Inspirational Bible Verses for Easter

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."
John 15:5-9

Jesus said this to His disciples during the Last Supper as part of His pre-arrest farewell. He was not only speaking to His disciples, but to us. The passage provides a theme of unity, that we are a part of Him. The passage contains a stern warning, that we are tied to Him, and breaking off from Him will cause a withering and death. But more important than the warning He provides, but promises are given as well. As branches to His vine, He promises that which we request will be granted. He also provides a promise that if we connected to the vine, we shall bear much fruit. This, to me, is the key to the passage. We are not promised personal growth, i.e. growth of the branches, rather, we are promised that the branches will "bear much fruit". The fruit of the vine benefits far more than the vine, it provides live giving nutrition to others. The promise is that, we will be empowered to provide for others, not merely our own needs. But this great power we are given can only, and does only, come through Him.

Love One Another as I Have Loved You

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."

John 5:9-12

Jesus said these words,again at the Last Supper, immediately after His description of the vine and the branches. After the declaration that each of the disciples, as are each of us, bound to the vine that is Christ,we are now given a commandment,that of brotherhood. At this time, Christ was well aware of His imminent arrest, humiliation, rejection, physical abuse and eventual death. But He did not command, nor request, retribution from His disciples. Rather, he commanded love. And the love He commanded was not merely a form of affection, but He commanded a complete love, the manner of the love from the Father to the Son. Providing a commandment such as this, while awaiting His ultimate betrayal and injustice, speaks volumes of the manner in which He wishes us to conduct ourselves to our fellow man.

Christ will rise on the Third Day

"Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, (47) and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem."

Luke 24:46-47

This passage provides the purpose of the coming of the Messiah, and His eventual crucifixion and the purpose of Easter. Many saw the promise of the Messiah as a promise of an earthly glorification, that the earthly oppression suffered by the Israelites would be avenged. But God recognised that the chains of sin were far more powerful than oppression from others. With our sins forgiven through His sacrifice, with those chains lifted, He empowered us far more than if He had called down an army of Angels to overthrow the Romans. He taught us that we could never be truly free until we are free from sin. Though he freed us from original sin, we must continue to free ourselves from sin in the form of repentance and penance.

Take this cup from me

"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

Luke 22:42

Jesus said these words in prayer, while awaiting His arrest and impending persecution. Chirst knew what would happen, He knew He would rise after 3 days, He knew of His later glorification. But at this moment, while praying to His father, He demonstrated the emotion of fear. This was the Son of Man asking His Father, the creator, to allow Him to avoid suffering. But despite this fear, He accepted it, and more importantly, the will of His father.
Anyone in a fearful situation should remember these words, Christ Himself experienced fear, it is natural for us to experience it too. But that fear cannot overcome us, as it did not overcome Him.

The Promise Fulfilled

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

Matthew 28:1-10

This vivid description of Easter morning provides the culmination of Easter...the promise fulfilled. The suffering, the sorrow, the agony is now over, for us as well as Jesus. Anyone who has suffered a loss, but then hears this passage on Easter morning, will receive uplifting comfort. When I was 22, my father passed away on Holy Saturday. In the morning, we were talking about the upcoming day over breakfast, planning what needed to be done for the holiday. Later in the morning, he experienced mild chest pains, and was admitted to the hospital as a precaution. Later that afternoon, he suffered a massive coronary. He was there in the morning, and was gone in the afternoon. No goodbyes, no preparation, no warning. He was there, and then he wasn't. After a rough evening, and a worse night, our family attended church together. As you listened to the reading, the understanding that Christ defeated death for us takes on new meaning. Easter has taken on new meaning since that day. The promise was fulfilled.