Sacrificial Connection between Abraham, Isaac, and Jesus by Myra Kahn Adamso for Town Hall
Easter is April 4 and fast approaching. Therefore today, and the next four Sundays, our focus is on Scripture that prepares us for the greatest miracle in history — the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This act of God changed the world, impacting humankind forever.
Two days before His Resurrection, Jesus was sacrificed on the cross. Christians believe that because of His love for us, He took upon Himself the sins of the world, offering forgiveness and everlasting life.
Recorded in John’s Gospel is one of the Bible’s most famous and oft-quoted verses where Jesus summarizes why we must believe in Him:
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“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”(John 3:16). (See Vol. 32 for more details.)
To better understand Jesus’ words and the link to the Hebrew Bible, let us go back to around 2054 B.C. and study a significant event chronicled in Genesis Chapter 22 – the sacrifice of Isaac by his father, Abraham. (Spoiler alert, almost sacrificed.)
The opening verses explain why “Abraham Tested” is the chapter’s subtitle:
“Sometime later God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!’ ‘Here I am,’ he replied. Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, whom you love — Isaac — and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you’” (Genesis 22: 1-2).
How cruel is that? God appears to be telling Abraham to burn his son to death. (Readers unfamiliar with this story are glad there was a spoiler alert!)
Did you notice that in the first verse (Genesis 22:1), some words and phrases sound familiar to what Jesus said over 2000 years later?
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Author’s Note: Interested readers can find all previous volumes of this series here.
