"...Jesus in the Easter Pageant?"

we were on our way home and the boys said they wanted to drive past the temple since we were in the neighborhood. the boys anticipated the glowing white building coming into their window view, yelling, "i see it!" as it appeared.

the easter pageant was also playing and the boys could see "the white guys" on stage in their robes. "that's Jesus," i told them. "they're putting on a play called the easter pageant."

"why is Jesus in the easter pageant?" isaak earnestly wanted to know, since easter is obviously about bunnies.

jumping at the chance for a teachable moment, i said, "just like santa claus at christmas, easter is not just about the easter bunny. easter is about when jesus died," i began. but aside from telling them official terms like crucify, atonement and resurrection, jonah pretty much had it covered.

J: "yeah, and christmas is about when Jesus was born."
I: "but how did Jesus die?" isaak asked.
J: "some bad guys killed him."
I: "what did they do to him?"
J: "they took some wood and put nails through his feet and his hands."
I: "that's how they connect him to the wood, but what did they do to him?"
J: "they didn't use tape because it's not strong enough."
Isaak, shaking his head. "no." of course not.
M:  "the bad guys hurt him and then they left him on the cross for a long time. they would not give him any food or water and the people who loved him were not allowed to help him."
J: "Jesus has special powers and could have stopped the bad guys, but he didn't because he wanted to die for us."

and his sunday school teachers had no idea he was even listening, i'll bet. we continued to discuss the atonement and the resurrection until sleep overpowered their curiosities. then there was silence and peace after a long, busy, emotional, chaotic day.