DEXTER

DEXTER

Hello, my name is Dexter. And boy, do I have a story to tell you. It’s about a little boy that I knew who grew up to be a great man. This story isn’t really about me, but I was there. So, this is my story.

It all started when I was about your age. My owner was Joseph. He was a carpenter. He was a very kind man. He had just gotten married to a woman named Mary. She was very kind too. And she was going to have a baby.

One day Joseph started packing for a trip. The king said everyone had to go to his hometown. So, off we went on our way to Bethlehem.

When we got there, Joseph and Mary were going to stay at the Inn. But the man in charge said that there weren’t any rooms left. If they wanted though,

they could stay in the manger. Now, I didn’t mind sleeping in the manger, that’s where I always sleep. But to have my owner Joseph and Mary sleeping there seemed a bit strange. But they didn’t complain.

All of the sudden, in the middle of the night, all of us animals heard Mary. She was going to have her baby right there in the manger with us. She didn’t really wake me up though. You see, there was this really bright star right above us. It was so bright that it was

keeping me awake.

Just then, I heard a baby crying. And about the same time, angels started singing. I didn’t know exactly what was happening, but I knew that it was special.

It was a boy, and they named him Jesus. There was

definitely something special about him, because people

began showing up and giving him presents and

worshiping him. I’d never seen or heard of anything

like it in my life. A few days later, I heard from some

friends that my wife had also had our baby. I was a

daddy. And we named him Junior.

As Jesus grew, there was something different about

him. He wasn’t like the other kids. He never pulled my

tail or ears, or poked me in the eye. He was very nice

to me. He was a good boy.

Now the time had come for Jesus to leave home. He

was now a man. So, he said goodbye to Joseph and

Mary and started off on his own. Our Junior was also

grown. Later that day, Joseph sold him to a man from

Jerusalem. So, we also said goodbye to our son.

I didn’t see Jesus much the next couple of years, but my

friend Millie told me of how he had raised a man from

the dead. And Sarah told me about how he was healing

everyone. The deaf, blind, and sick. It was truly

amazing. They said he was traveling around with twelve men. And he was preaching to people about God

and how to live their lives. They said he was a great

teacher, the best ever.

Now, I hadn’t seen Junior much either, but he told me

about one day. He was just sitting there and two strange men came up and began to untie him. The

owner and the men talked, then he left with them. And

you wouldn’t believe who they took him to; Jesus! Well,

Jesus got on and began to ride him into Jerusalem. He

said that people were throwing their coats down and

branches for him to walk on. They were shouting,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the

highest!” He wasn’t sure what was happening, but he

said that it was the most exciting day of his life.

Later that year, Joseph, Mary, and I went to Jerusalem.

We were standing there with a lot of people, I thought it was a parade. But then, I saw Jesus! He was what these people had come to see. He was all beat up and he was dragging a cross. I didn’t understand why they were doing this to him after all of the good things that

I had heard he had done. I looked over at Mary and she was crying.

We followed the crowd to a hill called Golgotha. And

we watched as the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross.

I wanted to run away, but Joseph had a hold of my

rope. So, I had to stay. I didn’t like this. Not one bit.

I wanted to cry. In fact, I think I did. Then, he said

something and died. We then turned and went home.

Nobody said much on the way home. Mary just cried.

Three days later, word came from my friend Ralph.

He said that while he was out one morning, he went by

the tomb where Jesus was buried and you wouldn’t

believe what he saw. Jesus! That’s right, Jesus was

walking out of the tomb. He was alive! Ralph said that

if he wasn’t a rooster, he would have laid an egg. Jesus

wasn’t dead anymore. He had come back to life.

A few days later, I heard from Millie and Sarah. They

said that what Ralph had told me was true. They too

had seen Jesus while they were out grazing in a field.

Jesus and his disciples just went walking by. They couldn’t believe their eyes. The group stopped and Jesus lifted his hands and was saying something, when all of the sudden he began floating up into the sky.

Right before their very eyes. Right up into a cloud and

then he was gone.

This brings me to the end of my story. This man named

Jesus was more than just a man. He was God. They

say that he died to pay for the sins of men, so that they

can go to heaven. And you know, I believe them.

Dexter

and his friends

remember

Jesus