I’ve had a lot of fun using this approach in classes I’ve taught. First, I’ll read to students John 2:1-5 (Jesus being asked to turn water into wine), and invite them to visualize how they would direct things if they were filming a scene that included these verses.
Next, we watch this video clip that has three back-to-back depictions of Jesus turning water into wine. The first is from The Church’s “Bible videos” series, the second is from the movie, “The Gospel of John” and the third is from “The Chosen.”
After watching all three depictions, we can have an engaging discussion about what they noticed. Which videos were most faithful to the text? What things were added in? What would you have done if you were the director?
I sometimes point out that in the King James text, Jesus’s response to his mother seems to be rude. Each movie handles this in a different way. For example, the Church’s video uses the Joseph Smith Translation, in which Jesus speaks respectfully to his mother.
One message I always highlight to students is consistent in each video clip—what Mary says in verse 5. She tells the servants, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). What a great message for us to think about when it comes to Jesus Christ: “Do whatever he tells you.” That was Mary’s advice to the servants at the feast, and it’s good advice for us as well. Jesus’s Father has told us “Hear Him” and his mother says, “Do whatever he tells you.”
For more ideas on teaching John 2 -4 this week, please visit https://johnhiltoniii.com/teaching-helps-for-come-follow-me-john-2-4/
