Murple the Purple Flurple's
Adventure on the Way to Jerusalem Text Version
by Linda S. Edwards
"Please. . . please . . . PLEASE . . . let me out of here." Murple squealed at the top of her voice. "It's hot and smelly and sticky in here. I don't want to be here! I want to be out in the fresh air floating along in the breeze! I want to be FREE!" But as usual, no one heard Murple's teeny tiny voice. In fact, no one even knew she was there.
"OWWEEE!" she cried. "I wish that little boy would at least quit throwing things on me." She complained, "It's already crowded and sticky in here, and now he's throwing rocks at me. Why would he even want an old rock anyway?" Murple was quite uncomfortable inside Jimmy's pocket, and that made her rather grouchy. She just knew it WAS NOT going to be a good day.
Inside the pocket, Murple could feel the motion of each step Jimmy took. She knew when he walked. . . she knew when he skipped . . . and she certainly knew when he was running. Running was the worst because the rocks and other things jostled around sometimes crushing her. "I wonder where we are going?" she thought. "It is just so dark in here!"
Then Murple heard something that almost made her forget her discomfort. She perked up her tiny little ears and tried to listen more intently. The sounds were coming from a distance and were quite muffled, but she thought it sounded like voices and people shouting. "We must be near a city," she thought. "I hope we are going to Jerusalem. There is so much activity there. There's always something to see. Oh, how I wish . . . I wish . . . I WISH I could see what's happening!"
Jimmy didn't particularly care about the voices and the shouting. He had been to Jerusalem many times and was quite used to the noise of towns and cities. The only thing Jimmy was concerned about at the moment was the rumbling in his tummy. He put his hand in his pocket and found a piece of candy that had been there quite a long time. "OUCH! . . . OH!" Murple squealed in pain as Jimmy pulled the little fuzz ball off the candy. He wiped his sticky fingers and the fuzz ball on his coat sleeve and popped the candy into his mouth. "WHEW!" Murple exclaimed. "THAT really hurt! But at least I am no longer stuck to that candy and I'm out of that dreadful pocket. And finally, I can see where we are going and what's happening."
As Murple had suspected, they were getting close to a town, although they were not yet at Jerusalem. The sound of shouting was growing louder, and there seemed to be a small crowd of people just outside the walls of the town. "JESUS! JESUS!" the voices shouted. "JESUS! HAVE MERCY ON US!"
Murple was so excited about hearing the name of Jesus, that she wished she could hop off Jimmy's coat, float in the breeze, and get closer. She knew who Jesus was, and she had even seen him turn water into wine. She just couldn't wait to see what was going to happen this time! She hoped Jimmy would go a little further so she could get a better look. . . and that's just what he did.
As Jimmy scrambled to get closer to the action, Murple noticed something that made her very afraid; and as she listened carefully, what she heard confirmed her fears. She could see that the people in the crowd looked sick, and she heard someone say "leprosy." The small crowd of ten people that were shouting to Jesus were all lepers. That meant they had a terrible disease that was easily spread from one person to another. At that moment, she changed her mind and hoped Jimmy wouldn't go any closer.
"JESUS! JESUS! HAVE MERCY ON US! JESUS! JESUS! HAVE MERCY ON US!" the crowd kept shouting.
Murple watched in wide-eyed amazement as she saw Jesus move closer to the crowd. "No! . . . No! . . . NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" Murple cried out. "You can't get close to those people! IT'S DANGEROUS!" But, of course, no one could hear her teeny tiny voice, and Jesus continued to get closer. "Oh my . . . Oh my . . . OH MY!" Murple thought. "I just can't bear to look! THIS just isn't good at all. He's going to get sick, too. I just know it. He is, He is, HE IS."
But Murple just couldn't help herself and had to look, and so did Jimmy. They kept watching and listening, wondering what was going to happen next. "Go show yourselves to the priests," they heard Jesus say to the 10 lepers.
"Well, Well, WELL," Murple thought. "That is a mighty strange thing for him say. I wonder why he said that?" But before she had time to give it anymore thought, she heard whooping, and hollering, and shouts of joy coming from the small crowd. These shouts were even louder than the shouts for mercy.
"WE'RE HEALED! WE'RE HEALED! WE'RE NOT SICK ANYMORE!" they shouted, and they joyfully started running down the road to the temple to show themselves to the priest, as Jesus had commanded them.
Murple could hardly believe her eyes and her ears! She knew she had just witnessed a most wonderful miracle. At that time, there was no cure for leprosy, and very few people ever recovered from having it. Just as the excitement began to die down, Murple noticed one man coming back. "Hmmm. I wonder why he's coming back?" she thought. "Maybe he didn't get healed like the rest of them." But that wasn't the case at all. She watched as the man bowed down right there on the ground in front of Jesus. He was so grateful to be well, that he had come back to say "Thank You."
Jesus looked down at the man who was bowing at his feet, then looked up at the crowd that had gathered around. "Were there not ten that were healed? Where are the other nine?" he asked. "Only one has come back to give glory to God." Then he spoke to the man that was still bowing. "Arise and be on your way. Your faith has made you well."
"Wow! WOW! WOW!" Murple exclaimed excitedly. "That man named Jesus sure says and does some strange things, and I don't always understand it, but every time he's around something special happens! I'll remember this forever! I will, I will, I WILL!"
THINK!
What is leprosy?
How many people did Jesus heal?
How many people said thank you?
REMEMBER!
Always say "Thank you" when someone does something for you
and always give thanks to God.
A VERSE TO LEARN:
"Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious
name" (1 Chronicles 29:13).
LET'S PRAY:
****************************************************
Dear Jesus, thank You for coming down to earth
and performing miracles that help us learn of
Your great love for us. Help us remember
to be thankful to You, and to say thank you
when others show us kindness.
In Your Name we pray. Amen
****************************************************
CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE?
Luke 17:11-19
Jesus Heals Ten Lepers
Give Thanks (With Bible Verse)
Have Mercy on Us
One Gives Thanks
The Ten Lepers
The Thankful Leper
One Gives Thanks
Ten Lepers Jigsaw Puzzle
Be Ye Thankful Worksheet
Variety of Activities (Requires Acrobat Reader)
The Ten Lepers Online Activity
Ten Healed of Leprosy
Ten Lepers Nesting Dolls and Paper Craft
Ten Lepers
The Thankful Leper
The Bible In Pictures - The Ten Lepers
I Give My Thanks - Sheet Music
Only One - Poem
Greatest Adventure - Miracles Of Jesus
Greatest Heroes - Miracles of Jesus
Miracles of Jesus - Bible Animated Classics
Read-A-Long Sing-A-Long Miracles of Jesus
RESOURCES FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS
Picture Story Card
Photo Scripture Card
Ten Lepers Drama
Don't Forget To Say Thank You
Jesus Heals Ten Lepers
Jesus Heals A Leper
Jesus Heals Ten Lepers Power Point Slide Masters
Jesus Miracles & Messages (5 Minute SS Activities)
Lepers
Scripture Pictures: Exploring The Miracles & Parables
Toddler Activities
T-H-A-N-K-F-U-L Game
Thank You God For . . .
Thanksgiving Chain
Reverse The Curse Game
Where Are The Nine - Sermon by David Wilkerson
BIBLE STORY ARCHIVE
www.childrenschapel.org/bibstory2.html
Copyright © 2008 by Linda Edwards
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Last updated February 10, 2008.
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