...
...
It's funny how you can see the moon in the daytime sometimes.
Yeah. I wonder if there are any insects on the moon.
You'd probably call them lunatics. Get it, Dad?
You'll get it in a minute.
Hey Dad, what would you get if you crossed a porcupine with a worm?
I don't know, son.
Barbed wire!
Uh oh.
What's wrong?
There goes trouble.
That sore fellow, he's going around throwing Christians into prison and putting them in stocks.
Yeah, yeah. And you could go to the prison and ask, excuse me, have you got any Christians in stock?
That's not very funny, son. Especially if you're the one in prison.
Yeah, I suppose so. But they must have broken a lot of laws, Dad.
Well, that's just it, son. They haven't done anything to deserve imprisonment or punishment.
...
On the road to Damascus today, it was reported that a Mr. Saul of Tarsus was blinded by a huge shining light from the sky.
Now we have in the studio today a soldier who was on the scene. Tell me, sir, what exactly happened?
Well, maybe this was someone from Mars. This great light shone down and someone spoke to Saul.
We couldn't see who it was and then we had to lead him off into town.
Yes, well, thank you very much. Thank you.
It seems that... Oh, we've got a message from Carrier Pidgeon from Damascus. Thank you, Pidge.
Yes, it seems a Mr. Ananias has helped Saul's sight. Yes, and he's turned over a new leaf, Mr. Saul.
This is quite a surprise, folks. Saul has decided to quit his job throwing Christians into jail.
Yes, what? I don't believe this. He's joined the Christians and become one of them.
Unbelievable, you know. First that Saul throws Christians in prison.
Yes, and then he becomes a Christian. Yes, and now they've tossed him in prison.
Yes, and he's changed his name and the Christian's now calling Paul instead of Saul.
Poor fellow. Heard he and Silas got thrown into prison. Didn't even deserve it.
How do you feel, Paul? I've got so many stripes on my back. I feel like a zebra.
You're not kidding. Well, what do you think will happen to us, Paul?
Well, these Romans have broken their own law. Oh, yeah?
And they've beaten and imprisoned us and even though we're Roman citizens, we'll demand our release under Roman law.
I don't know. That jailer looked pretty tough. He's a retired army man by the look of it.
Yes, well, this may have been a bad day in one sense, but getting beaten and all that, but in another way it's great.
You mean that fortune teller? Yeah, and Lydia too. And a whole family coming to know the Lord and being baptized in the river.
That was really something, wasn't it? Oh, sure it was.
It's a great thing to see God opening our heart. Oh, yeah. Hey, you know that song goes like this.
The Lord is my shepherd, I'll walk with him always. He leads by still waters, I'll walk with him always.
Shut it out, you! Always, yeah, always. I'll walk with him.
Hey, what's happening? Hey, I think it's an earthquake. What's happening?
Hey, Paul, the stocks are falling off my legs. Hey, yeah, me too. What's all that ruckus outside?
Oh, hey, it's the jailer. Oh, no, the doors are open and they've escaped. They'll execute us for this.
I'll have to kill myself with my sword. Did you hear that? Hey, jailer, jailer, don't harm yourself. No.
We're all here. Soldiers, bring lights, quickly. Oh, no, the light. Ah, the light.
It's okay, it's okay. We're all here, jailer. We're all here.
Sirs, I don't, I know you're men of God, but what must I do to be saved?
We bring you a very important news break. An earthquake last night rocked Philippi.
Widespread damage is reported from all over the place. And here in the local prison, which was badly damaged last night,
I'm going to interview the man in charge of the prison. And tell me, sir, what exactly happened last night?
Well, I don't really believe it myself yet, but, well, everything was going fine until this massive earthquake shook the whole place.
It was coming down around our ears. Well, my first thoughts were for my prisoners. Yes. You know, what happens if they escape?
And was there a mass breakout, sir? Well, that's the amazing thing. We were sure they'd do it, you know,
they'd take advantage of the situation. And so I checked on them, but they were all there.
And tell me, we have a report that a Mr. Paul of Tarsus and a Mr. Silas, Roman citizens, were wrongly whipped and jailed
and were in this prison last night. Is that true, sir? Yes, that is correct, yes. And what's happened to them now?
Well, I'm happy to say that embarrassed officials are releasing them today.
Did you know that some people in Australia, they eat witchetty grubs? They eat witch grubs? Witchetty grubs.
Witchetty? Yeah, big white grubs. Really? Yeah. Do you know, Tony, that some people in New Zealand eat hoo-hoo grubs?
Oh. Hoo. Hoo-hoo. Oh, hoo-hoo. Yeah. You're going to get that stutter fix.
Yeah, well, I'll try. Hey, that reminds me of a story about a praying mantis. Oh, they're very religious, aren't they?
No, they're an insect. Why do they call them praying mantis? Well, they do look like they're praying.
See, I've got a picture of one here. Uh-huh. Yeah. And this praying mantis had a mother, like most praying mantises do,
and his mother warned him to keep away from spiders. Do you know why, Tony? Um, cause, uh, no.
No. Because spiders are always on the lookout for praying mantises. Oh dear. They like to eat them for dinner.
Yuck. Oh, I need a praying mantis. Ugh. So, mum says don't go near the spiders. Keep away from them.
And she also said keep away from spider's webs. Don't touch. They're very sticky. They sure are.
And you might get caught. Yeah. Yeah. But do you know what? What? Do you know what about this praying mantis?
He didn't believe his mother. He didn't believe his mum. He didn't. That's really bad, eh?
I reckon. And he decided he'd go out for a walk. And he walked in the garden.
And what do you think he might have seen in the garden? Um, this humongous spider. And it came up to him and...
Huh? No. Oh. What did he see? He saw nice flowers. Yeah. And he saw plants. Yeah. And trees. And grass. Uh-huh.
And he saw some little things on some plants. He saw a wee ladybird. But then he spotted this beautiful spider's web.
Wow. And he thought to himself, this can't really be what mum was talking about. It's far too beautiful to be dangerous to me.
Remember he didn't believe his mother? Yeah. I remember that. So he thought mum must be wrong. It can't harm me.
I'll just go and have a wee touch. It looks so pretty. So did he touch it? He did.
Uh-oh. And what do you think happened? Big trouble. Big trouble. He touched it. And he got stuck. Oh no.
And you know what happened? He became really, really worried. And he thought, oh no. Mum was right after.
How am I going to get out of this spider's web? And did he get out? Well he fought and he fought and he fought.
But he couldn't. And all he did was get himself more tangled in this sticky web. And the next thing, along came the spider.
Oh no. And you know what the spider was saying? Yep. Yummy, yummy, yummy. I've got praying mantis in my tummy.
Oh no. He should have learned his lesson, shouldn't he? He should have. And he didn't listen. He didn't believe his mother.
And you know, he ended up being on that spider's plate for dinner. Yuck. And that's just like some people, Tiny.
What do they do? Well, they hear God's word and they hear about God and all the things that he's done for them.
But they never believe it. And they just stay caught up in their sin and they can't get away.
I'm sad. Why are you sad, old mate? Because the kids are picking on me at school.
The kids are picking on you at school? Well I can imagine that. And it makes us little kids sad.
Yes I know. Sometimes children pick on other people because they're different and they look different or they might come from a different country.
And children at school unfortunately pick on Christian children as well because they mightn't tell dirty jokes or they mightn't swear.
And they pick on the kids and call them goody-goodies. Yes, they call them all sorts of names.
But if children get picked on like that sometimes they don't stand up for God at school. And that's very, very sad.
I'd hate to think what would have happened if Paul and Silas hadn't stood up for their faith in God.
Let me show you something. See this? That's a bit of rope. Yes, that's a bit of rope. But if I do this...
How did you do that? Hey, how did you do that? No, don't worry about how I did it. Hey, what did you do?
Well I'm just making it stand up all by itself. I can see that on an old hill. Don't worry about how.
You know when we ask God to come into our life, if a person becomes a Christian, they can stand up for God all by themselves with God's help.
And only if he lives inside us and if we ask him every single day, God, please help me to stand up for you in the classroom.
Please help me to stand up for you when the bullies are picking on me out in the playground. And he will help us.
Sometimes we might feel like that. Oops, you nearly hit me in the eye. I'm sorry. And sometimes we might feel like that.
But nevertheless, if we ask God for his help, he can help us stand up for him. I still want to know how to do that.
Don't worry about that right now. Now, Paul and Silas, they were whipped, they were put in stocks, they were put right in the middle of the prison, and they weren't very fairly treated at all.
Well they were. And they were singing and they were praising God and all sorts of things. And if they hadn't have been doing that, maybe the jailer would never have asked them that special question.
What did he ask? Well he asked, sirs, what must I do to be saved? In other words, how can I become a Christian?
What did they say? Well they said believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.
You know, people learn a lot by standing up for their faith in God. And I've always wondered about these two, what they stand up for.
But you know, I guess every time you stand up for your faith and show your faith in God, you never know who's watching.
I said quite a crowd down the road today, ain't it?
I said quite a crowd at Peter's house, ay, dad. Wake up, dad.
What? Who's at Peter's house?
All the crowd. Haven't you heard the great noise going on all afternoon?
Oh, no, what? Yes, well he must be selling off some of his fishing gear. Now he's following Jesus.
No, all the people have gone there to hear Jesus.
Oh, I see. Well, I don't see. I see what you mean.
Hey! Hey, thief! Thief!
What? What? Is that ostrich again, is it?
Oh, no, not ostrich.
Hey, excuse me, heck, dad. Charlie thief. Is that what you mean, dad?
No, no, it's not the bird. It's down at Peter's house. House thieves.
Oh, don't tell me they stole the house, dad.
Oh, I know, silly. Those four men on the roof there breaking into Peter's house through the roof.
Wow! Peter will hit the roof.
I think they beat him to it. Hey, stop thief! Help someone! Get the soldiers!
Hey, hey, dad, dad. Look, they're standing up. Look at that. I don't believe it.
They're letting a guy down through the roof with ropes.
Oh, I know who that is.
Oh, who?
That's the lame man.
Well, it is too. Can you imagine the look on the faces of all the religious guys inside?
What a laugh.
Yeah, I don't think they'll be laughing. Oh, I'd give anything to be a scarecrow in the paddock next door.
Yeah, I don't believe it, dad. I just don't believe it.
I see. But I don't believe it.
Ah! That's the lame man.
Okay, we're going to need some more timber up here, okay?
Oh, hey.
Hey, hello there.
Hi. Did you have a storm here last night or something?
It depends on what you mean by a storm. The Pharisees who were here yesterday were very stormy.
Well, what happened?
Howdy-up, you two. It could rain.
Hey, don't worry about her. Yesterday there were four of us and we made a hole in the roof.
Oh, I see. Are you going to do some extensions to the house?
Not exactly. We made a hole to let our friend down through the roof.
Wouldn't it have been easier to use the door or even a window, perhaps?
Yes, stranger. It would have been easier, but you see, there were so many people here to see Jesus,
and he was on the inside, you see, and crowds and crowds of people waiting to see him.
So we came up the stairs and let our friend here down through the roof.
So what was wrong with your friend?
Well, he was lame and we brought him to Jesus so he could heal him, and at first we didn't think he would, no?
Oh, he wasn't too happy about the hole in the roof, huh?
No, no, no. That wasn't the problem. You see, he just looked at our lame friend and said,
Your sins are forgiven.
That must have been disappointing for you.
Oh, well, no, that was good because we all need to have our sins forgiven.
And then he said to the Pharisees, what's easier to say?
Hey, your sins are forgiven or get up and walk. You should have seen the looks on their faces.
Well, what happened to the man? Tell me.
Well, they knew that they were about to witness another miracle right in front of their eyes. Hey.
Well, I would have liked to have seen the look on his face.
Well, yes, then Jesus said to our friend, get up.
Sensation today when a lame man fell through a roof and walked.
We have in the studio with us the same lame man. Tell me, sir, was it really you?
Oh, it sure was. Hey, I should know.
And tell me, it's reported that you're the only man in history who was happy to be let down by his friends.
Oh, well, I don't know about that, but I can tell you I'm pretty happy.
And tell me, sir, are there any problems that you have?
Oh, no. Well, only one. I've got to go and buy some shoes now.
Uh-huh. Uh-huh. And what are you going to do now?
Well, I'm going to go and follow Jesus, of course.
Oh, me head's real sore, Cheryl.
Oh, tiny. But not me head. My head's real sore.
Yours too?
No, not my head. But you should say my head.
Oh. It's a wonder Jesus isn't around today and healed people like you get with that man who got lower down through the roof.
Well, Jesus had a special reason for healing people, tiny.
What was that?
He wanted to show them that He was the Son of God.
Well, is that why the four friends brought their friend to Jesus?
That's right. Only they brought Him to Jesus because they thought that He could heal their friend.
And they believed He was the Son of God.
Huh. Well, what about today? If people want to have their sins forgiven, who do they go to?
Well, people can still come to Jesus today, and He can forgive our sins even now.
Huh. Well, that guy must have got really excited because, well, he'd got his sins forgiven, and he'd got his legs back too, didn't he?
Exactly. He got the best news he could, especially when Jesus said,
Your sins are forgiven. Get up and walk.
Ha ha. You know what?
What?
All his life, he's better taking Him around.
That's right.
Now he's going to take his bed around. Ha ha ha.
Can I ask you something?
You can ask me anything you like.
If I crashed through your roof, what would you do?
If you came crashing through my roof, I would get a great big surprise.
So would I.
Yes. So you're referring to those guys that came through the roof today, aren't you?
Yes. Why did they do that?
Well, there was a very important reason why they did that.
You see, those four guys knew that Jesus was God's son.
He was the only person who could heal their lame friend.
And they were feeling rather urgent about all of this, and so they thought,
We must get this lame man of ours, our friend, to the Lord Jesus.
And what happened?
Well, there were so many people outside and so many people inside,
the only way they could get to the Lord Jesus was to come down through the roof.
Is that so?
That's exactly right.
And then when they made that hole and they started lowering the lame man down,
Jesus looked up and He was impressed by the faith and the trust that these four men had in Him,
being able to heal their friend.
What happened then?
Well, you know what the Lord Jesus said to the lame men?
Yeah, get up and fix the roof.
Oh, He didn't say that at all.
In fact, He said to the lame men, Your sins are forgiven.
Probably their friends got a surprise because they were expecting Him to say,
Get up and walk.
Well, why did He say that?
Well, that man needed to have his sins forgiven.
And all of the people who were in there were saying,
This man can't say that.
Why not?
Well, they didn't think He was God's son.
But then He proved to everybody inside that He was God's son.
He said to the lame men, Get your bed and get up and walk.
That's exactly right.
Yep, that's exactly what happened.
Why is faith and trust so important?
Well, faith and trust is very important.
Unless a person believes that Jesus is God's son, they can't be saved.
And if a person wants to become a Christian today,
they have to believe that Jesus is God's son,
and they have to put all of their faith and trust in Him alone,
because only He can save.
Well, is trust there important?
Trust is very, very important.
Would you trust me?
Would I trust you?
Well, I trust you most of the time.
Well, I want you to get something down there.
What have you got here?
That's a wrap trap.
Well, I can see that's a wrap trap.
I'll hold it.
Okay, you can hold it.
And then what are you going to do?
Well, I want you to trust me.
You want me to trust you?
Yeah.
I want you to take these two dollars out.
You want me to take the two dollars out of the wrap trap?
Yeah, I promise it won't hurt.
Well, that's what you tell me.
Yeah, I promise it won't hurt. Just trust me.
Well, okay, if I take the two dollars out of this wrap trap,
it won't hurt me at all,
because these things are known to break people's fingers, you know.
I know. You've got to just trust me.
Oh, okay.
And then what happens with the two dollars?
You can keep it.
Oh, in that case, I'll trust you.
Okay.
Just be careful.
I'll be careful.
Aha!
It didn't go off. Thank you very much.
It can't go off. The spring's broken.
The spring is broken?
Yeah, I just played a trick on you.
You just wanted to see if I would trust you.
Yes.
Well, trust is very important.
Maybe that's something we can really learn today,
but faith and trust in the right person is very important.
Ha! Hey, you two.
If you heard that you should never let grass grow under your feet,
it tickles.
I reckon my mum, when she's got rollers in her hair
and her teeth out looks more scary than these two,
I wouldn't trust them to scare a cockroach.
Not like the four friends in that story, Dad, eh?
Hey, I'd hope you lot would be brave enough
to bring a friend to Jesus or even trust in Him Himself.
Hey, that was a nice drop of rain last night, wasn't it, Dad?
That wasn't a drop of rain, that was a cloudburst.
You mean a drownpour? Ha ha! A drownpour, get it?
Hey, look at that.
What?
Those farmers just put two cows on that small paddock.
Hey, do you know what you get
if you put a whole lot of cows in a small paddock?
No, what's that?
Ha ha! Condensed milk! Ha ha!
And if it's a hot day, you get evaporated milk. Ha ha!
And if you don't stop, you'll get something.
Sorry, Dad.
Hey, did you hear about the farm that was five kilometres long
and half a kilometre wide?
No, what on earth did they grow?
They grew spaghetti, get it?
Ha ha!
Hey, let's change the subject.
Only the other day I heard it takes two sheep to make a jumper.
Wow, I didn't even know sheep could knit.
Oh, you silly boy.
I mean it takes the wool of two sheep to make a jumper.
Ah!
Hey, what's that noise?
Oh, it seems like an argument, Dad.
Hey, that's the youngest son of the farmer over there.
And the other guy is the older son.
I wonder what it's all about.
Hey, well, the other day I heard the youngest son tell his friends
that he was going to get all the money that was coming to him
and shoot through.
Oh, shoot what?
No, no, I mean not come back.
Oh, hey, but that's not allowed.
If the youngest son says that, that's a big insult in their custom.
If that young man doesn't watch out,
he'll have the whole village up in arms.
Yeah, and if that happens, he won't have any arms.
Ha ha ha ha.
But Father, I want my share.
It's, it's, it's one third of the property and I want it.
Oh, my son, my son, do you realize what you're asking for in our custom?
Listen, I've planned a trip and it's far away out of this land anyway.
And I've had this farm, I've had this village.
I'm going to pack and I'm leaving in a few days and God-wins.
Does it that young man realize that according to our custom,
he has just wished his father dead by asking for the inheritance now?
Duh.
And, and, oh, I tell you what, he is responsible for looking after his father
and the land and to keep it for his own children.
Yeah, that's right.
By this boy's blood, great shame on this father's head
and great shame on this village.
Yes.
Something ought to be done.
I tell you what, get rid of him, that's what I say.
Oh, boy.
The son is as good as dead.
Did the father explode with anger?
Did he hit his worthless son?
What did the eldest son do?
Did he try and help?
Well, no, that's quite strange.
Ezra pleaded with the boy, but my master did not become angry.
In fact, he showed great love for his son.
Well, what about the eldest son?
What did he do?
That's quite strange also.
He didn't say a thing.
Ah, what a terrible place to be.
All my money gone.
There's famine in the land.
No one gives me food to eat.
Here I am starving to death with these pigs.
Ah, my father's hired workers have more than enough to eat.
I know.
I'll go back home and say to my father,
I've sinned against heaven and no longer deserve to be called your son.
Just treat me like one of your hired men.
Ha, I'm off.
Good riddance and good bye, you dirty smelly pigs.
The only trouble is, in the village people may stone me.
Two things are to be feared in Israel,
the things people say about you and the mob, the stone-throwing mob.
I guess it'll be a quick death, better than starvation.
Master Ezra, Master Ezra, you told us to tell you when he comes.
He's coming up the road right now.
He's coming.
My son?
Yes, he's coming.
I must get to him before the people in the village do.
Okay.
Look out, here comes Ezra.
Hey, in my whole life I don't think I've ever seen a man of our country running like this.
Maybe except the time I was chased by a bull.
Maybe Ezra's finally gone mad.
Oh, my son, you've returned.
Oh, good son.
Father, I've sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son.
Just treat me like one of your hired servants.
Bring my robe at once, bring the finest robe and a ring for his finger
and shoes for his feet quickly.
Oh, I don't believe this.
After all I've done in bringing you grief and shame and loss, you still love me?
Quickly, servants, quickly.
Father, I don't know what to say except you're my dad again and I'm your son.
Oh, take the fattening calf, kill it and prepare it to eat.
Oh, let the whole village celebrate tonight.
Oh, this is my son.
He was dead and has come to life.
He was lost and has been found.
A large party is in progress in the village tonight
in honor of a young man who offered his Israelite father the greatest ever insult.
We ask the questions tonight.
Why has the father completely forgiven him?
Why has the father stopped the village stoning the young man?
After all, he deserved it.
And we ask the question tonight,
who else in history could have shown such incredible love and forgiveness?
Hi, Sebastian, how are you?
Oh, I'm feeling a little bit sad tonight.
Oh, why is that?
Well, my other St Bernard friend was called out on a very dangerous rescue
and it was snowing and you couldn't see a thing.
Oh, well, why did he go out on a rescue on a night like that?
Oh, I don't know.
It was even against Union rules to go out in that kind of weather.
But he went off to search for a mountain climber.
And what happened?
Well, my friend, he had a lot of pride in his work
and he really cared for people.
And, well, no matter who it was, he'd go out and search for them.
Well, you would have done exactly the same, I'm sure.
Well, I'd try, as long as it's not a blizzard
and as long as it doesn't break Union rules.
But what happened to your friend, Sebastian?
Well, he never came back.
No, he never came back.
Never? Not at all?
Well, not really.
He perished out in the storm.
He found the mountain climber and the climber was kept alive next to the doggy.
Oh, he died.
What a commitment to the job.
He showed his love and concern for the mountain climber.
Hey, that reminds me of our story today, Sebastian.
You know, of the father that demonstrated his love to his two sons.
Oh, I know that story.
Oh, that was very sad, but the other son who was a real stinker, wasn't he?
Well, he was, I guess, because only one son accepted the father's love, didn't he?
I suppose so. And that was very, very happy, wasn't it?
Yeah, it was.
But I'd like to get hold of that other one.
I'd fix him, I'd give him a bite, I would.
Sebastian, that's not very loving.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Hey, geese lad.
What?
You know you had five geese.
What do you mean, I had five geese?
Well, well, I'm going to keep your feeding costs down.
How are you going to keep my feeding costs down?
Well, now you've only got four.
Well, what exactly do you mean?
Well, well, you know that goose that you said was silly?
Yeah, I used to say that he had rocks on his head.
Well, now he does.
Now hang on. What are you trying to tell me?
Are you trying to tell me something?
Yes, I am.
Do you realise that those five geese are fattened up, ready for Christmas dinner?
Yes, they were.
I don't like the sound of this.
Or where is the other goose?
In the happy hunting ground for geese.
What do you mean, the happy hunting ground for geese?
Well, he's two foot under pushing up the stench.
Two foot under pushing up the spinach?
Yeah.
What on earth did you do?
I was throwing a rock and I missed and I hit the goose.
Tony, that's incredible. What did you do that for?
I'm sorry.
Sorry is just not good enough.
They were five beautiful geese ready for Christmas.
Why were they?
Well, what were you throwing rocks for?
I don't know. I was just having a practice.
I just don't know what to say.
I mean, that was one of my best geese.
I know.
Well, look, there's two ways that I could probably deal with you.
What's that?
Well, I can treat you by law or I can treat you by grace.
What do you mean?
Well, you deserve to be punished, don't you?
Yes, I do.
Well, I'm glad you admit that.
By law, you deserve to be punished.
Like, for example, no pocket money for a whole month to help pay for the goose.
That's not fair.
Oh, yes, it is fair.
Number two, when you get home from school, you have to go straight to your room.
No playing with your friends.
No friends.
No friends.
And three, no riding your bike at all.
Oh, no.
Yes. So you deserve to be punished, don't you?
I suppose so.
Or the other way I could deal with you, I could forgive you.
Oh, how's that?
Well, just hang on.
At least you've come and told me about it and you've admitted you're wrong.
And I suppose you're forgiven.
I don't know what we're going to do with only four geese now.
Well, I'm glad you forgave me.
Yes, I guess it's just like that story today, the son who wandered away from home.
That was sad.
It sure was sad, but the most important thing was, the happy thing was,
the son turned around and went back to his father, and at least his father was a very loving father
and welcomed him with open arms.
And forgave him.
And forgave him. That's exactly right.
Hmm. Reminds me of our heavenly father who has open arms just waiting for people to come back to him
and tell him all the wrong things that they've done, like killing geese and all sorts of naughty things.
And God, like a heavenly father, has his arms open wide just waiting to welcome us back.
And remember this.
What?
Be sure your sin'll find you out.
Ugh. Ugh. Quiet, quiet.
Oh, boy. I hope my dad likes this new goose I bought him.
Oh, I learnt one thing today.
People don't deserve God's love and favour.
Do you know it costs God's son his life?
And people have to get rid of their pride and accept his forgiveness.
I just hope my dad accepts this goose.
Whoops, whoops, kissy, come back, come back.
Here we are in the countryside.
Beautiful green grass. The sun is shining and the leaves are bleeding.
Oh, those jolly mozzies kept me awake all night.
They ought to be on TV.
Every one of them would pass the screen test.
Well, when I can't get to sleep, I just count sheep.
Count sheep?
Yeah.
Oh, my boy, that's all we do all day to fill in the time.
Out here in these fields with the shepherds and sheep,
that's the last thing I want to do at night is count sheep.
Ah, well, you could count goats, Dad.
No, I don't like goats. They're very rude. They're always butting in.
I suppose you're right. Hey, what's that shepherd got in his hand, Dad?
Oh, oh, that's a crook.
Oh, police, police, police.
What on earth are you doing?
Well, you said that there was a crook.
Oh, I said he's got a crook, not he is a crook.
Oh, well, where's the crook he's got?
The thing in his hand is called a crook.
Oh, well, I'm not surprised. It's certainly not straight, is it, Dad?
Oh, dear, sometimes you exasperate me.
Hey, Dad, I hate to change the subject,
but that sheep over there's got a haircut.
Uh, no, it's Shaun.
Oh, well, Shaun's just had his hair cut, Dad.
No, he has been Shaun.
Oh, well, who is he now?
No, no, no, Shaun is not his name.
When a sheep gets his wool cut off, they are said to be Shaun.
Oh, yeah, well, that's what I said.
Oh, why do I bother?
Well, what's the other thing that the shepherd's got in his belt, Dad?
Oh, that's a sling, used for shooting wild animals.
I didn't think you were supposed to sling off at anybody.
Well, yes, if you meet a lion near your sheep, what would you do?
Well, I'd say, ah, nice pussy, enjoy your lunch and then I'd run like mad.
Oh, yes, well, that's the difference between you and the shepherd.
He loves his sheep and he wouldn't, he would risk his own life to save the sheep,
even from lions.
Just as well you chose to become a scarecrow and not a shepherd.
It's nice up here, isn't it, my boy?
Oh, yeah, it is, Dad.
Are you dead?
Why didn't you come home last night?
Well, it was my turn to sleep in the gateway and look after the sheep.
Oh.
And, well, the other fellows that I hired, they had a night off as well.
Hey, can I get one guard one day, Dad?
Well, maybe when you're a little bit older, Joshua,
and when you know all the sheep by name and, well, they know your voice and will follow you.
Then you can sleep in the gateway.
Oh, thanks, Dad.
Boy, hey, Sean, did you hear that?
Ha.
Ah, they're the other two fellows that I've hired to look after the sheep.
Oh, hey, Dad, do they know how to be a good shepherd?
Well, they're a bit rough at the moment, but I'm trying to train them.
It's not easy, you know, looking after 100 sheep
and learning to be thoughtful and, well, tender and gentle.
And sometimes you have to be strong like us, hey?
And you have to be able to lift them up and carry them home.
That's right, Josh.
And you have to learn not to lose your temper with them
and be resourceful in times of danger.
Ah, hey, resourceful.
What does that mean?
Well, you have to think of a way to get out of dangerous situations.
Sometimes you have to risk your life to save the sheep.
Yeah, risk your life.
In fact, that reminds me of a shepherd long time ago who had 100 sheep just like us.
And one got lost.
And he was a good shepherd and searched and searched until he found the little lost sheep.
With great joy he put it on his shoulders and carried it all the way home to his house,
calling all the villagers, come and celebrate with me for finding my lost sheep.
Like a party, hey?
That's exactly right.
Yeah.
And he showed how much he was a good shepherd
and how much he cared for all the sheep in his flock.
Oh, I'd like to know that one.
Yes, in fact, some of the great heroes of the Bible were shepherds,
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and King David.
And the most important shepherd of all was Jesus.
Oh, how come, Dad?
Well, he laid down his life for his sheep.
And how many sheep did he have in his flocks?
Well, he had lots and lots, so many you couldn't count them.
And he knows each one by name and cares and loves for every single one.
Wow, he must be pretty busy.
Uh-huh.
Well, the reason he can do all that, Josh, is that he is God's son.
And how do you get to join his flock, then, Dad?
Well, people do that by giving over their lives to him, trusting in him, and following him.
Hey, what you doing?
Well, I thought maybe we could write down a list of all the most important things in your life, Tiny.
Oh, okay.
So do you want to help me?
Yep, okay, okay.
Okay, what's first?
Well, me BMX bike.
BMX.
Yep, and more skateboard.
Oh, yeah.
And, hmm, my computer games.
Okay.
Who would you say is the most important person in your life, Tiny?
My mate Terry.
Your mate Terry?
Yeah.
I suppose.
His last name's Rest.
We call him Terry Rest.
Aha, Terry Rest, okay.
Yeah.
No one else?
No, that's all.
You know, Tiny, you're like some children.
All they can think about is toys and games and their friends, and they always forget about the most important person of all.
This sounds like a lecture.
Just like you get when you go to Sunday school.
You mean God, don't you?
I do.
Well, lots of kids do leave God to last, Tiny, and he should be first.
That's what we learnt from the Good Shepherd story today, wasn't it?
Yeah, I suppose so.
Well, we should have Jesus as number one, and kids should follow him because he loves them.
Yeah, I suppose you're right.
Can I go now?
Sure.
What are you going to do?
Play with me computer games.
What's wrong?
I'm very sad.
Why are you very sad today?
Of course, in our house we had some chickens down the back.
Yeah, okay.
What's that got to be?
What are you sad about that for?
Well, a fly came through the yard and it burned all the chickens.
Oh no, every single one of them.
Well, four little chickens got out.
Oh, that's terrible.
Was that a grass fire or something?
Yeah.
And only four little chickens got out?
Yeah, they had this gunk of stuff all over them and it's safe and from the fire.
What did that gunk of stuff look like?
Well, it had all feathers sticking out of it.
That gunk of stuff that you picked up was probably the hen protecting her chickens.
I've heard about this happening before.
Is that so?
Yeah, that's right.
Sometimes if a fire or danger comes, a hen will cover her chickens with her body,
lay her feathers out, her wings out with her feathers over the chickens and protect them.
And that burnt gunk of stuff that you saw was probably the hen and she saved the life of her chickens.
Oh no.
Yeah, she gave up her life to save those chickens.
That reminds me of a fireman in Australia and this really happened some years ago.
There was a great big bush fire near where I used to live.
Did you start it?
No, I didn't start it, but someone else did and this fire came through the bush
and the fire chief stood there risking his own life and he hosed the other firemen to save their lives.
And guess what happened?
I don't know.
The fireman lost his life, a fireball came through and just killed him instantly
and he was trying to protect the others.
He gave up his life for the other guys.
That's just like our Good Shepherd story today.
The Lord Jesus gave up his life for his flock.
What's his flock?
Well, all the people that belonged to him.
I am really pleased that my shepherd cares for me.
For the lonely people, he might be their only friend, the Lord Jesus,
and for people who have got lots of friends, well, he can be the main friend in their life,
the guide in the right way.
See these footsteps here?
Yes, I do.
Well, these are what Jesus said to one of his disciples.
He said, follow me.
That's the most important thing anyone can do.
I want you to try and put your foot in there.
We have to try and walk in Jesus' footsteps and when we're walking in his footsteps,
that keeps us out of trouble and it also keeps us going in the right direction
if we're following him.
Boy, it's hard to walk in someone else's footsteps without their help.
Just as well I'm not following those two.
You'd have to stand in the one spot all day.
Ah, what was that?
Oh, I hate this hay fever.
I don't know where I got it.
How did you sleep last night, son?
Standing up as usual, Dad.
Actually, I was pestered all night with a flying hypodermic needle.
And just what is a flying hypodermic needle, son?
A mosquito.
Hey, hey, look up, look, look, Dad.
Wake up, wake up properly.
There's some birds circling over the field.
Shoot, stoner crows.
Fancy having to work now.
It's breakfast time.
Yeah, I like the stonesome crows.
Look, there's more coming in for their brekkie.
Oh, no.
Shoo, get at loss, will you?
Go and eat at Simon's place.
Go and eat his crops.
Yeah, shoo, go on.
If you don't get out of that corn, I'll get my machine gun.
Hey, hang on, son.
What's wrong?
Machine guns haven't been invented yet.
I know that, Dad, but the birds don't know.
Hi, Oscar.
Hey, Oscar, that tickles.
No, Oscar, not me hands, Oscar.
Get out of my house, Oscar.
Go and shoot.
Oscar's pinching me.
Hey, Dad.
Go and scare some crows, Oscar.
Good idea.
Go on, Oscar.
Get lost.
Go on.
Funny old fella.
What were you saying about Simon's house, Dad?
You know, poor old Simon, son.
He reminds me of a fence.
You got me stump.
Why is he like a fence?
Well, he runs around a lot and doesn't go anywhere.
Always trying to be religious, always trying to be noticed.
But I really think he loves his fellow men.
Yeah, and so does a cannibal.
Hey, that's interesting.
Simon's going to get Jesus in for a meal.
And look, some of the townspeople are going in to have a look,
including Rebecca.
If I know Simon, he's planning some nasty scheme for his visitors.
What do you mean, Dad?
Well, some of the Pharisees like Simon are religious leaders
amongst the Jewish people,
and some of them don't like what Jesus says and does.
Hey, shh, shh, shh.
Here comes that young David, and he's looking for his Dad.
Hums for the Pope.
Excuse me, Mister, Mister, have you seen my Dad anywhere?
Good loss, kid, can't you see I'm busy?
Oh, sorry.
Hums.
Hey, Lady, have you seen my Dad anywhere?
Yes, as a matter of fact, I have.
I've just seen him over there in the house of Simon the Pharisee.
Oh.
Oh, there'll be sparks flying over there very soon.
Oh, dear, OK, I'll go and find him now. Bye.
Hey, excuse me, Mister, is my Dad in there?
Is my Father inside?
You shouldn't be here, boy, go home.
Hey, but I want my Dad.
Go away, boy, you shouldn't hear such things.
But what things? I want my Dad. What's going on?
My boy, you know Simon the Pharisee?
Yeah, I know him.
He's the one with the big head and tummy to match.
Quiet, boy, you want to get us thrown out of this house and the synagogue as well?
No, I don't.
Now, as I was saying, Simon's invited Jesus the Teacher for a meal.
Uh-huh.
And when Jesus arrived, Simon didn't greet him.
What? Didn't even kiss his hand.
Not only that, as if that wasn't a big enough insult,
but he didn't even get a servant to wash his feet.
What?
Yeah, we think Simon is trying to trap Jesus by making him mad
by offering him such a terrible insult.
Oh, no.
Hey, what's happening? Somebody, tell me, Mister, what's happening?
A woman has just come forward near Jesus.
What kind of lady?
One who hates poverty worse than she hates sin.
The woman is this great sinner from the other side of town.
Oh, look.
What?
She's just come forward and she's standing behind Jesus' feet and she's crying.
Oh, wow. What did she do? What happened? What's...
Oh.
What's she doing?
Well, she's let down her hair.
A woman in Israel never lets her hair down in public.
Boy, she's going to be as popular as a pork chop in that.
Just don't say it. Don't say it.
Oh, no. Look, she's wiping Jesus' feet with her long hair.
Oh, the atmosphere in here is so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Simon, I tell you, her sins, as many as they are, are forgiven.
Woman, your sins are forgiven.
Who is this of a good sins? It's disgusting.
Woman, it is your faith that has saved you. Go in peace.
Boy, I sure was glad to find you, Dad.
Yes, yes.
That was exciting, wasn't it?
Oh, it was. It was, son.
Hey, Dad, if only God can forgive sins and Jesus forgot that lady.
Yes.
Is Jesus God?
Well, Jesus has healed many people. He has raised the dead.
Yep.
And if God ever visited His people, I would expect Him to do these wonderful things
and have kind, loving words to sinners like Rebecca.
And Simon.
Oh, yes, even Simon, poor fellow.
He proved to everyone in the village today that even he is a sinner and needs forgiveness.
Yeah, and that poor lady, she loved Jesus a lot, didn't she?
Oh, that's right.
It was because He forgave her lots and lots of sins, didn't He?
Oh, yes, indeed. He said, your sins are forgiven and remain forgiven.
Yeah, and we should be like Rebecca, eh, Dad?
What?
I mean, we should put our faith in Him as well.
Oh, yes, I see what you mean, yes, son. This we will consider.
Uh-huh. Hey, that was a good story, wasn't it, Cheryl?
It was, Tiny. Hey, would you like to hear another story?
Oh, yeah.
I've got one here about a donkey who dressed up in a lion's skin.
He what?
He dressed up in a lion's skin.
He got sick of being a donkey and he decided he wanted to be king of the jungle.
Oh, well, so he got a crown and pronounced himself king, eh?
Not exactly. You see, Tiny, the king of the jungle is the lion.
And poor old donkey thought if only he could look like a lion, he would be king of the jungle.
Yeah, and he would call himself King Leo and just be the lion around all day.
Okay, maybe. Anyway, Donkey went to the hippopotamus and he asked his advice.
Hippo, he said, how could I become the king of the jungle?
And Hippo answered, first you must look like a lion.
Oh, my teacher said once, I look like I was a lion.
Then what happened?
I'll bet not tell you.
Okay, perhaps not. We'll have that story another time.
Yeah, get on with the story.
Anyway, Donkey found a lion's skin and he put it over his body.
And he was very proud of himself and he said, I am the king of the jungle.
All animals brought him presents, didn't they?
Not exactly, Tiny. Because, you see, all the animals were laughing at him behind his back.
I know, he was making a silly sausage of himself, wasn't he?
You're jokes, Tiny. Anyway, finally Donkey met his match.
I know, his girlfriend.
Not that kind of match. He met a lion and the lion let out a great roar that filled the jungle.
And the donkey leered up.
And ee-aw, ee-aw.
She was like a police car.
Well, I tried. Even though poor old Donkey tried to look like a lion, he didn't sound like a lion.
It was his voice that gave him away, you see.
What happened to the poor old Donkey then?
Well, as the story says, whenever you see a lion's skin on the floor of the jungle...
Don't look, the king's undressed.
No. Whenever you see a lion's skin, if you listen carefully, you can still hear poor old Donkey running and crying, ee-aw, ee-aw.
You see, Donkey tried to be a lion but his voice gave him away.
Do you know what, Tiny, that's just like Simon in the story today.
What about him?
Well, Simon, if you remember, thought that his religious clothes and all his rules would make him one of God's children.
Yeah, but they didn't, did they?
No. Do you know why?
Ah, not really. Why?
Well, Jesus wanted to forgive both Simon and the lady.
Oh.
So, Tiny, which one do you think was right with God?
Um, the lady.
Why?
Well, um, I don't know. You tell me.
Well, because God forgave her sin and sent her away in peace, and that's just what she needed to be right with God.
Can I ask you a question?
You can ask me a question.
Why didn't Simon like Jesus?
Well, Simon didn't like Jesus because Jesus was in Simon's home and Jesus said to the woman who was there also, your sins are forgiven.
What's wrong with that?
Well, you see, Simon got upset with that because he thought that only God could forgive sins.
And Jesus is God and that's how come he could forgive those sins.
Only Simon didn't accept that, but Jesus really is God.
And tell me, why are you so upset today?
Of course.
Has it got anything to do with this piece of wood?
Yes, it has.
Well, what's the story with this piece of wood?
Last night my dad handed those nails in every time I did something wrong.
Aha. And so what's the problem?
Well, that's why I came to you today.
Okay.
Your mum already took out one.
Your mum already took out one, but you haven't got the rest out. So what happens if you don't get all of these nails out?
I don't get any pocket money.
Hmm. Okay. Well, tell me, what was this nail here for?
Well, I was fighting with my sister.
Okay. Well, let me ask you a question. Have you been fighting with your sister this week?
No, I haven't.
Okay. Well, let's take this nail out. There you go. That's solved one problem. And what was the next one for?
Well, my sister was having a she-eal-a and I turned on the taps on her.
That's a very nasty thing to do.
Very funny though. You should have heard her yell.
I can imagine all the yelling going on. That wasn't very nice.
Well, have you been very, very extra, extra kind to your sister this week?
Yes, I have.
Okay. Well, let's take another nail out of that wood.
Right. Well, what was the next one for?
Well, of course I was late for school.
Uh-huh. So what's so bad about school?
I don't like it.
Hmm. Well, that's a problem. So what's the best thing you like about school?
Going home.
Oh dear. Doesn't it sound like you're going to have a good attitude if that keeps up?
Well, have you been late for school any time this week?
No, I haven't.
Okay. Well, let's take another one of those nails out.
Okay. Well, what was the next thing you did that was wrong?
Well, I gave me a brother a black eye.
You gave your brother a black eye?
Yeah, you should say it.
Hmm. And have you been fighting with your brother this week?
No, I haven't.
Okay. Have you been extra kind to your brother this week?
Yes, I have.
Okay. Well, let's take another one of those nails out.
And what was his last one for?
Ha ha ha.
I don't like the look on your face. What was it for?
Well, you know that dog next door to my place?
Yes, I know that dog.
In our cat?
Yes, I know the cat.
I tied the cat's collar to the dog's collar.
You what?
Yeah.
That's not a very nice thing to do. In fact, I think that's very cruel.
I'm sorry.
Yes. Well, have you done anything like that this week?
No, I haven't.
Hmm. Well, listen, I tell you what, I'm going to take this out, but I never, ever, ever want to hear you doing anything like that again, okay?
Okay.
Hmm. I want you to look at that piece of wood and see this.
Yeah, all the nail holes.
Yes, all the nail holes. Sometimes we can be forgiven, but sin leaves its mark.
Yeah, you're liking your brother's eye.
I like your brother's eye. It's like the lady in that story today. You and her have something in common.
What's that?
Both wanted to be forgiven. She wanted to be forgiven for a different reason.
She wanted to have peace with her creator God.
And in the end Jesus said to her, your sins are forgiven. Go in peace.
Well, hi, you two. I'm going to my dad's house to show my dad that the nails are all gone.
Ah, it's funny, you know. Old Simon, he thought he was so good, but he wasn't forgiven.
Hmm, and the lady, she was so bad, and she was forgiven.
As for me, now I'm all forgiven. Ha, ha.
I'm going to do so many good turns, I'm going to get dizzy. Ha, ha, ha.
Keep your enemies, Jeff.