Speaker 1: Hello again, and welcome back to Kids' Bible Stories. Today's
Speaker 1: story is called the Saddest Day and the Greatest Gift.
Speaker 1: This comes from John chapter eighteen, John chapter nineteen, Luke
Speaker 1: twenty three, and Matthew chapter twenty seven. Parents, today we
Speaker 1: are going to be talking about the Cross. I respect
Speaker 1: each family's ages and stages of life.
Speaker 2: So I have adapted some of this.
Speaker 1: Please go back and read the scriptures I listed, including
Speaker 1: what is appropriate for your family. Okay, listeners, what holiday
Speaker 1: are we about to celebrate?
Speaker 2: Shout it out? Easter? That's right.
Speaker 1: In last week's story, we began preparing for Easter. We
Speaker 1: heard Jesus being arrested and taken away. It seemed like
Speaker 1: things were not going right, but God had a plan
Speaker 1: all along. Remember, but it's not always as it seems.
Speaker 1: You'll see what I mean when you hear the rest
Speaker 1: of today's story. Let's begin here being led like a prisoner.
Speaker 1: The men took Jesus to the Roman leader's palace. It
Speaker 1: was early in the morning. Islet a Roman leader went
Speaker 1: outside to them.
Speaker 3: He asked, what charges do you bring against this man?
Speaker 2: They answered, he is a criminal.
Speaker 3: That is why we brought him to you.
Speaker 1: Listeners. Had Jesus done anything wrong, No, absolutely not. Remember,
Speaker 1: Jesus never send, never did anything wrong.
Speaker 2: He was perfect. Pilot said to them.
Speaker 3: Then just take him yourself and judge him by your
Speaker 3: own law.
Speaker 1: The mean men scoffed and glared at one another, determined
Speaker 1: to convince Pilot to.
Speaker 2: Get rid of Jesus.
Speaker 1: Pilot turned and went back inside the palace. He decided
Speaker 1: to ask Jesus himself.
Speaker 3: Hmm, look at me. Are you the king of the Jews?
Speaker 2: Jesus said, is.
Speaker 3: That your question? Or did others tell.
Speaker 2: You about me? Pilot answered, h I'm not a Jew.
Speaker 3: It was your own people, and they're leading priests who
Speaker 3: brought you before me.
Speaker 2: What if you done wrong, Jesus said, My.
Speaker 3: Kingdom does not belong to this world. If it belonged
Speaker 3: to this world, my servants would have thought to keep
Speaker 3: me from being arrested. Now, my kingdom is from another place.
Speaker 4: Pilot said, So you are a king, Jesus answered, you
Speaker 4: say that I'm a king, and that is true.
Speaker 3: I was born for this to tell people about the truth.
Speaker 3: That is why I came into this world, and everyone
Speaker 3: who belongs to the truth listens to me.
Speaker 2: Pilot said, what is truth.
Speaker 1: After he said this, he went out to the Jews
Speaker 1: gathered there and said.
Speaker 3: To them, I can find nothing to charge against this man,
Speaker 3: but it is your custom that I free one prisoner.
Speaker 3: Do you want me to free Jesus?
Speaker 1: They shouted back, no, no, not him. Let Barabbas go free.
Speaker 1: Barabbas had been arrested because he was a robber. Pilot
Speaker 1: scanned the crowd with his eyes and tried to take
Speaker 1: in what he was hearing. The crowd was shouting no, no,
Speaker 1: He had to make a decision. Pilot ordered that Jesus
Speaker 1: be taken away. The mean soldiers twisted together thorny branches
Speaker 1: to make a crown. They placed this sharp and painful
Speaker 1: crown of thorns on Jesus's head and wrapped a purple
Speaker 1: robe around him. They made fun of Jesus, laughing as
Speaker 1: they called out.
Speaker 4: Oh, all bow down to the king.
Speaker 2: They were so cruel to Jesus.
Speaker 1: Pilot did not understand why these people hated Jesus. He
Speaker 1: was getting nervous because he did not want to hurt
Speaker 1: an innocent man, but the crowd was getting louder. Walked
Speaker 1: quickly back inside the palace and asked.
Speaker 2: Jesus where are you from? But Jesus did not answer.
Speaker 1: Him, pacing back and forth.
Speaker 2: Now, Pilot said.
Speaker 3: You refuse to speak to me. Don't you know that
Speaker 3: I have the power to set you free and power
Speaker 3: to have you killed on a cross.
Speaker 5: Jesus answered, the only power you have over me is
Speaker 5: the power given to you by God. The man who
Speaker 5: gave me to you is guilty of a greater sin.
Speaker 2: Listeners, let's pause for a moment. Did you hear that.
Speaker 1: Pilot is a mighty ruler, so he thinks he is
Speaker 1: in control of what happens to Jesus, But Jesus reminds
Speaker 1: him that he is only allowed to do what God
Speaker 1: allows him to do. All of what happened was planned
Speaker 1: by God, not by Pilot. This brings me comfort knowing
Speaker 1: God is always in control, even when things seem scary, confusing,
Speaker 1: or sad. Okay, back to our story. After this, Pilots
Speaker 1: tried to let Jesus go free, but the Jews cried out, now.
Speaker 2: This is what we want.
Speaker 6: If you don't listen, you'll be in trouble. So the
Speaker 6: soldiers took hold of Jesus, handed the heavy wooden cross
Speaker 6: to him, and made Jesus his cross.
Speaker 1: At the top of the hill. Jesus was placed on
Speaker 1: that cross. Jesus's mother stood near His mother's sister was
Speaker 1: also standing there with Mary, the wife of Clopus, and
Speaker 1: Mary Magdalene. They were crying for they loved Jesus very,
Speaker 1: very much. As they stood wiping their tears, the whole
Speaker 1: land became dark. It stayed dark until three o'clock in
Speaker 1: the afternoon. There was no sun, no light, just darkness.
Speaker 1: The curtain in the temple was torn into two pieces.
Speaker 1: Jesus cried out in a loud voice, Father, I give
Speaker 1: you my life. After Jesus said this, he died. The
Speaker 1: earth shook, rocks split open. The army officer and the
Speaker 1: soldiers guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everything.
Speaker 2: Else that happened.
Speaker 1: They were very frightened and said.
Speaker 2: Ah, he really was the son of God.
Speaker 1: Well, that is it for our story today. But before
Speaker 1: we go, let's think about what we just heard. Answer
Speaker 1: out loud for me. Had Jesus done anything wrong? No, No,
Speaker 1: that's correct.
Speaker 2: Jesus was perfect.
Speaker 1: Was God in control the whole time? Yes, Jesus even said.
Speaker 3: My kingdom does not belong to this world. If it
Speaker 3: belonged to this world, my servants would have fought to
Speaker 3: keep me from being arrested, but my kingdom is from
Speaker 3: another place.
Speaker 1: Jesus could have easily stopped them from arresting him.
Speaker 2: But he chose to die on the cross to save
Speaker 2: you and me.
Speaker 1: I want you to understand that sometimes friends might only
Speaker 1: want to play with you if you wear the same
Speaker 1: shoes they do, or if you let them pick the
Speaker 1: game every time. Maybe they stop being kind if you
Speaker 1: don't laugh at their jokes or always agree with them.
Speaker 1: But Jesus he loves you no matter what, whether you're
Speaker 1: silly or serious, loud or quiet, wearing cool shoes or
Speaker 1: muddy ones, He chooses you.
Speaker 2: His love for you.
Speaker 1: It doesn't change. If you ever wonder if he loves you,
Speaker 1: you can simply remember what happened on the cross. He
Speaker 1: loves you. Points to yourself. Yes, you, he loves you
Speaker 1: so much that he did that to save you. Well,
Speaker 1: that is it for our story today. Make sure to
Speaker 1: tune in next week because the Cross it's not the
Speaker 1: end of the story, it's just the beginning. Tune in
Speaker 1: to hear the good news, and as always, by for
Speaker 1: now