I used to write for the Yahoo! Contributor Network, which later became Yahoo! Voices, and is now non-existent altogether. Periodically, posts may appear that are my articles I wrote for YCN, and they will be labeled as “YCN Archives.”

Original publish date: April 5, 2011

It may be cliché, but Christmas and Easter are the two holidays my family anticipates the most. For me, as a Christian, my life revolves around these two events. If it’s not Christmas, I’m thinking about Easter, and if it’s not Easter, I’m thinking about Christmas. With these two holidays constantly in mind – they are, after all, the two defining events of Christianity – when I read through my Bible, certain verses stand out to me all the time.

The account in Genesis 22, when Abraham was willing to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice to the Lord is one of the first I encounter. It is a direct picture of what God would do through Jesus on the cross, providing His Son to be the Lamb, especially in verses 6-8:

“So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.”

Reading about the institution of Passover in Exodus 12 always brings Easter to mind as well, because Jesus was crucified on Passover. After the lamb had been slaughtered, the instructions in Exodus 12:7 read:

“And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses where they eat it.”

Imagine a doorway with blood on each doorposts and on the top. Think of Christ’s pierced hands, spread wide, and the crown of thorns on His head.

Besides the account in Luke of Christ’s Resurrection (Chapter 24) where Mary Magdalene interacts with the Risen Christ outside the tomb, my favorite Easter scripture is 1 Corinthians 15:54-55:

“So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”

My favorite Easter Scripture verses may be unique, but they are my reminders of the sacrifice of Christ. He was my Sacrificial Lamb who defeated death.