A girl called Miriam was rushing to Jerusalem. Someone special was in trouble...
Thud! She crashed into a young boy carrying a big bag of bread.
'Ouch my head! Hey my bread!' cried the boy who was called Simeon.
'Are you ok? Why are you carrying so much bread?'
'It's not just any bread! It's crusty, fresh, yummy bread and it's for someone special.'
'I bet he's not as special as MY friend.'
'Yeah? Well MY friend is the Miracle Man.'
'Wait! That's who I'm talking about too.'
'I'll never forget the day I met him,' said Simeon.
'Loads of people in my village went to listen to him tell stories about God.
'We stayed so long our bellies grumbled and I was the only one who had brought any lunch!
'Two fresh fish and five crusty, warm, yummy loaves of bread...hmmm!
'I was just about to eat it when a friend of his asked for them.
'The Miracle Man prayed, handed out my lunch and somehow fed 5,000 families!
'Now everyone calls me "Fish sarnie Sim", and we all call him the crowd-feeding, story-telling Miracle Man!'
'Well I was sick...really sick,' said Miriam.
'My dad rushed out to find the Miracle Man but by the time he arrived, I was already gone.'
'Wait, you died?' asked Sim.
'Yes! But then he brought me back to life! He's the life-giving Miracle Man!'
Getting close to Jerusalem, they felt something crunchy under their feet...
'Who's left all these palm leaves on the ground?' asked Miriam.
'And whose coat is this?' added Sim.
'They were put there to welcome the special one,' said a boy called Tim, tears in his eyes.
'The Miracle Man rode into town on a donkey and crowds came to welcome him.
'Some laid down coats or palm leaves, some bowed, some danced and some sang.
'No way! We've come to find the Miracle Man!' interrupted Sim.
'I saw him making people better. People who couldn't see, could see!
'People who couldn't walk, suddenly started running, jumping and skipping.
'I couldn't help but thank God for the donkey-riding, people-healing Miracle Man.'
'So why are you so sad?' asked Miriam.
'Because some people didn't like him.
They took him and nailed him on a cross.
'They pointed and laughed even though he was hurt.'
'Quick we have to rescue him!' cried Miriam.
'It's too late. He's gone!' said Tim.
They all slumped to the ground and just sobbed.
The Miracle Man they had traveled all this way to help was gone forever.
'Wait,' said Miriam. 'I'm alive again thanks to him. What if God could make him "alive again" too?'
'Follow me!' said Tim. 'I know where his tomb is.'
Reaching the tomb they saw that it was empty.
He was gone and they couldn't find his body anywhere!
'He did it! He's alive again too!' shouted Miriam.
'But how can we be sure?' asked Tim.
'Wait! The Miracle Man had some special friends who were fishermen right?
'If anyone would know what happened to Jesus, it would be them!'
So the three friends journeyed a really long way to the seaside.
When they arrived, they saw grown-ups having a BBQ!
'Hmm smells delicious!' said Sim. 'Look all the fish they've caught!'
Just then a grown-up joined their conversation.
'Do you know why the Miracle Man died?'
'Because some people thought he was bad?' guessed Tim.
'He died to forgive all the bad things and all the sad things that were ever done or said.'
'But he can't forgive ALL the mean people!' said Tim.
'Actually he died so anyone could be forgiven.
'No matter how bad the bad things were.
'And how sad the sad things were.'
'But why? asked Sim. 'Doesn't seem fair to me.'
'Because he loves you... that's why.'
'My friend Miriam thinks he's alive again. Is he?'
'He's not just alive again,' said the grown-up. 'He's alive again, forever!'
'He's the death-beating, life-giving and fully-forgiving Miracle Man.
'And he's right here!' said Miriam as the three friends finally realized who the grown up was.
And then they jumped into the arms of Jesus.
The story-telling,
crowd-feeding,
life-giving,
people-healing,
death-beating
and fully-forgiving Miracle Man.