I've been reflecting a lot on Isaiah 53 this Easter. Its always been a favorite chunk of scripture for me, as it blows my mind that God gave His people such an incredibly detailed description of His son in prophesy, and yet when Jesus came, they still couldn't recognize Him! I love the imagery of new life and growth used - he grew up like a tender shoot. And the wording used to describe both the way he suffered, but also WHY he suffered, and conquered!
1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
This past weekend at VAC Kids we really emphasized that Easter is THE most important day in all of history, and that the story we were telling of the resurrection is THE most important news EVER!!! And if you knew that your friend could tell you about the most important news ever, wouldn't you want to hear it?? I know I certainly would!
This week for a Family Connect idea we thought it would be really fun to do a scavenger hunt of items that relate to the story of Jesus' death and resurrection. I can't remember where I found this scavenger hunt list, but it is really well put together! Enjoy!
EASTER STORY SCAVENGER HUNT
Take time after you’ve collected all the objects to discuss the significance of each item. Let your children try to figure out which part of the story each object represents, and have them lead the conversation, taking time to look up the different scripture references.
3 dimes - Judas received 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-16)
Cracker - last supper (Matthew 26:17-29)
Chocolate kiss - Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss (Matthew 26:47-49)
Feather - Peter denied Christ three times before the cock crew (Matthew 26:69-75)
Soap - Pilate washed his hands (Matthew 27:24)
Purple cloth - they put a purple robe on Jesus (Matthew 27:28)
Thorn - a crown of thorns was placed upon Christ's head (Matthew 27:29)
Nail - they nailed him to the cross (John 19:18-19)
Sponge - when Christ asked for a drink he was given a sponge with vinegar (John 19:28-30)
Rock - Jesus' body was laid in a tomb (Matthew 27:57-60)
Piece of tape - after Christ's death the tomb was sealed (Matthew 27:65-66)
Empty egg - this represents the empty tomb after Christ had risen (Matthew 28:1-9)
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