FREE CHRISTIAN STORIES FOR KIDS

Mary and Elisabeth

Once there was a woman named Elisabeth. She and her husband Zacharias, asked God to give them children, but they never had any. When they grew old, an angel came to give Zacharias a message. He said, Your prayer has been heard. You will have a son and you shall name him John. He will tell many people about God. Zacharias said, How do I know this is true? My wife and I are both old. The angel said, my name is Gabriel and God sent me to tell you this great news. But, because you don’t believe my words, you will not be able to speak until the child is born.

Then Gabriel was sent to a city named Nazareth to a young woman named Mary, who was Elisabeth’s cousin. Mary loved a man named Joseph and was going to marry him soon. Gabriel told Mary, the Lord is with you, and you are blessed among women. You will have a son and you shall call Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest. And His kingdom will never end. Mary said to Gabriel, how can this be? I am not married yet. Gabriel answered, The Holy Spirit will make this child in you and He will be called the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary, Your cousin Elisabeth, is going to have a baby too. With God, nothing is impossible. Mary said, I am a servant of the Lord. Let it happen to me, just as you have said. Then the angel Gabriel left her.

Mary hurried to visit Elisabeth, and when Elisabeth heard Mary’s voice, the baby moved inside of her and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. Mary said, God has done great things for me. Mary stayed with Elisabeth for three months and then went home. When Elisabeth’s baby was born, people thought they should name him after his dad, but Elisabeth said, No, his name will be John. Now, Zacharias still could not speak, so he wrote, His name is John. All of a sudden, he could speak again, just as the angel Gabriel had told him. Everyone that heard, was surprised and Zacharias said, Blessed be the Lord God.

Jesus is Born

Joseph was a carpenter and he was a good man. One night an angel of the Lord talked to him in a dream and said, Joseph, don’t be afraid to make Mary your wife. Her baby has been made in her by the Holy Spirit. She will have a son and shall call his name Jesus. He will save His people from their sins. So Joseph did as the angel told him, and Mary became his wife.

There was a law made, that everyone in the world had to go to the city where they grew up, to be counted. Joseph was from the city of David, which is called Bethlehem. It was a long way from Nazareth to the little town of Bethlehem, so Mary rode on a donkey. When they got there, the baby Jesus was born in a stable, because there was no room at the inn. Mary wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger. That night, there were shepherds that were taking care of their sheep in a field near Bethlehem. The angel of the Lord said to them, Don’t be afraid, I am bringing news of great joy for the whole world. Today in the city of David, a Savior is born, which is Christ the Lord. You will find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly, with the angel, there were many more angels praising God, saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. When the angels left, the shepherds said to each other, Let’s go to Bethlehem and see the Savior. They hurried and found Joseph and Mary. And when they saw the baby Jesus, they told people in other countries that the Savior was born, and they thanked God for all the things that they had heard and seen.

At the time that Jesus was born, the king of Jerusalem was named Herod. There were wise men that followed a star to Jerusalem and asked Herod where the baby was that was born the King of the people of Israel. They wanted to go and worship him. This bothered Herod because he didn’t want anyone else to be king. He called all his people together and asked where the child was. They told him that the Prophet Micah had written that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem. So, Herod sent the wise men to Bethlehem and said, go find the young child and when you have found him, come back and tell me so I can worship Him too. They followed the star again and it lead them until it stood right over where the baby Jesus was. They gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then God told them not to go back and tell Herod, so they left and went back to their own country.

After the wise men left, Joseph saw an angel of the Lord in a dream. The angel said, Take the baby Jesus and Mary and go to Egypt until I tell you it is safe to go back home, because Herod will look for Jesus to destroy Him. Joseph did what the angel told him. When Herod figured out that the wise men weren’t coming back, he was very mad, and sent his people to kill all the children in Bethlehem that were under two years old. When Herod died, Joseph saw the angel in a dream again. The angel told Joseph to return to Israel, and Joseph and Mary and Jesus went back and lived in Nazareth.

As Jesus grew up, he was filled with wisdom. He was God’s son, because God’s Holy Spirit made him, so he was perfect in every way. Every year, Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem to celebrate when God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt. When Jesus was twelve years old, they went to the feast, and when it was over, Jesus stayed in Jerusalem, but Mary and Joseph didn’t know it. They thought Jesus was with the other people who were traveling with them back home. When they found out Jesus wasn’t with them, they went back to Jerusalem to find Him. After three days, they found Jesus in the temple, listening to the teachers and asking them questions. Everyone was surprised at how smart he was. Mary asked Jesus, Why have you done this to us? Your dad and I have been so worried about you. And Jesus said to them, Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I would be doing my Father’s business? They didn’t understand what He said. He went back to Nazareth with them and grew up and God loved Him very much.

Jesus is Baptized

Jesus’ cousin John, grew up in the wilderness. His clothes were made of camel’s hair and he ate wild honey and locusts. John came out of the wilderness and went to the river in Jordan and baptized people in the water. Baptize means to become clean of your sins. John told the people to be sorry for their sins and to ask God to forgive them, because the kingdom of Heaven would soon be here. He told people how to live a good clean life. If someone has two coats, or food, share with someone who doesn’t have any. Don’t steal or lie and be happy with what you have. Some people thought he had the spirit of Elijah, and some thought he was the Messiah, who God’s Prophets said was the Savior. Some people asked John, Who are you? John answered, I baptize with water, but there is someone mightier than me. I am not even good enough to loosen his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and fire.

Jesus came to Jordan to be baptized by John and when John saw Him, he knew who He was. John said, You came to be baptized, but I should be baptized by you. When Jesus went up out of the water, the Heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God come down and land on Jesus like a dove, and a voice from Heaven said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Satan Tries to Trick Jesus

Jesus went up into the wilderness and didn’t eat for forty days and forty nights. He was very, very hungry. The devil tried to trick Jesus and said, If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. But Jesus said, Man shall not live on bread only, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Well, that trick didn’t work, so the devil tried to trick Jesus again. He took Jesus up into Jerusalem, to the very tip top of the temple and said to Him, If you are the Son of God, jump off from here, because God says his angels will take care of you so you won’t hurt yourself. But Jesus said, You shall not test the Lord your God. Well, that didn’t work either, so the devil tried one more time. He took Jesus up to the top of a very, very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and how great they are. And the devil said, I will give you all of these things if you will bow down and pray to me. Jesus said to the devil, Go away satan, You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve only Him. The devil thought he could trick Jesus three times, and all three times he lost, so the devil left and angels came and took care of Jesus.

The Disciples

Jesus was thirty years old when he started telling people about God. The people who followed him everywhere he went, were called disciples. There are twelve and these are their names:

They left their homes and families and everything they owned, to follow Jesus, and they learned everything he taught. They watched Him make sick people well, give sight to the blind, make crippled people walk, and do many other miracles. As Jesus and the twelve disciples traveled around, many crowds would listen to him teach about God and how to live the way God wants us to, being good, obeying his Commandments, and loving and helping other people. Jesus told many stories that helped people understand what is right and what is wrong. These stories are called parables.

The Field and the Weeds

Jesus told this story. The kingdom of God is like a farmer who planted grain in his field, but while he slept, his enemy came and planted weeds in with the grain, and left. When the grain started to grow, the weeds started to grow too. The servants asked the farmer, where did all these weeds come from? The farmer said, my enemy has done this. The servants asked, do you want us to go and pull the weeds out? But the farmer said, No, you might pull up the grain too. Let them both grow together until the grain is ready to be picked, then pull the weeds and tie them in bundles to burn them, but put the grain in my barn.

Then Jesus told what the story means. The farmer is the Son of God. The field is the world. The grain seeds are people who love God. The weeds are people who listen to the devil. The enemy is the devil. The servants are the angels. And the barn is the kingdom of Heaven. At the end of the world, the people who listen to the devil will be taken and burned in fire. The Son of God will send his angels and they will take the people who love God to live with God in His kingdom of heaven.

The Lost Sheep

Once there was a lot of sinners who came to hear Jesus talk. Some people were surprised that Jesus would be talking to sinners. Jesus said, If you had a hundred sheep and lost one of them, wouldn’t you leave the ninety nine and go look for the one that was lost, until you found it? And when you found it, wouldn’t you bring it back on your shoulders, and be very happy? And when you got home, wouldn’t you call your friends and say to them, come and be happy with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost? Jesus said, The same will happen in heaven, when one sinner is sorry for his sins. And if a woman has ten pieces of silver and loses one piece, wouldn’t she light a candle and sweep the house and look for it until she found it? And when she has found it, she would call her friends and say, come and be happy with me, because I have found the silver that I had lost. Then Jesus said, I say to you, the angels will be happy if one sinner asks to be forgiven for their sins.

Forgive

Simon Peter asked Jesus, How many times should I forgive if someone does something bad? Seven times? Jesus said, No, seventy times seven. Then Jesus began to tell a story. The kingdom of heaven is like a king who once had a servant that owed him a hundred dollars. The servant didn’t have the money to pay him back, so the king wanted to sell the servant and his wife and children so that he could get his money. The servant begged the king, O please, give me time and I will pay all that I owe you. The king had a good heart, so he didn’t sell the servant and his family and told him to forget all about the money he owed. Then the servant went out and found one of his friends that owed him a dollar. He took him by the throat and said, Pay me what you owe me! His friend begged him, O please give me time and I will pay all that I owe you. But the servant would not wait, and he had his friend put into jail until he could pay what he owed. When the king heard what had happened, he said to the servant, I forgot about what you owed me, shouldn’t you forget what your friend owed to you? The king was angry and he took the servant and put him into jail until he could pay what he owed. Then Jesus told what the story meant. You should forgive people when they do something bad and they are sorry for it, just like God forgives you when you are sorry.

The Lost Son

This is a story that Jesus told about a man who had two sons. The younger said to his dad, Give me the money you have saved for me. So his dad gave the money he had saved to both of his sons, and the younger son went out and wasted all of his money on things he didn’t need, and doing wrong. When he had spent it all, he ended up feeding pigs and nobody would give him anything to eat. He said to himself, My dad’s servants have bread, and I am hungry. I will go back home. When he got home his dad had missed him so much and was so glad that he had come home that he ran to his son and hugged his neck and kissed him. The son said, I have sinned against Heaven and you and I am not good enough to be called your son. But his dad told his servants to bring the best clothes for him and let us be happy and have a feast, because my son was dead and now he is alive again! He was lost, and now he is found!

The older brother was in the field and when he came near to the house he could hear music and dancing and he asked the servants what was going on. They told him that his brother has come home and your dad is very happy that he is home, safe and sound. The older brother was mad, and wouldn’t go in the house, so his dad came out to talk to him. The older brother said, I have worked for you for many years and have always been good, and you never gave me a party. But as soon as my brother came home, after wasting all his money and doing wrong, you have a great big party. His dad said to him, Son, you are always with me and everything I have is yours. It is right that we should be happy, because your brother was dead and is alive again. He was lost and now he is home.

Jesus was telling about how God feels when someone is bad. He is very happy when they figure out that they were wrong and they come to Him and ask to be forgiven, and they are not lost anymore. He will say, Welcome home!

Jesus Feeds the People

Once there was a big crowd of people who had followed Jesus to hear him teach. Jesus loved people and he healed the sick people who were there. When it started to get late, the disciples asked Jesus to send the people away so they could go and buy food. But Jesus said, They don’t need to go, give them food to eat. The disciples said, But we only have five loaves of bread and two fishes. Jesus told the people to sit down on the grass and he took the bread and the fish and looked up to Heaven. He blessed the bread and broke it into pieces and gave it to his disciples to give to the people. There were five thousand men there, not counting the women and children, and everyone who was there, ate until they were full. They picked up the food that was left over and it filled twelve baskets!

Jesus Walks on Water

Jesus liked to be alone to pray, so he went up into a mountain to talk to His Father. When it got dark, he came down from the mountain, his disciples were all out on a boat in the water and the wind was blowing against them. Jesus went out to them, walking on the water! When they saw him walking on the sea, they were afraid, because they thought it was a spirit. Jesus said to them, Be happy, it is I, don’t be afraid. Peter said, Lord, if is you, tell me to come out to you on the water. Jesus said, Come. Peter stepped out of the ship and started to walk on the water toward Jesus, but he remembered the wind and got scared. He started to sink into the water and cried out to Jesus, Lord, save me! Jesus reached out His hand to Peter and caught him and said, You have little faith, why did you doubt? Jesus lesson was that if you believe, you receive. If you trust in God that you can do something, He will help you do it. They went back to the boat and the wind stopped. All who were on the boat said, It is true, you are the Son of God. They sailed to the other side of the sea, and when the people heard that Jesus was there, they brought all their sick people to Him so that they might be made well. And whoever even touched the hem of Jesus clothes, was made perfectly healthy because they had faith, and believed in Jesus.

The Last Supper

Jesus told his disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and go through many things. God told Jesus that He would be hung on a cross and would die, and then He would be brought back to life three days after that. The disciples were very sad. Then, a woman came to Jesus with some lotion that cost a lot of money. She poured it on Jesus head as he ate. When his disciples saw, they said, Why did she waste this lotion. It could have been sold for a lot of money and the money could have been given to the poor. Jesus said, She has done a good thing. You always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.

Then Judas, one of the disciples went to the Jews who wanted to kill Jesus and asked them how much they would pay him if he turned Jesus in to them. They promised him thirty pieces of silver. From that moment on, he waited for a chance to hand Jesus over to them. It was the time of year that people celebrated when God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt. It was called Passover. The disciples got the meal ready and Jesus sat down with them. As they ate, Jesus said, One of you will hand me over. They were very upset and each one of them asked, Lord, is it me? Jesus said, The Son of God will die, but it will be sad for the man who hands me over. It would be better if he had never been born. Then Judas asked, Is it me? And Jesus answered, You said it. While they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it and broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, Take and eat. This is my body. After supper, he took a cup of wine and gave thanks and gave it to them and said, Take and drink. This is my blood which is poured out for many, for the forgiveness of sins. I will not drink again until I drink with you in my Father’s kingdom.

Then Jesus washed all the disciples feet, to show them that if the Lord takes care of you, you should take care of each other. Then Jesus said to Judas, Do what you have to do quickly. Judas left, and the others thought that Jesus sent him to buy something or to give money to the poor, but Jesus knew that he was going to do. Then Jesus spoke to the others and said, I will be with you for a little while longer, then I must go where you cannot go, so I give you a new Commandment. Love one another as I have loved you. Then all people will know that you are my disciples. Simon Peter asked Jesus, Where are you going? Jesus answered, You cannot follow me now, but you will follow me afterward. Peter said, Lord, I will give up my life for you. Jesus answered him and said, before the rooster crows, you will say you don’t even know me, three times.

Jesus talked to the disciples more and said, I am going to my Father’s house to make a place for you there. Nobody can be with my Father unless they believe in me. I am in the Father and the Father is in me. If you believe in me and the things I do, you will be able to do these things and even greater things. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do. God will send you His Holy Spirit and he will stay with you forever. He will live in you and teach you all things. He will help you remember everything I have said to you. If I stay, the Holy Spirit will not come to you, but if I go away, I will send Him to you. He will guide you.

Thirty Pieces of Silver

Jesus went to pray in a place called the garden of Gethsemane. He took Peter, James and John with him to watch. Jesus was very sad while he prayed. An angel came to him from Heaven and gave him strength. He prayed even harder and his sweat was like great drops of blood falling to the ground. When Jesus got back to Peter, James and John, he found them asleep. Jesus said, Get up, let us go, because the one who will hand me over will be here soon. Before he finished speaking, Judas brought a crowd of Jews with swords and spears. Judas had told them before they got there, that whoever I will kiss, that is Jesus that you are looking for. Right away, Judas said Master, master, and kissed Jesus. They arrested Jesus. All the disciples got scared and ran off, except for Peter who followed far behind. They tried to find reasons to kill Jesus but they couldn’t. Then Jews started telling lies about Him. One man asked if he was the Son of God. Jesus said, I am. They didn’t believe Jesus was the Son of God. They said He deserved to die for lying. They started spitting on Him and hitting Him and making fun of Him.

Peter was waiting to see what would happen, when a woman said, This man was with Jesus. Peter said, I don’t know Him. After a little while another person said, You are one of Jesus’ disciples. Peter said, I don’t know the man. Then a while later a third person said, This fellow was with Jesus. Peter said, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Then suddenly, a rooster crowed, and Peter remembered how Jesus said to him, Before the rooster crows, you will say you don’t even know me, three times. Peter went out and cried.

When Judas figured out what a bad thing he did, he was sorry for what he had done. He took the thirty pieces of silver back to the Jews who gave it to him and said, I have sinned. I handed over a man who did nothing wrong. They wouldn’t listen to him. Judas threw the silver on the ground and went out and hanged himself.

Hung on a Cross

They took Jesus to the governor named Pontius Pilate. Pilate asked Jesus if he was the King of the Jews. Jesus said, You say that I am. The Jews told Pilate all their lies about Jesus, but Pilate couldn’t find a reason for Jesus to die. Now, every year at Passover, one prisoner was set free, and the Jews got to choose which one. They told Pilate they wanted him to set Barabbas free. Barabbas was a robber and a murderer. Pilate said, What should I do with Jesus? They said, Nail him to a cross! They whipped Jesus and put a crown of thorns on His head. They hit Him and spit on Him and made fun of Him. A man named Simon carried His cross part of the way to a place called Golgotha. They nailed Jesus to the cross and hung him there with two thieves, one on each side of him. They put a sign on his cross above his head that said, THE KING OF THE JEWS. One of the thieves said to Jesus, If you are Christ, save yourself and us. But the other said, Don’t you fear God? We deserve this for what we’ve done, but this man has done no wrong. And he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said to him, Truly I say to you, Today you will be with me in paradise. Darkness fell over the whole land for three hours, then Jesus said with a loud voice, It is finished. Father, into your hands I give my spirit. And Jesus bowed His head and died.

Jesus is Alive

After Jesus died, the soldiers came to take Him down from the cross. They broke the legs of the two thieves, because they were still alive. When they saw that Jesus was dead already, they didn’t break his legs, but one of the soldiers took his spear and stabbed his side, and at once, blood and water spilled out of Jesus.

A man named Joseph asked Pilate if he could take the body of Jesus away to bury Him. Pilate agreed and Joseph wrapped Jesus in new linen cloth and laid him in a tomb. There was a huge rock that was rolled in front of the opening of the tomb and left. The next day, some Jews remembered that Jesus had said, After three days, I will live again. So they asked Pilate to put guards at the tomb.

On the third day, the earth shook, because two angels of God came down from Heaven and rolled the stone away from the door of the tomb and sat down on it. The guards were so afraid that they fainted. A woman that Jesus had healed, named Mary Magdalene, came to see the tomb. When she saw the stone was taken away, she ran and told Simon Peter and John, They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and I don’t know where they have taken Him. They ran back to the tomb and John got there first. He saw the linen cloth, but he didn’t go in. Then Peter went in and saw the linen cloth and the napkin that was around Jesus’ head, in a place by itself.

The disciples left and Mary stayed outside the tomb, crying. She looked into the tomb and saw the two angels. They asked Mary, Why are you crying? And she said, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they have taken him. She turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she didn’t know it was Him. Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you crying, who are you looking for? She thought He was the gardener, and said, Sir, if you have taken Him from here, tell me where He is and I will go get Him. Then Jesus said, Mary, and she turned and said, Teacher! Mary went and told the disciples she had seen Jesus alive, but they didn’t believe her.

That night when the disciples were together with the doors locked, because they were afraid of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the middle of them and said, Peace be with you. He showed them His hands where they were nailed to the cross, and his side. The disciples were so glad to see the Lord. Then Jesus said, My Father sent me, now I send you. He breathed on them and said, I give you the Holy Spirit.

Thomas wasn’t there when Jesus came back, so the other disciples told him, We have seen the Lord. Thomas said, Unless I see the holes in his hands from the nails and touch my finger on them, and push my hand into his side, I will not believe. Eight days later, the disciples were together again with the doors locked and Thomas was with them this time. Jesus came and stood in the middle of them again and said, Peace be with you. Then he said to Thomas, Touch my hands with your finger and push your hand into my side, and believe. Thomas said, You are my Lord and my God. Jesus said to him, Thomas, you have seen me, so you believe. Blessed are those who have not seen and still believe.

Jesus talked to His disciples for forty days after He rose from the dead. Jesus told them, soon you will be baptized with the power of the Holy Spirit. Go and tell all nations the things that I have taught you and make disciples of them. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. I am with you always even until the end of the world. Jesus lifted up His hands and blessed them and God took Jesus, and carried Him up into Heaven.