45 seconds each.
▶ Play Forehead Guess on the web

Class screen: 🤔 Forehead Guess: Cana to Samaria

10. Testimony

Come and See

2 min

A quiet close that turns the woman’s witness into a personal invitation.

  1. SAY“She didn’t give a sermon. She said, ‘Come and see.’ That’s all.”
  2. SAY“Think quietly of one person who is thirsty right now: lonely, stressed, searching. What’s one small ‘come and see’ you could offer this week?” Give 20 seconds of quiet.
  3. Share a brief testimony of a time the Savior filled something in you that nothing else could.
  4. Point to the challenge and invite a youth to give the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🏃‍♀️🌅 “Come, see a man, which told me all things” · Who is thirsty around you?

Story drama

Water at Noon

John 4:5–42 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • NarratorReads each scene from the shared screen while the teacher reads the Savior’s words.
  • Samaritan WomanReads her lines, carries an imaginary heavy waterpot, then leaves it behind and runs to town.
  • DisciplesTwo youth who come back from town with food in scene 6 and look shocked.
  • TownspeopleEveryone else: go about their day in town, then come out to see for themselves.
  • Sound TechRuns the Sound Board: wind, splash, heartbeat and cheer on cue.

Scenes

  1. ☀️🪣 A well in Samaria, at high noon

    Jesus was tired from walking and sat down by Jacob’s well in Samaria. It was about noon. His disciples had gone into town to buy food. A woman of Samaria came to draw water.

    🎬 The Samaritan Woman walks in slowly, hauling an imaginary heavy waterpot. The Townspeople go about their day off to the side.

  2. 🤔🙋 “Give me to drink”

    Jesus asked her for a drink. She was stunned. Jews and Samaritans usually had no dealings with each other. Why was this Jewish teacher asking her for anything?

    🎬 Teacher reads: “Give me to drink.” The Woman answers: “How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me?”

  3. 💧✨ “He would have given thee living water”

    Jesus told her that if she knew who was asking, she would ask Him for living water. She pointed out He didn’t even have a bucket. He said anyone who drinks from this well will be thirsty again, but the water He gives becomes a spring inside that never runs dry.

    🎬 Teacher reads John 4:14. The Woman sets the heavy pot down and says: “Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not.”

  4. 👁️❤️ He knew her whole story

    Then Jesus showed He knew everything about her life, the parts she might not tell anyone. He didn’t lecture her or leave. He stayed and kept talking with her. She said, “Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.”

    🎬 The Woman freezes, surprised, then says her line slowly. The Townspeople freeze.

  5. 🙌💬 “I that speak unto thee am he”

    She asked about the right place to worship, and He taught that true worshippers worship the Father in spirit and in truth. She said the Messiah would come someday and explain everything. Jesus answered with one of the plainest statements in the Gospels: He was the Messiah.

    🎬 The Woman says: “I know that Messias cometh.” Teacher reads John 4:26. Hold two seconds of silence.

  6. 🏺🏃 She left her waterpot and ran

    Right then, the disciples came back and were amazed He was talking with her. But she didn’t stay to explain. She left her waterpot, the whole reason she came, and ran into the town telling everyone, “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?”

    🎬 The Disciples walk in with imaginary food and stare. The Woman leaves the pot on the floor and runs to the Townspeople, saying her line.

  7. 👥🌅 “We have heard him ourselves”

    The town came out to meet Him and asked Him to stay. He stayed two days. Many believed because of her words, and then many more believed because they heard Him for themselves. Her witness started it; their own experience finished it.

    🎬 The Townspeople walk toward the front. Together they say: “We have heard him ourselves.”

Key verse

John 4:14 ↗
“But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”
In plain words: Most things fill you up for five minutes. What Jesus gives doesn’t run out; it becomes a spring inside you that keeps going.
🙌 “Whosoever drinketh”: mime drinking from cupped hands. “Never thirst”: shake your head no. “A well of water”: hands over your heart. “Springing up”: fingers rise like a fountain. “Everlasting life”: arms open wide.

More verses

John 3:5 ↗
“Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
In plain words: Being born again starts with baptism and the Holy Ghost, then keeps going as the Savior changes you.
John 3:16 ↗
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
In plain words: The whole plan starts with love. God gave His Son so you wouldn’t be lost.
John 4:42 ↗
“Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves”
In plain words: Someone else’s testimony can start yours, but at some point you need to hear Him yourself.
Jeremiah 2:13 ↗
“they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”
In plain words: People trade the endless fountain for leaky tanks they dug themselves. We still do.

Forehead Guess words16 words

  • 💒 Cana
  • 🎉 Wedding
  • 🍷 Water into Wine
  • 🪙 Money-Changers
  • 🏛️ Temple
  • 🌙 Nicodemus
  • 👶 Born Again
  • 🌬️ Wind
  • 🗺️ Samaria
  • 🪣 Jacob’s Well
  • 🏺 Waterpot
  • 💧 Living Water
  • ✨ Messiah
  • 🙏 Worship
  • 🌊 Baptism
  • 🕊️ Holy Ghost
Clues for each word
  • Cana: Town where Jesus did His first miracle
  • Wedding: They ran out of wine here
  • Water into Wine: The beginning of miracles
  • Money-Changers: Their tables got overthrown
  • Temple: “My Father’s house”
  • Nicodemus: Pharisee who came by night
  • Born Again: What Jesus told Nicodemus he must be
  • Wind: You hear it but can’t see where it goes
  • Samaria: Region between Judea and Galilee
  • Jacob’s Well: Where Jesus sat down, tired, at noon
  • Waterpot: What the woman left behind
  • Living Water: Whoever drinks it never thirsts
  • Messiah: “I that speak unto thee am he”
  • Worship: Should be in spirit and in truth
  • Baptism: Being born of water
  • Holy Ghost: Being born of the Spirit
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown9 questions

  1. What did Jesus do at the wedding in Cana?
    • A. Healed the bride
    • B. Turned water into wine
    • C. Fed five thousand
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Turned water into wine John 2:1–11. John calls it the beginning of miracles.

  2. What did Jesus say about His Father’s house?
    • A. Make it bigger
    • B. Close it on the Sabbath
    • C. Don’t make it a house of merchandise
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Don’t make it a house of merchandise John 2:16. He drove out the sellers because the temple is sacred.

  3. When did Nicodemus first come to Jesus?
    • A. By night
    • B. At the wedding
    • C. On the Sabbath
    Show answer

    ✅ A. By night John 3:2. Later he defended Jesus and helped bury Him.

  4. Jesus said we must be born of water and of what?
    • A. Fire
    • B. The Spirit
    • C. The law
    Show answer

    ✅ B. The Spirit John 3:5. Baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost.

  5. According to John 3:17, why did God send His Son?
    • A. To condemn the world
    • B. To start a kingdom
    • C. That the world might be saved
    Show answer

    ✅ C. That the world might be saved He came to save, not to condemn.

  6. About what time did the woman come to the well?
    • A. The sixth hour, around noon
    • B. Midnight
    • C. Dawn
    Show answer

    ✅ A. The sixth hour, around noon John 4:6. Around midday.

  7. What did Jesus say His water becomes inside a person?
    • A. A river to the sea
    • B. A well springing up into everlasting life
    • C. A cup that never spills
    Show answer

    ✅ B. A well springing up into everlasting life John 4:14. A source that keeps flowing.

  8. What did the woman leave behind when she ran to town?
    • A. Her waterpot
    • B. Her sandals
    • C. Her scarf
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Her waterpot John 4:28. She found what she really came for.

  9. Why did many Samaritans end up believing?
    • A. They saw a sign
    • B. Their priests told them
    • C. They heard Jesus themselves
    Show answer

    ✅ C. They heard Jesus themselves John 4:42. Her witness started it; their own experience finished it.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

From general conference

“Her past and present circumstances did not determine her future.”

— Susan H. Porter, “Lessons at the Well,” April 2022

Share in the reader’s theater step, after scene 6, when the woman leaves her waterpot.

Read the talk ↗

Songs

  • I Know That My Redeemer Lives Hymns, no. 136

    A testimony hymn that fits “we have heard him ourselves.” Find it ↗

  • The Lord Is My Shepherd Hymns, no. 108

    Psalm 23’s Shepherd leads beside still waters. A good fit for John 4. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Fill the Well, Not the Cup

Pick one “leaky cup” you reach for when you’re bored, lonely or stressed. One time each day this week, when you reach for it, spend two minutes with the living water first: a prayer, a verse, a hymn. Then notice what changes.

Text the parents

This week in class we acted out Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well, talked about Nicodemus coming to Jesus by night, and used a leaky cup to show why five-minute fixes never fill us up. Your teen is trying to reach for the Savior first when they’re bored or stressed. A good question to ask: “What’s the difference between borrowing someone’s testimony and having your own?”

📝 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?

👓 What’s Hard to See Through? · 5 min

  1. Read John 3:3 and 3:5: without being born again we can’t “see” or “enter” the kingdom of God.
  2. As a class, list attitudes that make it hard to see God’s kingdom (pride, cynicism, always needing to be right) and ones that make it easier (humility, curiosity, honesty).
  3. Ask: “Which one on the hard list is sneakiest at our age?”

🪞 What Would He Say to Me? · 5 min

  1. Pairs read John 4:6–26 in chunks: verses 6–9, 10–14, 16–19, 21–24, 25–26.
  2. For each chunk, write what Jesus said to her and what He might say to them.
  3. Invite a few to share. The manual recommends Susan H. Porter’s talk “Lessons at the Well” for more.

❤️ For God So Loved… · 3 min

  1. Read John 3:16–17 together, replacing “the world” with “me.”
  2. Ask: “How does it change the verse when it’s personal?”
  3. Invite youth to share a time they felt God’s love through His Son.

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.

All Youth 14–16 lessons