Intermediate Level, Block 9—Biographies of Jesus
Week 86
Jesus’ Ministry (2)—Ruling the Universe
Point to Emphasize: Jesus is God, the Ruler of the Universe Who cares for His people.
Reading Reference: Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25
Memory Verse: …Be strong and take courage; do not be afraid or dismayed. For Jehovah your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)
Story Sample
Teaching the Word of God was not the only thing that Jesus did during His ministry. He did so many incredible and awesome things! These things proved that He was the Creator and the Ruler of the Universe. His ability to do all of these things means that when Jesus was on the earth, He was very powerful! He did things that NO ONE else in the history of mankind has been able to do. Some of the things Jesus did were miracles and wonders. The dictionary says a miracle is an event that can’t be explained by natural or scientific laws. This is not magic that you hear about in stories or in books. Those things are false. Jesus performed miracles and wonders, because He is God.
Here are just a few of the things He did: Jesus changed water into wine (John 2:1-11); He fed 5,000 people with two loaves of bread and some fish (Matthew 14:15-21); He healed the sick (Mark 1:34; 3:10; 6:5, 13, 56); and He raised the dead (Matthew 11:5; Luke 7:12-15; John 11:39-44). You can read all of these stories! I can assure you that you will be amazed by the things Jesus did.
Today, I will share with you one of these stories! One time, Jesus was with his disciples by the side of the sea, and He told them that they should cross to the other side of the sea by boat. They all got in the boat and off they went. While they were sailing, Jesus fell asleep on a cushion at the stern (back) of the boat. He wasn’t worried about a thing. He had told them they were going to the other side, so that’s what they would do. While He slept, though, the weather changed for the worse. A tempest came. Now a tempest is a terrible windstorm, and it blew, and it blew, and it blew. It blew so hard that the boat started filling with water. And do you know what happens when a boat gets too much water in it? That’s right, it sinks!
Well, the disciples were really frightened of all this wind and water. They were afraid they would sink! While they were worrying, Jesus was resting! Rather than following Jesus in resting, they were busy with their fear. So they went to Jesus and woke Him. He spoke to the disciples first, telling them not to be afraid and that they needed to believe His word. And then He spoke again. This time He spoke to the winds and the sea. After all, He is the Son of God, the Creator of the air and the water. So He spoke with authority to the winds and the sea, rebuking them, saying, “Be silent! Be still!” (Mark 4:39). And do you know what happened? That’s right, there was a calm. The wind stopped, the water settled, and it was calm. Just like that! The disciples marveled at what had happen saying, “What kind of man is this that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” (Matthew 8:27). The winds and the sea obeyed Him because He was God.
You know, sometimes when we are in trouble or when things go wrong, we might feel afraid, just like the disciples. We might think God doesn’t care about us, or that it doesn’t matter to Him if we have trouble. But that’s wrong! He cares very much. One time my family was right in the middle of a hurricane. A hurricane is a huge windstorm. We were indoors and could hear the wind blowing stronger and stronger. My dad got us all to sit down together. We started to pray and to sing some children’s songs. While we were singing, it felt like we were all in peace and calm. I felt God was right there with us caring for us and telling us not to be afraid. [Storyteller, insert your own story.]
In His ministry, Jesus did miracles and wonders because He was caring for the people. Doing these things showed that He was God, the Creator, and the Ruler of the Universe. As you read more stories in the New Testament you will see how wonderfully He cared for His people in this way.