Why Were The Roman Soldiers So Mean?

Answer: The Roman soldiers were mean for the same reason that people are mean today- they didn’t love God or care about his ways.

Roman soldiers were trained to keep people in line and kill if they had to. The Roman soldiers were mean to Jesus because they treated all criminals that way and they thought Jesus was a criminal just like all the others.

(Some religious leaders wanted Jesus crucified because they didn’t like what he was saying and because he claimed to be the Son of God.)

And the soldiers felt pressure from each other; one started and the others joined in.

Though the Roman authorities found Jesus innocent, they went along with the crowd and killed him on the cross, just as the prophets had predicted (see Psalm 22:18; 34:20; Zechariah 12:10).

Key verse: [The Roman soldiers] beat him on the head with a cane and spat on him. They made fun of him by bowing down to “worship” him. (Mark 15:19)

Related verses: Matthew 27:1-37; Mark 15:1-32; Luke 23:34-37; John 19:1-37

Related questions: Why did Pilate let Jesus be crucified when he knew that he didn’t do anything wrong? Why did the bad men make a crown for Jesus?

What does mocked mean? Why did they put a staff in Jesus’ hand? Why did they cast lots to get Jesus’ clothes? Why did they change Jesus’ robe to a purple one?

Why Did The People Say, “Come Down Off The Cross If You Are The Son Of God”?

Answer: The people who said this didn’t believe in Jesus and thought he was lying when he claimed to be God.

Actually, Jesus had the power to come down off the cross, but he didn’t come down because he loved us and wanted to pay for our sins.

When Adam and Eve sinned, everybody was separated from God. Jesus died so everyone could have the chance to be forgiven and be with God again.

If Jesus had saved himself and had come off the cross, we couldn’t be saved from our sins. Jesus showed his power in a much greater way by rising from the dead three days later.

Aren’t you glad Jesus stayed on the cross?

Key verses: The people laughed at him as they walked by. They shook their heads in mockery. “Ha! Look at you now!” they yelled at him.

“Sure, you can destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days! If you’re so wonderful, save yourself! Come down from the cross!” (Mark 15:29-30)

Related verses: Matthew 27:40; Luke 23:35-37

Related questions: Why did they force Simon to carry the cross? Did they do the same thing to the two robbers that they did to Jesus? Why did people think that Jesus was calling Elijah from the cross?

Note to parents: A child’s questions about Jesus’ death on the cross may be a good opportunity to explain that he died for them, in their place, to pay for their sins.

Explain that your children, individually, can trust in Jesus for salvation. You can lead them in a prayer confessing their sin, expressing trust in Jesus to save them, and thanking him for eternal life.

What Does Passover Mean?

Answer: Just before Jesus died, he had a Passover meal with his disciples. Passover is the special celebration Jews hold every year to remember when the Israelites left Egypt and started their trip to the Promised Land.

Moses had told Pharaoh that because he wouldn’t let the Jews go, all the firstborn boys would die.

But God told the Jews to put the blood of a lamb over the door and on the sides of the door so the angel of death would see the blood and pass over them and spare the Jewish children.

Today, Jews still celebrate Passover. Christians celebrate the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion) rather than Passover.

Key verse: “This yearly ‘Feast of Unleavened Bread’ will help you always remember today. It will remind you of the day when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.

It is a law that you must celebrate this day every year, generation after generation.” (Exodus 12:17)

Related verses: Exodus 12:1-30; Matthew 26:17-19, 26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Related questions: Why did they want to have the Last Supper in the house of someone they didn’t know? Why did the disciples recline at the table to eat?

Note to parents: The Christian celebration of Communion comes from Jesus’ celebration of Passover. Just before Jesus died, he had a Passover meal with his disciples.

As they ate bread and wine, he told them that the bread was his body that would be broken for them and the wine was his blood that would be shed for them.

Jesus is our Lamb that was killed; because of his blood, we can have eternal life.

Why Did Judas Betray Jesus?

Answer: Judas turned against Jesus and betrayed him because Judas did not care about what Jesus had come to earth to do. Judas had hoped that Jesus would be a military leader and free the Jews from the Romans.

Also, Judas loved money, and the religious leaders who wanted to kill Jesus offered Judas money to help them capture Jesus.

If Judas had been one of Jesus’ true disciples, he would not have betrayed him. Afterward, when he saw that Jesus was going to be killed, Judas was so upset at what he had done that he killed himself.

Key verses: Then Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests. Judas was one of the 12 apostles.

He asked, “How much will you pay me to get Jesus into your hands?” They gave him 30 silver coins to do the job. From that time on, Judas watched for a chance to turn Jesus over to them. (Matthew 26:14-16)

Related verses: Matthew 26:47-50; John 6:70-71; 12:4-6; 13:26-30; 18:2-5

Related question: Why did Judas kill himself?

What’s A Parable?

Answer: A parable is a short story with a surprise ending that makes a point. Jesus told many parables for two reasons: (1) to hide the truth from people who weren’t really interested, and (2) to teach the truth to listeners who were interested and wanted to learn.

Whenever Jesus told parables, those who weren’t interested or who didn’t want to listen didn’t understand. But those who wanted to learn asked Jesus to explain the story, and then they got the point. We can learn from the Bible if we want to do what God says. But if we don’t want to listen to God, the Bible won’t make much sense.

Key verse: [Jesus] used many such stories to teach the people. He taught them as much as they were ready to understand. (Mark 4:33)

Related verses: Ezekiel 17:2; Matthew 13:34; Mark 4:9,30-34

Note To Parents: Many younger children (preadolescents) may not fully understand parables.

That’s OK. Part of what makes parables powerful is that they can teach us more and more as we gain experience in life.

Whenever you read a parable with your children, help them see how it teaches us to live.

For example, the parable of the Good Samaritan is about a hurt man who receives help from an unlikely stranger after being bypassed by two religious leaders.

Simply explain that Jesus wants us to be like the helper-compassionate toward others.

Why Did The Disciples Tell The People Jesus Was Too Busy To See The Kids?

Answer: Many parents brought their children to see Jesus, and Jesus always welcomed them.

The disciples tried to stop them because they didn’t understand how much Jesus loved children and wanted all people to come to him.

Sometimes adults act like kids aren’t important or that children get in the way. But Jesus thinks kids are very important.

He thinks you are important. Don’t be afraid to bring your requests to him.

Key verse: But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them. For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14)

Related verses: Matthew 18:1-6; 19:13-15

Related question: Did Jesus talk to the kids?

Note to parents: Remember that Jesus told us to be like children in our belief in him. Watch your kids for clues about how this is done.

Are Beatitudes Short For Bad Attitudes?

Answer: Jesus taught a short sermon called the Beatitudes to describe good attitudes, the attitudes that God wants us to have.

The word beatitude means “blessed.” Jesus said that whoever followed him should be poor in spirit, merciful, honest, and should expect rejection from others for being his follower.

Jesus’ disciples may have been thinking that they would become rich, famous, and powerful by following him, but Jesus was telling them that they should expect their rewards in heaven.

Key verses: One day, Jesus looked out and saw the crowds around him. So he went up the hillside with his disciples. He sat down and taught them there. (Matthew 5:1-2)

Related verses: Matthew 5:1-12

Related question: What was the most important thing that Jesus taught about?

If Jesus Doesn’t Want Us To Get Hurt, Why Did He Tell Us To Chop Our Hands Off And Poke Our Eyes Out?

Answer: When Jesus spoke about cutting off a hand or poking out an eye, he was purposely exaggerating to make his point.

This is called hyperbole. It’s like saying, “I’d give anything to have an ice cream cone right now,” Even though you wouldn’t actually do anything, you want everyone to know how badly you want it.

Jesus wanted to make people realize how bad sin is; it’s so bad that you should get rid of anything that makes you sin.

Jesus didn’t want us actually to cut off our hands or poke out our eyes. Cutting off your hand won’t get you to heaven and won’t get rid of sin in your life.

But saying it that way shows us how important it is to sacrifice habits, friendships, or attitudes that cause us to sin.

Key verse: “So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better to enter Heaven crippled than to be in hell with both of your hands and feet.” (Matthew 18:8)

Related verses: Matthew 5:29-30;18:7-9

Note to parents: Jesus was also addressing the issue of legalism; the religious leaders were very concerned about keeping every letter of the law, and they had added hundreds of rules and regulations of their own.

In effect, Jesus was saying that if they were serious about keeping the law, they should take drastic action.

The point? Putting out an eye doesn’t stop a child from envying his friend’s bike; envy comes from the heart and involves the mind and imagination, not just what a person sees.

Why Did The Holy Spirit Come Down On Jesus Like A Dove?

Answer: When Jesus was thirty years old, John the Baptist baptized him. When Jesus came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit came down on him in the form of a dove.

The Holy Spirit is a spirit and doesn’t have a body, so the Spirit took a form that people could see. A dove was a great form to take because when people saw doves, they thought of peace and purity, and that’s exactly what the Holy Spirit brings to people.

After Jesus left the earth, he sent the Holy Spirit to live here in his place. But now, instead of taking a special form, the Holy Spirit lives inside us.

When a person trusts in Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside him or her.

Key verse: The Holy Spirit settled upon [Jesus] in the form of a dove. And a voice from Heaven said, “You are my much-loved Son. Yes, you are my delight.” (Luke 3:22)

Related verses: Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; John 1:32

Related questions: What does the Holy Spirit look like? Where is the Holy Spirit today?

How Did Jesus Do Miracles?

Answer: Jesus was able to do miracles because he was God’s Son. The miracles weren’t magic or tricks; they really happened.

Jesus performed miracles because he had compassion on people and because he wanted to show the people that he was the Messiah, the promised one from God.

Only God can do real miracles. Sometimes God worked his miracles through special people, like the prophets or apostles.

We read in the Bible about a lot of miracles, but miracles didn’t happen every day. More miracles happened when Jesus was on earth than at any other time, but only during the three years that he was preaching and teaching in public.

Jesus didn’t do miracles to show off, and he didn’t heal everybody. He had a purpose for everything he did.

Key verses: Jesus’ disciples saw him do many other miracles besides the ones told about in this book. But these [miracles] are recorded so that you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. And when you believe this truth, you will have life. (John 20:30-31)

Related verses: Matthew 11:4-5; John 7:21

Related questions: How did Jesus get the coin into the fish’s mouth? How could Jesus turn water into wine? Why did Jesus try to have Peter walk on the sea? How did Jesus make demons leave people? How could Jesus feed so many people with one boy’s lunch?

How Come Zacharias Couldn’t Talk Until His Son Was Born?

Answer: Zacharias was a priest who served in the temple. One day he entered a part of the sanctuary where only the priest could go.

There the angel Gabriel appeared to him and announced that Zacharias’s wife, Elizabeth, would have a son.

Zacharias doubted the angel’s promise, and so he was silenced until the birth of the baby. This would be a sign to the people that Zacharias had met with God.

When Zacharias’s son was born, he asked for a writing tablet to write down the boy’s name. As soon as he wrote, “His name is John!” as Gabriel had told him to do, Zacharias was able to talk again.

Key verse: When he finally came out, he couldn’t speak to them. But they saw from his motions that he must have seen a vision in the Temple. (Luke 1:22)

Related verses: Luke 1:5-23, 57-63

Related questions: What month was John the Baptist born? How come Zacharias asked for a writing tablet?

Why Did John The Baptist Live In The Desert?

Answer: John the Baptist was a prophet. God had given him the important job of preparing the way for Jesus.

So John wanted to preach away from where people were living so they would have to go out to see him and hear his message.

Living in the desert also kept him from having a lot of arguments with the religious leaders in Jerusalem who didn’t like what he was saying.

And by living in the desert, John was showing that he was serious about his message and that a person’s relationship with God was much more important than having a nice, comfortable life on earth.

Key verses: While [Mary, Joseph, and Jesus] were living in Nazareth, John the Baptist began preaching in the Judean desert.

He said, “Turn from your sins! Turn to God! For the Kingdom of Heaven is coming soon.” (Matthew 3:1-2)

Related verses: Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3:1-17; John 1:19-34

Did People In The Bible Have Christmas?

Answer: Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ. Many years after Jesus was born, Christians decided to celebrate his birth.

They chose December 25 as the day to observe it. December 25 is probably not the exact day Jesus was born, but that’s not important.

What is important is that we remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Savior, not that we get presents, get time off from school, or get to eat a lot of sweets.

Key verse: Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem, in Judea. He was born during the reign of King Herod. (Matthew 2:1)

Related verses: Isaiah 9:6-7; 16:5; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:18-2:11; Luke 2:1-20

Related questions: When was Christmas made? Was Jesus really born on Christmas? Why isn’t Santa Claus in the Bible?

Note to parents: If your children ask about Santa Claus, explain that he was a person whom people have used to help celebrate Christmas.

Many years ago, the real St. Nicholas was a man who helped poor children at Christmas time by giving them gifts.

Since that time, the story has grown so that today we talk about Santa Claus, with his flying reindeer, who delivers presents to children all over the world. Santa isn’t real, but Jesus is.

Why Do Angels Light Up And Get Bright?

Answer: When the angels came to tell about Jesus’ birth, they glowed brightly. But angels don’t always appear that way.

When angels appeared to Abraham, for example, he thought they were ordinary men and offered them an evening meal (see Genesis 18:1-5).

Angels may become bright to reflect God and his glory, or just whenever it is necessary, such as at night (which was when the angels appeared to the shepherds).

As God’s messengers, it’s only fitting that they would light up and get bright because that’s how it is in heaven, where they stand with God: “And the city has no need of sun or moon to light it.

The glory of God and of the Lamb give it light” (Revelation 21:23).

Key verse: Suddenly an angel was there with them! And the hills shone bright with the glory of the Lord. They were very afraid. (Luke 2:9)

Related verses: Genesis 19:1; Exodus 3:2; Judges 13:6, 15, 20; Luke 1:11-20; 2:9-13

Related question: Why were shepherds afraid of angels?

Note to parents: People have many ideas about angels.

Some think angels made regular appearances to biblical folks; in fact, they rarely did. Some think of angels as men with wings, yet many accounts don’t mention wings.

Some people speak of guardian angels, but the Bible describes angels as God’s messengers, not our guardians.

And some think too much of angels; Samson’s parents tried to worship an angel and were told not to, and Hebrews 1 reminds us that Christ is superior to any angel.

Your children may have different ideas about angels. Remember to look to God’s Word for the truth.

What’s A Maccabee?

Answer: The Maccabees were a courageous and heroic family of Jews who lived between the time of the Old and New Testaments.

The events in the Old Testament ended about four hundred years before the events in the New Testament began.

But during that time, Israel was still ruled by other nations, and most of the rulers were cruel to them.

One ruler from Greece even made fun of the Jewish religion by sacrificing a pig in the temple.

This greatly upset the Jews, and so they rebelled. The revolt was led by Judas Maccabee (who, by the way, was no relation to the Judas who betrayed Jesus).

Under his leadership, the Jews were able to win many battles and eventually restore the temple to the way it was.

They celebrated with a great festival, which came to be called Hanukkah, or the “Feast of Lights” (referred to as the “Feast of Dedication” in the New Testament).

It became an annual event, beginning in December and lasting eight days.

Key verse: It was winter. Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication. (John 10:22)

Related questions: Why doesn’t the Bible tell us about the four hundred years before the New Testament? What happened between the Old and New Testaments?

Why Was Jesus Born In A Stinky Stable?

Answer: God sent his own Son, Jesus, when the time was right. Jesus’ birth tells us the kind of Savior he is.

At the time Jesus was born, the Roman ruler of Palestine (where the Jews lived – Israel’s Promised Land) was Herod, an evil man.

Herod had great forts and palaces built so he could feel safe and powerful. One of the huge forts was right outside Bethlehem.

But Jesus – the true king and ruler of the universe came to earth and was born in a stinky stable.

Herod’s kingdom and power were very temporary; he’s dead and his buildings are in ruins.

But Jesus’ kingdom and power last forever. So one reason Jesus was born in such a place was to show us that he and his ways are the opposite of the world’s.

Jesus’ kingdom doesn’t come by force but by God working in each person. Jesus’ birth in a stable also lets us know that he came for all people, not just the rich and famous.

Key verses: And while (Joseph and Mary) were there, the time came for her baby to be born. So she gave birth to her first child, a son.

She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger. This was because there was no room for them in the village inn. (Luke 2:6-7)

Related verses: Luke 2:1-7, 11-12; Philippians 2:5-7

Related questions: Did Mary have other babies, too? How could Mary have her baby without going to the hospital?

Note to parents: Children may ask the related question, “How could Mary have a baby if she wasn’t married to God?”

The best answer is, “I don’t know.” Exactly how Mary conceived is a mystery. Jesus was unique – the only Son of God. Jesus’ birth was a miracle.

How Did Daniel Sleep With The Lions Without Being Afraid?

Answer: Daniel was a young man when he was captured and taken to Babylon. He lived the rest of his life there, serving four kings, but he always remained true to God.

One day, when he was an old man, the last of these kings, Darius, signed a law stating that no one could ask a favor of (or pray to) anyone except him, the king.

(This was a trick by some powerful men to get rid of Daniel.) Because Daniel ignored the new law and continued to pray to God, the king had to punish him by putting him into a den of lions.

Daniel spent all night with the lions but wasn’t hurt. The Bible doesn’t say that Daniel wasn’t afraid. Rather, Daniel was willing to face the lions because he trusted in God.

Daniel had seen what God could do (see Daniel 3:1-30 and 5:1-31) and believed that obeying God was right, even if it meant being in danger.

Even if Daniel was afraid, he faced the lions bravely because of his confidence in God.

Key verse: “My God has sent his angel. He shut the lions’ mouths so that they can’t touch me. I am innocent before God. And I have not done anything wrong to you.” (Daniel 6:22)

Related verses: Psalms 3:6; 23:4; 27:1; 91:5; Daniel 6:1-28

Related questions: Why did they want to throw Daniel in the lions’ den? What would have happened if Daniel had obeyed Darius and didn’t pray three times a day anymore?

Why Didn’t The Jews Ever Change Their Clothes While They Were Rebuilding The Walls?

Answer: After seventy years in Babylon, God had the king begin to let his people go back home again. Although Nehemiah lived in Babylon and served the king there, he still loved his own country, Israel, especially the capital city, Jerusalem.

When he heard that the walls were still tom down, he became very upset. (In those days, a city’s walls helped protect it from invading armies, and good, solid walls showed that the city was doing well.)

So Nehemiah asked for and received permission from the king to return to Jerusalem to organize the wall-building project.

Not everyone in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas wanted the wall to be rebuilt; some were trying hard to stop the project.

So all the workers had to be on guard constantly and to be organized so that the work could continue twenty-four hours a day.

Nehemiah and the workers were so determined to rebuild the walls that they didn’t change their clothes (except to wash) and always kept their weapons with them. Soon the wall was rebuilt.

Key verse: During this time we never took off our clothes except for washing. This included me, my brothers, the servants, and the guards who were with me. And we carried our weapons with us at all times. (Nehemiah 4:23)

Related verses: Nehemiah 1:1-2:20; 4:1-23

Related questions: Why didn’t all the Jews go back to Israel? Why did Nehemiah cry when he heard that the walls of Jerusalem were broken? Why didn’t the Jews rebuild the walls of Jerusalem before Nehemiah came?

Why Did God Send The Jews To Babylon?

Answer: The people of Judah (the Jews) didn’t listen to the prophets. They turned away from God, worshiped idols, and mistreated the poor.

So God allowed a wicked nation, Babylon, and a wicked king, Nebuchadnezzar, to capture their cities and take many of the people to Babylon.

The Babylonians often did this to the people they conquered; they removed the best young people from their own country and trained them in Babylonian ways.

Prophets like Jeremiah predicted that this would happen, and they were very sad about it. The Jews spent seventy years in Babylon, just as God said they would.

God’s warnings are for our good. When we ignore them again and again, we end up being hurt, just like the people of Judah did.

Key verse: King Nebuchadnezzar took 10,000 captives from Jerusalem. This included all the princes. It also included the best of the soldiers, craftsmen, and smiths.

So only the poorest and least skilled people were left in the land. (2 Kings 24:14)

Related verses: 2 Kings 20:17; 24: 1-25:24; Jeremiah 34:1-22; Ezekiel 7:1-4; 8:17-18; 14:22

Related questions: Why did God get a wicked king to take over Jerusalem and capture the people? Why did Jeremiah write a sad book?

Note to parents: The Babylonian captivity came as a result of Israel’s failure to heed the prophets. It shows God’s willingness to discipline his people for their own good.

In Judah’s case, the time in Babylon taught them not to worship idols anymore.

Whose Hand Made The Writing On The Wall?

Answer: It was a miracle of God, performed to announce judgment on the king of Babylon for his pride. Belshazzar was holding a great feast and serving a lot of wine.

During the eating and drinking, he sent for the gold and silver cups that had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem many years before by a king who ruled before him, King Nebuchadnezzar.

As he was using these cups to drink a toast to idols of wood and stone, fingers of a man’s hand appeared and began writing on the wall.

The king was shocked and frightened, and he called for Daniel (one of God’s prophets) to interpret the writing.

It contained a message for the king: He had been evil and proud, and soon his enemies would defeat him (which they did).

God used the hand and the writing to get the king’s attention, and it certainly worked!

Key verses: They were drinking from these cups when suddenly they saw the fingers of a man’s hand. The hand was writing on the plaster of the wall across from the lampstand. The king himself saw the fingers as they wrote. He was so afraid that his knees knocked together. His legs began to give way under him. (Daniel 5:5-6)

Related verses: Proverbs 18:12; Daniel 5:1-31

Related question: Why did God write on the wall?