the paquettes

Happy Ash Wednesday!  Although we don’t celebrate Ash Wednesday, it does mark the beginning of celebrating Jesus’ death and resurrection for many!

And this year I want to make an Easter countdown for my kids.  I know Easter changes each year, but I still want to anticipate the big day by reading the true Easter story from the Bible in the weeks leading up to Easter.  After some thought and research, I decided that we are going to teach our kids about the prophecy of the events surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection in the Old Testament and the prophecies fulfilled in the New Testament. There are 18 main prophecies, so therefore I am making an Easter countdown for the 18 days before Easter.  This year, the countdown will start on March 22nd.

1	Jesus would be betrayed.	Psalm 41:9 Zechariah 11:12-13	Luke 22:47-48 Matthew 26:14-16
2	Jesus’ price money would be used to buy a potter’s field.	Zechariah 11:12-13	Matthew 27:9-10
3	Jesus would be falsely accused.	Psalm 35:11	Mark 14:57-58
4	Jesus would be silent before his accusers.	Isaiah 53:7	Mark 15:4-5
5	Jesus would be spat upon and struck.	Isaiah 50:6	Matthew 26:67
6	Jesus would be hated without cause.	Psalm 35:19 Psalm 69:4	John 15:24-25
7	Jesus would be crucified with criminals.	Isaiah 53:12	Matthew 27:38 Mark 15:27-28
8	Jesus would be given vinegar to drink.	Psalm 69:21	Matthew 27:34 John 19:28-30
9	Jesus’ hands and feet would be pierced.	Psalm 22:16 Zechariah 12:10	John 20:25-27
10	Jesus would be mocked and ridiculed.	Psalm 22:7-8	Luke 23:35
11	Soldiers would gamble for Jesus’ garments.	Psalm 22:18	Luke 23:34 Matthew 27:35-36
12	Jesus’ bones would not be broken.	Exodus 12:46 Psalm 34:20	John 19:33-36
13	Jesus would be forsaken by God.	Psalm 22:1	Matthew 27:46
14	Jesus would pray for his enemies.	Psalm 109:4	Luke 23:34
15	Soldiers would pierce Jesus’ side.	Zechariah 12:10	John 19:34
16	Jesus would be buried with the rich.	Isaiah 53:9	Matthew 27:57-60
17	Jesus would resurrect from the dead.	Psalm 16:10 Psalm 49:15	Matthew 28:2-7 Acts 2:22-32
18	Jesus would be a sacrifice for sin.	Isaiah 53:5-12	Romans 5:6-8

Here is how I used the Scriptures above in a countdown.  I wrote the 18 OT prophecies on a cross that I cut out of poster board.  Then I wrote the 18 fulfilled prophecies on scraps of colored cardstock.  Each day, starting with #1 Scripture above, we will first read the OT prophecy and then we will read the NT fulfilled prophecy.

(I used black velcro to adhere the colored cardstock to the cross)

Then I will let the kids adhere the colored cardstock on the cross after we read the Scriptures. (I lightly wrote the same number on each yellow shape and the matching colored shape so I wouldn’t get confused.)  By Easter morning, our cross will look like this:

Happy Easter!