50Then
Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. 51At
that
moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
The earth
shook, and the rocks were split. 52The tombs also were
opened, and
many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53After
his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city
and
appeared to many. 54Now when the centurion and those with
him, who
were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place,
they
were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”
Who
is Jesus?
We all know
that Jesus is the son of God – and so for us,
that’s an easy question to answer. The Bible tells us the story
of his
life – right from the very beginning.
But
during Jesus’ life not everyone was so sure. People didn’t learn about
Jesus in
Sunday School or read about him in Bible stories – because the stories
we know
today were just happening. At that time, Jesus was a real man,
who lived
right there among them.
And
just like other men, Jesus had a life. At Christmas, we celebrate the
day Jesus
was born – but today we remember the day Jesus died.
It’s
a sad story – but such an important one for us. And if you listen
carefully to
today’s Gospel story, you’ll hear that Jesus knew it was time
for him to
return to Heaven. His whole life was a part of God’s special plan. And
so when
it came time for his life to end, he wasn’t afraid. He told his
disciples it
was time for him to go and he went right along with it – knowing that
God was
waiting for him in heaven.
Over
the past few weeks we’ve read about the ways that Jesus helped the
people he
met to understand who he was. He didn’t just tell them he was the son
of God,
he tried to show them. He helped a blind man to see. He helped his
friend
Lazarus return from the dead – and both times he explained that it was
all part
of God’s plan.
So
did the people figure it out? Did they ever come to understand who
Jesus really
was?
Today,
if you listen carefully, you’ll find out that they did. At the
moment
Jesus dies, the Bible tells us that the earth shook and even rocks were
split!
And when the guards who were nearby saw this do you know what they said?
They
said, “Truly, this man was God’s son!” Jesus’ had done all that he had
come to
do – and it is because of his amazing life that we are here today,
still
remembering the time that God sent his only son to be with us in the
world.
Will
you pray with me?
Dear
God,
Thank
you for sending your son Jesus to Earth. Please watch over us during
the coming
week and help us to live lives of caring and love, just like he did.
Amen
Copyright
2008 - The Children's
Sermon.Com