CE: How the NT authors used the OT scriptures
📖 How the Disciples Learned to See Jesus in the Bible
(And Wrote It Down to Help Us!)
🚶 Jesus Walked and Talked
After Jesus rose from the dead, He walked with two of His friends on the road to a town called Emmaus.
At first, they didn’t recognize Him. But then, Jesus showed them something amazing:
“The whole Bible is really about Me!”
Their eyes were opened—and their hearts were full of joy!
🕊️ The Holy Spirit Helped Them Remember
Later, at Pentecost, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to help His friends remember everything He had said and taught.
- The Holy Spirit reminded them of Jesus’ words
- He helped them understand the Old Testament in a brand-new way!
✍️ Writing the First Gospel
At first, the disciples talked about Jesus mostly with Jewish people who already knew the Old Testament.
But then they realized the Gentiles (non-Jewish people) didn’t understand all the Hebrew stuff!
So they wrote it down.
- The first Gospel was called Mark
- It was short and simple, based on Peter’s teaching
- It started with John the Baptist, to help Gentiles catch up!
📜 Adding More Pieces to the Puzzle
As they kept studying, they saw even more!
- They realized Israel’s story was a picture of Jesus
- So they wrote Matthew, starting with Abraham, the father of Israel
- They dropped the long ending of Mark because it was written in riddle, but when the Greeks read it literally, it put them in harms way thinking they could handle snake and drink poison.
Then they saw that even the people before Abraham—like Adam—were pictures of Jesus too!
- So they wrote Luke, going all the way back to Adam
- They skipped the “Yeshua-Emmanuel” part, because it was hard to understand unless you spoke Hebrew well
🌟 Then Came John
John was really good at studying Hebrew words.
Since the story of Jesus had already been written, he focused on what the stories meant!
- He started his book getting his doctrine from the first line of the Bible:
“In the beginning…”
But this time, he showed how it all pointed to Jesus as the Word of God!
📚 Did They Make It Up?
No way!
Some people today say the disciples were just making things up later.
But that’s not true!
- They were remembering what Jesus had said
- The Holy Spirit was teaching them
- They were studying the Bible carefully—just like we can!
The Gospels got deeper, not because they forgot stuff, but because God helped them see more.
💬 Final Thought
The disciples didn’t see everything clearly at first.
But as they studied and prayed, they saw Jesus in every part of the Bible.
That’s how the Gospels were written—with growing light and love!
And you know what?
We can grow too—by reading the Bible, asking the Holy Spirit for help, and looking for Jesus in every story.
📝 Activity Page: How Did They Know?
1. 🕊️ What Helped the Disciples Understand?
Match the tool to how it helped them:
| Tool | What It Did |
|---|---|
| Jesus | A. Reminded them what Jesus taught |
| Holy Spirit | B. Walked with them and taught them |
| Old Testament | C. Held hidden pictures of Jesus |
2. ✍️ Who Wrote What?
Draw a line from each Gospel to its special feature:
| Gospel | Special Focus |
|---|---|
| Mark | A. Starts with Adam |
| Matthew | B. Starts with Abraham |
| Luke | C. Short and simple, starts with John the Baptist |
| John | D. Starts with “In the beginning…” and talks about deep truths |
3. ✅ True or Not True?
Circle T or N
- The Gospels were made up a long time later T / N
- The disciples studied the Bible to understand Jesus T / N
- The Holy Spirit helped them remember Jesus’ words T / N
- The Gospels were written all at once T / N
4. ✝️ My Gospel Clues Map!
Draw a Bible “treasure map” showing these points:
- Jesus walks with the disciples
- The Holy Spirit sends light
- The Bible opens up like a treasure chest
- A cross at the end, glowing!
✏️ Write this on the map:
“The whole Bible is about Jesus!”
5. 🙏 Prayer Time
“Dear Jesus, thank You for showing Yourself in the Bible. Please help me see You more clearly as I read…”
(Draw or write your prayer below)
🖍️ Coloring Page Idea
Title: “The Gospels Grow Brighter!”
Illustration Includes:
- Four scrolls labeled Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John
- Each scroll getting longer and brighter
- Jesus walking with two disciples on the road
- A Bible with rays of light and a heart that says, “It’s all about Jesus”
- The Holy Spirit as a dove above, whispering, “Remember!”
