TAMARIKI A ATUA Issue 3, Apr 2018 Kids & Teens Magazine of MAORI POSTAL AOTEAROA
A whaea (mother) stood on a noisy hillside, her sad eyes looking up to her tama (son) who was nailed on a wooden cross. The whaea was Mary, and she stood near the place where Jesus was dying. How did this happen? How could Jesus end such a beautiful ora (life) in such an awful way? How could God allow his tama to be nailed to a cross and left to die there? Was this all a terrible mistake? No, there was no mistake. Jesus always knew He would be put to death – in fact, He willingly came to earth for that very reason.
Jesus loved us so much that He died for our sins. He did this instead of letting us die, which would have made sense and been fair. Jesus let Himself be punished for our mistakes and sins. That would be like you taking the punishment for something your teina (brother) or tuahine (sister) did wrong.
That doesn’t sound right, does it? Jesus wanted to take our punishment because He loves us so much. He wanted to make a way so we never have to be separated from God or punished because of our sin. We can live forever with God in Heaven.
The Jewish leaders wanted to patu (kill) Jesus, and Jesus knew He had to die. That was God’s plan; that was the reason Jesus had come to whenua (earth). Jesus didn’t whawhai (fight) the Jewish leaders or the soldiers who arrested Him. The soldiers were very mean to Jesus. They whara (hurt) Him and made fun of Him, then they took Him outside of the city to the place where they killed people who had done kino (bad) things. The soldiers put Jesus on a cross between two criminals who were also on crosses. Tahi (one) of them made fun of Jesus, but the other tahi believed that Jesus was God’s Son. “Jesus, please take me to heaven with you,” he pleaded. Jesus told him “Yes I will. Today you and I will be in together in heaven.” Soon after that Jesus said “It is finished!” Jesus knew that his work on earth was done. He had obeyed God and given His ora (life) for all of us. Then Jesus died. After Jesus died, two of His nga hoa (friends) took His tinana (body). They wrapped it in long strips of cloth with lots and lots of spices. They put the tinana into a tomb that had been carved out of a solid toka (rock), then they rolled a very kohatu nui (big stone) in front of the doorway of the tomb. The Jewish leaders thought that someone might steal Jesus’ tinana and pretend He had been raised back to ora, so they put a special seal on the kohatu in front of the tomb and put guards in front of it.
Just before sunrise on Ratapu (Sunday), something amazing happened!! There was a huge earthquake and an Angel came down from Heaven like a lightning bolt. His clothes were as white as snow. The Angel rolled back the kohatu from the tomb. The guards were terrified and ran to tell the Jewish leaders what had happened. The Jewish leaders did not want anyone to know the truth so they gave the guards lots of moni (money) and told them to tell people that Jesus’ disciples had come during the night and stolen Jesus’ tinana. After the guards had gone, some wahine (women) came to the tomb with perfume to put on Jesus’ tinana. When they got to the tomb, they discovered that the kohatu had been rolled away. They wondered what had happened, when the Angel said to them “Don’t be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus, who was nailed to a cross. He is not here. He has risen, just as He said He would! Now hurry! Tell His disciples that He has been raised to life.” The wahine were very hari (happy) and very surprised at the same time. They ran to tell everyone what they had seen and heard. God knows we have all done bad things, which He calls sin. The punishment for sin is mate (death), but God loves us so much that he sent His tama, Jesus, to die on a cross and be punished for our sins. Then Jesus came back to ora and went home to Heaven! If you believe in Jesus and want Him to forgive your sins, He will do it! Say this to God: “Dear God. I believe that Jesus died for me and now lives again. Please come into my ora and forgive my sins so that I can have new ora now, and one day be with you forever. Help me to live for you as your tamaiti (child). Amen”
Complete the sums on the tomb stone …..
……. then find the hidden message from Luke 24 v 6
The epic story of Judah BenHur, a Prince falsely accused of treason by his adopted brother Messala, an officer in the Roman army. Stripped of his title, separated from his family and the woman he loves, Judah is forced into slavery. After years at sea, Judah returns to his homeland to seek revenge, but an encounter with Jesus leads him to the crucifixion, where he discovers redemption and finds forgiveness.
BullyIng & the BIble
Bullying : negative verbal or physical behaviour that is done (a) directly to a person or person’s property, (b) with the conscious intention of either upsetting the person or manipulating the person’s behaviour, (c) which God would not approve of. When we think of bullies in the Bible, probably the first one that comes to mind would be Goliath, whom David took down as a teenager. We remember Goliath’s big mouth, his terrifying threats and his massive size. Being approximately nine feet tall, Goliath may have been from a culture that no longer exists but where people grew bigger than others. He may also have had a hormone imbalance where he didn’t stop growing when others did. The point is that he was terrifying to look at. The result is what we imagine when we think of a traditional bully – some loud, huge person making threats at smaller, weaker people. David could have easily been slaughtered by Goliath, except for one thing – he had had a lot of opportunities, while being a lonely shepherd boy, to walk along and think about the bigness of God, and the importance of God. How do thoughts defeat a bully? Let’s see: David knew one thing that the other Israelis failed to think about. He knew that God had chosen the people of Israel to be His chosen people, or his “best friends” here on Earth. Just like you would feel if someone was hurling insults at your friend, David felt defensive when Goliath was hurling insults at God’s best friends. He knew God would not fail him if he stood up for His best friends. David was not scared of Goliath’s size because he knew God was far bigger. He knew that if he showed no fear towards the bully that was tormenting God’s people, then God would bring some good things to pass. God even fixed it so that David didn’t have to get into a fight with Goliath. David didn’t even get close enough to touch him. All he did was not show fear, which bullies like Goliath feed off, and he used the talents that God had given him personally. Let’s look at David’s story, and think of some of our own personal strengths and talents that God has given us.
Biblical Record of David and Goliath 1 Samuel chapter 17 The Philistines drew up their troops for battle. They deployed them at Socoh in Judah, and set up camp … Saul and the Israelites came together, camped at Oak Valley, and spread out their troops in battle readiness for the Philistines. The Philistines were on one hill, the Israelites on the opposing hill, with the valley between them. 1-3
4-7 A giant nearly ten feet tall stepped out from the Philistine line into the open, Goliath from Gath. He had a bronze helmet on his head and was dressed in armour – 57kgs of it!! He wore bronze shin guards and carried a bronze sword. His spear was like a fence rail – the spear tip alone weighed almost 7kgs. His shield bearer walked ahead of him. 8-10 Goliath stood there and called out to the Israelite troops “Why bother using your whole army? Am I not Philistine enough for you? And you’re all committed to Saul, aren’t you? So pick your best fighter and put him against me. If he gets the upper hand and kills me, the Philistines will all become your slaves. But if I get the upper hand and kill him, you’ll all become our slaves and serve us. I challenge the troops of Israel this day. Give me a man. Let us fight it out together!” 11 When Saul and his troops heard the Philistine’s challenge, they were terrified and lost all hope.
Enter David, the son of Jesse. David’s three older brothers had followed Saul into war, but David (being the youngest son) had stayed home to attend to his father’s sheep. …..
12-15
17-19 One day, Jesse told David to take some bread and wheat down to his brothers in the camp, to check that they were getting on all right and to report back how they were doing in the war against the Philistines. 20-23 David was up at the crack of dawn with the food, and was on his way just as Jesse directed him. He arrived at the camp just as the army was moving into battle formation, shouting the war cry. David left the food with a sentry, ran to the troops who were deployed, and greeted his brothers. While they were talking, Goliath of Gath, stepped out from the front lines of the Philistine army and gave his usual challenge. David heard him.
The Israelites fell back the moment they saw the giant – totally frightened. The talk among the troops was, “Have you ever seen anything like this, this man openly and defiantly challenging Israel? The man who kills the giant will have it made. The King will give him a huge reward, offer his daughter as a bride, and give his entire family a free ride.” 24-25
26 David, who was talking to the men around him, asked, “What’s in it for the man who kills that Philistine and gets rid of his ugly blot on Israel’s honour? Who does he think he is, anyway, this uncircumcised Philistine, taunting the armies of God?” 27 They told him what everyone was saying about what the King would do for the man who killed the Philistine.
David’s older brother heard David talking with the men and lost his temper, “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you minding your own business, tending that scrawny flock of sheep? I know what you’re up to. You’ve come down here to see the sights, hoping for a ringside seat at a battle show!” 29-30 “What is it with you?” replied David, “All I did was ask a question.” Ignoring his brother, he turned to someone else, asked the same question, and got the same answer. 28
31 The things David was saying were reported to King Saul, so Saul sent for him. 32 “Master,” said David, “Don’t give up hope. I am ready to go and fight this Philistine.” 33 Saul answered David, “You can’t go. You’re too young and have had no experience – he’s been at this fighting business before you were born.”
David said, “I’ve been a shepherd, tending sheep for my father. Whenever a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I’d go after it, knock it down and rescue the lamb. If it turned on me, I’d grab it by the throat, wring its neck, and kill it. Lion or bear, it made no difference – I killed it. And I will do the same to this Philistine pig who is taunting the troops of God. The God who delivered me from the teeth of the lion and the claws of the bear, will deliver me from this Philistine.” Saul said, “Go, and God help you!” …..
34-37
40 David took his shepherd’s staff, selected five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the pocket of his shepherd’s pack, and with his sling in his hand he approached Goliath. 41-42 As the Philistine paced back and forth, he noticed David. He took one look at him and sneered – a mere youngster. 43 Goliath made fun of David. “Am I a dog that you come after me with a stick?” And he cursed him by his gods. 44 “Come on”, said the Philistine, “I’ll make roadkill of you. Ill turn you into a tasty morsel for the field mice.” 45-47 David answered, “You come at me with sword and spear. I come at you in the name of the God of Israel, whom you curse and mock. This very day God is handing you over to me. I’m about to kill you, cut off your head, and serve up your body and the bodies of your Philistine buddies to the crows and coyotes. The whole world will know that there’s an extraordinary God in Israel.”
That roused the Philistine, and he started toward David. David took off from the front line, running toward the Philistine. David reached into his pocket for a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine hard in the forehead, embedding the stone deeply. The Philistine crashed, facedown in the dirt.
48-49
50
That’s how David beat the Philistine – with a sling and a stone. The Message Version
Why do you think David got to know God so well? Beyond listening to stories about Him and studying the scriptures, David had a lot of time while looking after the sheep. What do you think he may have spent his time doing? David was less afraid of Goliath than the soldiers, even though he was smaller and younger. David compared killing Goliath to something he had already done. It is said that David’s greatest tools in taking down Goliath were faith over fear, combined with his personal talents as a protector of sheep. What personal talents do you have which, when combined with faith, could silence a bully? Are you funny, loud, persistent, determined, nice, friendly, brutally honest …? If we lack faith to believe in God’s power, He doesn’t hold that against us. He wants to help us, and is very glad when you bring your concerns to Him. It is scary and hard when we are being bullied, and you may have asked God for courage, but the bullying still persists. In this case it is really important to talk to your parents, a teacher or someone you trust about the situation. There are times when adults need to step into the situation to help out.
BullyIng & the BIble
David loved God a lot. The biggest secret to a successful life is understanding how passionately God loves us, and loving Him back. David went on to become the King of Israel, and God called him “a man after my own heart”. His love for God is something we should all work towards, as there is no meaning in life outside of this.
… no te mea kei a koe a Ihowa, tou Atua, i nga wahi katoa e haere ai koe. Hohua 1:9
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Nā, ka kawea mai ki a ia ētahi tamariki nonohi, kia pā ai ia ki a rātou; otirā, ka rīria e ngā ākonga te hunga nāna i kawe mai. Nō te kitenge ia o Ihu, ka riri, ka mea ki a rātou, “Tukua ngā tamaraki nonohi kia haere mai ki ahau, kaua hoki rātou e āraia atu; nō ngā pēnei hoki te rangatiratanga o te Atua. He pono tāku e mea nei ki a koutou, kit e kāhore e rite te tango a tētahi i te rangatiratanga o te Atua ki tā te tamaiti nohinohi, e kore ia e tomo ki roto.” Makā 10:13-16