Each day during Destination Dig, junior archaeologists will use a real-life artifact from Bible times to help them discover more about who Jesus is and why He came. Let’s take a closer look at the Bible stories connected to each artifact.

Day 1: Jesus Was Born (Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:18–2:6)

Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, God told prophets to write about His plan to send His Son to be our Savior. Many years later an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph. The angel told him Mary would have God’s Son, and they were to name Him Jesus. Just as God promised, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. God promised He would send His Son, and He did.

Day 2: Jesus Healed a Blind Man (Psalm 146:8; Isaiah 35:6-6a; John 9:1-41)

Prophets wrote about what would happen when God’s Son came to earth. They wrote about miracles He would perform such as healing people. When Jesus began His ministry, He did everything God said He would do. One day while in Jerusalem, Jesus passed a man who had been blind since birth. Jesus spat on the ground and made some mud. He spread the mud over the man’s eyes and told the man to go wash in the Pool of Siloam. The man did as he was told, and he could see! The man told people what Jesus had done. Later, when the man saw Jesus, he worshiped Him.

Day 3: Jesus Experienced Betrayal and Rejection (Psalm 41:9; Isaiah 53:3,7; John 13; 18:1–19:16)

Jesus shared one last special supper with His disciples. During the meal Jesus explained that one of the disciples would betray Him. Jesus knew His betrayal and death would fulfill God’s plan. After the meal, Jesus and all the disciples except for Judas went to the garden in Gethsemane. While they were there, Judas brought the soldiers to arrest Jesus and take Him to the high priest to begin the trials the prophets had written about many years before. Pilate, the Roman governor, tried to find a way to release Jesus, but the crowd shouted, “Crucify Him!” Jesus remained silent just as the prophecy said He would. Finally, Pilate gave in to the people’s demands, and Jesus was handed over to the soldiers to be crucified.

Day 4: Jesus Is Alive (Isaiah 53:5,9-11; John 19:17–20:18)

God told prophets that Jesus would be born and that He would die for our sins. God also said that Jesus would die with the wicked, be buried with the rich, and be raised from the dead. Just as God said, Jesus was crucified between two criminals and Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy man, buried Jesus’ body in Joseph’s tomb. A stone was rolled in front of the tomb. On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. The stone had been rolled away, and Jesus was gone. Peter and John came to the tomb and saw the burial clothes, but Jesus was not there. While Mary stood outside the tomb crying, a man she thought was a gardener appeared. The Man called her name and immediately Mary knew He was Jesus. She couldn’t wait to tell the disciples that Jesus is alive!

Day 5: Philip Told the Good News (Isaiah 53:7-8; Acts 8:26-40)

While Philip was preaching in Samaria, an angel of the Lord told him to go south to the road that goes to Gaza. Philip obeyed the angel. Philip saw a man traveling in a chariot. The man was reading a copy of the Isaiah scroll. Philip asked the man if he understood what he was reading. The man said he did not and that he needed someone to explain it to him. Philip explained the good news about Jesus to the man. The man believed what Philip told him and believed in Jesus. Philip baptized the man, and the man went on his way rejoicing.

For more information about Destination Dig, visit lifeway.com/vbs or check out THIS blog post.