GoldenBells

The Cross

Warning: The following story is all about crucifixion . It has some very sad bits in it. Be brave when you read it because it is a story that you really need to hear.

Crucifixion is something really terrible which they used to do to really bad people. People like robbers, killers and thugs. Crucifixion is the worst way for a baddie to die. It is worse than being shot, worse than being drowned and worse than being burnt.

When a baddie got crucified, this is what happened.First they make a big cross out of wood.Then they whipped the baddie they were going to kill until he was crying and bleeding.Then they made the baddie lie down on the cross.Then they took big iron spikes and hammered them into the his hands and feet. The baddie was nailed to the wood.Then they dug a hole in the ground.Then they lifted up the cross and put it in the hole so ev-eryone could see the baddie hanging there and dying.

But this is not a story about a baddie getting crucified. This is the story of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Jews and the Soldiers had cap-tured Jesus. They took Him to Pilate the Governor and said, ‘This is a bad man, and we think He must die’.Pilate said, ‘Why? What bad thing did He do?’ The Jews could not think of a single bad thing Jesus had ever done.Pilate said, ‘Crucifixion is only for very bad criminals. I will let Jesus go’.But all the people began to shout, ‘Crucify Him, Crucify Him’. Pilate saw how much the people hated

The Cross

Jesus and how angry they were, so he said, ‘Very well, take Jesus and crucify Him’.

The soldiers grabbed Jesus. They hit Him and spat on Him. They whipped His back and made it bleed. They made a crown of twisted thorns and pushed it into His head. Then they laughed at Jesus.

A big wooden cross was made and they put it on Jesus’ back. Then they made Him walk outside the city and up a hill. Lots of people came to watch. The crowd reached a place at the top of the hill called Calvary and there they crucified Jesus and two baddies with Him. These baddies had stolen, hurt and even killed other people.

They deserved to die. The baddies booed and hissed at Je-sus. Everyone watching laughed and made fun of Jesus. Jesus prayed to God, ‘Father forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing’.

Suddenly everything went dark. The sun stopped shin-ing. Everyone was afraid. They all stopped laughing. It was dark for three hours. Then Jesus cried out in a

loud voice, ‘My God My God why have you forsaken me?’ The people heard Him and they wondered. Then at last the light came back.

Again Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘It is finished!’ Then Jesus bowed His head and gave His soul to God. Jesus died.

What a terrible story! It is too dreadful to be true! But you had to read it because YOU are part of this story. All this happened for you. Jesus was not the baddie in the story. You are the baddie (the bible says you are a sinner). It was because of your sin that Jesus died. You should have died. But Jesus died for you be-cause He is the Saviour of sinners.

CharactersCharactersAt The Cross

About Us

Pilate

The Jews Thief 1

Thief 2

Soldiers

Said: ‘If you really are the

Son of God, save yourself and us as

well!’ What: He died re-

jecting Jesus.

Said: ‘Away with Him!

Crucify Him!’ What: They reject-ed their King. They

killed the Son of God.

Said: ‘I have examined

Jesus and I find no fault in Him at all’ What: He knew Jesus

was perfect but He was too scared to

set Him free.

Said: *spit* ‘Hail King of

the Jews!’ *slap* What: They laughed at Jesus & mocked Him with a crown of thorns, purple

clothes & fake sceptre.

Said: ‘I deserve to die but not Jesus.

He has done nothing wrong. Lord remember

me’ What: He asked for mercy and

went to heaven.

Said: ‘Truly this man was

the Son of God’ What: After watch-

ing Jesus on the cross, He realised who

He really was!

Centurion

Who They Were

WhatThey said

WhatThey Did

CrosswordCharacters

NailsSoldierSpearThornsCrossHill

S

About Us

mail@goldenbellsmag.com.au

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If you would like to order printed copies of this magazine, please contact us (minimum quantities apply). We also welcome your ongoing feedback.

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Look-it-up!

What was Jesus really doing on the cross?1 Peter 3:18 Read it and write it (in your own words).

Name one person at the cross who did the right thing (not including Jesus). Explain in your own words what he did.For hints – read Clair’s column and Luke 23:39-43

Jesus said 7 things when he was on the Cross. Find what he said in the verses below. Read carefully and think seriously because these are his dying words. Choose your favourite three and write them down.

Luke 23:33-34Luke 23:39-43Luke 23:46John 19:26-27John 19:28John 19:30Matthew 27:45-46

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Jesus said 7 things when He was on the cross. Find what He said in the verses below. Read carefully and think seriously because these are His dying words. Choose your favorite three and write them down.

What was Jesus really doing on the cross? Read 1 Peter 3:18 and write it in your own words.

Name one person at the cross who did the right thing (not including Jesus). Explain in your own words what he did. (Hint: read Claire’s column and Luke 23:39-43).

Colour-by-Numbers>> If Jesus is the Saviour of sinners, colour the 3s red | If Jesus said ‘it is fi nished’ do not colour the 7s | If the sun stopped shining for 3 hours, 1 = Blue | If Pilate thought Jesus w

as a baddie, 5 = purpl e | If Jesus was crucifi ed with four thieves, 6 = Yellow | If the people shouted ‘crucify Him’, 4

= G

reen

| If

ther

e w

ere

crow

ds o

f peo

ple

at th

e cr

oss,

2 =

yel

low

| If

the

sold

iers

wer

e ni

ce to

Jesu

s, 8

= b

lack

InstructionsStart Here

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before it happened. Read the verses listed above to f nd these prophecies. Then read Matthew

27,

everything down to the very last detail! It was all predicted in the Old Testament hundreds

of ye

ars

Did you know that when Jesus died on the cross, God was in control the whole time? He h

ad pl

anne

d

What is the centurion saying? Do the colour-by-number on the previous page and write the answer in the speech bubble.

Taken by wicked hands, crucif ed and put to death (Acts 2:23).

___________________

___________________

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Mark 15, Luke 23 and John 19 to read them as they actually happened

PropheciesProphecies

before it happened. Read the verses listed above to f nd these prophecies. Then read Matthew

27,

everything down to the very last detail! It was all predicted in the Old Testament hundreds

of ye

ars

Did you know that when Jesus died on the cross, God was in control the whole time? He h

ad pl

anne

d

Psalm 69:4 Isaiah 53:5 Psalm 22:6-8 Isaiah 53:2-3 Isaiah 53:7 Isaiah 50:6

Psalm

22:1

6

Is

aiah

53:

12

P

salm

22:18

Psalm 22:1

He would be hated for no reason at all

God

would

forsake

Him

Soldi

ers

would

gam

ble

for H

is co

at

He would be

hurt and

whipped They would

laugh and m

ock at H

im

Cru

cife

d w

ith

crim

inal

s

He would let them beat and spit on Him

Accused,

but did not

open His

mouth

They would de-

spise and reject

Him

Have

His

hand

s

and

feet

pierc

ed

TheCrucifiedJesus

About The Cross

He was delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God...

Taken by wicked hands, crucif ed and put to death (Acts 2:23).

Mark 15, Luke 23 and John 19 to read them as they actually happened

The Lord Jesus had come and spoken the words of God to all people. When they heard Him preach and teach, they were amazed at His gracious words (Luke 4:22). They had never heard a man speak like Him before. There was power, truth and authority in His words. But they chose not to listen, they rejected His words. The Lord’s words are truth. They will never change. They will stand in the last day and the world will be judged by the words that He spoke, the same words they once rejected (John 12:48).

There have been many terrible things done in the world but the worst of them all was when people took Jesus Christ and killed Him by nailing Him to a cross. He had come down from God to bring sal-

vation to the world. To deliver people from their sins. He was the answer to all the world’s problems. He was God’s gift to the human race but they rejected Him. The proph-

et had said they would, ‘He is despised and rejected of men’ (Isaiah 53:3). The prophet was right. They did

it deliberately, cruelly and completely.

RejectedCrucify Him!We will not have this Man!Away with Him!Away with Him!

We will not have this manCrucify Him!

They rejected the words...

!They Rejected...

1. His Words2. His Person

3. The Stone4. God’s Gift

When Jesus came He told the people who He really was. Not just a carpen-ter, the son of Joseph but Christ their King. He told them He was the Son of God (Luke 22:70, 23:3). He showed them that He had the power of God by casting out devils, healing sick people, commanding the wind and the waves and even raising the dead! Only God could do all that. Jesus also for-gave sins and certainly only God can do that (Luke 7:48-50). The people said Jesus was a blasphemer and for this crime they condemned Him to death (Matthew 26:63-66). They rejected His person.

God freely gave the Lord Jesus Christ, but He was not wanted. He was re-jected. When you reject something you decide you do not want it. It does not fit into your plans. You have no use for it so you treat it like rubbish and throw it away. This is exactly what people did to Jesus Christ at the cross. They rejected God’s greatest gift to mankind: His Son.

When God sent the Lord Jesus into the world, He was giving One upon whom all people could build their faith, their worship and their future. Je-sus Christ is the Foundation Stone and the Cornerstone for life. Without Him everything crumbles, nothing can stand, nothing will last. The Chris-tian’s whole life, whole faith and whole hopes for heaven are built on Je-sus Christ. Without Him you have nothing. That day at Calvary the people pushed Him out of their lives. They cast Him out of their world. He became ‘the stone which the builders rejected.’ (Read Luke 20:9-19 to know more about Jesus Christ the foundation stone).

We will not have this Man!Crucify Him! They rejected the person...

They rejected the stone...

They rejected the gift...

“

“

He was in the world, but the world though it owed its being to Him, did not recognise Him. He entered His own realm, and His own would not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the power to become children of God even as---

-- many as believed on His name.John 1:10-12

Young Christian’s Page with Dr Paul

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About Us...For God so loved the world that He

GAVE His only Son...

...John 3:16

goldenbellsmag.com.au is a free, online kids Bible teaching magazine and a re-sources website for religious education teachers.

If you would like to order printed copies of this magazine, please contact us (mini-mum quantities apply). We also welcome your ongoing feedback.

goldenbellsmag.com.au

mail@goldenbellsmag.com.au

mail@goldenbellsmag.com.au

About Us...