Jesus knew the difference between new believers and those who had been trained as his disciples. He didn’t trust new believers by telling them all about his plans. If these new Christians knew everything Jesus planned to do, they might even try to stop him from dying on the cross. Remember what the Apostle Peter did when Judas brought people to arrest Jesus? He pulled out his sword and cut the ear off one of them (John 18:10-11).
Peter had been Jesus’ disciple for three years. He still didn’t understand why Jesus had to die on the cross. He was so scared of being arrested that he denied knowing Jesus three times.
Except for the Apostle John, all of Jesus’ disciples either denied him or ran away after he was arrested. After Jesus rose from the dead, he sent the Holy Spirit to give his disciples power to preach the gospel. Many of them died preaching the gospel. It takes time before Jesus can trust us with his work.
Think about this: Before Jesus left Earth to go back to Heaven, he gave his disciples a job. He told them to preach the gospel to people all over the world. He sent the Holy Spirit to live inside them so that they would have power to do this job (Acts 1:7-9).
Memorize this truth: “Trust the Lord completely! Don’t depend on your own knowledge. Think about God in all that you do. Then he will help you.” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Ask this question: Can God trust you to tell your friends about the good news of his life, death and resurrection?
Copyright 2011 Carey Kinsolving
Kids Color Me Bible Gospel of John May be Reproduced Freely For Personal Use & Educational Purposes
www.KidsTalkAbooutGod.org
ERV Translation Used By Permission of World Bible Translation Center