A tradition in our home around Easter/Resurrection Day has been to prepare a set of nine plastic egg shells for our children to open. The shells are numbered, so that we get the story in order, and within each shell is the text of some Bible verses related to the death and resurrection of Jesus as well as a little token to remind them of their part of the story. It also works as a way to tell the Gospel story in an engaging manner to guests and their children. I purposefully kept the Bible verses short and used simple vocabulary for this reason. You are welcome to take this idea and use it with your own family and friends. ~Nate Wilson
Exodus 12:7,8,23 Take blood from the lamb and pt it on the door-frames of the house where you eat the lamb. That same night, eat the meat… along with bread made without yeast… When the Lord goes through the land… He will see the blood on the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and He will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and kill you.
Matthew 26:26-28 While they were observing the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Jesus took bread and gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to His followers, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then Jesus took the cup, gave thanks, and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it – all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many, to forgive their sins.”
Zechariah 11:13 I took the 30 pieces of silver (the price at which they valued me) and threw them into the house of the Lord, to the potter.
Matthew 26:14, 15; 27:3,5,7 Judas went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Jesus over to you?” So they counted out for him 30 pieces of silver… When Judas, who had betrayed jesus, saw that he was condemned, he was filled with remorse. He threw the 30 pieces of silver into the temple and left… The priests decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field.
Isaiah 50:6 I gave my back to those who whip, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I did not hide my face from disgrace and spitting.
Mar 15:15-20 So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd… scourged Jesus… The soldiers led Him away inside the palace, striking His head with a stick, spitting on Him and kneeling down in homage to Him, mocking Him.
Isaiah 53:6-9 See, my Servant will act wisely… We all like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to our own way, but God laid on Him the evil of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a silent lamb to be slaughtered… From arrest and judgment He was taken away… He was cut off from the living.
Mark 15:1,4,5,12,13,15-20 The priests bound Jesus and led Him to governor Pilate. The priests accused Jesus of many things, so Pilate asked Him, “Aren’t you going to answer?” But Jesus made no reply… “What shall I do, then, with Jesus?” Pilate asked the crowd. “Crucify Him,” they shouted. Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas, had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified by the soldiers. The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace, put a purple robe on Him, and set on His head a “crown” of thorns… When they had mocked Him, they… led Him out to crucify Him.
Isaiah 53:12 He poured out His life unto death and was numbered with the criminals.
John 19:17-18 Carrying His own cross, Jesus went out to Golgotha. Here they crucified Him, and with Him two others.
Psalm 22:16 They have pierced my hands and my feet… People stare and gloat over me. They cast lots for my clothing.
John 19:23-24 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took His clothes… “Let us not tear the undergarment,” they said to one another, “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”
John 20:25 Thomas said to the disciples, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands… I will not believe that the one you’ve seen is Jesus alive.”
Isaiah 53:9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death, though He had done no violence, nor had He ever lied.
Matthew 27:57-60 That evening, a rich man named Joseph asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered it be taken down from the cross and given to him… Joseph placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb.
Psalm 16:10 God will not abandon me to the grave, and He will not let His Holy One see decay.
Mark 16:1-7 [Several women] brought spices to perfume Jesus’ dead body… On their way to the tomb, they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone -which was very large - had been rolled away! As they entered the tomb, they saw an angel dressed in a white robe. “Don’t be afraid,” he said, “Jesus has risen! He is not here any more… He is on His way to the city of Galilee and will meet you there, just as He had told you.”
Psalm 49:15 God will redeem my life from the grave; He will surely take me to Himself.
Acts 1:3-11 After His suffering, Jesus showed Himself to His followers, giving many convincing proofs that He was alive. He taught them for 40 days about the kingdom of God. He said… “You will always have the presence of my Holy Spirit… and you will be my witnesses… in all of the earth.” After He said this, He was taken up into heaven before their very eyes. They were looking intently up into the sky where He was going when suddenly, two angels asked them, “Why do you stand there looking at the [empty, blue] sky? Jesus… will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven!”
