Bay City Baptist Church, Green Bay, WI

Stories for children that teach them about the nature of God

Why did Jesus die?

We have a great dog named Shep. He plays in the yard with me. We go fishing too, and he helps me pick up sticks. He’s one of my best friends. I think Shep is the bravest dog in the whole town. He barks at noises in the night and keeps us safe. Shep sleeps by my bed because he’s mostly my dog.

One day last summer, Megan came running home. Mom and I were in the kitchen doing something. I don’t remember what. Megan was out of breath because she had run as fast as she could. She kept gulping for air. "There’s . . . a fire . . . on the Boyces’ . . . old barn . . . I saw . . . Shep down there . . . Hurry up!"

"A fire at the Boyces’ barn? What’s Shep doing down there?" Mom was already going out the door. Of course I went too. I had to find Shep.

Megan told us, "He’s barking by the back barn door. He won’t come when I call him. I’m afraid he’s going to go inside."

Mom called Bobbie, and we ran the whole way to the Boyces’. When we got there, I didn’t see Shep anywhere. I yelled for him over and over. The fire trucks were there, and lots of people started coming to watch. I walked all the way around the barn. I had to stay pretty far away from it since the fire was very hot. I couldn’t get close enough to see inside.

Then I heard Shep barking. It sounded quiet, like he was far away. But I knew it was Shep, and I followed the sound. It wasn’t coming from the barn; it was coming from the field. I found Shep lying on the ground with three tiny kittens. He was licking them and trying to clean them up. Shep seemed really tired or something.

He tried to get up when he saw me, but he couldn’t. I knew the kittens were the Boyces’. They had just been born last week. I knew ‘cause Ginny showed them to Megan and me. The sad thing was that the kittens’ mother had been hit by a car and killed. The Boyces fed the kittens with an eyedropper. Shep must have known they were in the barn and gone to rescue them! "Good dog, Shep! Good dog!" I patted him on the head and petted the kittens too.

Then I remembered that Mom would be worried. Whenever I forget that, I get in trouble. So I ran back to tell Mom that I had found Shep. Mom, Megan, Bobbie and I stayed until the firemen finished putting out the fire. The back of the barn was pretty messed up. But Mom said a fireman told Mr. Boyce that he could probably build that part again.

I went back to Shep in the field. Mom brought him some water. I was getting a little afraid because he seemed hurt. He tried to get up but couldn’t. "Mom, what’s wrong with Shep? Why can’t he walk?"

"He may have gotten too close to the flames and smoke. It may have hurt his lungs."

"He’ll be okay, won’t he?"

"We’ll have to wait and see."

Mom went home, but she had Megan bring me my wagon. Megan helped me put Shep into the wagon; then I pulled him home. Mom lifted him out of the wagon and laid him on a huge towel on the back porch.

Bobbie seemed worried too. "Why did Shep get hurt, Mom? Why did he save those kittens?"

"He’s a brave dog, Bobbie. He didn’t even think about himself; he only wanted to help the kittens."

"But Shep almost died."

"Yes, he is very weak, Bobbie. He was willing to get hurt to save the kittens. They have no mother, and they were too weak to help themselves. Shep is a brave dog."

"Jesus was very brave when He died, right?"

"Yes, braver that Shep because He knew ahead of time the cruel things that were going to happen to Him. And He was so strong that He could have stopped those soldiers. He could have called for ten thousand angels to rescue Him, but He didn’t."

Bobbie didn’t really get it. "Why would Jesus let the soldiers kill Him, Mom? Did He do something bad?"

"No, nothing. Jesus was perfect. He never did anything wrong. Some men lied about Jesus at His trial.

"Is that the picture in Bobbie’s Bible?" I asked that. I remembered seeing it the first day Bobbie got the Bible.

"Yes, it is." Mom smiled at me. But then she looked at Bobbie and Megan. "Jesus died to rescue you."

Bobbie made a goofy face. "But I’m not in the fire!"

"Not now, but if you don’t trust Jesus as your Savior by accepting His death for you on the cross, you will face punishment in a place called Hell."

"I don’t want to be punished."

"Jesus died so that you wouldn’t have to be punished." Mom looked at Bobbie, then Megan, then me. "If any of you would like to tell God you are a sinner and need Him to save you, I want you to feel free to talk to me." Mom smiled and told us again, "Jesus will save you, if you ask Him to."

Verses to Memorize

I Corinthians 15:3,4: "Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."

John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (NKJV).

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD

1. Why did Jesus die?

2 What happens if you don’t ask Jesus to be your Savior?

3. Have you asked Jesus to be your Savior?

This material is reprinted by permission from "Kids' Questions About Jesus" and "Kids' Questions about Sin and Salvation,," published by Regular Baptist Press. (www.rbpstore.org/showprod.cfm?prodnum=5308)

Who is God?

Why Did Jesus Die?

I Have a Question About Sin

Who Goes to Heaven?

I Have a Question About Salvation

For Whom Did Jesus Die?

How Does Jesus' Death Help Me?

What Does God Think About Jesus' Death?

How Do I Get the Free Gift?

I Sinned Again, Now What?