Biblical stories from the children's bible. Children's Bible

Lately, there has been a lot of debate about whether it was worth reading the Bible to a child, and if so, then in what version - a “real” “adult” one or a children’s version. There are many opponents of reading the “adult” version of the Bible to children. And they can be understood, because many biblical stories, frankly speaking, are not suitable for children.

Psychologists say that reading the Bible to children has a beneficial effect on their development. The Bible provides examples of faith and morals.

We offer you a Children's Bible with pictures that you can read online with your child. Beautiful illustrations will please your child and will certainly make reading an interesting and useful activity.

Read the Children's Bible online.

You can choose a reading format that is convenient for you (book, slide, brochure). Go to full screen mode Reading can be done by clicking on the arrows in the lower right corner. Enjoy reading!

Children's Bible

Bible for children. Plots of the Old and New Testaments

The Children's Bible is written like a fairy tale and adapted for young readers. Despite the simplicity of the story, the Children's Bible gives an excellent understanding of God's Commandments and the laws of Christian morality. John Chrysostom said that the Bible adorns the mind and makes the soul stronger and wiser. A child's soul easily responds to good examples, and a child's heart is sensitive to wise stories. This makes the Children's Bible a great read for children.

The question of whether it is sinful to read the Children's Bible in a simplified version still remains open. Do we have the right to simplify and shorten the irreducible? There is no single right answer, but I think every parent has the right to decide this for their child.

After reading stories from the Children's Bible, parents should ask the child reasoning questions to encourage the child to think about the true meaning of the story. Reason with your child, then reading the Children's Bible will benefit the child.

Children really like the illustrations for the Children's Bible - they are colorful and detailed. Each story is given one spread - text + picture. Bible Stories are abbreviated, but at the end of each story the Book of the Bible or Bible verses that the story is a paraphrase of is indicated. Therefore, it will be easy to find the original biblical text if the child needs clarification.

It is important to understand that the Children's Bible contains all the main biblical stories, so by reading it, you are not just making a contribution to the spirituality of the child, but also to his overall development, because biblical stories are the most popular in our culture. Ignorance of them speaks of a person’s illiteracy and lack of culture.

Children need to read the Children's Bible because it is the “inspired” Word of God to all people, including children. In the Children's Bible, your child will find answers to the questions: What is the purpose of our lives? Where did I come from? Is there life after death? How do I get to heaven? Why is the world full of evil? Why is it necessary to fight evil with good deeds? In addition to these philosophical questions, the Children's Bible will answer practical questions: How can I be a good friend? What is success and how to achieve it? How can I change? What's really important in life? How to live so as not to look back with regret? How to cope with unfair circumstances?

Reading the Children's Bible will help children avoid many mistakes in life. Reading the Bible as a child is important because there are so many tempting false teachings out there. Exposure to the Bible at an early age will later help your child discern truth from error. The Bible gives us a standard that will help us avoid the influence of, for example, sectarian teachings, but having an incorrect idea of ​​​​God is more dangerous than not having it at all.

God's word helps us recognize the sins in our lives and helps us get rid of sinfulness. The Children's Bible is not just a book to read, it is a book to study and understand. Reading the Bible with a child can be compared to mining for gold. With little effort we will find only a little gold dust. The more effort we put in, the greater the reward we will receive.

The Bible is full of examples of strong women from whom we can learn a lot. Let's remember five of them today.

Jael (Judges 4)

By command of Deborah, the judge of Israel, the people persecuted the military leader Sisera. When 10 thousand people attacked Sisera, he fled. Israel pursued the commander and his army, at some point Sisera became separated from his men and was left alone. He entered Jael's tent.

Jael knew who Sisera was, so she invited him into the tent to hide. He asked for water. The cunning Jael gave Sisera a vessel of milk. After drinking the milk, as happens to many people, Sisera fell asleep.

Jael snuck into the tent with a stake and hammer. The Bible says that she pierced the carpet in which the general was sleeping, piercing the head of Sisera. Of course, by the time the pursuing army caught up with him, Sisar was already dead.

[My wife loves this Bible story. Do you think I should worry?]

Hannah (1 Samuel 1)

... I commit him to the Lord all the days of his life to serve the Lord (1 Samuel 1:28).

Anna was barren. She wanted a son, but God did not give her one. She begged the Lord for a child. In response, she promised that her son would serve God. When her son was born, she kept her promise: she took the child to Eli, the priest, and left him there so that his son could grow up at the temple. Over the years, she continued to influence her son's life.

Her son grew up to become Samuel, one of the greatest men the Bible tells us about.

Abigail (1 Samuel 25)

Abigail was the wife of an evil and selfish man named Nabal. David (already anointed king, but not yet ascended the throne) sent his servants to Nabal asking him and his servants to be treated with hospitality. David's servants were friends and protectors of Nabal's shepherds. Nabal accused David of laziness and arrogance. Nabal's response greatly angered David, who was by then on his way after burying Samuel. The future king prepared his people for battle.

Abigail learned about what happened between Nabal and David's servants. She prepared food for the feast and went to meet David in the hope that she could calm her angry son Jesse and save her husband and family from death. And David agreed to spare her family for the sake of Abigail.

Nabal, stunned by his own courage, deciding that he was very cool, since he was able to send David to hell, threw a holiday in his honor, drinking himself into unconsciousness. And the next morning he learned that Abigail’s peace offering had saved his house from destruction. This news shocked Nabal so much that, as the Bible says, “His heart sank within him, and he became like a stone.”. Ten days later he died.

When David heard the news about Nabal, he sent Abigail a proposal to become his wife. David saw virtue in her - honesty and a desire to protect his family.

Esther (Esther 1-8)

In the book of Esther, the heroine of the story is a Jewish woman chosen by the Persian king Artaxerxes as his wife. Having abandoned his previous wife, the king arranged an election for a new one, and the choice fell on Esther. However, the king did not know that she was Jewish.

When the king's right-hand man, Haman, plotted to destroy the Jews, Mordecai, Esther's uncle, found out about it. He went to Esther and asked her to convince her husband to have mercy on the people of Israel. Even though Esther was a queen, she did not have the right to simply walk into the king's presence "off schedule." And appearing in front of someone without an invitation was tantamount to death.

Mordecai convinced Esther that her status was part of God's plan to save His people. Esther then agreed to enter the king's presence without invitation, risking her life.

She invited the king and the evil Haman to her house for dinner, during which she planned to tell the king about her evil assistant's plan. The king liked the invitation. The next day, the king and Haman came to the queen for lunch. Haman became even more angry with the Jews and Mordecai. When the king learned of Haman's plan to kill the queen's family, the king ordered Haman to be hanged on the gallows intended for Mordecai.

Lois and Eunice (2 Timothy 1)

The Bible says little about Lois and Eunice. But what little we know about them speaks volumes about the character of these women. Just one verse, 2 Timothy 1:5: (Here Paul explains why he thanks God for Timothy) “By remembrance of your unfeigned faith, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice; I’m sure it’s in you too.”

Paul speaks to Timothy about his gratitude for the character that the thirteenth apostle was able to discern in the young man. The book often mentions that Timothy was learned. Of course, Paul was talking about what he himself taught his disciple, but it can also be safely assumed that Timothy learned a lot from his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice, who, it seems, were also dedicated worshipers of the Bible.

These stories of great women deserve our attention and inspire us to this day.

Which Bible heroines do you like? Leave comments below the article.

Published with the permission of the publishing house LLC “Philological Society “SLOVO””

© LLC “Philological Society “WORD””, 2009

© LLC “Philological Society “WORD””, design, 2009

* * *

The most important book on earth is called the Bible. This book will help you learn and understand where the earth on which we live began, and how everything we see around us appeared, also about where people came from and how people lived many, many thousands of years ago.

In this book you will get acquainted with those events that happened a long time ago, or rather in those distant times, when people were just beginning to live on earth and, of course, made many mistakes. And God helped them and taught them to live. Don’t be surprised by this, because being able to live and at the same time be kind and honest, generous and fair is very, very difficult. You have to learn this.

And also... listen more often to what’s inside you. That's right: there is a heart and other organs. And there is also a soul. You have to listen to your soul. Sometimes it is called conscience. But conscience is only a part of the soul. Difficult to understand? Nothing. It's good if you think about it.

But don't rush to do it right away. First, read the text carefully and think about it. You will find out where people came from, you will understand where the land on which we live began, and how everything that we see appeared around us.

And now - good luck!

Read and think!

* * *

Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was neither the earth on which we live, nor the sky, nor the sun. There were no birds, no flowers, no animals. There was nothing.

Of course, you're right - it's boring and uninteresting.

But the fact is that there was no one to be bored then, because there were no people. It is very difficult to imagine, but once upon a time it was like this.

You will ask, where did everything come from, everything that surrounds you: the bright blue sky, chirping birds, green grass, colorful flowers... And the night sky is full of stars, and the change of seasons... And much, much more...

And it was all like this...

world creation

In the beginning, God created the earth and heaven.

The earth was shapeless and empty. She was not visible. Only water and darkness all around.

Is it really possible to do anything in the dark?

And God said: “Let there be light!” And there was light.

God saw how good it was when it was light, and separated the light from the darkness. He called the light day and the darkness night. That's how it went first day.

On second day God created the firmament.

And he divided the water into two parts. One part remained to cover the entire earth, while the second part rose to the sky - and immediately clouds and clouds formed.

On third day God did this: he collected all the water that remained on the earth, and let streams and rivers flow, lakes and seas were formed; and God called the land free from water earth.

God looked at the work of his hands, and he was very pleased with what he did. But still something was missing.

The earth became green and beautiful.

On fourth day he created the luminaries in the sky: the Sun, the Moon, the stars. So that they illuminate the earth day and night. And to distinguish day from night and designate seasons, days and months.

Thus, according to the desire of God and his labors, a beautiful world arose: blooming, bright, light! But... empty and silent.

In the morning fifth During the day, fish splashed in the rivers and seas, all kinds of fish, big and small. From crucian carp to whales. Crayfish crawled along the seabed. Frogs croaked in the lakes.

The birds began to sing and began to build nests in the trees.

And then the morning came sixth day. As soon as it was dawn, the forests and fields were filled with new life. These animals appeared on earth.

At the edge of the clearing a lion lay down to rest. Tigers are hiding in the forest thicket. Elephants slowly went to drink, monkeys jumped from branch to branch.

Everything around came to life. It became fun.

And then, on the sixth day, God created another creature, the most important creature on earth. It was a man.

Why do you think man is considered the most important thing on earth?

Because God created him in his own image and likeness.

And God punished man that he would rule everything on earth and have dominion over everything living and growing on it. And so that a person could do this well, God breathed soul and mind into him. The first person on earth was a man named Adam.

And on seventh the day God rested after his labors, and this day became a holiday for all times.

Count the days of the week. A person works for six days and rests on the seventh.

Only after hard and useful work can there be real rest. Is not it?

Life in Paradise

In the east of the earth God planted a beautiful garden. All the most beautiful trees and flowers grew here. A deep-water river flowed through the garden, in which it was pleasant to swim. This corner of the earth was called Paradise.

Here God settled Adam, and so that he would not be bored, he decided to give him a wife.

God put the man in a deep sleep, and when Adam fell asleep, he took one of his rib and made a woman out of it.

Adam woke up, saw another person nearby and was at first surprised, and then very happy. After all, he was bored alone.

So a woman appeared on earth, and they began to call her Eve.

A variety of trees grew in Paradise: apple trees and pears, peaches and plums, pineapples and bananas and many others - whatever your heart desires!

Among these trees grew one, which was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

God allowed man to pick fruit from any tree and eat it, but under no circumstances should he touch the fruit from the tree of knowledge.

Adam and Eve obeyed God. They were very happy with their lives and nothing bothered them.

Still would! They swam whenever they wanted, walked around the garden, and played with small animals. Everyone was friends with each other, and no one offended anyone.

This went on for a long time, and it would always be like this, but...

There lived a snake in Paradise, which differed from all other animals in its special cunning.

One day, Eve was standing near the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and a snake crawled up to her.

“I see that you and Adam are plucking fruit from all the trees, but you are not taking any from this one.” Why? Look how beautiful they are and probably very tasty! - the snake hissed.

Eva answered him:

- God forbade us to pick fruits from this tree, because if we eat them, we will die.

The snake laughed:

“No,” he said, “God deceived you.” If you try the fruits from this tree, you will not die, but will become as wise as God himself. You will understand what good and evil are. But God doesn't want that.

The woman could not resist the temptation. She forgot God’s prohibition, or maybe she didn’t want to remember it: after all, indeed, the fruits were so beautiful and appetizing to look at.

“Nothing will be bad,” thought Eva, “if I pick just one fruit.” God won't even know about it. And Adam and I will become wise.

She picked fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and began to eat it.

Where do you think the expression “tempter serpent” (in the sense of tempting) came from? Isn't it from here?

Eva came to her husband and persuaded him to also try the delicious fruit.

And their eyes were opened. They looked at each other and realized that they were naked, although before it seemed quite natural to them. And now they suddenly felt ashamed, and they hid behind a tree.

At this time of day, when it was not so hot, God used to walk around the garden and liked to be accompanied by Adam.

So now he called him, but Adam did not want to come out of his hiding place.

- Adam, where are you? – God called again.

Finally Adam answered him:

God was even more surprised:

“Why are you scared, you’ve never hidden before!” What's happened?

“I felt ashamed that I was naked, so I hid,” Adam answered.

God guessed about everything a long time ago, but he wanted Adam to tell him everything himself:

-Who told you that you are naked? Have you eaten fruit from the tree from which I forbade you to eat?

What could Adam do? I had to confess. But he said his wife made him do it. Eve blamed the serpent for everything, saying that he persuaded her to eat the forbidden fruit.

God was angry with the serpent and cursed him.

Now let's think together. Of course, the snake is to blame. But everyone must be responsible for their own actions.

If Adam and Eve did not want to break God's prohibition, how could the serpent force them? Of course not.

Remember your actions too. It probably happens that you really want to do something that is not allowed, and you break the ban. And then you say that someone else is to blame because they persuaded you to do it.

After all, the tempting serpent most often sits within us, and not next to us.

Think about it.

God punished Adam and Eve: he dressed them in animal skins and drove them out of Paradise. Now they had to work hard to get their food and never returned back to Paradise.

Cain and Abel

Adam and Eve were very worried about their separation from God and tried to earn his forgiveness and show him their love.

But how to do that? After all, God did not allow them to even come close to the gates of Paradise and placed a winged cherub with a fiery sword there on guard.

Then people came up with sacrifice: they brought gifts to God so that he knew that they remembered him and loved him.

God, of course, was pleased. But he did not accept gifts from every person.

You will understand this when you read the very sad story of what happened to the children of Adam and Eve.

Adam and Eve had two sons. The eldest was called Cain, he worked in the field, growing bread. And the youngest, Abel, tended sheep.

One day the brothers decided to bring their gifts to God, as their parents always did.

They lit a fire in a large clearing and placed their gifts on it. Cain brought ears of ripe wheat, and Abel brought a young lamb from his herd, slaughtered it and also put it on the fire.

God knew that Abel was a kind and good person, and therefore he accepted the gift right away.

Cain seemed to him not so kind, and he did not want to accept his gift. Cain, of course, was offended and very upset.

Then God said to him:

- Why are you upset? If you do good, your sacrifice will be accepted, but if you do evil, then sin will haunt you, and you will not be able to overcome it.

But unfortunately, Cain did not follow God's advice. On the contrary, he walked around completely gloomy and was very jealous of his brother.

“It’s good for Abel,” he thought, “now God will help him.”

It is a sin to envy another person; envy causes anger. But if only Cain had realized this in time!

He once lured Abel into a field and killed him.

God, of course, saw everything, but he also hoped that Cain would be horrified by what he did and repent.

He asked Cain:

-Where is Abel, your brother?

But Cain did not even think of confessing.

“I don’t know,” he answered, “am I my brother’s keeper?”

God became even more angry.

- What did you do?! - he said to Cain. - After all, you killed your brother! The voice of his blood calls to me. I curse you. You will leave here and never see your parents again and never return home. You will be an eternal exile and wanderer!

This is how God punished Cain. But that is not all. He put a special sign on Cain’s face, by which all people, as soon as they saw Cain, immediately understood that he was a criminal and avoided him.

This is how the expression “Cain’s seal” still exists.

Think about who it might apply to?

Noah builds the ark

Time passed, and there were many people on earth.

But they all greatly upset God: they deceived, robbed, and killed each other in endless wars.

God, of course, tried to reason with them; he still hoped that people would become kinder and more prudent. But it was all in vain.

Then God decided this: people will live for another 120 years, and if they still do not correct themselves, then he will destroy all life on earth.

And what? Do you think people got scared, asked God for forgiveness and tried to be better?

Nothing like this! They did not even pay attention to his warning and continued to bandit and idle.

Then God was completely disappointed in people and even regretted that he had created them.

However, there lived a man on earth who always acted as God taught. His name was Noah. He was kind and honest, did not deceive anyone and did not envy anyone. He lived by his own labor and taught his sons to live the same way.

This is why God loved Noah. He called him one day and said:

“People continue to do evil, and for this I will punish everyone.” Soon there will be a great flood, and after this there will be nothing alive on earth. But you and your sons will continue to live a good and fair life. So do what I tell you.

And God taught Noah how to build an ark.

The next morning, Noah and his sons set to work. They cut down tall trees, made logs out of them and carried them to the shore.

When a lot of boards, logs and beams had accumulated, they began to build a ship.

All the neighbors came running, even passers-by stopped in bewilderment as to what these people were doing. And, of course, they didn’t miss the opportunity to make fun of them:

– This Noah and his sons were always abnormal; Everyone is walking, but all they know is that they are working and praying to God. And now they’ve gone completely crazy, look what they came up with.

Noah, of course, did not listen to the slackers. Let them mock. He knew better what to do and how to live.

After some time, a huge ark began to rock on the water. It was made of durable gopher wood, its walls inside and outside and all the cracks were carefully sealed with resin. Inside, the ark consisted of three tiers, which were connected by ladders.

It was made to last, durable; everything was adapted so that one could live in this ark as long as needed.

And God also said to Noah:

- When everything is ready, enter the ark with your sons and their wives, and also take with you all the animals, birds and reptiles in pairs, and the seeds of everything that grows on the earth.

Noah, as always, did everything exactly.

People made fun of him.

- Just look! As if he has no place on earth. He was also planning to swim.

But you know what they say: “He who laughs last laughs best.” This is what happened this time too.

Flood

As God decided, so he did.

As soon as the door of the ark closed, it started to rain. It did not stop for forty days and forty nights and was so strong that the water rose high and flooded the entire earth.

Every living thing died on it. No one managed to escape. Only the ark floated unharmed across the vast expanse of water.

And the water kept coming and going. There was so much of it that it covered even the highest mountains and the tallest trees that grew on the tops of the mountains.

The water remained all over the earth for another hundred and fifty days.

Finally the rain stopped, and gradually, very slowly, the water began to recede.

And the ark kept floating. And neither Noah nor his sons knew where they were or where they were going. But they relied completely on the will of God.

And on the 17th, in the seventh month of the voyage, Noah’s ark stopped at Mount Ararat. Do you know where this mountain is? That's right, in Armenia.

There was still a lot of water, and only forty days later Noah opened the window of the ark and released the raven. But the bird soon returned: there was no land anywhere.

After some time, Noah released the dove, but it also returned without finding dry land.

Seven days later, Noah released the dove again, and when it returned, everyone saw that in its beak it had brought a twig of an olive tree. This meant that the water subsided and dry land appeared.

When Noah released the dove after another seven days, it never returned.

Then Noah opened the roof of the ark, went up and saw that the ground around was almost dry.

Everyone left the ark, released the animals and birds. And they thanked God for their salvation.

God was also glad that he had preserved life on earth, and decided that he would never send a flood to the earth again, would never allow life to perish.

He blessed Noah and his sons, and as a sign of his reconciliation with people, he hung a rainbow in the sky.

Do you know what a rainbow is? Have you ever seen her?

Immediately after a short summer rain, when the last drops are still falling from above, a multi-colored curved bridge appears between heaven and earth. This is the rainbow.

When you see her, please remember why God was angry with people and what happened after that.

Babel

More time has passed. There were many people on earth again.

But they remembered that God sent a flood to punish people. Fathers told their children about this, and when they grew up, they passed these stories on to their children.

So people lived amicably, cheerfully and understood each other, since they spoke the same language. They worked well and learned a lot.

Judge for yourself. People learned to burn bricks and build tall houses from them. Of course, they had not yet invented spaceships or even airplanes, but they were still proud of how smart they were and how much they knew and could do.

And everyone thought what they could do to leave a memory of themselves for all time. And they came up with:

- Let's build a tower. High, very high. Up to the sky!

No sooner said than done. They found a big mountain and started building. People worked very cheerfully and amicably: some mined clay, others sculpted bricks from it, others fired them in ovens, others carried bricks to the mountain. And there others took these bricks and built a tower out of them.

People came from all over and also got involved in the work. There were a lot of people who wanted to build a tower, and they had to live somewhere. So a city appeared around the tower. They called it Babylon.

God watched the work for a long time, wanted to understand what people were doing and why they were building such a high tower.

“It’s unlikely that they are going to live in it,” he reasoned, “such a tower is inconvenient for housing.” (After all, there were no elevators then, and it was difficult to climb the stairs so high.) Just build like that? For what?

Finally, God understood why people were building this tower. They want to show how smart and omnipotent they are.

He didn't like it. God does not like it when people are needlessly proud and exalt themselves.

And what did he do to stop them?

No, he did not destroy the tower, but acted differently.

At that very moment a strong, strong whirlwind arose and carried away all the words that people spoke to each other. Twisted and twirled them. And he mixed everything.

When the whirlwind calmed down and everything became quiet around, people went back to work. But what is this?!

They stopped understanding each other. Each one spoke in some unfamiliar and incomprehensible language.

And the work, of course, went wrong: one asked the other to do something, and the other did the opposite.

They shouted from below:

- Take the bricks!

And from above they passed the bricks back.

They toiled and toiled so much, and they gave up everything. Now one concern remained - how to find in this pandemonium those who spoke the same language.

So all the people dispersed in small groups to different corners of the earth and began to live separately, each group in its own side (country). And then they completely separated themselves from each other with borders.

The tower began to gradually collapse.

And from the name of the city of Babylon, where God confused all languages ​​to punish people for their insolence and pride, came another expression that you may be familiar with: “Babylonian pandemonium.”

Since then, people have lived on earth differently: in one country some laws and rules are established, in another - others.

And people themselves are different: smart, stupid, cheerful and sad, evil and kind.

Only there is one common law for everyone, which God established - evil people are punished sooner or later. And it is true. But if a person realizes his mistakes and repents, God forgives him.

The Lord God is patient. He hopes that people will gradually change and take care not only of their body, but also of their soul. They will think and reflect more about the meaning of life, about why they were born into the light of God. After all, probably, not only to eat, drink and have fun. But not just to work days and nights.

A person is born to fulfill his destiny in life. Everyone has their own. But all people should have one common purpose - to do only kindness and goodness to each other. After all, it's not that difficult.

The Spirit of God lives in every person. But people are blind and do not understand this. And when they see the light and understand, they will change.

The Lord God could establish the Kingdom of God on earth by force, but he does not want to do this. People must understand for themselves what is good and what is bad. The only problem is that each person has his own understanding of what is good. All people wish themselves well, but they understand it in their own way.

For some people, a good life is when you can walk, relax, celebrate and do nothing all the time.

Others believe that in order to make a good life for themselves, they can deceive other people, rob and even kill.

The Lord God wants it to be equally good for everyone. And this can happen if every person thinks not only about himself, but also about other people. This is not so difficult if you follow the ten rules that the Lord commanded us all to follow.

These rules are called "commandments."

First commandment

I am the Lord your God. May you have no other gods besides Me.

We must believe in one God. If you believe in Him, then you think and care about your soul.

God must be in the soul of every person. Do not forget about it.

Second Commandment

Do not make for yourself an idol, idols or other images: neither that which is above - in heaven, nor that which is below - on earth, nor that which is in the waters - underground, do not worship them and do not serve them.

Do not make idols for yourself, either from people or from their teachings. Man loves to invent various idols and all sorts of cults for himself. But the most important idols are human weaknesses, which he indulges: love of money, excessive desires, laziness.

Think about it, what idols do you serve? What weaknesses do you have that you can’t overcome in yourself or don’t want to?

Third Commandment

Don't take God's name in vain.

Remember how often we simply add his name to empty words:

– we are perplexed or surprised – “Oh, God!”, “Oh my God!”;

– we are indignant – “Lord!”;

– we promise something – “I swear to God!”

Try to remember more expressions that contain the name of God. Is it always pronounced appropriately?

Fourth Commandment

Observe the holiday. Work for six days and do all your work, and dedicate the seventh - Sunday - to the Lord your God.

That’s why we work for six days: some go to work, others go to school or kindergarten. And on Sunday it’s good for the whole family to go on vacation outside the city.

Fifth Commandment

Honor your father and your mother, and it will be good for you. You will live a long time in the world.

Every person has the closest people on earth - these are his parents. Love for parents saves a person from all troubles and troubles. Always love your dad and mom. Never be rude to them and try to help.

Sixth Commandment

Dont kill.

How good it would be to live in the world, how calm and pleasant, if all people kept this commandment. No person has the right to take the life of another.

Seventh Commandment

Don't be promiscuous.

The one who behaves badly sins.

Eighth Commandment

Don't steal.

Never take someone else's. If you take someone else’s, you will stop respecting yourself, you will be ashamed of yourself. But it’s important that you can say: “I respect myself.”

Ninth Commandment

Do not give or receive false testimony.

Don’t inform, don’t complain about others, don’t tell others what they entrusted only to you. And never say bad things about others.

Tenth Commandment

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor covet thy neighbor's house, nor his field, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor any of his livestock, nor anything that belongs to thy neighbor.

Never envy others. Envy leads to anger, and from here all sorts of quarrels and resentments arise.

Of course, it is easy to love those who love you, but if you treat well the one who offends and scolds you, you will be better than him. It is not easy to understand this, much less agree with it. But there is something to think about.

Try to understand other wise instructions:

– do not condemn anyone, and you yourself will not be condemned;

- forgive everyone, and they will forgive you;

- give, and you will be given in full measure, so that it will pour over the edge;

– how you treat people is how they will treat you;

– don’t swear or swear, it’s enough if you just say “yes” or “no”;

– try to give alms quietly so that people don’t see. If you do good only so that everyone can see it and say how good you are, then it’s better not to do anything. There is no need to boast that you have done good;

– a kind person does good things because he has a good heart. And he can never do anything wrong. It’s the same with an evil person: his evil heart does not allow him to do good.

The Lord God hopes that people will gradually change, because he has done so much to guide them on the right path. And when people are cleansed of sins and live as the Lord God commands, then the Kingdom of God will come on earth.

If a person believes in God and fulfills his commandments, then the last thing one can expect from such a person is betrayal.

In order to explain this to people, God sent his Son Jesus Christ to earth to help people understand how to live well, love and respect each other. So that he saves them from themselves, from sins and delusions.

But people didn't understand. They thought that Christ the Savior would come to earth to save them from their enemies, to save them from slavery.

They did not understand then and still do not understand that the enemies around them are not as terrible as the enemies within each of them.

Think about this too. Maybe you will find some kind of enemy in yourself - selfishness, callousness, indifference to loved ones, envy. Something else. And also think about how people make themselves slaves. Slaves of your habits and delusions.

And now this time, which God spoke about and which the prophets predicted, has come. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, came to earth. He was not a gray-bearded old man in white robes and with a crown on his head. No, he was born a little boy in an ordinary family, grew up and played with his peers. But he was born with a special purpose in life. What is it like? And what? You will learn about this further.

Nativity of the Mother of God

Not far from Jerusalem, in the small town of Nazareth, there lived an elderly and childless couple - Joachim and Anna.

In those days, those who did not have children were treated unkindly. It was believed that such people sinned and were therefore displeasing to God.

This could not be said about Joachim and his wife Anna. They were kind and pious people, they did not sin, they did not deceive anyone, they fervently prayed to God. Why did they receive such punishment?

One day Anna went out into the garden and saw: the birds had built a nest for themselves on a tree, and in it the chicks had already started, squeaking, opening their beaks, asking for food. Their parents bring them various worms and midges and stuff them into their gaping beaks.

Anna looked at this touching picture, sighed and made a vow to herself:

– If I do have a child, then when he grows up, I will give him to serve God.

And after some time, a daughter was born to Joachim and Anna. They named her Maria.

Introduction to the Temple

Anna did not forget her promise to God. When Maria was barely three years old, all her relatives and neighbors gathered. Children came, friends of little Maria. They lit candles, and everyone, dressed and solemn, took the girl to the temple.

A wide staircase with stone steps led to the doors of the temple, and Mary walked along it.

The high priest was already waiting for her at the top. He never met anyone at the temple doors. I just went out to meet Maria.

The high priest received a sign from God that she would be the mother of Christ the Savior.

The girl stayed in the temple, here she learned to read holy books, prayed, and did handicrafts.

Maria especially loved to sew clothes for priests - the vestments that they wear during services.

In memory of these events, people established and still celebrate the NATIVITY OF THE MOTHER OF GOD - September 21 (new style) and ENTRY INTO THE TEMPLE – December 4 (also in new style).

Annunciation

When Maria turned 14 years old, her upbringing ended, and she had to leave the temple. Her parents had died by that time, so the girl had nowhere to go. According to custom, she had to be married off (at that time people got married very early, from the age of 14).

But Maria didn’t want to hear about it. She said she made a promise to God to never have a husband. Then she was taken in by the carpenter Joseph, who was a distant relative of her. Joseph was already an elderly man; his children from his deceased wife lived with him in a small, poor house.

This is where Maria settled. Joseph replaced her father. And so that people would not ask why Maria lived here, he called her his wife.

She took on all the household chores: she cooked, washed, and in her free time she prayed and read holy books.

One day, when Mary was alone, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her and said:

– Rejoice, gracious Most Holy Virgin Mary, the Lord is with You. Blessed are you among wives.

Maria was embarrassed by such a greeting. “What could this mean? Why does he call her that?” Then the angel said to her:

- Don't be afraid, Maria. You have found grace from God: a Son will be born to You, and You will name Him Jesus. He will be the Son of the Most High God and will reign, and his kingdom will have no end.

- How will I have a son? After all, I don’t have a husband.

- The Holy Spirit will descend on You, and You will give birth to the Son of God - Christ the Savior.

Then Mary said:

- I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be as you said.

And the Archangel Gabriel flew away from Her.

And Mary began to wait for the birth of her Son.

An angel also appeared to Joseph. He also told him about the birth of the Son from Mary and asked him not to leave Mary, but to take care of Her and Her Son. His name will be Jesus, which means Savior. Christ means "Anointed One."

Do you know what the word “anointing” means and who received the anointing? When kings were chosen for the kingdom, their heads were anointed with oil (consecrated oil), hence the expression: “God’s anointed.” This is what they said about kings.

The day when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary is celebrated by people as the Feast of the Annunciation.

In Russia, Annunciation (Good News) is celebrated on April 7th. They say that even the birds rejoice on this day and rest - “On the Annunciation, even birds do not build nests.”

Nativity

In the year that Christ was born, the Roman emperor Augustus wanted to know how many people lived in the land that the Romans conquered: how many adults and how many children.

He gave the order to King Herod, whom he appointed to rule Israel, to register all the inhabitants of this land.

And you had to register in the place where you were born. Crowds of people went along the roads of Israel, each to his homeland.

Joseph and Mary, as you remember, lived in Nazareth. But they were born in the small town of Bethlehem, which was also considered the city of King David (he was also born here). Bethlehem was located about ten kilometers from Jerusalem. Joseph and Mary also went to their homeland.

They come to Bethlehem, and there are a lot of people gathered there, and there aren’t even enough places to stay for the night. Everyone came to sign up.

Joseph ran from house to house for a long time, looking for a place to spend the night with Mary. But I never found anything.

One man told him that on the outskirts of the city there was a cave, warm and dry, where they could spend the night. There, in bad weather and rain, shepherds hide with their sheep.

– How can I lead Maria to the cave? She’s due to give birth soon, she doesn’t belong there,” Joseph was indignant.

“Agree, Joseph,” Mary prayed, “I’m so tired that I’m glad to have any shelter.” Please, let's go there quickly.

That night, the Son of Jesus Christ was born to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

She swaddled him and put him in a manger - a box from which sheep ate.

Now let’s repeat it again and remember the name of the city in which Jesus Christ was born - the city of Bethlehem.

Angels Appear to Shepherds

Not far from the cave, shepherds were tending their flock, and when it became completely dark, they sat down to rest and quietly talked to each other. There was a lot to talk about: the census was going on, and people flocked to Bethlehem from all over the land of Israel. Many have not been here since birth. Everyone told how people live in other places, what kind of laws and orders there are. There was a lot of talk about why they started rewriting the people.

“They say that the emperor started the census in order to collect more taxes.”

– Yes, these extortions made life completely impossible. The Romans only know what to rob the people. How much longer will we have to endure? I heard that the Savior will soon come to earth.

Suddenly a bright light illuminated everything around and blinded the shepherds.

They got scared and jumped to their feet. And then an Angel of God appeared to them:

- Do not be afraid. I bring great joy to you and to all people. The Savior was born in Bethlehem, the city of King David. Don't doubt it. Go and you will find the Child lying in a manger.

And immediately an army of angels appeared around the messenger angel. They flew, circled and sang, praising God:

"Thank God in heaven,

There is peace on earth,

There is goodwill in people."

Then the angels disappeared, and the light went out, and it became dark again. Only then did the shepherds come to their senses and hurried to the city, and came to the cave, where Joseph met them at the entrance.

“The angel showed us the way here and said that we could look at the Baby.”

Everyone bent over him and admired him. The baby was sleeping peacefully.

He was a little boy like all children. He cried when he was hungry, and laughed when he was happy, he was upset and offended.

And yet Jesus Christ was not like everyone else, because He was the Son of God. With his spirit, his soul, He was above all others.

Don't be surprised by this. God specifically sent his Son to earth in human form. So that He would live among people, and people would not fear or shun Him. And He would teach them to live honestly and be kind and fair. And I would also explain to them their misconceptions. Sometimes people sin because they don't know how to live correctly. They are mistaken. They are wrong.

You, of course, know what a big holiday this is - Christmas Day. In Russia, this holiday falls on January 7, and in other countries it is celebrated on December 25.

Please remember this day when Jesus Christ was born.

Wise men from the East come to worship Jesus Christ

At this time, the wise men in the East also learned that the Son of God was born. They studied the stars they knew everything about, and saw a new star.

“Something extraordinary must have happened on earth,” one of them suggested when he saw an unfamiliar star.

“I know that this,” said another, “is a sign from God that the king of the Jews has been born.” Let's go and worship him.

And the wise men went to Israel. They walked for a long time through the mountains and deserts. Finally they came to Jerusalem and asked:

-Where is the king who was born on your land? We came to worship him.

-What other king? We have only one king - Herod, but he was born a long time ago and managed to grow old.

Then the wise men decided to go to the palace and ask there where the king of the Jews was born.

Herod (then king) worried. He knew the Holy Scriptures, read in it about the coming of the Messiah, who will appear on earth to save people. He will be called the king of the Jews. But Herod didn’t like it at all. He had no intention of sharing his power with anyone.

He called the wise advisers and asked them what they knew about the birth of the king of the Jews, who would rule over the souls of people.

“He must be born at this time in Bethlehem,” the high priests answered him, “so it is said in the Holy Scriptures.”

Then Herod called the eastern wise men, greeted them kindly, asked when they saw the new star, and said to them:

- The King of the Jews was born in Bethlehem, go there, and then tell me where he is. I will also go to bow to him.

And he himself planned to kill the baby so that no one could anymore be called the king of the Jews except him.

Send the Magi (this is also what the sages were called) to Bethlehem. But how can they find the Child there?

As soon as they left Jerusalem, the bright star they knew shone again and began to move ahead of them, showing the way. The Magi followed her. And so the star stopped over the house where the divine family found shelter. Joseph came out to them, and they said to him:

“We came from far away from the East to bow to the Baby King.

They brought him gifts: gold, incense, myrrh (fragrant juice of rare plants), bowed to the Baby and gave their gifts to His Mother.

At night an angel appeared to them and warned them:

– Don’t go back to Jerusalem! Herod wants to destroy the Child, he will do this as soon as he finds Him.

The wise men consulted and went to their home in the East by another road. We did not enter Jerusalem.

Massacre of the innocents

That same night an angel appeared to Joseph:

- Get up, take the Child and His Mother Mary. Go to Egypt and stay there until I tell you. Herod will look for the Child, he wants to kill Him.

Joseph and Mary wrapped the Child and left Bethlehem that same night. On the outskirts of the city, Joseph put Mary and the Child on a donkey, and they soon disappeared into the darkness.

And Herod was still waiting for the Eastern sages to come to him and tell him when the Baby was born and where he could find him. I waited and waited. And he didn’t wait.

– How to look for the Baby? - he thought. After all, no one will point to him.

Then the king conceived a terrible thing. He called the guards and ordered them to kill all the little boys in Bethlehem who were under two years old.

“Now they won’t hide him.” If you kill everyone, he will definitely fall among them,” Herod rejoiced.

But he did not know that Jesus was no longer in Bethlehem. And the guards went around all the houses, searched all the corners and basements so that no one could hide and protect their children. They did not spare a single baby. Many tears were shed then in Bethlehem.

Soon after this Herod died. The angel immediately informed Joseph about this, and he, the Child and Mary returned to their native Nazareth, where they lived until the birth of Christ.

Candlemas

Jesus Christ was forty days old when Mary and Joseph carried him to the temple. They brought two pigeon chicks with them as a gift to God in gratitude to him for the birth of the Son.

Here, on the threshold of the temple, they met Elder Simeon. He was a very pious man, believed in the coming of the Savior to earth and waited for him for a long time. Now he was quite old.

All his life he dreamed of only one thing - to see Christ the Savior with his own eyes, so that he could then die peacefully. God promised him to fulfill his dream. And now this moment has come.

Elder Simeon approached Mary, looked at the Baby, who was lying in the Mother’s arms and smiling joyfully. Simeon took Jesus in his arms:

- Now I will die calmly, because with my own eyes I saw the Savior whom You sent to people.

Joseph and Mary were surprised at Simeon’s words, and he said to Mary:

“There will be a lot of controversy among the people because of him.” Some will believe in him and be saved, others will not believe in him and will perish.

You too, Most Holy Virgin Mary, Most Pure Mother, will suffer, as if you yourself had been pierced through your heart with a sword.

Mary did not understand the last words of Elder Simeon, which were prophetic and predicted the death of Jesus on the cross.

The day of the meeting of Elder Simeon with the Baby Jesus also became a holiday for all people who believe in God and revere him. This holiday is called “Sretenie” and is celebrated every year on February 15th.

Childhood of Christ

Jesus grew up, walked with his peers, played various games with them, and seemed no different from other boys.

But suddenly various miracles began to happen where he visited.

One day Jesus was playing with other children on the roof of his house. One boy, whose name was Zeno, could not resist, fell from the roof and died. All the children ran away in fear, and Jesus was left alone. Zeno’s mother ran to Joseph, crying, shouting that it was Jesus who pushed her child, and now he died:

“I didn’t push him,” Jesus said.

But no one believed him. Everyone blamed him, because he was the only one there when the adults arrived. Then Jesus came down from the roof, walked up to the dead body and shouted:

- Zeno! Stand up and tell me, did I push you?

The boy Zeno, who had just been lying dead on the ground, jumped up and said:

- No, Lord. You didn't push me, you lifted me up.

Zeno's parents couldn't believe their eyes. What kind of child is this, Jesus, who could perform such a miracle! They had already forgotten about their grief and bowed to Jesus.

And a few days later this happened: a young man was chopping wood near his house. Suddenly the ax fell from his hands and cut his leg. All the neighbors came running and tried to help stop the bleeding, but nothing worked.

Jesus was playing with some kids nearby. They heard screams and ran to see what had happened.

Jesus made his way through the crowd, touched his wounded leg with his hand, and the wound immediately healed. Jesus says to this young man:

“Get up now, continue working and remember me.”

He said and ran off to play again. And all the people were amazed at the new miracle and bowed after the boy:

“Truly, the Spirit of God dwells in this child.”

Another time it happened that Joseph sent his son Jacob to get wood. Jesus went with him. And so, when Jacob was gathering brushwood, a poisonous snake crawled out and bit him.

Jacob fell and almost died if not for Jesus. The boy ran up to the young man, blew on the wound, and the pain immediately went away. Jacob stood up and even jumped for joy. And the snake swelled up like a ball and burst.

Joseph sees: although Jesus is still small, he is so intelligent. We need to teach him to read and write. He brought the boy to the teacher. He gave Jesus a book and began to show the letters.

Jesus holds the book in his hands, but does not look at it himself and speaks such wise words that it is difficult to believe that a little boy knows and speaks them.

Then the teacher said:

- Can I teach him? He knows more than me and more than everything that is written in books.

Jesus in the temple

One day, when Jesus was 12 years old, Joseph and Mary went with him to the temple for the Passover holiday.

No one, probably, rejoiced as much at this journey as Jesus, because he had long dreamed of getting to the temple of the Lord.

When the celebration ended, everyone went home. Mary and Joseph also went. Jesus was not around, and they decided that he was playing somewhere on the street with his new friends. We went outside and looked around - he was nowhere to be found. We walked through all the streets and alleys but couldn’t find him.

Finally they returned to the temple and saw: Jesus was sitting in the middle of the temple, and many people had gathered around him: gray-bearded elders with Scripture in their hands, scribes, priests - everyone was standing around the boy and listening to him attentively. And he tells them about the law that God gave to all people, and how it should be understood.

Maria could not resist and reproached her son:

-What are you doing to us? We were so worried about you, we looked for you everywhere, but you sit here and don’t think about your parents.

Jesus calmly answered her:

- Why did you have to look for me? Where else should I be if not in my Father’s house?

Joseph and Mary did not quite understand what Jesus wanted to tell them with these words.

Did you understand what Jesus wanted to say with the words: “Where should I be if not in my Father’s house?”

“Come with us, my son,” Mary asked Jesus.

At this time the elders approached her and asked her:

- Are you his mother?

And they said to her:

“We have never seen such glory, such valor and such wisdom as your son!”

Jesus stood up and walked with Mary and Joseph. And he lived in their house until he was thirty, was an obedient son and helped them in everything.

John the Baptist

In the family of the old priest Zechariah, six months before the birth of Jesus, a boy, John, was born.

Even before his birth, God assigned John a special mission: he had to show people the path of salvation and repentance of sins, and also prepare them for the coming of Christ the Savior.

John was very young when he went into the desert. He wore rough clothes made of camel's hair, and was belted with a wide leather belt. He ate only honey from wild bees and plant roots. There John prepared for his great service to God.

Glory spread across the earth that a new prophet had appeared in the desert, teaching people the word of God, how to live and how to act. People came to John from different places to listen to his words and ask him for advice. People asked him:

- What do we do?

In response, he told them:

Tax collectors came to him and also asked him how they should live. And he taught them:

– Don’t take more taxes than you’re supposed to.

To the soldiers who came to him, he said:

– Do not extort money from anyone, do not bear false witness, do not commit robbery. And don't demand more than what you have.

And he said to everyone:

- Repent of your sins - the Kingdom of Heaven is approaching. Prepare to receive the Savior. He's following me. If you want to live not only for your body, but more for your spirit, I will baptize you. Repent and be baptized!

Many people then entered the waters of the Jordan River, and John sprinkled them with water and baptized them.

Baptism of Jesus Christ

Many people asked John who he was, maybe he was the Savior, whom the Lord God promised to send to earth and whose coming, as they knew, was written in the Holy Scriptures.

“No, I am not the Savior,” John answered them, “I am a voice crying in the wilderness.” The Lord God instructed me to prepare the way for His Son - Christ.

– If you are not Christ and not a prophet, why then do you baptize people?

John answered:

– I baptize people with water. But there is He among you, whom neither you nor I know yet. He will come after me and will baptize with the Holy Spirit. I am not even worthy to untie the straps of His sandals!

- How can we recognize him? If he walks among us, then he looks like an ordinary person.

“God told me: “When you see the Holy Spirit come upon someone, it will be He – My Son.”

The year that John baptized the people in the wilderness, Jesus turned 30 years old. He also heard about John and came to him to be baptized.

He entered the waters of the Jordan, and John baptized him. Immediately the heavens opened, and from there a dove flew down to Jesus - it was the Holy Spirit. At that same second, a Voice came from above:

“He is My beloved Son, and in Him I am well pleased.”

- Why did you come to me to be baptized? It is I who must be baptized by You! - John exclaimed.

Jesus said to him:

- Don't be afraid. We must do everything that the Lord tells us, each doing his own thing.

And then John announced to everyone:

- Here He is - the Son of God! Savior!

Since that time, every year on January 19, all believers celebrate the holiday of BAPTISM, which is also called the Day of Epiphany.

John the Baptist has since been known to people as John the Baptist.

He called “desert” not only the place where he lived then, but the whole world.

“Desert” is the empty souls of people who do not think about why God gave them life.

“If a tree does not bear fruit, it is cut down for firewood, and the same will happen to people if they do not do good deeds,” John said to all the people who came to him.

Temptation

After his baptism, Jesus Christ went into the desert and spent forty days there. No one disturbed him; there was no one around for many kilometers.

He spent forty days in prayer and did not eat anything - he fasted. On the fortieth day Jesus became very hungry. Suddenly the devil appeared and began to tempt him:

– You should eat, Jesus. Who cares if you're starving? And it doesn’t matter that you don’t have food with you. If you are the Son of God, take a stone and make bread out of it.

Every person happens in life to encounter the devil-tempter. You probably had to too. He can take on different guises.

But more often than not, the devil appears in a person’s thoughts and begins to tempt him to do something that cannot be done, that is forbidden. At least eat ice cream when your throat hurts, and you yourself know that under no circumstances should you eat it, but you want to. Who do you think is tormenting you? This is the devil. His temptations are always very tempting.

It is not known in what form the devil appeared before Jesus Christ, perhaps in a human form, and perhaps in his thoughts. But Christ answered him:

“Man will not live by bread alone, but by the word of God.”

However, the devil did not leave Jesus behind, led him to a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the earth.

“Everything you see around you is all mine.” I give you all these kingdoms. And power and glory. Everything will be yours if you only bow to me.

Jesus Christ rejected this too:

– One should worship only the Lord God and serve him alone.

Then the devil took Jesus to Jerusalem, lifted him to the top of the highest tower of the temple and said to him:

– Let people be convinced that You are the Son of God. Jump down from here. Nothing will happen to you, since the psalm says that the angels will protect you. They will carry you on their hands so that your feet do not touch the stone.

“Do not tempt the Lord Your God,” Jesus answered firmly.

The devil departed from Jesus Christ, realizing that he would not be able to seduce him.

In the same way, if you are strong and resist temptation, the devil will quickly leave you behind, and everything will be fine.

But still, the devil-tempter was very perplexed about what kind of person Jesus is, who wants to eat and does nothing to satisfy his hunger, even fasting on purpose.

They offer him wealth, fame, power - he refuses this too. He can do a miracle to surprise people and arouse their admiration, but he doesn’t do that either. No. The devil has never known people who would refuse such temptations. Yes, and he did not understand such people.

Preaching of Christ in Nazareth

Jesus returned home. He came to the church, where many people had gathered, and began to tell them about God, and said this:

– God called Me to help the poor,

He sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives,

Restore sight to the blind

Release the exhausted to freedom.

And he told the people that the Lord God was with them.

Many listened and believed him. But there were also those who asked each other in surprise:

– Is this really the son of the carpenter Joseph?

And they began to demand miracles from him so that he would convince them of his divinity. Then Jesus said:

- Truly, there is no prophet in his own country. You don’t believe me because you are sinners, you doubt, while only true faith will save everyone.

And everyone who was nearby became furious.

“He doesn’t want to do a miracle because he can’t do anything.” Why is he insulting us?

Jesus said nothing.

He turned to the crowd and calmly walked through it. But at this time one crazy man shouted:

- Ha! Who are you to teach us and interfere in our affairs? You are simply Jesus of Nazareth!

Jesus looked at this man and saw that he was not evil, but simply crazy and did not understand what he was saying. Then Jesus commanded the unclean spirit that had entered the man:

- Shut up and get out of it!

And immediately the unclean spirit escaped from this man and flew away, and the man became completely healthy.

Everyone who saw this miracle was shocked. Who is this Jesus of Nazareth? He talks to both the Lord God and the unclean spirit, commands him, and he obeys him.

Then the people brought to Jesus those suffering from various diseases.

And he laid his hands on them and healed them all.

Now many have believed that He is the Son of God.

And his fame spread throughout the whole earth. She walked ahead of him, and wherever he now appeared, people knew about him and came to listen to him.

And Jesus walked the earth and taught people. He thought that maybe they would listen to him and correct themselves, stop sinning.

Many listened to him, and he had disciples who accompanied him everywhere.

Andrew was the very first to come to Jesus, which is why he is called the First-Called.

Then they came: Simon, whom Jesus called Peter, and many others. Among them was Judas Iscariot, who would later betray Christ.

When Jesus' disciples went with Him to the people, he said to them:

– Do not take anything with you: no money, no food, but only what you have on you. And do not discriminate between people: a poor person or a rich one. You will freely receive from Me the power of healing from all diseases: physical and spiritual - and heal freely. Don't be afraid of suffering, don't be afraid of persecution. I will always be with you. Don't be afraid of death either. People can kill your body, but no one can kill your soul.

His disciples went to the people and returned to Jesus joyful: they healed the sick, cast out demons from them and performed other miracles. And they treated people’s souls more, because if a person’s soul is pure and calm, then his body is healthy.

Parable of the Sower

The Savior's disciples and listeners were often simple and illiterate people. To make it easier for them to understand his teaching, he explained it with parables - simple and understandable examples.

One day Jesus told people this parable.

“A sower went out into the field to sow. He scattered the seeds, and some of them fell on the plowed ground, and some near the road, where the plow did not pass, and the ground remained hard and unplowed, and the birds immediately pecked at them. Other seeds fell on rocky soil and sprouted immediately, but then withered and were unable to grow because there was little soil and moisture. Some fell among the weeds, and when they grew, they blocked the sunlight from the grains, took all the moisture, and the weak shoots also withered. The seeds that fell on well-plowed soil, moist and soft, took strong roots and produced ears of corn, on which thirty, sixty, or even a hundred new grains grew.”

The people asked Jesus to explain this parable to them, and he said this:

– The earth is the soul of every person. The seed signifies the word of God. Fallen along the road and eaten by birds, this is the word of God heard by a person who did not prepare his soul to receive it. The devil comes and easily steals this word from a person. Such people do not believe in God and will not be saved.

The seed that fell on rocky soil is the word of God received by a soul that is not yet sufficiently ready to receive it. At first she gladly accepts him, believes in him, but not firmly. And as soon as trouble comes and persecution of faith begins, such people abandon God.

A seed falling among the weeds is the word of God heard by a person who soon forgets about it, thinking more about his pleasures, entertainment, and wealth. They block the light and warmth of God's word from him.

And finally, the seed that fell on the well-plowed ground is the word of God, accepted and protected by the person who prepared his soul to receive it.

Blessing of children

Jesus Christ loved children very much. Wherever he went, he always first blessed them, laying his hands on the children's heads. And if the children got sick, he always went and helped them.

Jesus Christ never took anything for help; he always did everything for free.

You cannot help people for money or for any other gifts. If you help people, then they will help you. This is what God taught, and Jesus Christ told people about this: “Give, and it will be given to you.”

One day, a man’s daughter fell ill. She was already dying when Jesus Christ came to the city with his disciples. The girl's grief-stricken parents rushed to his feet, begging him to heal their only child, and Jesus promised to help them. He went with his sobbing parents to their house, but neighbors met them near the house and said that the girl had already died. Jesus told the people:

- Do not Cry. She didn't die. She is sleeping. You just have to believe, and everything will be fine.

Nobody believed him, people even got angry: how can you joke like that! But Christ was not joking at all. He entered the room where the dead girl lay, took her hand and said:

- Girl, get up!

And the girl began to breathe and opened her eyes. These are the wonderful things Jesus Christ did!

Healing a man born blind

In Jerusalem, a boy, blind from birth, stood near the temple and asked for alms. He's been standing here since he started walking. Everyone was already accustomed to seeing him here and always served him.

Here Jesus Christ saw him, came up and said:

- You will see the light.

He spat on the ground, then took a handful of earth, rubbed the boy’s eyes with it and told him to go to the bathhouse to wash.

The boy ran to the bathhouse and came out sighted. Everyone could not believe the miraculous healing:

– Is this the same little blind man who sat at the temple? - some asked.

“No, this is a different boy, but he is very similar to him,” others assured.

They called the boy who was laughing with happiness and asked:

- Tell me how he did it? After all, you were born blind, but now you have begun to see. Maybe you were just pretending to beg, but you weren’t blind?!

“This is me, the same boy who has never seen the light, but now he has.” God listened to Jesus Christ and opened my eyes, which means Jesus is from God.

And the boy fell at the feet of Jesus and said to him: “I believe in you, Lord!”

Disciples of Jesus

One day, having come to a lake, Jesus said to one of his disciples: “Swim to a deep place, there are a lot of fish there now.”

Lower your nets and you will have a good catch.

The student answered him:

- What are you saying, all night we tried to catch fish in this lake, but it’s not here. But if You speak, I will lower the nets.

He lowered his nets into the water where Jesus indicated, and immediately the nets were filled with fish. When they picked them up, they even began to tear from the weight of the catch.

Other people came with nets and caught so many fish that the boats even began to sink, being filled to the brim.

The fishermen were very surprised. There have never been so many fish here in this lake.

When they sailed to the shore in boats, they left them and their nets and followed Jesus and became his disciples.

Healing lepers

If we were to describe all the miracles that Jesus Christ did, how many people he helped and saved, all the books in the world could not contain it all.

One day Jesus Christ was walking with his disciples and talking. Suddenly they see: ten people are coming towards them, all covered with terrible ulcers and scabs. These were people suffering from leprosy. There is another expression - lepers. This is what they say about people whom no one wants to know, whom everyone avoids. And they live separately from all healthy people.

These were the people who came to meet Jesus Christ, they were also not allowed into the cities, they all walked along the roads together, spent the night in the fields, sometimes they did not eat at all, they had nowhere to get bread.

The unfortunate people rushed to Jesus Christ and began to shout:

- God! Have mercy on us!

The Savior told them:

- Go, show yourself to the priest.

(It was customary then for the priest to look at people and determine whether anyone was sick with a contagious disease.)

The lepers went to the priest, and as they walked, their faces and bodies were cleared of ulcers, and they became completely healthy.

Two days passed, Christ was already far from the place where he met the lepers. Suddenly a man catches up with him. He fell to his knees before the Savior and with tears in his eyes thanked him for curing him of a terrible illness. Jesus said:

“Were not ten people cleansed of leprosy?” Why were you the only one who returned and thanked God?

He leaned towards this man and said:

“You believed in me, and your faith saved you.”

That's how it happens. People ask God for help, and then, when he helps them, they forget to thank him. There is no need to follow the example of such people. You must be grateful for everything you have and receive.

Another time, a stretcher containing a sick man was brought to Jesus. He could not walk at all and really hoped that Christ would cure him.

The sick man looked pleadingly at Jesus and asked:

– Help me, please, Lord!

Jesus realized that this man believed in him and hoped that he would help him, and then said:

- Your sins are forgiven. Get up, take your stretcher and go home.

The patient immediately recovered, quickly jumped to his feet, picked up his stretcher and ran to the door. Everyone made way for him in amazement.

You see, if a person really believes and hopes for help, he will definitely be saved. This is what Christ said: “Your faith will save you.”

You just have to believe, and if you believe in the Lord God, in His power, it is also transmitted to you.

The Spirit of God lives in every person, and faith strengthens him. And then the person becomes very strong.

Taming the Storm

One day, Jesus Christ and his disciples were sailing in a boat on Lake Galilee. They walked around the city all day, treated the sick, talked with people, and in the evening they set sail. Now they had to cross to the other side.

Jesus was tired and dozed off at the stern of the boat. Strong storms have often occurred on this lake before, and this very night such a storm broke out. The waves swept over the boat, throwing it like a piece of wood, up and down. She began to drown. The rowers abandoned their oars. It was already useless to resist the elements, and everyone prepared for death.

The disciples woke Jesus up in fear:

- Teacher! We're drowning! Save us!

Christ stood up, stretched out his hands over the raging lake and ordered the wind:

- Shut up! Stop doing that!

The wind immediately died down, the waves subsided, and the lake calmed down. Jesus Christ turned to his disciples:

- Why were you so scared? Don't you have faith? I tell you: if you believe and ask God to help you, he will always help.

Walking on the waters

Another time they had to sail in a boat again. Jesus Christ told the disciples to take a boat and sail alone. He himself went to the mountain to pray.

When the boat reached the middle of the lake, the deepest place, a storm arose again.

The students became excited. What should they do now if their Teacher is not with them? Will they be able to calm the storm themselves? Will the Lord God hear them? They began to choose which of them was stronger in faith so that he could command the storm to subside, when suddenly they saw a figure heading towards the boat across the raging, restless lake. She walked on water as if on land. And where she walked, a smooth silvery water path flowed between the waves.

The disciples screamed in fear; they thought they saw a ghost. Then Jesus said to them:

- Calm down, it's me.

Peter jumped up and decided to try to walk on the water.

“Lord, if it’s you, then let me come to you.”

“Go,” said the Savior.

Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water to Jesus, but was afraid of the strong wind and began to drown:

- Save me, Lord! - he shouted.

The Savior came up, extended his hand to him and said:

- Why did you doubt, you of little faith!

He took him by the hand and they went to the boat. The wind died down, the lake became calm and even.

All the disciples stood up in the boat and bowed to their Teacher.

– Truly, You are the Son of God!

How many more miracles did Jesus Christ have to do so that his disciples would finally believe in him?

Feeding the Five Thousand

One day people came to the Savior early in the morning and were next to him all day. The day was already approaching evening, and people still didn’t have a crumb of bread in their mouths.

The disciples asked the Teacher to let the people go so they could go and buy something to eat before night fell.

Jesus said to his disciples:

- Let them eat yourself.

But the students didn’t have anything either. Only one boy, Brother Simon, had five small buns made from barley grain and two fish.

“Then feed the people,” Christ commanded again.

The students began to look at each other and decided that he was sending them to the village to buy bread. But they didn’t have enough money to buy bread for everyone.

Then Jesus took the five buns and the fish from the boy and seated all the people in several rows on the grass. Then he looked up at the sky, prayed, and gave the buns and fish to his disciples.

“Feed everyone,” he told them.

The disciples began to distribute food to the people and fed everyone to their fill. And there were still twelve baskets of bread and fish left. The people were five thousand, not counting women and children.

So the Lord God, with his divine power, fed more than five thousand people with five loaves of bread.

Raising the Widow's Son from the Dead

Once Jesus Christ was walking along the road with his disciples, and they met a funeral procession.

Men in black clothes carried the coffin with the body of a young man. Following the coffin, people led a crying woman. She couldn't even walk on her own. Her only son died, and for her life also ended, she loved him so much. She had no one else left.

Jesus saw the grief of the widow, he felt very sorry for her, he approached her and said:

- Do not Cry.

Then he asked the people to stop and touched the coffin with his hand.

- Young man, I’m telling you, get up!

The dead man immediately stood up, sat down in the coffin and began looking around in bewilderment. What's happened? Why is he in a coffin? And why is his mother crying and everyone else around so sad?

People who saw this miracle could not believe their eyes! The widow fell to her knees and thanked the Savior. He picked her up and said:

“And your faith helped you.”

Sermon on the Mount

Jesus continued to do what the Lord God instructed him to do: he walked around cities and small villages and taught people that they must love each other and live in harmony with each other.

One day he came to a high mountain and climbed to its top to pray. His students were with him. Here he chose twelve people from them, whom he called apostles (by messengers). They became constant assistants in all his affairs.

And then Jesus Christ addressed them with very important words that you must know:

– Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they have the kingdom of heaven.

Do you understand what the “poor in spirit” are? These are people who consider themselves sinners, but know their sins and repent of them, and then correct themselves - this is what Jesus Christ spoke about. They will go to the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

And who are the “crying ones”? These are not crybabies and whiners. These are people who worry about their sins and admit to them.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

The kingdom of heaven will also be received by meek people, modest people who behave well, who are not arrogant and who are not proud of themselves without any reason.

– Blessed are those who hunger and seek, thirsting for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

– Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

– Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

– Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

“Blessed are those who were persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

- Blessed are you when they revile you and anger you, and in every way unfairly slander me.

– Rejoice and be glad, for your great merit is in Heaven, just as they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

People who are just and pure in heart, who are kind, who teach others good, and who are unfairly wronged in this world will also enter the kingdom of God.

- Love your enemies,- Christ continued, - do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those closest to you, turn the other to the one who slaps you on one cheek. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Love and be merciful, as the Lord God loves and is merciful.

Look at you:

Judge not, and you will not be judged.

Don't judge and you won't be condemned. Why do you see the speck in the eyes of another person, but do not notice the beam in your own eye?

Forgive and you will be forgiven.

Give, and it will be given to you in full measure, so that it will pour over the edge. How you treat people is how they will treat you.

Don't swear, don't swear, it will be enough if you simply say “yes” or “no”.

Try to give alms slowly, so people don't see.

If you do good only so that everyone can see it and say how good you are, then it’s better not to do anything.

There is no need to brag about what you did good.

A tree is known by its fruit: a bad tree cannot bear good fruit, and a good tree cannot bear bad fruit. Thus every tree is known by its fruit.

A good person does good things because he has a good heart. And he can never do anything wrong.

So is an evil person. His evil heart does not allow him to do good.

Some people found it difficult to understand the teachings of Christ, and they asked him to better explain to them what he was saying. One day a man asked Christ:

- So you say: “Love your Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” What does neighbor mean?

Who is my neighbor?

And Jesus Christ answered him with this parable:

“A man was walking along a deserted road, and he was attacked by robbers. They robbed him, beat him and left him, barely alive, right there on the road. After some time, one person passed by. He looked at the wounded man and walked on, then another man appeared on the road and also did not stop. And the third stopped, bandaged the wounded man and took him to the hotel. There he looked after him, and when he had to leave, he asked the innkeeper to look after the patient and paid him for it. And he also said that he would stop by on the way back, and if the expenses exceeded the money he had left, then he would pay for everything else.

Isn’t it clear now who the wounded man’s neighbor was?

“The one who saved him,” answered the questioner.

“Go and do the same,” said Jesus Christ, “and do not make any distinction between people, whether he is poor or rich, where he comes from and whether he is of the same tribe as you.”

We must forgive insults

Jesus Christ not only commanded us to forgive offenses, but also forgave them himself.

One day he was walking with his disciples to Jerusalem. The road was long, everyone was tired and went to a village that was on their way.

They enter one house, but they are not allowed into another. So they had to go to the field and rest there.

Jesus Christ sat down on a stone. The students, as usual, sat around him. They still couldn’t calm down, they were indignantly discussing how they weren’t allowed anywhere and wanted revenge.

– These people must be punished! Savior, can you make fire come down from heaven and destroy them?

Jesus looked at them calmly:

– You are offended now and that’s why you are angry, you don’t even feel sorry for destroying these people. But have you forgotten that I taught you to forgive offenses? The Son of God came to earth not to destroy people, but to save their souls.

Who does not know his sin

Soon after this conversation, a sinful woman was brought to Jesus Christ. She led an unrighteous life, and people asked Jesus what he would do with her, since she was a sinner and should be stoned for her sins.

Jesus Christ was silent for a long time, and then raised his head and said:

– Are you saying that according to the law she should be stoned? So do it. Just let the one who does not know a single sin be the first to throw a stone at her.

He said so, and again lowered his head. When he picked her up again, he saw that only this woman remained on the road. Everyone else slowly dispersed.

- Apparently, no one could condemn you? - Jesus asked her.

“Nobody, Lord,” she answered.

“Then I don’t blame you either.” Go and sin no more.

Is it true that a very instructive incident happened? Before judging another person, everyone should think about whether he himself is really so sinless. Remember the words of Christ: “Judge not, and you will not be judged.” Why do you see the speck in another person's eye, but not the beam in yours?

Conversation with students

One day Jesus Christ asked his disciples:

– How do you understand my teaching?

Many of them found it difficult to answer; only Peter answered him:

– In my opinion, you teach that the Spirit of God lives in every person and therefore every person is the Son of God.

Jesus rejoiced at his disciple’s answer:

- You are happy, Peter, that you understood this. Man could not reveal this to you, you understood this because God lives in your soul, and he revealed this to you.

And then Jesus told his disciples that in Jerusalem, where they were about to go, many would insult him and perhaps kill him. But even if they kill him, it will only be his body, and they cannot kill his spirit.

Peter was upset when he heard these words and said:

– There is no need to go to Jerusalem, Teacher!

Jesus took him by the hand and answered:

– In this life, people must suffer if they live for the kingdom of God, because this world loves its own, but persecutes and hates those of God. He who is not afraid for his physical life will save his true life.

Those of you who want to fulfill my teaching must fulfill it not in words, but in deeds. And he told them this parable about a disobedient son.

One man had two sons. The father came to one of his sons and said to him:

- Go, son, work in the vineyard today.

My son didn’t want to work, so he said:

- No, I don’t want to work today, I won’t go.

And then he changed his mind - how come he didn’t listen to his father?! Who will work if he refuses? He felt ashamed, and he went and started working.

And his father came to his other son and also told him that he needed to go work in the vineyard, and he immediately agreed.

“Yes, yes, father, I’ll go now.”

He said something to say, but didn’t go to work.

So which of the two sons obeyed his father? Probably still the first. Because although he refused at first, he then went and started working. And the other agreed, but did not do anything.

A person can be mistaken. But if he understands this and repents, then it is better than agreeing and doing nothing.

Transfiguration

And then the time came when Jesus Christ and his disciples had to go to Jerusalem. Christ took three of his disciples and climbed with them to a high mountain to pray there.

The disciples were very tired while climbing the mountain, sat down to rest and dozed off. Suddenly they were awakened by a very bright light, they opened their eyes and saw that Jesus Christ had been transformed: his clothes became sparkling like snow, his face lit up with such a light that the human eye cannot withstand, and next to Jesus stood the figures of the ancient prophets to whom he told about his suffering, death and resurrection.

His students jumped to their feet; Peter, not knowing what to say from joy and shock, exclaimed:

- God! Let us put up three tents here: for you and the prophets.

As he spoke these words, a cloud descended to the top of the mountain and covered everyone, and a voice was immediately heard:

– This is My beloved Son. Listen to him.

Frightened and shocked, the students fell face down on the ground. When they woke up and raised their heads, no one was there anymore.

Only Jesus Christ came up and touched them:

- Get up and don’t be afraid.

The disciples got up and together with Christ went down the mountain. There he asked them not to tell anyone what they saw.

The Law of God says that Christ was transfigured in order to strengthen faith in his disciples before the terrible test that awaited him. And also to show them what it is like – the kingdom of heaven – and what awaits them there; that one should not be afraid of him, but should strive for him. On the Feast of the Transfiguration, August 19, various fruits are brought to the church for consecration. This holiday in Russia is also called “Apple Spas”.

One day a rich young man came to Jesus and asked him:

- Teacher! Tell me what to do to get eternal life.

Christ answered him:

– If you know the commandments and fulfill them, you will enter eternal life.

“But there are many commandments,” the young man was upset, “which of them must be fulfilled?”

Jesus answers:

- Don’t kill, don’t fornicate, don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t offend anyone, honor your father and mother.

“But I have been fulfilling these commandments since childhood,” the young man tells him.

Then Jesus said to him:

“You are a good person, there is only one thing you lack: go and give everything you have to the poor.” Then come and be my student.

The young man was embarrassed and left quietly. He had a big house, and he felt sorry to give it away.

Christ paused and then said to his disciples:

“Truly I tell you that it is difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven,” he paused, and then repeated again, “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.” God does not look at what is on the outside, but looks at the heart.

Zacchaeus' Repentance

In one city there lived a rich man, his name was Zacchaeus. He had long wanted to look at Jesus Christ and kept looking for an opportunity to do this.

When he heard that Jesus Christ had come to his city, he ran to meet him.

There were so many people gathered to meet Christ that Zacchaeus could not squeeze in closer. He himself was short, so because of the backs of the crowd he could not see anything.

He spun and spun - he saw and heard nothing. Then he figured out what to do. Zacchaeus climbed a tall tree that stood by the road where Christ was supposed to pass.

He climbed in and waited for Jesus to pass by. Now he will finally see the Savior, who heals everyone and teaches how to find the path to bliss.

Here Zacchaeus sees: Jesus is walking and has already reached the tree on which he was sitting. And suddenly he stopped and looked at him, at Zacchaeus, and then began to talk to him:

“Zacchaeus,” says Jesus, “come down from the tree quickly, today I need to be in your house.”

Happy Zacchaeus quickly jumped out of the tree and rushed home. He ordered the most delicious treat to be prepared and sent word to all his friends to come to him. And he invited other guests, everyone who wanted them to come to him and share the joy with him.

Finally, Jesus Christ came to Zacchaeus’s house, and he walked slowly, stopping to talk to people. Zacchaeus was already waiting for him and was still afraid that Jesus would not come, but he really wanted to listen to him and ask how he could improve.

When everyone sat down at the table, Zacchaeus walked into the middle and said:

- God! I give half of what I have to the poor. And if I offended anyone when I collected taxes, then I will pay him back fourfold.

Then Jesus says:

“Now this house has been saved, and Zacchaeus has become good and pious.” This is why I came to earth, to find and save lost sinners.

Raising Lazarus

Two sisters, Martha and Mary, experienced great grief. Their brother Lazarus, whom they loved very much, fell ill.

The sisters began to look for Christ, but he was far away at that time, and they sent him to tell him that their brother Lazarus was dying. When Jesus Christ was told about this, he said:

– This disease is for the glory of God, not for death. The Son of God will be glorified through her.

Then he said to the disciples:

- Let's go to Jerusalem. Our friend Lazarus fell asleep.

The disciples did not want to let him into Jerusalem, where he could be killed. But Christ said to them:

– After what you see, you will believe in me even stronger.

When they arrived in the city, four days had already passed since Lazarus died. He has already been buried. His sister Martha came to Jesus crying and said to him:

- God! If you had been with us, Lazarus would have lived.

Jesus answered her:

- Your brother will rise again. I will give resurrection and life. All who believe in me will never die. Do you believe?

“I believe that you are the Son of God who came into the world,” answered Martha.

-Where did you bury him? - asked Christ.

The people led him to the cave in which the tomb of Lazarus stood. Jesus ordered to move away the stone that was blocking the entrance to the cave. Martha came closer and said:

“After all, four days have passed since we buried him.” There's already a bad smell.

– If you believe, you will see a miracle. “Didn’t I tell you this,” Jesus Christ told her.

The stone was rolled away, and Jesus raised his eyes to heaven:

– Thank you, Father, for hearing me. This is not necessary for me, but for the people who came here. When they see what will happen, they will believe that it was You who sent me to earth.

And he said loudly to the deceased:

- Lazarus, come out of the tomb!

A minute later, Lazarus appeared from the cave in burial clothes. At first no one even believed their eyes. Then everyone shouted for joy, rushed to him, untied his shroud, and he went home with his sisters, Martha and Mary.

Everyone admired and rejoiced at this miracle.

Jesus and Mary

Six days before the Passover, Jesus again came to the city where Lazarus lived. He was invited to his house by a man whom Jesus had once healed of leprosy.

Lazarus also came to this house, and they sat at the table, and Martha served them food.

Mary brought an alabaster vessel with very valuable and expensive perfume - myrrh. She approached Jesus, poured perfume on his head and then rubbed it.

A very pleasant smell filled the room. But for some reason Judas Iscariot did not like him, who winced and said:

“It would be better to sell these perfumes at a higher price and give the money to the poor.”

In fact, Judas never cared about the poor, he always strived to save more for himself. The other students remained silent. Then Jesus answered him:

- Don't bother her. She did good for me. I saved myrrh for the day of my burial. You will always see beggars, but not always me.

So he once again reminded the disciples of his imminent death.

And then Jesus Christ went to Jerusalem.

Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem

The Easter holiday was approaching, and many people went to Jerusalem to pray in the temple.

Jesus Christ and his disciples also went there.

There was a small village on the road to Jerusalem. Jesus calls two disciples to him and says to them:

- Go to this village. There you will find a donkey tied to a tree and a young donkey that no one has sat on. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone asks you why you take them, say that the Lord needs them.

The disciples did everything as Jesus told them, brought the donkey and covered it with their clothes. Jesus Christ sat on it and rode to Jerusalem.

People were already waiting for him at the entrance to Jerusalem.

Huge crowds of people surrounded him on all sides and shouted:

– Long live Jesus Christ!

They threw their clothes under the donkey's feet so that Christ could ride over them.

They plucked palm branches and carried them to Jesus.

Those who did not know Jesus asked:

-Who is that riding a donkey? Why is he being greeted like this?

And they answered:

- This is the Son of God!

Finally, Jesus Christ arrived at the temple. There they were already waiting for him and immediately surrounded by the sick, the blind, the lame and the crippled.

He healed them all, and they left the temple healthy.

Since then, this day has been called Palm Sunday, and in the church it is celebrated as the ENTRY OF THE LORD INTO JERUSALEM.

And the entire week from Palm Sunday to Easter is called Holy Week.

All this week, Jesus Christ the Savior was preparing for death.

Monday of Holy Week

The next day, Monday, Jesus Christ and his disciples again went to Jerusalem. On the way they wanted to eat. They see a fig tree growing. Such a big tree, all covered with thick leaves.

They thought about picking fruits and eating, but they came up, but there were no fruits on the tree. It looks like such a good tree, but it turned out to be barren. Exactly like those people who outwardly seem to be kind and good, but in reality you can’t expect any good from them.

Jesus Christ then said:

- So that fruits will never grow on you in the future.

And at that very second the fig tree withered, the leaves turned yellow and fell to the ground. Only bare branches remained.

Every person, like a tree, must bring some benefit, otherwise why should he be.

Tuesday of Holy Week

On this day, Jesus Christ again came to the Jerusalem Temple. And again many people gathered around him. And again Christ told them about the teachings of the Lord.

Wednesday of Holy Week

There were two days left before Passover, which the Jews wanted to celebrate from Friday to Saturday. All the enemies of Jesus gathered together to confer and finally figure out how they could capture Jesus Christ and kill him.

It was here that Judas Iscariot came to them. He loved money very much and hoped that for Jesus Christ they would give him a lot of money.

So he decided to sell it and get a reward.

The elders and Pharisees rejoiced: finally they would do their dirty deed. They promised to give Judas 30 pieces of silver.

It was not a lot of money, but Judas was happy with it. And he agreed to betray Christ.

Thursday of Holy Week

The Easter holiday has arrived. Jesus Christ told his disciples, Peter and John, to prepare Easter. And they asked him where they could do this:

– When entering the city you will meet a man with a jug of water. Follow him into the house where he enters and tell the owner that the Teacher is asking where the room is in which I can eat Easter with my students. And he will show you a large, festively decorated upper room, and prepare everything there.

The disciples went and found everything that Jesus Christ told them. And they prepared everything as he said. They roasted the lamb, then prepared unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

In the evening, Jesus Christ and his twelve disciples came to where the room had been prepared, and they celebrated Easter.

Washing your feet

After the lamb was eaten, Jesus Christ took off his outer clothing, took a long towel, poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the feet of his disciples.

When he approached Peter, he became uncomfortable:

- God! Should you wash my feet?

Jesus answered him:

“Now you don’t know what I’m doing, but then you will understand.”

But Peter did not want to let the Teacher wash his feet and kept saying:

“You will never wash my feet.”

“If I don’t wash you, you won’t be with me in the Kingdom of Heaven,” Christ answered.

Then Peter began to ask:

“Lord, wash not only my feet, but also my head and hands.”

Christ says to him:

“A clean person just needs to wash his feet, so that’s what I do.” You are clean, but not all.

Christ knew that there was a traitor among his disciples, but did not tell them the whole truth, but said:

“Here I am your Lord and Teacher, and I washed your feet.” So you should wash each other’s feet. And don’t argue about which of you is taller and older. Try to help each other. Let the eldest of you be a servant to all.

So you should always help the little ones, not offend them, but take care of them and protect them.

last supper

When Jesus Christ finished washing the feet of his disciples, he put on his outer clothing again and sat down to dine with them.

Then he revealed to them that one of them would betray him. The disciples began to look at each other in fear, and then everyone took turns asking Jesus Christ:

- Isn’t it me, Lord?

Unscrupulous Judas also asked:

- Teacher, isn't it me?

Jesus Christ quietly answered him:

But no one except Judas heard this. Then John, the most beloved disciple of Christ, who was sitting next to him, fell to the chest of Jesus:

- Lord, who is this?

“The one to whom I will give a piece after dipping it,” answered Christ.

And he dipped a piece of bread in the dish and handed it to Judas Iscariot:

“What are you doing, do it quickly,” he told him.

At first no one understood what was happening and what Christ said. They thought that Jesus was instructing Judas to buy something for the holiday.

Judas took a piece of bread from the Teacher’s hands and left. It was already dark night outside.

When Judas left, Jesus Christ took the bread, broke it into pieces and gave it to each disciple.

- Take and eat, this is my body, suffering for you, which will be crucified on the cross.

Then he took a cup of wine diluted with water and also served it to everyone.

- Drink from it all. This is my blood, which will be shed for you and for many, so that God will forgive your sins.

Here, at the Last Supper, Jesus Christ revealed to his disciples that he would soon leave them, he would be captured, and he would be crucified on the cross, and they would run away from fear and abandon him.

As the Scripture says: they will kill the shepherd, and the sheep will scatter.

The Apostle Peter objected to him:

“Lord, I am ready to go to prison and to death with you, I will lay down my soul for you.”

And Christ answered him:

“Are you ready to give your life for me?” Don't rush to say that. Truly I tell you, Peter! Even the second rooster will not crow today before you deny three times that you know me.

The students began to convince the teacher that they would die for him. So they sat until late at night, until Christ said to them:

- Let's get up and get out of here.

Night from Thursday to Friday. Night in the Garden of Gethsemane

Jesus Christ came out of the upper room, his disciples followed him. They slowly walked towards the Mount of Olives. At its foot was the Garden of Gethsemane, where Christ used to often come with his disciples.

Here they all stopped at a small stream.

- Stay here. “I want to pray,” Jesus Christ told them and went into the depths of the garden.

He invited only Peter and two other disciples with him.

He knew that the worst hours of his suffering were approaching.

- My soul grieves mortally. “Stay here with me,” he said to the students who were nearby.

He took a few steps away from them, knelt down and fell face down on the ground:

- Father! If possible, let this cup pass from me. However, not as I want, but as you want!

(The expression “this cup” or “this cup” comes from an ancient custom, when those condemned to execution were given a cup of water into which poison had been thrown. It happened like this: guards walked along the prison corridor, and all the condemned listened with fear to what they will enter the cell. The guards approached the door of the cell they needed, opened it and gave the cup to the one who was about to die. Of course, everyone hoped that the cup would be carried past.)

When Jesus Christ finished praying and approached the disciples, he found them sleeping. He woke them up and said:

- Get up. The one who betrayed me is approaching.

Kiss of Judas

Before Christ had time to say these words, lantern lights flashed in the garden between the trees and a whole crowd of people with weapons and sticks appeared.

These were soldiers and servants whom the enemies sent to capture Christ. Judas led them. He told them:

“Whomever I kiss, that same one is Christ.” Take it.

He approached Jesus and said affably:

“Hello, Teacher,” and then kissed him.

Jesus Christ tells him:

- Friend, why are you here? You betrayed me with your kiss.

The soldiers grabbed Jesus. Peter wanted to protect him and even cut off the ear of one of the soldiers with a knife. But Christ forbade him to do this, and then healed the wound.

“Put the sword in its sheath,” he said to Peter, “everyone who takes the sword from the sword will perish.” If I wanted, I would ask my Father to send a whole army of angels to protect me.

Then he turned to the soldiers:

- Why did you, like robbers, come at me with weapons? After all, I was among you every day in the temple and taught you, why didn’t you take me then?

Then the commander ordered the soldiers to bind Jesus, and the disciples fled in fear and abandoned the Savior, and the soldiers led the bound Christ to the house of the high priest Caiaphas.

Judgment of the Jews

All the chief judges had already gathered in Caiaphas’s house. Now they had many new worries: they had to find false witnesses and invent some kind of guilt for Jesus in order to condemn him to death.

Caiaphas asked him:

– Tell us, are you Christ – the Son of God?

“Yes,” answered Jesus Christ, “you told the truth.” I am Christ - the Son of God.

Then Caiaphas became even more angry.

– What other witnesses do we need? You heard how he speaks boldly about God.

And everyone said: “Yes, he deserves to die.”

The soldiers took Jesus Christ, took him out into the courtyard and began to mock him: they spat on him and hit him in the face.

And no one stood up for the Savior.

Peter's denial

At this time, the Apostle Peter slowly entered the courtyard of Caiaphas and sat down by the fire with others.

One of the women approached Peter and asked him:

– Were you also with Jesus of Nazareth?

And Peter, recoiling from her, answered in fear:

- No, I don’t know him.

Then the other servant, looking at Peter, said:

– No, this man still looks like the one who was with Jesus.

Peter was even more frightened and began to swear and swear that he did not know any Jesus, but just came in to warm himself.

A little later people came up to him again and said:

– It’s clear from everything that you still know Jesus.

Then Peter began to beat himself on the chest and swear that he had nothing to do with Jesus Christ and did not even know who he was.

And as soon as he said this, the roosters crowed, and the Apostle Peter remembered the words of Jesus Christ when he said: “That same night, when the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”

Peter came out of the yard and cried with shame for his betrayal.

Pontius Pilate

At the trial it was decided that Jesus Christ must die. But permission to execute the Savior had to be given by the Roman ruler Pontius Pilate.

Early on Friday morning, the bound Jesus Christ was brought before Pontius Pilate.

That morning, Pontius Pilate had a very bad headache, it was literally splitting from pain. He knew that today he would have to give permission to execute one person, which Caiaphas demanded from him.

-Who is this man whom you hate so much? – asked Pontius Pilate.

He comes from Galilee, but calls himself the Savior, the Son of God, they answered him.

“Then let Herod decide what to do with this man, if he is from Galilee.”

(King Herod was the ruler of Galilee and came to Jerusalem for the Passover holiday.) Pontius Pilate was glad that he had found such a successful solution.

But Herod refused to condemn Jesus Christ to death. He said that he did not consider him a rebel and a criminal, but simply a stupid and funny man who imagined himself to be the Son of God, so there was no reason to execute him. To laugh at Jesus Christ, Herod ordered to put a red jester's cloak on him and in this form send him back to Pontius Pilate.

And today, Friday, Pontius Pilate had to decide the fate of Jesus Christ. And he had a really bad headache, and he didn’t want to decide anything and was angry that he was being forced to deal with this matter.

He seemed to feel that it would not bring him fame, but on the contrary, everyone would now talk about him:

– This is the same Pontius Pilate, the Roman procurator who ordered the execution of Christ the Savior.

But there was nothing to do, and now he was waiting for the arrested person to be brought to him.

The door opened and Jesus Christ was brought into the hall. Pontius Pilate asked him gloomily:

- So you are the king of the Jews?

– Are you saying this yourself or have others told you about this? – Jesus Christ asked him. “I am not an earthly king, but a heavenly one.” And I came to earth to teach people the truth.

Pontius Pilate was surprised:

- The truth? Nobody knows what truth is. What do you know about her?

– Now the truth is that your head hurts very much, it hurts so much that it’s even difficult for you to speak because of it. Look at me carefully and your pain will go away.

Pontius Pilate was even more surprised. He raised his head with difficulty and looked at Jesus. And at that very moment I felt that the pain had really gone away and my head became clear and light.

- Are you a doctor? – Pilate asked Jesus Christ.

- No, I'm not a doctor. I told you that I am the king of heaven.

– What kind of king can there be in heaven? Do not be silly. You are in my power, and it depends on me what they will do to you: execute you or release you.

“You are mistaken,” Christ answered him, “no one has any power over another person.” Only God has such power.

Pontius Pilate did not argue with him, he came out and said:

- This man is not guilty of anything. He's not a criminal. And there is no reason to execute him.

But all the enemies of Jesus who had gathered at the procurator’s palace shouted:

- He's a criminal. Crucify him.

Pontius Pilate tried in every way to reason with them. He offered to forgive Jesus in honor of Easter (at that time it was customary that for the sake of Easter one of those condemned to death was forgiven), but the guards insisted that Jesus Christ deserved death, and it was not him who needed to be forgiven on this day, but the most evil criminal, Barabbas.

They even began to threaten Pontius Pilate himself, saying:

– Haven’t you heard that he calls himself the King, and we have only one king – Caesar? (Roman Emperor). And if you release Christ, we will tell Caesar that you do not honor him.

Pontius Pilate then realized that he could no longer save Jesus Christ, and ordered him to be flogged.

The guards put a wreath of thorny thorn branches on Christ's head and began to mock him: they spat in his face and beat him on the cheeks and head.

Pontius Pilate led the beaten and bloodied Christ out into the street. He thought that maybe now, having seen Christ so unhappy, people would take pity on him and would not execute him. But those standing on the street shouted:

- Death to him. Our king is Caesar.

Pontius Pilate realized that he could not do anything, got scared and gave permission for Jesus Christ to be crucified on the cross.

They gave Jesus a cross, and he himself carried it to the place of execution where the executions took place - to Golgotha.

Two criminals walked with him, who were also sentenced to execution.

The place of execution was located on a high mountain. The steep road there was strewn with stones, and Jesus Christ stumbled over them and fell under the weight of the cross.

Crucifixion of Christ

So they came to Golgotha. Here the guards took off the clothes of the arrested and crucified all three of them: they nailed their hands and feet to the crosses with large nails.

When Jesus Christ was crucified, he prayed for his tormentors and whispered:

- Father, forgive them. They don't know what they're doing.

A plaque was nailed above the head of Jesus Christ, on which was written: “Jesus of Nazareth – King of the Jews.”

This is what Pontius Pilate ordered to write. Caiaphas objected to him. He wanted it to be written there: “Jesus of Nazareth, who calls himself the King of the Jews.”

But Pontius Pilate sharply objected to Caiaphas:

- It will be written as I said.

His enemies gathered around Jesus and even now continued to mock him:

– If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross, and we will believe you. Come on, save yourself!

So they shouted to him, they really liked to watch him suffer.

One of the crucified thieves also said to him mockingly:

– If you are the Savior, save both yourself and us.

Jesus just endured it in silence.

See, many never understood that he was trying to save their souls, not their bodies.

But the other robber said to his comrade:

- At least shut up! Fear God! You know that we are guilty and we were judged fairly. But he is not guilty of anything and has done nothing wrong.

Then he bowed his head to Jesus and whispered:

- Remember me, Lord, when you come to your kingdom.

Christ answered him quietly:

“I’m telling you, today you will be with me in heaven.”

Christ was crucified in the morning, and at 12 noon a thick black darkness descended on Golgotha. It became so dark that nothing could be seen two steps away. And many people fled in fear.

Only His Mother Mary, his beloved disciple John remained near Christ, and several crying women stood aside.

Christ looked at the Mother, and then with his eyes pointed to John.

- Here is your son!

And he also said quietly to the student:

- Here is your Mother. Take care of her.

Then John took Mary, the Mother of Jesus, to his house. And she lived with him in warmth and care until her death.

Death of Jesus Christ

Several hours have already passed since people crucified the Savior. His arms and legs were swollen, and the wounds pierced by nails brought him incredible suffering.

Jesus Christ seemed to be in oblivion. Suddenly, at three o'clock, he loudly exclaimed:

- My God, my God! Why did you leave me?

And after some time he asked:

One of the guards soaked a sponge in vinegar, attached it to a stick and, laughing, put it to Jesus’ lips.

Christ sucked in the moisture with his lips, then sharply threw back his head and exclaimed loudly:

- It's over! Father, I commend my spirit into your hands!

He bowed his head and died.

Burial of Jesus Christ

On Saturday, the people were supposed to celebrate Easter and, in order not to overshadow this great holiday, on Friday evening people asked Pilate for permission to remove the corpses of those executed from the crosses and bury them.

Pontius Pilate agreed.

One of Jesus’ secret disciples named Joseph asked Pontius Pilate for permission to bury Christ.

Pilate did not object; he was even glad that there was a man who was not afraid to do this good deed.

Joseph, along with another secret disciple of Jesus, came to Calvary. They brought with them a shroud (a large sheet) and a jug with a fragrant mixture of myrrh and aloe.

They took the body of Christ from the cross, washed it with a fragrant mixture, swaddled it with strips of linen cloth and wrapped it in a shroud, and tied a scarf around its head - in general, they did everything as was necessary for a funeral.

Not far from Golgotha, Joseph had a garden, where he ordered a cave to be made in the rock. (Such caves were called coffins, and local residents buried their loved ones in them. Do you remember the cave in which Lazarus was buried?)

The body of Jesus was brought to such a cave.

Joseph and his friend buried Christ. Together with them, women took part in the funeral and mourned their Savior.

They watched Jesus being buried, cried and rejoiced that there are people who honor him, love him and did not forget him after death.

Guards at the Tomb of Christ

Those who executed Christ had no peace; in fear they could not find a place for themselves. They remembered how Christ told them that he would rise three days after his death. And now they demanded from Pontius Pilate many guards so that they would not take their eyes off the cave, otherwise, God forbid, Jesus Christ would disappear.

Strange people! During his lifetime, they did not believe him and considered him a swindler, but now, when they killed him, they were suddenly afraid that he would actually resurrect and come out of the grave. It’s also amazing what stupid people they were. How could they hope that any guard could stop Christ?

They told Pontius Pilate that they were afraid of the disciples of Christ, who would steal his body and bury it somewhere, and then say that he had risen and flown to heaven.

Well, be that as it may, the guards went and surrounded the cave with a tight ring.

And a seal was placed on the stone with which the entrance to the cave was blocked. So it was impossible to either leave or enter the cave without breaking the seal. How the enemies feared Jesus Christ, even the dead one!

Resurrection of Christ

At midnight from Saturday to Sunday, Jesus Christ rose from the grave. And the seal was intact, and the stone was in place, but Jesus was no longer in the tomb.

Suddenly there was a strong earthquake, an angel descended from heaven, all in white and with a face sparkling like lightning.

He stepped down right in front of the stone, rolled it aside, and the Roman guards who were guarding the cave were horrified to discover that there was no one in the cave. Only one angel sat on a stone at her entrance and looked at them menacingly.

Then the guards fled in panic. They told the people everything they saw, but they were told to remain silent.

- Say that you fell asleep at night, and at that time the disciples of Christ came and stole his body.

The guards agreed to tell everyone what they were told. Although it was strange how sleeping people could see who stole the body. But once we have received the money, we must speak as ordered.

Early on Sunday morning, the women took various fragrant incense and went to the tomb of the Savior. They wanted to anoint the body of Jesus so that he would feel good and pleasant in the next world. They only cared about one thing: who would help them roll away the huge stone from the entrance so that they could enter the cave.

They approach the cave. And what do they see? The stone is already lying to the side, and the cave is empty, Jesus Christ is not in it. And in the place where Christ lay, only strips of white cloth remained, and angels in white shiny clothes sat next to them and said to the women:

- Do not be afraid. You are looking here for Jesus of Nazareth crucified. So he's no longer here. He has risen, just as he told you about it before. Notify his students. And also tell them that he will appear to them in Galilee, as he promised.

The joyful women immediately ran to Jesus' disciples and told them about their meeting with the angels.

Of course, it was difficult to believe in this miracle, and the students decided to see for themselves.

They ran into the cave and made sure that there was no one there.

So it's all true. Christ is risen.

Appearance of Christ to Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene also entered the cave and saw angels in white robes. And they sit: one at the heads, and the other at the feet, at the place where the body of Christ used to lie.

- Why are you crying? - they ask her.

Maria answers them with tears:

- Where is our Lord? They took his body, but we don’t know where they took it.

Suddenly he hears a rustling behind him. She looks around, and Jesus Christ stands in front of her and asks her:

- Why are you crying, woman? And who are you looking for?

She did not recognize Jesus, thought that it was the gardener who had approached, and asked him:

“Sir, if you took his body, tell me where you took it, I’ll go and take it.”

Then Jesus says:

Mary finally found out that this was the Savior. She fell to the ground at his feet and wanted to hug them. But he said:

- Do not touch me. I have not yet ascended to my Father. Go and tell the disciples, my brothers: “I am returning to my Father and yours, and to my God and yours.”

Mary immediately hurried to the apostles and told them the good news.

So, the first of all Jesus Christ appeared to Mary Magdalene after he was resurrected.

On the same day he appeared to two of his disciples.

On the same day of the Resurrection of Christ, they walked along the road and talked about what they had heard about the resurrection of Christ and how this could happen. And suddenly they see someone standing next to them. The students did not recognize that this was their Teacher. And he asks them what they are talking about so enthusiastically.

“Didn’t you hear what happened to Jesus of Nazareth?” He was a prophet and the Son of God, the Savior. He was executed, and now they say that he has been resurrected. Everyone saw his empty coffin, but no one knows where he is,” the students answered.

“How deaf your heart is,” the wanderer answered them. – You still don’t believe what your Teacher told you.

And then the disciples recognized him and wanted to fall at his feet, but he had already become invisible.

And they returned to Jerusalem to tell everyone about their meeting with Jesus.

Appearance to the Apostles

Throughout Jerusalem there was talk about the strange disappearance of the body of Jesus Christ from his tomb. They said a lot of different things:

“They say the disciples stole his body, and now they tell everyone that he has been resurrected.”

- No, no, he actually resurrected. I heard about this myself from the guard. Only he asked not to use his name, others said.

And no one knew which of them was right.

And at this time the apostles gathered together in the upper room and locked the door tightly. Only Foma was not with them that evening.

They all sit together and talk, and suddenly Jesus Christ appears in front of them. The disciples were confused, thinking that this spirit had appeared to them. And Christ says to them:

- Give me bread, I will eat. Then you will believe that it is me.

And when the disciples were convinced that their Teacher was with them again, they were very happy. And Jesus said to them:

- I am sending you to the people. Go to them, and whose sins you forgive on earth will be forgiven in heaven. And whoever you don’t forgive, they will remain so.

He said so and disappeared.

Doubting Thomas

That evening, as you remember, Thomas was not among Christ’s disciples, and when his comrades told him what had happened, Thomas did not believe them:

“Until I see with my own eyes the wounds from the nails on his hands, I won’t believe it!”

The comrades did not argue with the stubborn man.

Eight days passed, and they again gathered together in a locked room. But now Doubting Thomas was also with them.

And suddenly Christ appeared before them again. He approached Thomas and said:

- Give me your hand and touch my wounds. Don't be a disbeliever!

And making sure that this was the resurrected teacher, Thomas exclaimed:

- My Lord and my God!

And Jesus Christ answered:

“You believed because you saw me.” Blessed are those who did not see and believed.

Apparition on the lake

And soon Jesus Christ appeared to his disciples on Lake Tiberias. This is how it happened: they decided to go fishing on the lake, got into a boat and began to fish.

They sat like this all night, and the morning had already come, but there was still no fish.

And suddenly the students see that someone is standing on the shore (And it was Jesus Christ, but they did not recognize him.) and asks them:

- Friends, did you catch a fish?

“No,” the students answer in unison.

“Then throw the net over the starboard side and you will catch it,” says the stranger.

The disciples thought he was joking, but still cast the net. And when they began to pull it out, there were so many fish in it that they could barely pull it out. Then they recognized Jesus, and Peter exclaimed:

- It’s him, Lord!

He quickly undressed and rushed into the water to quickly get to the shore and meet the Teacher, and the rest of the boat also swam after him.

When they reached the shore, a fire was already burning there, and fish were roasting on it, and Jesus was waiting for them to have dinner.

They sat down to dinner, and Christ asked Peter three times:

- Do you love me?

And Peter answered him three times:

- Yes, Lord, you know how much I love you!

Then Jesus said to Peter:

- Feed my sheep.

So he bequeathed to his beloved student to continue his work on earth: to go to people and teach them love and kindness.

Ascension of Christ

Jesus Christ lived on earth for forty days after his Resurrection.

As he ordered his disciples, they did not leave Jerusalem and waited for the Comforter - the Holy Spirit, whom Christ promised to send them.

On the fortieth day, Christ gathered the apostles and went with them to the Mount of Olives. There he raised his hands and blessed them and his Mother, the Virgin Mary, who was also with them.

Blessing, he stepped back a little from them, and suddenly rose from the ground and began to slowly ascend into the sky, and soon the clouds hid him from the eyes of his disciples.

At that very moment two angels flew to them and said:

– Jesus ascended from you, but he will return to you again. Wait for him.

The apostles bowed after their Teacher and joyfully returned to Jerusalem.

Descent of the Holy Spirit

During the last days the apostles did not leave Jerusalem. They all gathered together in the temple and prayed to God.

And on the feast of Pentecost, which occurs on the fiftieth day after Easter, they heard a noise outside, as loud as if a hurricane had raged.

And at that very second the wind rushed into the connatta where they were sitting. Tongues of fire appeared above the heads of the apostles and fell one on the head of each of them.

It was the Holy Spirit who descended on them like tongues of fire.

And the apostles suddenly spoke in different languages: Latin, Greek, Arabic, Persian, and all the other languages ​​that existed in the world.

The Lord God did this so that the apostles could teach goodness to all people living on earth, regardless of their language.

Of course, here too there were people who, instead of rejoicing, began to make fun of the apostles:

“They probably drank a lot of wine, that’s why they started talking like that.”

Then the Apostle Peter came out to them and said:

- We are not drunk, as you think. This fulfills the words of our Teacher, who sent the Holy Spirit, and everyone who turns to the Lord will be saved.

And he told them about the life of Christ and what he wanted to teach people and what he died for.

Dormition of the Mother of God

After the death of Jesus Christ, His Mother, the Most Pure Virgin Mary, lived in the house of John, a disciple of Jesus, the same one to whom Jesus said from the cross: “Here is your Mother.”

John became Mary instead of his own son, took good care of Her and revered Her.

For another twenty years after the ascension of Christ, his Mother Mary lived on earth. Every day She went to the Tomb of Her Son, prayed there, and then went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where the Savior last visited before His death.

From the garden She walked to Golgotha. This was her daily path.

Finally the time came when Jesus Christ decided to take His Mother to heaven. One day she was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, and suddenly an angel appeared before Her and said that in three days She would die, and handed Her a date branch from Paradise - a message from the Son.

The Most Holy Theotokos came home and ordered everything to be prepared for her burial. And She asked John that in front of Her grave he would carry the same branch of paradise that the angel had brought to Her.

All relatives and friends and many people gathered in Her house these days and cried that She would soon leave them. She consoled everyone and promised to pray for them.

Before her death, the Mother of God wanted to see all the apostles - disciples of Her Son. But there were only two of them in Jerusalem - James and John. The rest all dispersed to other lands.

Jesus Christ felt Mary's desire and performed a miracle. He gathered all his disciples, and just before the death of the Most Holy Theotokos, angels brought them to Jerusalem to the house of the Mother of God.

The day appointed by the angel has arrived. The Most Holy Theotokos lay on her deathbed, already prepared as for a dead person. The apostles prayed. Suddenly the ceiling opened, and Jesus Christ himself descended from heaven, surrounded by angels. The Mother of God rose, bowed to Her Son, lay down again on the bed and died as if she had fallen asleep. Therefore, the death of the Mother of God is called “dormition.”

They carried Her to the Garden of Gethsemane to bury her. As she asked, John walked ahead and carried a branch of paradise. Following him, the other apostles carried the body of the Holy Mother of God on their shoulders. Many people came to see Her off. They sang sacred songs, and the singing of angels was heard in the air.

People kept coming and coming, and a lot of them had already gathered here.

The enemies of Jesus were very unhappy when they saw with what honor his Mother was buried. Therefore, they decided to prevent this and sent soldiers to disperse everyone, burn Mary’s body, and kill the apostles, if they resisted.

But before the soldiers had time to approach the funeral procession, a cloud descended and hid everything: both the body of Mary and all those mourning. And in an instant the warriors all went blind, poked their foreheads at each other, got angry and clung to passers-by, begging to be taken home.

But one man named Afoniy still got to the bed on which the body of the Mother of God rested, grabbed it with his hands and wanted to throw the body to the ground.

But at that very second, Afonius’s arms fell off right up to the elbows. And he himself, armless, fell to the ground.

There was nothing left for him to do. He repented and recognized Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and called the Virgin Mary the Mother of God.

Then the Apostle Peter ordered his hands to be returned to him. Many blind people also came and begged for their sight to be restored. They were pitied, and they began to see. And they also believed in Christ.

Mary's body was brought to the Garden of Gethsemane and placed in a cave. And, as expected, the entrance to it was blocked with a stone. For three days the apostles were on duty near the tomb of the Mother of God, praying and guarding her peace.

On the third day, Thomas, an unbeliever, came to them; he alone did not make it to the funeral and now wanted to say goodbye to the Mother of God.

They rolled away the stone. But Mary’s body was no longer there. Only the shroud in which She was buried remained.

Jesus Christ took His Mother to heaven. And now they look at the earth from there and protect everyone who believes them and loves them from misfortune and grief.

Don’t forget to pray to them too. And do not forget that the Spirit of God lives in every person, therefore every person is the Son of God.

Unfortunately, not everyone understands this correctly. The Spirit of God is love for all people and responsibility towards them. This is what Jesus Christ spoke about when he came to earth to save people from their delusions and mistakes.

He will return to earth again. And maybe it will come soon. How do you think people will greet him now? Will they understand and want to improve? Or will they be sentenced to death again?

And also... listen more often to what’s inside you. Right. There is a heart and other organs. And there is also a soul. You have to listen to your soul. Sometimes it is also called conscience. But conscience is only a part of the soul. Difficult to understand? Nothing. It's good if you think about it.

God created people good, without sin, but they began to sin and could not stop. And then God decided to save them from sin. For this purpose, He sent His Son Jesus Christ, so that He would be born a man and save people. But the Lord could only be born a man from the Most Pure Virgin. And God sent Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary so that he would tell Her about this. Gabriel came to Her and said: “You have pleased God. Rejoice! The Holy Spirit will come upon You and Christ will be born of You. You will be the Mother of God." The Virgin Mary thought and answered: “I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be as you said."

Christmas

But a person is born only after people become husband and wife. No one knew what Archangel Gabriel said to the Virgin Mary, and so that people would not be surprised that the Virgin Mary would have a child without a husband, She became engaged to Elder Joseph, who was then called the Betrothed. When the time came for the Baby to be born, the Virgin Mary and Joseph found themselves in the city of Bethlehem. There was no room for them in the hotels, and they stayed in a cave, which served as shelter from the rain for domestic animals. Here the Child Christ was born to the Virgin Mary. Three wise men came to the cave to bow to the born King. They brought Him gifts as King and God. The shepherds also came: in the field they heard the singing of Angels: “Glory to God in the highest!”

Baptism

At that time, Saint John, the Forerunner of the Lord, lived on earth. He knew that Christ would soon be born, and he called on everyone to meet Him. To do this, he confessed people and baptized them in the Jordan River: “Repent! - he called, “The Savior will come soon.” Christ, when he was thirty years old, came to John and said: “Baptize Me.” John was embarrassed and replied that it would be better if Christ baptized him, John, but Christ stopped him: “Do as I said. This is how God’s will will be fulfilled.” And he entered the water. John baptized Him and from that time began to be called not only the Forerunner (i.e., the Forerunner), but also the Baptist of the Lord. When Christ came out of the water, the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descended on Him from heaven and the voice of God the Father was heard: “This is My beloved Son!”

Transfiguration

One day our Lord Jesus Christ called the apostles Peter, James, and John and went up with them to Mount Tabor. Moving away from them a little, He began to pray, and suddenly the apostles saw that His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became dazzling white. They also saw that the prophets Moses and Elijah were standing and talking with the Lord. And then a cloud came down from heaven and covered everyone, from which a voice was heard: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him! The apostles were so shocked by the miracle that they fell in fear and covered their eyes with their hands. Christ raised them up with the words: “Rise up, do not be afraid!” And he forbade them to talk about what they saw. When they got up, the wonderful light and the prophets were no longer there. Everything was as before.

Raising Lazarus

In Bethany, near Jerusalem, lived the sisters Martha, Mary and their brother Lazarus. Our Lord Jesus Christ loved them and visited them. One day, when He was far from them, His friend Lazarus fell ill and soon died. Then He decided to go to Bethany and resurrect him. To the sobbing Martha, Christ said: “Your brother will rise again.” He went to the tomb hewn out of the rock, and everyone followed Him. “Roll away the stone!” - He ordered and began to pray, asking God the Father to resurrect Lazarus. Then he exclaimed loudly: “Lazarus! Come out!” And a great miracle happened: Lazarus, who had been lying in the tomb for four days, rose up and came out. Everyone who saw this glorified Jesus Christ as the true God, realizing that He could resurrect all people.

Last Supper

On Easter, Christ and the apostles gathered in one house in Jerusalem. Before sitting down at the table, He washed the feet of the apostles and told them to always serve one another. After this, breaking the bread, Christ handed it to his disciples with the words: “Take, eat! This is My body, which is given up for you for the remission of sins.” Then he blessed the cup of wine: “Drink from it, everyone! This is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you.” Thus, the Lord forever established Holy Communion in the Church as the only opportunity for people to be cleansed of sins and unite with Christ. That same day, at table with Him was the traitor Judas, who betrayed Him to his enemies for thirty pieces of silver.

Crucifixion

Having captured Jesus Christ at night in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Jews interrogated Him and mocked Him. Then they brought Him to the Roman governor Pilate and demanded that He be crucified. Pilate saw that Christ was innocent, but gave in to the Jews. Pilate's soldiers also mocked Christ: they beat him and put on a crown of thorns, the thorns of which pierced His head. Outside the city, on the hill of Golgotha, He was crucified: His hands and feet were nailed to the Cross. Next to Him were crucified two robbers who were executed for their crimes, and Christ accepted voluntary torment and death for the crimes of all people. One robber mocked Him, and the other, realizing that this was a sinless God, repented of his crimes and was immediately pardoned by God. After death, he immediately went to Paradise.

Wives of the Myrrh-Bearer

The deceased Christ was buried in a new tomb.
The Jews did not believe that Christ could be resurrected and therefore they sealed the entrance to it and placed a guard. They were afraid that His disciples might steal his body, saying that He had risen. But on the third day, Sunday, He really rose again! The guards who saw this fell and lay as if dead for a long time. Early in the morning the holy myrrh-bearing wives came here. They brought fragrant oil of myrrh to anoint the body of Christ with it, which is why they are called myrrh-bearers. They entered the tomb and saw that Christ was not in it. Only the angel was there. Then His disciples, the apostles Peter and John, ran to the tomb. They were shocked by this event, although not everyone immediately believed that Christ had risen!

Ascension

After His resurrection, Christ appeared to His disciples several times. He entered their house through closed doors and even sat down at the table with them and ate. He met them on the way, appeared on the shore of the lake when they were fishing. At this time, He revealed to them the meaning of the Holy Scriptures, strengthened them in faith, promising to be with them always. He is always close to those who do not betray Him. But after His resurrection in His new flesh, He spent only forty days on earth. One day, talking with his disciples, He came to Bethany and here, retreating from them, blessed them and ascended into heaven. Thus, being simultaneously in heaven and in the souls of people faithful to Him, He helps them get rid of sin.

In this article we invite you to familiarize yourself with the most famous biblical stories. It is known that biblical stories became the basis of many cultural works. Bible stories do more than just teach us wisdom, tolerance, and faith. Bible stories help us better understand culture and ourselves.

In this material we offer you biblical stories of the Old and New Testaments. The greatest prophets, kings of the Ancient World, apostles and Christ himself are the heroes of epic biblical tales.

World creation.

The biblical story of the creation of the world is described in the Book of Genesis (Chapter 1). This biblical story is fundamental to the entire Bible. Not only does it tell how it all began, it also establishes the basic teachings about who God is and who we are in relationship with God.

The creation of man.

Man was created on the sixth day of creation. From this biblical story we learn that man is the pinnacle of the universe, created in the image of God. This is the source of human dignity and this is why we pursue spiritual growth, so we will become more like it. Having created the first people, the Lord commanded them to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and have dominion over animals.

Adam and Eve - a story of love and the Fall

The story of the creation of the first people Adam and Eve and how Satan, under the guise of a serpent, tempted Eve to sin and eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of good and evil. Chapter 3 of Genesis describes the story of the Fall and the expulsion of the first people from Eden. Adam and his wife Eve are in the Bible the first people on Earth, created by God and the ancestors of the human race.

Cain and Abel - the story of the first murder.

Cain and Abel are brothers, sons of the first people - Adam and Eve. Cain killed Abel out of jealousy. The story of Cain and Abel is the story of the first murder on the young Earth. Abel was a cattle breeder, and Cain was a farmer. The conflict began with a sacrifice to God made by both brothers. Abel sacrificed the firstborn heads of his flock, and God accepted his sacrifice, while Cain’s sacrifice - the fruits of the earth - was rejected due to the fact that it was not offered with a pure heart.

Longevity of the first people.

We have been asked many times in commentaries on chapters of the book of Genesis why people lived so long in those days. Let's try to imagine all possible interpretations of this fact.

Great Flood.

Chapters 6-9 of Genesis tell the story of the Great Flood. God was angry at the sins of mankind and sent rains to the earth, which became the cause of the Flood. The only people who managed to escape were Noah and his family. God commanded Noah to build an ark, which became a shelter for him and his relatives, as well as for animals and birds, which Noah took with him into the ark.

Babel

After the Great Flood, humanity was a single people and spoke one language. The tribes that came from the east decided to build the city of Babylon and a tower to heaven. The construction of the tower was interrupted by God, who created new languages, which is why people stopped understanding each other and were unable to continue construction.

Abraham's Covenant with the Lord

In the Book of Genesis, several chapters are devoted to the post-flood patriarch Abraham. Abraham was the first person with whom the Lord God entered into a Covenant, according to which Abraham would become the father of many nations.

Sacrifice of Isaac.

The Book of Genesis describes the story of the failed sacrifice of Isaac by his father, Abraham. According to Genesis, God called Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a “burnt offering.” Abraham obeyed without hesitation, but the Lord spared Isaac, convinced of Abraham’s devotion.

Isaac and Rebekah

The story of Abraham's son Isaac and his wife Rebekah. Rebekah was the daughter of Bethuel and the granddaughter of Abraham's brother Nahor (Abraham, who lived in Canaan, decided to find a wife for Isaac in his homeland, in Harran).

Sodom and Gomorrah

Sodom and Gomorrah are two famous biblical cities that, according to the Book of Genesis, were destroyed by God for the sinfulness and depravity of their inhabitants. The only one who managed to survive was Abraham's son Lot and his daughters.

Lot and his daughters.

In the tragedy of Sodom and Gomorrah, God spared only Lot and his daughters, since Lot turned out to be the only righteous person in Sodom. After fleeing Sodom, Lot settled in the city of Zoar, but soon left there and settled with his daughters in a cave in the mountains.

The story of Joseph and his brothers

The biblical story of Joseph and his brothers is told in the Book of Genesis. This is the story of God's faithfulness to the promises made to Abraham, His omnipotence, omnipotence and omniscience. Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, but the Lord directed their destinies in such a way that they themselves accomplished what they were so eager to prevent - the rise of Joseph.

Egyptian plagues

According to the book of Exodus, Moses, in the name of the Lord, demanded that Pharaoh free the enslaved children of Israel. Pharaoh did not agree and 10 Egyptian plagues were brought down on Egypt - ten disasters.

The Wanderings of Moses

The story of the forty-year exodus of the Jews from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. After forty years of wandering, the Israelites circled Moab and reached the bank of the Jordan at Mount Nebo. Here Moses died, appointing Joshua as his successor.

Manna from heaven

According to the Bible, manna from heaven is the food that God fed the people of Israel during their 40-year wanderings in the desert after the exodus from Egypt. The manna looked like white grains. The collection of manna took place in the morning.

Tencommandments

According to the book of Exodus, the Lord gave Moses ten commandments about how to live and relate to God and each other.

Battle of Jericho

The biblical story tells how Moses' successor, Joshua, asked the Lord to help him take the city of Jericho, whose inhabitants were afraid of the Israelites and did not want to open the gates of the city.

Samson and Delilah

The story of Samson and Delilah is described in the Book of Judges. Delilah is the woman who betrayed Samson, repaying her love and devotion by revealing the secret of Samson’s strength to his worst enemies - the Philistines.

The Story of Ruth

Ruth is the great-grandmother of King David. Ruth was known for her righteousness and beauty. The story of Ruth represents righteous entry into the Jewish people.

David and Goliath

The biblical story of a young man who, led by faith, defeated a great warrior. Young David is the future God-chosen king of Judah and Israel.

Ark of the Covenant of God

The Ark of the Covenant is the greatest shrine of the Jewish people, in which the stone Tablets of the Covenant were kept, as well as a vessel with manna and Aaron’s staff.

Wisdom of King Solomon.

King Solomon is the son of David and the third Jewish king. His reign is described as a wise and just reign. Solomon was considered the personification of wisdom.

Solomon and the Queen of Sheba

A biblical story about how the legendary Arabian ruler Queen of Sheba paid a visit to King Solomon, famous for his wisdom.

Golden image of Nebuchadnezzar

Nebuchadnezzar, who saw a golden image in a dream, could not get rid of the desire to make a similar statue of enormous size and from the purest gold.

Queen Esther

Esther was a beautiful, quiet, modest, but energetic woman who was passionately devoted to her people and her religion. She is the intercessor of the Jewish people.

Job the long-suffering

Biblical stories of the New Testament.

Birth of John the Baptist

The Old Testament ends with the hope that God will send Elijah to prepare the people for the coming of the Savior, the Messiah. Such a person turns out to be John the Baptist, who prepares people for the coming of the Messiah, telling them about repentance.

Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The biblical story is about the announcement by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary of the future birth according to the flesh from her of Jesus Christ. An angel came to the Mother of God and uttered the words that She had been chosen by God and had found grace from God.

Birth of Jesus

Even in the Book of Genesis there are prophecies about the coming of the Messiah. There are more than 300 of them in the Old Testament. These prophecies come true in the birth of Jesus Christ.

Gifts of the Magi.

The Three Wise Men bring gifts to baby Jesus at Christmas. In the Bible, the Magi are kings or magicians who came from the East to worship the baby Jesus. The Magi learned about the birth of Jesus by the appearance of a miraculous star.

Massacre of the innocents

The Massacre of the Innocents is a New Testament biblical tradition described in the Gospel of Matthew. Tradition speaks of the massacre of infants in Bethlehem after the birth of Jesus. Murdered babies are revered by a number of Christian churches as holy martyrs.

Baptism of Jesus

Jesus Christ came to John the Baptist, who was near the Jordan River in Bethabara, with the goal of being baptized. John said: “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” To this Jesus replied that “we must fulfill all righteousness,” and received baptism from John.

Temptation of Christ

After his baptism, Jesus went into the desert to fast for forty days. In the desert the devil tempted Jesus. In Christianity, the temptation of Christ by the devil is interpreted as one of the proofs of the dual nature of Jesus, and His wounding of the Devil is interpreted as an example of the fight against evil and the grace-filled result of baptism.

Jesus walks on water

Jesus walking on the waters is one of the miracles performed by Christ to assure the disciples of His Divinity. Walking on water is described in three Gospels. This is a famous biblical story that was used for Christian icons, mosaics, etc.

Expulsion of traders from the temple

A biblical story describing an episode of the earthly life of the Messiah. On the Passover holiday in Jerusalem, Jews rounded up sacrificial cattle and set up shops in the temple. After entering Jerusalem, Christ went to the temple, saw the merchants and drove them out.

last supper

The Last Supper is the last meal of Jesus Christ with His twelve disciples, during which He established the sacrament of the Eucharist and predicted the betrayal of one of the disciples.

Prayer for the Cup

The Prayer of the Cup or the Prayer of Gethsemane is the prayer of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. The prayer for the cup is an expression of the fact that Jesus had two wills: divine and human.

Kiss of Judas

Biblical story found in the three Gospels. Judas kissed Christ at night in the Garden of Gethsemane after praying for the cup. The kiss was a sign for the arrest of the Messiah.

Pilate's Court

The Trial of Pilate is the trial of the Roman procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate, over Jesus Christ, described in the four Gospels. The Judgment of Pilate is included in the Passion of Christ.

Denial of the Apostle Peter

The Denial of Peter is a New Testament story that tells how the Apostle Peter denied Jesus after his arrest. Denial was predicted by Jesus during the Last Supper.

Way of the Cross

The Way of the Cross or carrying the cross is a biblical story, an integral part of the Passion of Jesus, representing the path taken by Christ under the weight of the cross, on which he was subsequently crucified.

Crucifixion of Christ

The execution of Jesus took place on Golgotha. The execution of Christ by crucifixion is the final episode of the Passion of Christ, which precedes the burial and Resurrection of Christ. Jesus suffered on the cross next to the thieves.

Resurrection.
On the third day after death, Jesus Christ rose from the dead. His body was transformed. He came out of the tomb without breaking the Sanhedrin seal and invisible to the guards.