Stories of Jesus

Jesus Finishes His Mission on Earth

By Diane L. Mangum

From Luke 2; John 13–20

On a holy night in the quiet village of Bethlehem, a baby boy was born into the world. Mary held the baby tightly and hushed Him to sleep. Nearby, angels told shepherds the good news.

But why was this sweet little baby so important that His birth was announced by a bright new star? Why did Wise Men travel from far away to bring Him treasures and to worship Him as their King?

It was because this tiny baby was Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Heavenly Father had sent Him to earth with a special mission. Jesus Christ would do something for us that no one else could do. And if He did not do it, none of us would be able to return to live with Heavenly Father.

When Jesus grew to be a man, He began to fulfill His mission. He traveled through the villages and cities of Palestine and taught the people, healed the sick, and organized His Church. Some of the Jews were angry. They didn’t believe Jesus could be the Messiah. They wanted Him to be arrested for saying He was the Son of God.

Jesus continued His work until He knew it was time to finish His mission on earth. Then He ate a meal with His disciples and went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. He suffered the pain of the sins of all mankind. Then He allowed wicked men to nail Him to a cross. He gave His life so we all can be resurrected and live again.

When Jesus died, His spirit left His body. His friends wrapped His body in clean white cloth and laid it in a tomb, with a large rock in front of the doorway.

On the third day, Mary Magdalene went early in the morning to visit Jesus’s tomb. She found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty, and she wept. Then she saw a man and thought he was the gardener. She asked him where Jesus’s body had been taken. The man called her name, and Mary realized the man was Jesus. She ran to tell others the good news.

Jesus was resurrected! His body and spirit were reunited, and He lived again.

Jesus Christ gave His life and rose from the dead to become the Savior of each one of us. When we think of Jesus’s birth, we can also remember that He was resurrected for us. Because He was born and died for us, we can return to live with our Heavenly Father and Jesus forever.

Christ and the Rich Young Ruler by Heinrich Hofmann, courtesy C. Harrison Conroy Co. Inc.; The Nativity © 1985 Robert Barrett; Jesus Healing the Blind by Carl Bloch © IRI—used by permission of the National Historic Museum at Frederiksborg in Hillerød, Denmark; New Testament Stories art and Christ in Jerusalem by Paul Mann © 1999 IRI; My Redeemer Lives © Roger Loveless