The Scripture

On this Easter week, may we be reminded of Isaiah 53:5-6. Isaiah prophesied Christ 800 years before his birth, and through Christ’s death we are healed – spiritually. We are reconciled with God. In the book of Revelation, Jesus is identified as “the Lion of the Tribe of Judah” and “the Lamb who was slain.” We have heard of the Lamb of God. Jesus is the Lamb of God, but He is also the Lion, which represents Jesus having been victorious and overcome death. Jesus was not sent to earth to heal us of physical sickness or physical death; but, He was sent to heal us spiritually and cleanse us of our sins. We are therefore reconciled with God and healed and cleansed. Our spirit can only be reconciled with God through His Son Jesus. Like a Lamb to the slaughter, He was beaten and bruised and nailed to the cross … for us. We are forgiven. We are cleansed. His suffering was for all humanity to have a path to God’s Kingdom through forgiveness and salvation.

(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.

Isaiah 53:5-6 NIV

… the Lion of the tribe of Judah points to the conquering, victorious king that would descend from Judah’s lineage. We know that this lion was pointing to only one person, Jesus himself, God in human form, who is the lion of the tribe of Judah. This truth is important because it fulfills the promise and prophecy of God’s word. It also gives us hope and confidence in this one who will ultimately be our deliverer.

Clarence L. Haynes Jr.
Contributing Writer
Bible Study Tools

The Sculpture

Last night I finished the Lamb sculpture. Gideon the Lion and his Lamb “The Lion and the Lamb.” I am so thrilled with how this sculpture turned out. Being new to Needle Felting, I felt it was “almost” an impossible challenge for me to make this sculpture without a tutorial, a kit, instructions – something I could follow. Instead, I had to make critical decisions about everything from the Armature to the eyes. They say the eyes are the window to the soul … and so, I tried to create a wool sculpture of the lion to have an expression of sweet, kind eyes. I think I achieved this.

My “Lion and the Lamb” sculpture will be on display at my daughter’s church (now our church too!) on Easter Sunday – Etowah UMC, where our daughter Sarah is a Minister of Discipleship. I am so happy to know that my sculpture will be on display with other creations and crafts created by parishioners of our church.

I hope you love this sculpture as much as I do. It was created with a lot of love and grace.

May your Easter be filled with blessings as you celebrate Christ’s resurrection! Happy Easter dear Friends and Family …