How The Shepherd Rescued The SheepSample

The Shepherd Died so the Sheep Could Live

The time had come for the Good Shepherd to give His life to save the sheep. He went into a garden to pray. Soon, an angry mob came with soldiers to arrest Him. 

Jesus had done nothing wrong. But some people hated Him. They did not agree with the things He said. They did not believe that He was the Messiah God had promised. They did not believe He was the Good Shepherd. So they paid one of Jesus’ friends, Judas, to tell them where to find Jesus. When they found Him, they arrested Him. They took Him to Pilate, the ruler of the land. 

Pilate told the soldiers to beat Jesus with whips and to crucify Him. The soldiers put a crown of thorns on Jesus’ head. They took Jesus to a hill where He was nailed to a cross. There were criminals who were also crucified with Jesus—one on His right and one on His left. 

When Jesus knew that the purpose of the mission He came to earth for was accomplished, He said, “It is finished!” Then, His spirit was released from His body. 

Darkness covered the sky. The earth shook. One of the soldiers standing next to the cross said, “He was truly the Son of God!” One of Jesus’ followers took His body down from the cross and placed it in a tomb that had never been used before. It was a very sad day. 

If you are thinking, “The Shepherd cannot die! How is He going to rescue the sheep if He is dead?” Do not worry… this is where the greatest story in all history really gets good! This is a story of Hope. It is not over yet.