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How Can These Things Be?

A ruler comes by night, a Samaritan comes at noon, and both learn what it really means to be born again

  • 🏔️ Youth 16–18
  • Week 6
  • 📅 Sunday, February 7, 2027
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Being born again isn’t one emotional moment but a lifelong change the Savior works in me through His Atonement, His ordinances and the Holy Ghost, and He knows me completely and still offers me living water.

I can keep letting the Savior change me, renew that change every Sunday at the sacrament, and prepare to worship Him in spirit and in truth in the temple.

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

John 2–4 moves fast. At a wedding in Cana, Mary tells the servants, “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.” Jesus turns the water in six stone waterpots into wine. It’s His first miracle, in John 2:1–11. At Passover He drives the money changers and animal sellers out of the temple: “make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.” That’s 2:13–17. Then come two private conversations that John places side by side. Nicodemus is a Pharisee and “a ruler of the Jews.” He comes by night and hears that he must be born again, of water and of the Spirit, in 3:1–8. Then come the most famous verses in the Bible, 3:16–17. A Samaritan woman comes to Jacob’s well at about the sixth hour, around noon. She hears about living water that never runs dry, in 4:5–14.

The contrast is the lesson. He’s a respected Jewish leader, a man and a teacher of Israel, and he comes in the dark. She’s a Samaritan, a woman with a complicated history, and she comes in broad daylight. The Jews had “no dealings with the Samaritans,” in 4:9. Jesus gives each of them His full attention. She runs into town that same afternoon, and many believe. See 4:28–30 and 39–42. His change seems slower. He later defends Jesus before the council, in 7:50–51. After the Crucifixion, he brings about a hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes for the Savior’s burial, in 19:39. Both are real conversion stories.

For 16- to 18-year-olds, “born again” often sounds like a dramatic moment they never had. The restored scriptures teach more. We’re born again of water and of the Spirit, and cleansed by the blood of Christ, in Moses 6:59–60. A mighty change of heart makes us children of Christ, in Mosiah 5:2 and 7. Some Lamanites were baptized with fire and the Holy Ghost “and they knew it not,” in 3 Nephi 9:20. And Alma asks people who once felt that change, “can ye feel so now?” That’s Alma 5:26. Elder David A. Bednar gave a talk in April 2016 called “Always Retain a Remission of Your Sins.” He taught that baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost and the sacrament work together. Rebirth is an ongoing process. That connects straight to the temple they’re preparing for. The Savior cares deeply how His house is treated.

Treat the Samaritan woman with respect. Jesus names her past plainly, without shaming her, in 4:16–18. Then He tells her directly that He is the Messiah, in 4:26. President Susan H. Porter’s April 2022 talk “Lessons at the Well” draws out exactly that hope. Some youth in your class carry histories or family situations they’re embarrassed about. Let them hear that being fully known by the Savior is safe.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read John 3:1–17 and John 4:5–42. Run the Prove the Wind hook with a tissue. Let Teach Mode run the Night and Noon readers’ theater while youth read from their seats. Read John 3:5 together. Spend the rest on the discussion. Close with your testimony of how the Savior has changed you slowly over time.

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 John 3 and John 4 in one sitting. Notice what time of day each conversation happens.
  2. On Saturday, text four class members to read the Narrator, Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman and a villager of Sychar. Every line comes straight from John. There’s nothing to act.
  3. Think of one way the Savior has changed you gradually, the Nicodemus way. You’ll share it briefly at the end.

If your class is wild

  • Readers stay in their seats. Nicodemus and the woman at the well are great parts for quieter youth. Every line comes straight from scripture, so there’s nothing to make up.
  • Only you read the Savior’s words. Read them slowly. They’re the center of both conversations.
  • If it’s fast Sunday, some youth are hungry and flat. Play the bonus Take These Things Hence game early to get them on their feet.
  • Don’t make the woman’s five husbands a joke. If someone snickers, say, “Jesus knew all of it and chose her to be one of His first witnesses. That’s the point.”
  • Phones are fine for Gospel Library. Give one youth the job of reading every Book of Mormon cross-reference aloud.

The 25-minute plan23 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

Prove the Wind

3 min

A tiny demonstration sets up Jesus’s comparison: you can’t see the Spirit change someone, but you can see what it does.

  1. SAY“Prove to me that wind exists. Here’s the rule. You can’t say you’ve seen wind itself, because nobody has.”
  2. Hold up a tissue by one corner. Let them answer. Trees move, you feel it, you hear it, kites fly.
  3. Blow gently so the tissue flutters.
  4. SAY“We know wind by its effects. Jesus used that exact comparison with a man named Nicodemus.”
  5. Have a youth read John 3:8. Ask, “If someone had truly been changed by the Savior, what effects would you see?” Take three quick answers.

Class screen: 🌬️ Prove the wind exists without saying you’ve seen it. · John 3:8

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A tissue or a thin strip of paper

  1. SAY“Prove to me that wind exists. Here’s the rule. You can’t say you’ve seen wind itself, because nobody has.”
  2. Let them answer. Then fan the pages of your scriptures toward the front row. Ask, “Did you see the air, or what it did?”
  3. SAY“We know wind by what it does. Jesus used that exact comparison with a man named Nicodemus.”
  4. Have a youth read John 3:8. Ask, “If someone had truly been changed by the Savior, what effects would you see?” Take three quick answers.
2. Story

Readers’ Theater: Night and Noon

8 min

Youth read the real words of Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman from their seats and hear two very different, very real paths of conversion.

  1. SAY“I need four readers, right from your seats. No acting. Just read it like you mean it. I’ll read the Savior’s words.”
  2. Tap Roles in Teach Mode to show the parts. The Narrator reads each scene. Readers read their verses when the screen cues them.
  3. After scene 3, ask, “He came by night. Why might a respected leader do that?” Take one answer and keep going.
  4. After the last scene, ask, “One changed in an afternoon. One changed over years. Which story feels more like yours so far?”
🌪️ If a reader is shy, you read the Narrator part. Let them take one short line.

Class screen: 🌙 Night and Noon: readers’ theater · John 3 · John 4 · John 19:39 · Readers read from their seats

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Scriptures for each reader (their own, a classroom set from the library, or Gospel Library on their phones)

  1. SAY“I need four readers, right from your seats. I’ll read the Savior’s words.”
  2. Readers use Gospel Library. Hand your scriptures to anyone without it. The Narrator reads each scene from the screen, and readers read their verses when cued.
  3. After the last scene, ask, “One changed in an afternoon. One changed over years. Which story feels more like yours so far?”
3. Scripture

Born of Water and of the Spirit

4 min

Youth learn John 3:5 and use the Restoration’s scriptures to see rebirth as a process, not just one moment.

  1. SAY“Jesus told Nicodemus exactly how rebirth happens.”
  2. Read John 3:5 together with the motions. Say it twice.
  3. SAY“Here’s a myth. Being born again is one big emotional moment.”
  4. Have volunteers read 3 Nephi 9:20 and Alma 5:26. Ask, “What do these say instead?”
  5. Read Elder Bednar’s line about the sacrament from the conference quotes. Then say, “You’re not behind. You’re in the process.”

Class screen: 💧 Born of water and of the Spirit · John 3:5 · 3 Nephi 9:20 · Alma 5:26

4. Talk it over

By Night or at Noon?

5 min

An honest conversation about how the Savior changes us, how it feels to be fully known, and what real worship looks like.

  1. SAY“Two people. Two very different conversations with Jesus.”
  2. Pick three questions. Ask one at a time and wait ten seconds.
  3. With the question about being fully known, share President Susan H. Porter’s line about the woman at the well from the conference quotes.
  4. Answer one question yourself, briefly and honestly.
💬 Ask the class
  • Nicodemus came by night. Is there any part of your faith you keep “by night”?
  • His change took years. Hers took an afternoon. What has changed in you over the last two years?
  • Jesus told her everything she ever did. And she ran to tell the town instead of hiding. What does it feel like to be completely known by the Savior, and still wanted?
  • She left her waterpot behind. What might you need to set down so you can go tell someone about Him?
  • Worship isn’t the same as routine. How could you get ready now to worship “in spirit and in truth” in the temple?

Class screen: 💬 How is the Savior changing you, fast or slow?

5. Testimony

Testimony: A Well That Doesn’t Run Dry

3 min

End quiet, with a witness that the Savior keeps changing us and an invitation to keep coming to Him.

  1. SAY“Every Sunday, the sacrament invites you back to that well. You don’t need a dramatic story. You just have to keep coming.”
  2. Lower your voice. In a minute or less, share one way the Savior has changed you gradually, the Nicodemus way.
  3. Introduce the Night and Noon challenge on the screen. Invite a youth to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 💧 Keep coming back to the well. · John 4:14

6. Wiggle break

Take These Things Hence

2 minBONUS

A bonus sorting game on their feet brings in John 2 and connects the Savior’s zeal for His house to their own temple preparation.

  1. SAY“Everyone stand. If it belongs in the temple, step in with open hands. If it doesn’t, sweep it away. Jesus said, ‘Take these things hence.’ That’s John 2:16.”
  2. Read these: A humble question for the Lord. A grudge against your sibling. Arriving early to sit and ponder. Going just to be seen by someone.
  3. Then these: Your own family names for baptisms. Rushing through it like a checklist. A clean, current recommend.
  4. Ask, “The endowment is coming for many of you. What would you want to ‘take hence’ before then?” Let them think silently for five seconds.

Class screen: 🧹 Belongs in the temple, or take it hence? · John 2:16

7. Game

Lightning Showdown

4 minBONUS

A fast bonus team quiz locks in Cana, the temple, Nicodemus and the well.

  1. SAY“Two teams, pick captains. Cana to Sychar: let’s see what stuck.”
  2. Tap Scripture Showdown. Teams get a five-second huddle, and only the captain answers. On a miss, the other team steals by naming the chapter.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: ⚡ Lightning Showdown: Cana, Nicodemus and the well

Readers’ theater

Night and Noon

John 3:1–17; 4:5–42; 19:39 ↗

Reading parts (volunteers, from their seats)

  • NarratorReads the setup of each scene from the screen, from their seat.
  • NicodemusReads his questions from John 3:2, 3:4 and 3:9, from their seat.
  • Woman of SamariaReads her lines from John 4:9, 4:15, 4:25 and 4:29, from their seat.
  • Villager of SycharReads the town’s testimony in John 4:39 and 4:42, from their seat.

Scenes

  1. 🌙🕯️ A ruler of the Jews comes by night

    Nicodemus is a Pharisee, “a ruler of the Jews.” He’s a respected teacher of Israel. And he comes to Jesus after dark. He opens politely. Surely You’re a teacher sent from God. Nobody could do these miracles without God.

    🙌 Nicodemus reads John 3:2.

  2. 🌬️ “Ye must be born again”

    Jesus skips the small talk. Unless you’re born again, you can’t even see God’s kingdom. Nicodemus takes it literally. He’s baffled. So Jesus explains being born of water and of the Spirit. And He compares it to the wind.

    🙌 You read John 3:3. Nicodemus reads 3:4. You read 3:5 and 3:8. Nicodemus reads 3:9 slowly.

  3. ❤️🌍 “For God so loved the world”

    That same night, Jesus tells Nicodemus the whole gospel in two verses. God loves the world so much, He gave His Only Begotten Son. And He sent Him to save the world, not to condemn it.

    🙌 You read John 3:16–17. Pause five seconds before the next scene.

  4. ☀️🏺 Noon at Jacob’s well in Samaria

    Later, in Samaria, Jesus rests at Jacob’s well. It’s about noon, and He’s tired from walking. A Samaritan woman comes to draw water. He asks her for a drink. She’s stunned. Jews and Samaritans don’t even talk.

    🙌 The woman reads John 4:9.

  5. 💧✨ Water you will never thirst for again

    Jesus tells her about living water. Drink from this well, and you’ll be thirsty again. But the water He gives becomes a spring inside you. It never runs dry.

    🙌 You read John 4:13–14. The woman reads John 4:15.

  6. 👁️🤍 He knows everything, and He stays

    Jesus tells her things about her life no stranger could know. Even her past marriages. He doesn’t shame her. He doesn’t leave. He teaches her about true worship. And then He tells her plainly that He is the Messiah.

    🙌 The woman reads John 4:25. You read John 4:26.

  7. 🏃‍♀️🏘️ She leaves her waterpot and runs

    She leaves her waterpot behind. She runs into the city and tells everyone, come see a man who told me everything I ever did. The whole town comes out. Jesus stays two days. Soon they believe because they’ve heard Him themselves.

    🙌 The woman reads John 4:29. The villager reads John 4:39, then John 4:42.

  8. 🌿⚱️ Nicodemus, near the end, steps into the light

    Near the end of Jesus’s ministry, Nicodemus speaks up for Him before the council. After the Crucifixion, the man who first came by night comes openly. He brings about a hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes to bury the Savior. Her change came in an afternoon. His seems to have taken years. Both were real.

    🙌 The Narrator reads John 19:39.

Key verse

John 3:5 ↗
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
In plain words: Jesus was completely clear: to enter God’s kingdom, you need to be born again through baptism and through the Holy Ghost.
🙌 Three beats: “born of water” = one hand dips down and back up, like baptism · “and of the Spirit” = hand over the heart · “enter into the kingdom of God” = both hands open like a doorway, then step through. Say it twice, then once in a whisper.

More verses

John 3:8 ↗
“The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”
In plain words: The wind goes wherever it wants. You can’t see where it comes from, but you can hear it and see what it moves. The Spirit changing someone is like that.
John 3:16–17 ↗
“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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
In plain words: God loves the world so much that He gave His Son, so anyone who believes in Him can have eternal life. Jesus came to save us, not to condemn us.
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: The water Jesus gives becomes a spring inside you that keeps flowing forever, all the way to eternal life.
John 4:23 ↗
“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.”
In plain words: The time has come for real worship, with your whole spirit and with truth. Heavenly Father is looking for people who worship Him like that.

Forehead Guess words18 words

  • 🕯️ Nicodemus
  • 📜 Pharisee
  • 👶 Born Again
  • 🌬️ Wind
  • 💧 Water and Spirit
  • 💍 Cana
  • 🏺 Waterpots
  • 💰 Money Changers
  • 🏪 House of Merchandise
  • 🏜️ Samaria
  • 🪣 Jacob’s Well
  • 💦 Living Water
  • ☀️ Sixth Hour
  • 👑 Messiah
  • 🏘️ Sychar
  • 🌿 Myrrh and Aloes
  • 🙏 Worship
  • 💓 Mighty Change
Clues for each word
  • Nicodemus: Pharisee who came to Jesus by night
  • Pharisee: Strict religious group Nicodemus belonged to
  • Born Again: What Jesus said we must be to see God’s kingdom
  • Wind: You hear it but can’t see where it comes from
  • Water and Spirit: The two parts of being born again (John 3:5)
  • Cana: Town where a wedding ran out of wine
  • Waterpots: Six stone jars filled to the brim
  • Money Changers: Jesus overturned their tables
  • House of Merchandise: What the temple must never become
  • Samaria: Region between Judea and Galilee
  • Jacob’s Well: Where Jesus sat, tired, at noon
  • Living Water: Drink it and never thirst again
  • Sixth Hour: About noon, when the woman came to draw water
  • Messiah: Jesus told the woman plainly He was this
  • Sychar: Samaritan town that came out to meet Jesus
  • Myrrh and Aloes: What Nicodemus brought for Jesus’s burial
  • Worship: Do it in spirit and in truth
  • Mighty Change: What King Benjamin’s people felt in their hearts
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown9 questions

  1. What was Jesus’s first miracle, at the wedding in Cana?
    • A. Healing a blind man
    • B. Turning water into wine
    • C. Calming a storm
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Turning water into wine John 2:1–11, “this beginning of miracles.”

  2. What did Mary tell the servants at the wedding?
    • A. “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it”
    • B. “Go and buy more wine”
    • C. “Wait until tomorrow”
    Show answer

    ✅ A. “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it” John 2:5. Still great advice for any calling or prompting.

  3. Jesus said His Father’s house must not become a house of what?
    • A. Mourning
    • B. Feasting
    • C. Merchandise
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Merchandise John 2:16. He drove the sellers and money changers out of the temple.

  4. When did Nicodemus first come to see Jesus?
    • A. By night
    • B. At the Passover feast
    • C. On the Sabbath at noon
    Show answer

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

  5. To enter God’s kingdom, Jesus said, you must be born of water and of…
    • A. Fire
    • B. The Spirit
    • C. The law
    Show answer

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

  6. Jesus compared everyone born of the Spirit to what?
    • A. A seed
    • B. A lamp
    • C. The wind
    Show answer

    ✅ C. The wind John 3:8. You can’t see it, but you can hear it and see what it does.

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

    ✅ B. The sixth hour, about noon John 4:6. Nicodemus came by night; she came in broad daylight.

  8. What did the woman leave behind when she ran into the city?
    • A. Her waterpot
    • B. Her sandals
    • C. Her coat
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Her waterpot John 4:28. She came for water and left with something better.

  9. What did Nicodemus bring after the Crucifixion?
    • A. A new tomb
    • B. Thirty pieces of silver
    • C. Myrrh and aloes
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Myrrh and aloes John 19:39, about a hundred pounds of it: the man who came by night stepped into the light.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

From general conference

“The ordinance of the sacrament is a holy and repeated invitation to repent sincerely and to be renewed spiritually.”

— Elder David A. Bednar, “Always Retain a Remission of Your Sins,” April 2016

Read it in the scripture step, after the class reads 3 Nephi 9:20 and Alma 5:26.

Read the talk ↗
“Her past and present circumstances did not determine her future.”

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

Share it in the discussion when you ask how it feels to be completely known by the Savior.

Read the talk ↗

Songs

  • The Spirit of God Hymns, no. 2

    Sung at the Kirtland Temple dedication: being born of the Spirit and honoring the Lord’s house. Find it ↗

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

    The people of Sychar’s testimony in song: now we know for ourselves. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Night and Noon

Have one Nicodemus conversation this week. Some night, find a quiet spot and ask the Lord one honest question about how He wants to change you. Write down what comes. Then have one noon moment like the woman at the well. Tell one person something you know about the Savior. If you have a temple recommend, plan a temple trip this month.

Text the parents

Today in class we compared two people who met Jesus. Nicodemus came by night, in John 3. The Samaritan woman met Him at noon, in John 4. We talked about being born again as a lifelong process through baptism, the Holy Ghost and the sacrament. We also talked about preparing to worship in the temple. Ask: “Do you think your own conversion is more like Nicodemus’s or the woman at the well’s?”

📝 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?

🍷 Whatsoever He Saith · 5 min

  1. Read John 2:1–11 together. Point out the Joseph Smith Translation of verse 4 in the footnote. Jesus kindly asks His mother what she’d have Him do.
  2. Ask, “The servants filled the pots to the brim before they knew what would happen. What does filling to the brim look like in your gospel habits?”
  3. Invite each youth to name one “whatsoever he saith” prompting they’ve been putting off.

🏛️ Your Temple Questions · 6 min

  1. Invite youth to write or say their questions about receiving the endowment someday. Anything goes except the sacred details we don’t discuss outside the temple.
  2. Answer what you comfortably can. Point them to parents, the bishop and the Church’s temple preparation resources for the rest.
  3. Read John 2:16–17. Ask, “Why do you think the Savior felt so strongly about His house?”

🙏 Spirit and Truth · 5 min

  1. Read John 4:19–24. The woman asks where to worship. Jesus answers how.
  2. Contrast it with Alma 31:12–23. The Zoramites recite one prayer once a week and then forget God.
  3. Ask, “What turns sacrament meeting, prayer or the temple from routine into real worship?”

🔍 Born Again Myth-Busters · 6 min

  1. Split into three groups, one myth each. Myth 1: born again is one emotional moment. Use Moses 6:59–60 and Mosiah 5:2, 7.
  2. Myth 2: no dramatic story means it didn’t happen. Use John 3:8 and 3 Nephi 9:20. Myth 3: once it happens, you’re done. Use Alma 5:14, 26.
  3. Groups get about two minutes to bust their myth in one sentence a school friend would get. Each group teaches it in about 30 seconds.

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 16–18 lessons