Lesson 46: Prophets Foretold the Birth of Jesus Christ (Christmas)

Primary 6: Old Testament, (1996), 207–11

Purpose

To strengthen each child’s testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ’s birth.

Preparation

1. Prayerfully study:
- • Isaiah 7:14—Isaiah prophesies that a pure young woman will give birth to God’s son.
- 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
- • Matthew 1:18–23—Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled.
- 18 ¶Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
  
  19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
  
  20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
  
  21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
  
  22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
  
  23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
- • Isaiah 9:6—Isaiah prophesies that Jesus Christ will come as a baby; Jesus is described by several names.
- 6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the governmentshall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful,Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
- • Micah 5:2—Micah prophesies that Jesus will be born in Bethlehem.
- 2 But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to beruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
- • Matthew 2:4–6—The scribes knew that Bethlehem was the prophesied birthplace of the Messiah.
- 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
  
  5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judæa: for thus it is written by the prophet,
  
  6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
- • 1 Nephi 11:18–21—Nephi prophesies that the Son of God will be born to a virgin.
- 18 And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh.
  
  19 And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit; and after she had been carried away in the Spirit for the space of a time the angel spake unto me, saying: Look!
  
  20 And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms.
  
  21 And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?
- • Luke 1:26–31—A virgin named Mary will be the mother of Jesus Christ.
- 26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
  
  27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
  
  28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
  
  29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
  
  30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
  
  31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
- • Alma 7:9–10—Alma prophesies that Jesus will be born to Mary.
- 9 But behold, the Spirit hath said this much unto me, saying: Cry unto this people, saying—Repent ye, and prepare the way of the Lord, and walk in his paths, which are straight; for behold, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and the Son of God cometh upon the face of the earth.
  
  10 And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.
- • Luke 2:4–7—Jesus is born.
- 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
  
  5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
  
  6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
  
  7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
- • Helaman 14:1–6—Samuel the Lamanite prophesies of the signs at Jesus’ birth.
- 1 And now it came to pass that Samuel, the Lamanite, did prophesy a great many more things which cannot be written.
  
  2 And behold, he said unto them: Behold, I give unto you a sign; for fiveyears more cometh, and behold, then cometh the Son of God to redeem all those who shall believe on his name.
  
  3 And behold, this will I give unto you for a sign at the time of his coming; for behold, there shall be great lights in heaven, insomuch that in the night before he cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it was day.
  
  4 Therefore, there shall be one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night; and this shall be unto you for a sign; for ye shall know of the rising of the sun and also of its setting; therefore they shall know of a surety that there shall be two days and a night; nevertheless the night shall not be darkened; and it shall be the night before he is born.
  
  5 And behold, there shall a new star arise, such an one as ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a sign unto you.
  
  6 And behold this is not all, there shall be many signs and wonders in heaven.
- • 3 Nephi 1:4–21—On the night of Jesus’ birth, there was no darkness in America and a new star rose.
- 4 And it came to pass that in the commencement of the ninety and second year, behold, the prophecies of the prophets began to be fulfilled more fully; for there began to be greater signs and greater miracles wrought among the people.
  
  5 But there were some who began to say that the time was past for the words to be fulfilled, which were spoken by Samuel, the Lamanite.
  
  6 And they began to rejoice over their brethren, saying: Behold the time is past, and the words of Samuel are not fulfilled; therefore, your joy and your faith concerning this thing hath been vain.
  
  7 And it came to pass that they did make a great uproar throughout the land; and the people who believed began to be very sorrowful, lest by any means those things which had been spoken might not come to pass.
  
  8 But behold, they did watch steadfastly for that day and that night and that day which should be as one day as if there were no night, that they might know that their faith had not been vain.
  
  9 Now it came to pass that there was a day set apart by the unbelievers, that all those who believed in those traditions should be put to death except thesign should come to pass, which had been given by Samuel the prophet.
  
  10 Now it came to pass that when Nephi, the son of Nephi, saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was exceedingly sorrowful.
  
  11 And it came to pass that he went out and bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers.
  
  12 And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying:
  
  13 Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets.
  
  14 Behold, I come unto my own, to fulfil all things which I have made known unto the children of men from the foundation of the world, and to do the will,both of the Father and of the Son—of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh. And behold, the time is at hand, and this night shall the sign be given.
  
  15 And it came to pass that the words which came unto Nephi were fulfilled, according as they had been spoken; for behold, at the going down of the sunthere was no darkness; and the people began to be astonished because there was no darkness when the night came.
  
  16 And there were many, who had not believed the words of the prophets, who fell to the earth and became as if they were dead, for they knew that the great plan of destruction which they had laid for those who believed in the words of the prophets had been frustrated; for the sign which had been given was already at hand.
  
  17 And they began to know that the Son of God must shortly appear; yea, in fine, all the people upon the face of the whole earth from the west to the east, both in the land north and in the land south, were so exceedingly astonished that they fell to the earth.
  
  18 For they knew that the prophets had testified of these things for many years, and that the sign which had been given was already at hand; and they began to fear because of their iniquity and their unbelief.
  
  19 And it came to pass that there was no darkness in all that night, but it was as light as though it was mid-day. And it came to pass that the sun did rise in the morning again, according to its proper order; and they knew that it was the day that the Lord should be born, because of the sign which had been given.
  
  20 And it had come to pass, yea, all things, every whit, according to the words of the prophets.
  
  21 And it came to pass also that a new star did appear, according to the word.
- • Matthew 2:2—A new star appeared in Israel.
- 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his starin the east, and are come to worship him.
2. Study the lesson and decide how you want to teach the children the scripture account (see “Preparing Your Lessons,” p. vi, and“Teaching from the Scriptures,” p. vii). Select the discussion questions and enrichment activities that will best help the children achieve the purpose of the lesson.
3. Materials needed:
1. a. A Bible and a Book of Mormon for each child.
2. b. The chart “Prophets Foretold the Birth of Jesus Christ” (at the end of the lesson).
  (click to view larger)
3. c. Simple props, such as scarves and a doll, for a Christmas nativity scene (see the attention activity).
4. d. Pictures 6-49, Isaiah Writes of Christ’s Birth (Gospel Art Picture Kit 113; 62339), and 6-50, The Birth of Jesus (Gospel Art Picture Kit 200; 62116).

Suggested Lesson Development

Invite a child to give the opening prayer.

Attention Activity

Choose several children to make a Christmas nativity scene using simple props. You should have someone represent Mary and Joseph and have a doll to represent the baby Jesus. Other children could be angels, shepherds, and wise men. Allow the class members to tell the things they remember about Jesus Christ’s birth. Ask them how they know about this important event. Explain that even though it happened nearly 2,000 years ago, we have the account of Jesus’ birth recorded in the scriptures.

Tell the children that Joseph and Mary knew about this event before it happened. From the time of Adam, Heavenly Father promised through prophets to send his Son to be the Savior of the world. Many prophets prophesied of the coming of Jesus Christ. They knew Heavenly Father would keep his promise, and they looked forward anxiously for the Savior to be born.

Scripture Account

Using the scriptures listed in the “Preparation” section, teach the prophecies of Jesus Christ’s birth and how they were fulfilled. (For suggested ways to teach the scripture account, see “Teaching from the Scriptures,” p. vii.) Display the chart located at the end of the lesson, which depicts the prophets who foretold the Savior’s birth. Show the pictures at appropriate times.

Discussion and Application Questions

Study the following questions and the scripture references as you prepare your lesson. Use the questions you feel will best help the children understand the scriptures and apply the principles in their lives. Reading and discussing the scriptures with the children in class will help them gain personal insights.

•Who did Isaiah prophesy would be the mother of Jesus Christ? (Isaiah 7:14. Explain that virgin means a pure, unmarried woman. Note that Isaiah lived about 740 B.C., which means before the birth of Christ.) To whom was the angel Gabriel sent to announce the news that Jesus was about to be born and to testify of the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy? (Luke 1:26–31; Matthew 1:18–23.)
•How did Isaiah say Jesus would come? (Isaiah 9:6; as a baby.) What other names did Isaiah use to describe Christ? What do these names tell us about Jesus Christ? (See enrichment activity 6.)
•Where was Jesus to be born? (Micah 5:2.)
• Micah 5:2—Micah prophesies that Jesus will be born in Bethlehem.
2 But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to beruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
When King Herod asked the priests and scribes where Jesus would be born, how did they know it would be in Bethlehem? (Matthew 2:4–6; explain that these men had read the prophecies in the scriptures.)
•Whom did Nephi see in a vision? (1 Nephi 11:18–21; point out that Nephi lived about 600 B.C.) Help the children understand that the Nephites had the brass plates, which contained many of the ancient prophecies. But they also had their own prophets who foretold the birth of Jesus Christ. Whom did Alma prophesy would be the mother of the Son of God? (Alma 7:9–10; point out that Alma lived about 80 B.C.)
•What signs did Samuel the Lamanite prophesy would come at the birth of Jesus? (Helaman 14:2–5; these prophecies occurred five or six years before the birth of Jesus Christ.) What did the people who did not believe Samuel’s prophecies do? (3 Nephi 1:6, 9.) When Nephi prayed in behalf of the righteous people, what comfort was he given? (3 Nephi 1:11–13.) How were Samuel’s prophecies fulfilled? (3 Nephi 1:15, 19, 21.) How do we know a new star appeared in Israel also? (Matthew 2:1–2.)

Enrichment Activities

You may use one or more of the following activities any time during the lesson or as a review, summary, or challenge.

1. Display the chart located at the end of the lesson, which shows the ancient prophets Isaiah, Micah, Nephi, Alma, and Samuel the Lamanite. The children could take turns reading the prophecies that foretold the birth of Jesus Christ.
2. Suggest that in preparation for Christmas the class members individually or with their families read the following scriptures, which prophesy of Jesus Christ’s birth:
The children could write these references on a note card to take home, or you could prepare a handout with the references for each child.
3. List key words on the chalkboard (or show pictures illustrating these items) from prophecies of Christ’s birth such as Bethlehem, star, Mary, and so on. Have the children listen for these words as you read or retell the Christmas story from Luke 1:26–38 andLuke 2:1–19. Discuss with the children the feelings Joseph, Mary, and the shepherds might have had as they participated in the fulfillment of the prophecies of Christ’s birth.
4. Help the children understand and memorize the ninth article of faith. During the discussion point out that we are living in a time when prophecies and revelations are being fulfilled, and invite the children to name some of these prophecies. Share your feelings about being part of a church with continuing revelation and being a witness to the fulfillment of prophecies in your own lifetime.

9 We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

5. Discuss how the Savior’s birth, life, and Atonement are the greatest gifts we will ever receive. What gift can we give Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ at this special season of the year? Challenge the children to give the gift of love to others. You may want to tell the following story as an example of how one young boy gave his father a gift of love.

A few days before Christmas, when Rob was fifteen years old, he overheard his father say to his mother, “Mary, I hate to call Rob to milk the cows in the mornings. He’s growing so fast and he needs his sleep. … I wish I could manage alone.”

These simple words made Rob fully realize something for the first time: his father loved him!

The family was poor. Rob had bought his father an inexpensive tie, but as he lay thinking on the night before Christmas, it didn’t seem enough. With growing excitement he decided on a better gift. He would get up early and milk the cows before his father got up. He laughed to himself in anticipation of his father’s surprise.

The task went more easily than he had ever known it to go before. Milking for once was not a chore. It was something else—a gift to his father, who loved him.

His task finished, Rob returned to his bed just moments before his father called him. He knew his father would go to the barn ahead of him to get started and in only a few minutes would discover the two big cans standing in the milk-house, filled. Breathlessly, Rob waited for his return.

After what seemed an eternity, Rob heard his bedroom door open, heard his father laughing, a “sobbing sort of laugh,” and heard his father say, “Thought you’d fool me, did you?”

“It’s for Christmas, Dad!” In the morning darkness, he found his father and clutched him in a great hug. Rob’s heart was “bursting with love.”

“Son, I thank you,” his father said. “Nobody ever did a nicer thing. … The best Christmas gift I ever had, and I’ll remember it, son, every year on Christmas morning, so long as I live.” (Adapted from Pearl S. Buck, “Christmas Day in the Morning,” in Colliers, 23 Dec. 1955, pp. 10–11.)
6. If possible, bring a recording of “For unto Us a Child Is Born” from Handel’s Messiah. After you have listened to the music, you might have the children compare the words of the song with the prophecies of Isaiah.
7. Sing or read the words to “When He Comes Again” (Children’s Songbook, p. 82), “Samuel Tells of the Baby Jesus” (Children’s Songbook, p. 36), or “Away in a Manger” (Children’s Songbook,p. 42).

Conclusion

Testimony

Share your feelings about the divinity of Christ’s birth and your gratitude for this wonderful gift that Heavenly Father has given to each of us.

Suggested Family Sharing

Encourage the children to share with their families a specific part of the lesson, such as a story, question, or activity, or to read with their families the “Suggested Home Reading.”