Stage1

The birth of Jesus Christ. Mary, who was a young woman gentle and good, lived in the town of Nazareth. She was soon to marry a carpenter named Joseph. She was visited one day by an angel named Gabriel who told her that she would have a son and that she should name him Jesus. He said the Holy Spirit would be with her and the child would be the Son of God. Mary and Joseph were married. Then one day they had to travel to Bethlehem to pay their taxes. It was a long journey. When they arrived in Bethlehem, there was no place for them at the inn. They spent the night in the stable. That night the baby was born. They named him Jesus, just as the angel had said. An angel appeared to shepherds who were in the nearby fields. A great light shone down on them, and the angel told them, "Do not be afraid. A Savior who is Christ the Lord is born tonight." The shepherds left in search of this child. They found him in the stable. Wise men from the east followed a star to Jerusalem in search of Jesus. King Herod tried to trick the men, so he could find out where this child was that they were calling "King of the Jews." (He was afraid the child would one day take his throne from him.) The wise men found Jesus in Bethlehem in a house. They worshiped him and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense (incense) and myrrh. When Jesus was twelve years old, Mary and Joseph took him with them to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. On the way home there was such a crowd, they did not know Jesus wasn't with them. When they went back they found him in the Temple talking to the teachers and the doctors of the law. He told them, "Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business?" He went back to

Nazareth and was obedient to them. Jesus grew in wisdom, stature, and in favor with God and men

Stage 2
The baptism of Jesus Christ.

John had been baptizing in the Jordan River. One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and asked John to baptize him . John protested because he felt that Jesus was the one who should be baptizing him. But Jesus told him that they needed to do this to fulfill all righteousness. It was the right thing to do. So John baptized him in the river.
Immediately after he was baptized, as he was praying, the heavens were opened and a dove came down and rested on Jesus. It was the Spirit of God in the form of a bird that had come down to show who Jesus was. Jesus saw it and John also saw the dove.
Suddenly there was a voice from heaven saying, "You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased". The dove and the voice of God were a sign to John that Jesus was the Messiah who had been promised.
After this, John was again assembled with a group of people, and Jesus approached the group. John told them what had happened. He said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" He told them that he had seen the Spirit of God coming down on Jesus in the form of a dove. He said this had been a sign to him because God had revealed to him that the person on whom he saw a dove descending would be the Son of God. This is how John would know for sure.
Now John and Jesus were relatives and had grown up together. John's mother, Elizabeth, had known from the beginning, even before Jesus was born, that her kinswoman Mary was going to be the mother of the Son of God. Jesus was God in human form who had come to earth. It seems that John was not aware of Jesus' true identity until this event at Jesus' baptism.
John had a mission to prepare the people for the coming of Christ, and he was fulfilling his mission. Now the Christ was revealed.
Some people came to John and told him that now the crowds were going to Jesus instead of John. They thought he would be upset, but this didn't bother John at all. He said that he had told them that he himself was not the Christ. It was as if Christ were the bridegroom and John was just the best man, or friend of the bridegroom. He was rejoicing that people were turning to Christ. John said that Jesus must become greater and he, John, must become less important.

Jesus told John that he wanted to be baptized to "fulfill all righteousness".
Boys and girls need to learn to do right because it's the right thing to do. Parents and teachers offer rewards, stars, and stickers. That's fun and that's OK, but our goal should be to do the things we are asked to do simply because it is "the right thing to do".

Answer the questions:
1. Where was John baptizing?
2.Why was Jesus baptized ?
3. What descended and came to rest on Jesus ?
4. Who saw this happen?
5. Who said, "You are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased"?
6. How did John know that Jesus was the Christ?
7. How did John feel about people going to Jesus instead of him?
Your answers write here
You can read about the baptism of Jesus in the Bible in Matthew 3:13-17

Stage 3
The parables

1. The Parable of the Sower Matthew 13:1-23
In this story, Jesus told about the word of God being like seed that a sower (farmer) threw out. It fell on many kinds of soil.
Some of the seed fell by the wayside, along the path. The birds came down and ate the seed. This is like the person who hears the message, but does not understand it. The evil one comes and takes it away.
Some seed fell on the rocky ground.The plants came up quickly, but there was not much earth so the plants dried up. This is the person who receives the word, but falls away when trouble comes.
Some seed fell on the thorny ground and the thorn bushes choked the seed. This is the person who is worried about life and wealth.
Then some of the seed fell on good ground. Those seed grew into healthy plants and produced a good crop, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold and some thirtyfold.
"The good soil," said Jesus, " is like people who are honest. When they hear God's word, they remember it, and do what God says." These people produce a bountiful crop for the Lord.

2. The Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37
This is a story that Jesus told when a man asked what he must do to have everlasting life. "What is written in the commandments?" Jesus asked.
The man answered: "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and you must love your neighbor as yourself.."
Then the man wanted to know, "But who is my neighbor?" Jesus then told about the man who was on his way from Jerusalem to Jericho and was robbed and beaten and left half dead by the roadside.
First a priest came by, and when he saw the wounded man, he passed by on the other side.
Next a Levite came and he, too, looked at the hopeless man and passed by on the other side of the road.
Then a Samaritan came along. He took care of the hurt man and then put him on his donkey and took him to an inn to stay. The Samaritan paid for everything.
When Jesus finished the parable, he asked, "Which of the three men was a neighbor?"
The man answered, "The man who took pity on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."3. The Lost Son Luke 15:11-31

A rich man had two sons, whom he loved very much. The younger son asked for his inheritance and then left home. The older brother stayed home and helped his father. Before long, the younger son had spent all his money, and his so-called friends left him because he was no longer rich.
Then a famine came upon the land. The young son was all alone, and he even took a job taking care of pigs. He was so hungry that he wanted to eat the pig's food.
Finally, he decided that the servants in his father's house were better off than he was, so he started the long journey back home. His father forgave him and welcomed him home. They had a grand feast and celebration. The father gave him a robe, a ring, and shoes. The older brother was angry, but his father told him to forgive his brother and to rejoice that he had come home.
God loves us just as this father loved his son.

What does this story mean to me?

Stage 4

The Miracles of Jesus

Water into Wine
The first miracle that Jesus did was at a weddingfeast in the town of Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother, Mary, told Jesus that the wedding hostwas out of wine. Jesus told the servants to fill the water pots with water andthen when they dipped it out, there was wine in the jars. Jesus had turned the water into wine. John 2:1-11

Calming the Storm
Jesus and his disciples were out on the lake when a storm suddenly came up. Jesus was asleep in the boat and his friends were afraid.They woke him. He got up and told the storm to stop and it was completely calm; the wind stopped blowing and the water was still. His disciples were amazed! "Even the winds and the waves obey Him," they said. Matthew 8: 23-27

Healings
Jesus healed Simon Peter's mother-in-law who had a dangerous fever. She got up and served them. Matthew 8:14-15

There was a man in Jerusalem who had been blind from birth. Jesus put clay on the blind man's eyes and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. When he washed the clay off, he could see. John 9: 1-41
Once in Jerusalem, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus asked Jesus for mercy and healing. Jesus told him that his faith had cured him and the man praised God for his sight. Mark 10: 46-52

There was a paralyzed man in Capernaum. He couldn'twalk, so his friends took him to see Jesus. There was such a crowd that they could not get him into the house where Jesus was. They made a hole in the roof and let their friend down through the roof. Jesus told him that his sins were forgiven and torise, take up his bed and go home. Some of the people doubted Jesus at first, but theywere then amazed as the man stood up straight and tall. Luke 5:17-26

Ten men who had leprosy asked Jesus to help them.Jesus was not afraid of the disease. He told them to go and show themselves to thepriests, and as they were going, they were completely cured! Only one of the tenlepers ran back to Jesus and fell down on his knees and thanked him. Luke 17:11-19

leprosy-Лепра (болезнь прокаженных)

You can listen to the story of The Miracles of Jesusat  

Stage 5
Crucifixion

The Last Supper
The disciples asked Jesus, "Where do you want us to get ready to eat the Passover meal?" Jesus answered them in a strange way. He said, "Go into the city and you will find a certain man there. Tell him that the Master says that his time is at hand. Tell him that the Master wants to keep the Passover with his disciples at his house. The man will understand."
Peter and John went into the city. As they walked along the street, they saw a man carrying a jar of water. (This was how Jesus said Peter and John would know the man.)
Peter and John followed the man to a house. Then they talked to the owner of the house about a room for the supper. They said that the Master wanted to eat the Passover there. He showed them a large upper room. The room was furnished and they began to get everything ready for the Passover Feast. Then Peter and John waited for Jesus and the other disciples.

As they ate the meal, Jesus told about the things that were about to happen. He blessed the bread and broke it. Then he gave it to them. He said," Take, eat, this is my body." He gave thanks for the drink in the cup. He said, "This is my blood which is shed for you."

Praying in the Garden
Not long after Jesus and his disciples ate the Passover supper together, one of the disciples, Judas Iscariot, betrayed him to the priests and rulers of the Temple. These men had been looking for a chance to arrest him. Jesus knew this would happen. In fact, he had told the disciples that he would be betrayed by one of them.
Jesus had told the disciples that he would leave them, that he would be put to death, and that he was going back to live with the Father. He had also had told them the Father would send another helper to them, the Holy Spirit. But the disciples did not fully understand what he was saying.
After Jesus and the disciples left the room where they had eaten the Passover supper, they went to the Mount of Olives and into the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus asked the disciples to wait, and he went farther into the garden to pray. Judas had left earlier by himself. After some time, Jesus came back to the disciples who had gone to sleep. He was very sad and he went to pray three times, but the disciples were too tired to stay awake.
He woke them up, and as they were talking, Judas came up to them. He was with some of the rulers from the Temple. Judas when he saw Jesus, ran ahead and kissed him. This was the signal to the soldiers to identify Jesus. The soldiers who were there came to take Jesus. Peter at first wanted to fight, but Jesus told him, "No." Jesus agreed to go with the men.

The Trial
The soldiers took Jesus to Caiaphas, the high priest. There he had a trial. The priests and rulers agreed that he was guilty of claiming to be God's son. They did not believe that he was. They agreed that he should be put to death.
Under the Roman law, however, the Jewish leaders could not condemn a person to death. So the Jewish leaders took Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor. Pilate could find no reason for putting Jesus to death, but after a long time, he told the Jewish rulers to do what they wanted to do with Jesus.
The soldiers made fun of Jesus. They called him a king, but they didn't believe that he was. They put a crown of thorns on his head and a staff in his hand. They put a scarlet (red) robe on him and spit on him. And they whipped him.

The Death of Jesus
The soldiers took Jesus away to a hill called Golgotha or Calvary. There they crucified him and put him to death on a wooden cross.
But even while he was on the cross, he forgave those who were crucifying him. He said, "Father, forgive them. They don't know what they are doing."
It was during this time that some people came to know that he was the Son of God. One of these was a thief who was being crucified on a cross next to Jesus. Another who believed was a Roman soldier who was watching. There was a great earthquake. When the soldier heard the earthquake and saw the things that were happening, he became afraid and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!"
When Jesus died, the thick curtain in the Temple was torn apart. It ripped from the top to the bottom. This curtain had separated two rooms. In one room only the high priest could go, and in the other room, others could go. When Jesus died, he made it possible for all people to go to God and worship him without anyone else in between. Jesus is now our high priest.

Jesus suffered terribly in order to save us. During that time of suffering He sets an example for us to show us how we should treat people. He asked God to forgive those who were torturing and killing Him.

In view of what He has done for us, how can we refuse to forgive others? It is unthinkable that we should be unwilling to forgive a wrong done to us. Maybe someone has hurt your feelings, but they haven't nailed you to a cross, have they?

The Bible teaches us that we will be forgiven in direct relation to how we forgive others. This is really a serious thought. Do we want forgiveness from God? Then we need to develop a forgiving spirit toward others.

Stage 6
The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.



After the Sabbath, during the night on the third day after His suffering and death, the Lord Jesus Christ resurrected by the power of His divinity. His body was transformed. He left the tomb unseen by the guards, without rolling away the stone or breaking the seal placed by the Sanhedrin. From that moment on the guards unknowingly guarded an empty sepulchre. Suddenly there occurred a great earthquake. An angel of the Lord descended from Heaven. He rolled back the stone from the entrance to the tomb of the Lord and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning and his raiment white as snow. The soldiers standing guard at the tomb were terrified and became like dead men. Regaining consciousness after the fright, they dispersed.

On this day, the first day of the week, at dawn when the Sabbath rest had just ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Joanna, Salome, and other women took the fragrant myrrh which they had prepared and went to the tomb of Jesus Christ to anoint His body. They had not had time to do this during the burial. The Church calls these women the holy Myrrh-bearers. They still did not know that a guard had been placed at the tomb of the Lord and that the entrance to the cave had been sealed. Therefore, they did not expect to meet anyone there and said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb?" The stone was very large, and Mary Magdalene walking ahead of the other Myrrh-bearing women arrived at the tomb first. The sun had not yet risen, and it was dark. Seeing that the stone was rolled away from the tomb, Mary hastened to Peter and John and said, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we know not where they have laid Him." Hearing these words, Peter and John immediately ran to the tomb with Mary Magdalene following after them.

At this time, the other women, who had been walking with Mary Magdalene, arrived at the tomb and also saw that the stone was rolled away. They suddenly saw a shining angel sitting on the stone. Turning to them, the angel said. "Fear not, for I know that you seek Jesus, Who was crucified. He is not here, for He is risen as He said when He was with you. Come; see the place where the Lord lay. Go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead."

They entered into the tomb and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. They saw, however, an angel in white garments seated on the right side of the place where the Lord had lain, and they were struck with fear.

The angel said to them, "Be not afraid. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, Who was crucified. He is risen; He is not here. Behold the place where they laid Him. Go your way, tell His disciples and Peter (who by his denial fell from the number of the disciples) that He is going before you to Galilee. There you will see Him, as He told you."

While the women stood in perplexity, behold, two angels stood by them in dazzling apparel. Since they were frightened, the women bowed their faces to the ground in fear.

The angels said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen. Remember how He told you while He was still in Galilee that the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise?"

Then, the women remembered the words of the Lord. They went out and fled from the tomb, for they were overcome by fear and trembling. Then, in awe and with great joy, they ran to tell His disciples. On the road, they said nothing to anyone since they were afraid. When they reached the disciples, the women told them everything that they had seen and heard. However, these words seemed to the disciples like an idle story, and they did not believe them.

In the meantime, Peter and John ran to the tomb. John outran Peter and reached the tomb first but did not enter the tomb. Stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there. Then, Simon Peter came and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying and the covering, which had been on Christ’s head; it was not lying with the linen clothes but rolled up in a place by itself. Then, John, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw all of these and believed in the resurrection of Christ. Peter marvelled over the incident. Then, the disciples went back to their homes.

When Peter and John left, Mary Magdalene, who had followed after them, stayed at the tomb. She stood weeping outside the tomb; and as she wept, she stooped to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting one at the head and one at the feet of where the body of the Saviour had lain. The angels said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?"

Mary Magdalene answered to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." Saying this, she turned around and saw Jesus Christ standing, but because of her extreme grief and tears and of her conviction that the dead do not rise, she did not know that it was Jesus.

Jesus Christ said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?"

Supposing Him to be the gardener, Mary Magdalene said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away."

Then, Jesus Christ said to her, "Mary!"

The familiar voice brought her out of her grief to her senses, and she realized that before her stood the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. She exclaimed, "Teacher!" and with indescribable joy cast herself at the feet of the Saviour. In her joy, she did not fully grasp the majesty of this moment.

Jesus Christ showing her the holy and great mystery of His resurrection said, "Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren (the disciples) and say to them: I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God."

Then, Mary Magdalene hurried to His disciples and related the news that she had seen the risen Lord and what things He had said to her. This was the first appearance of Christ after His resurrection.

On the way, Mary Magdalene met Mary, mother of James, also returning from the tomb of the Lord. When they went to tell the disciples, suddenly Jesus Christ Himself met them and said, "Rejoice!"

They ran, took hold of His feet and worshipped Him. Then, Jesus Christ said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me." Thus, the risen Christ appeared a second time.

Mary Magdalene with Mary, the mother of James, went to the eleven disciples and all the others, who were grieving and weeping, and announced their great joy. However, hearing from them that Jesus Christ was alive and that they had seen Him, they still did not believe.

Note: See the Gospels of Matthew 28:1-15; Mark 16:1-11; Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-18. See also I Corinthians, 15:3-5.

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