Following God's Mile Markers to Easter
Just as ancient Roman mile Markers guided travelers along every road leading to Rome, God placed spiritual mile markers throughout history pointing to the ultimate destination: Easter Sunday morning and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. God was leaving clues about Easter throughout the entire Old Testament.
Ancient Roads and Eternal Plans
Ancient Roman mile markers, called "mille passus" (meaning a thousand paces), were placed one mile apart throughout the empire. The ancient empire was all about Rome, but Christianity is all about the resurrection. While Roman mile markers measured distance to an earthly city, God's mile markers pointed to something far greater, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the most important event that ever happened in all of human history.
Seven Mile Markers to Easter
From the beginning to the end, the main theme of the Bible is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Easter story. Let me walk you through seven major mile Markers God placed throughout history to prepare his people for the coming Messiah.
Mile Marker #1: The Garden Promise (Genesis 3)
In Genesis 1:27, we read: " So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." But then tragedy struck. Adam and Eve, the first humans, fell for Satan's trick. They sinned against the very one who created them.
Genesis 3:8 tells us: "Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden." The perfect relationship was broken.
But God immediately gave them hope. Speaking to Satan in Genesis 3:15, God declared: "He will crush your head." God already had a plan that the sin which broke the special relationship between God and his people would one day, would one day be paid for by God himself.
Mile Marker #2: Mount Moriah's Substitute (Genesis 22)
Moving forward to about 2000 BC, God chose Abraham to begin his plan of redemption. After promising Abraham a son in his old age, God asked Abraham to sacrifice that miracle son, Isaac, on Mount Moriah.
It is clear that God would never have let that happen, because God told Israelites over and over in scriptures that he abhorred human sacrifice. But it was a test to teach a lesson. It was the first time that we see in the Bible that a life could be sacrificed on behalf of another.
Genesis 22 records: "And Abraham looked up, and there in the thicket, he saw a ram caught by its horns. And he went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. And so Abraham called that place, the Lord will provide."
God provided a sheep that became a substitute for Abraham's son, Isaac. The sheep could be called the Lamb of God. Significantly, a thousand years later, on this very mountain, the temple would be built... and Jesus would one day be sacrificed there near the temple.
Mile Marker #3: The Passover Lamb (Exodus 12)
God called Moses to set the children of Israel free from their slavery in Egypt. When Pharaoh refused to release God's people, God sent plagues upon Egypt. The final plague was the death of the firstborn, but God provided protection through the blood of a lamb.
Exodus 12 explains: "When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised. Observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you what does the ceremony mean to you, then tell them it is the Passover... The Lord passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians."
The lamb of God would be a substitute to save all of God's children. The lamb that was slain was God's provision for Israel, just like it had been for Abraham's son, Isaac.
Mile Marker #4: Isaiah's Prophecy Confirmed (Isaiah 53)
The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in 1947, provided remarkable confirmation of God's mile markers. The prize of the Dead Sea Scrolls is the Isaiah scroll. It is 28ft long, and it's a complete scroll of the Book of Isaiah. This scroll, written before Jesus was born, contained detailed prophecies about the coming Messiah.
Isaiah 53 declares: "But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him. And by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray. And each of us have turned to our own way. And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
Someday, Isaiah wrote, a savior is going to come, and he will be the Lamb of God. The sacrificial lamb to take away the sins of the world.
Mile Marker #5: The Sign of Jonah (Matthew 12)
When religious leaders demanded miraculous signs from Jesus, he gave them something unexpected. Matthew 12 records: "Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, teacher, we want a sign from you. And he answered, a wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign. None will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the son of man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
Jesus was beginning here to make it plain that he was going to die. And of course, you can't hold God in the grave, so ultimately, he would be resurrected as well.
In the early church, Jonah became a symbol of what Christianity was all about, the resurrected life in Jesus.
Mile Marker #6: Jesus' Clear Predictions (Mark 8-10)
Jesus made it clear. He repeatedly told His disciples exactly what would happen:
Mark 8: "That he must be killed. And after three days rise again."
Mark 9: "They will kill him, and after three days he will rise."
Mark 10: "We are going up to Jerusalem, he said, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and they will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him and flog him and kill him. And three days later, he will rise."
Mile Marker #7: The Cross (Psalm 22)
On the cross, Jesus said something that puzzled many: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" This wasn't a cry of despair, it was pointing people to Psalm 22, which prophetically described the crucifixion in detail. When Jesus quoted the opening line of Psalm 22, he's telling everybody to remember the words of Psalm 22.
This psalm, written centuries before crucifixion was invented, described: "They pierced my hands and my feet" and "They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment." Jesus was essentially saying, "did you notice that 20 minutes ago, the soldiers were down here throwing dice for my coat, do you get it?"
The Ultimate Destination: Resurrection Life
For thousands of years in ancient history, God was working a plan. And he left us plenty of clues to understand what that plan was. As 2 Timothy 1 explains: "God has saved us and called to a whole life, not because of anything we've done, but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel."
Before the beginning of time, God had a plan. God the Father treated Jesus on the cross as if he'd committed every sin by every person on earth so that he could treat you and me as if we lived a perfectly righteous life.
Putting It Into Practice: Your Personal Easter
Jesus substituted himself for you so that you could have that relationship that Adam and Eve had and be friends with God and walk with God and talk with him every day because he is alive. You and I can be alive, too.
The mile Markers weren't just historical curiosities; they point to a personal relationship available to you today. If you want the Lord to come into your life, just tell him and he will come in and save you and give you the resurrected life. This isn't about religion or rules; it's about restoration.
The mile markers have led us to the ultimate destination: not just Easter Sunday, but Easter life, a resurrected relationship with the God who has loved you from the very beginning and provided everything necessary for you to come home to him.
Reflection
As you consider the mile markers (the Garden, Mount Moriah, Passover, Isaiah's prophecies, the sign of Jonah, Jesus' predictions, and Psalm 22), which one speaks most powerfully to you about God's intentional plan for salvation? Why?
The religious leaders, disciples, and even Satan "missed it"; they didn't recognize these mile markers pointing to Jesus. What might cause us today to miss the ways God is working in our lives or speaking to us?
How well do you know God's Word, and what steps could you take to better recognize when God is speaking to you through Scripture?
Application
God had a plan for salvation that spanned thousands of years, and he has a plan for your life too. This week, commit to studying one of the "mile markers" in greater detail. Choose Genesis 3, Genesis 22, Exodus 12, Isaiah 53, or Psalm 22, and spend time each day reading and reflecting on how that passage points to Jesus. Ask God to help you recognize the "mile markers" he may be placing in your own life, the ways he's preparing you for what's ahead and drawing you closer to him.
Prayer
Our Forgiving God, thank you for your incredible plan that spans all of history. Thank you that even before the beginning of time, you had a plan to restore our relationship with you through Jesus Christ. Help me to be more attentive to your Word and more sensitive to the ways you are working in my life. Just as you placed mile markers throughout history pointing to Jesus, help me recognize the signs and guidance you place in my path today. Lord Jesus, I surrender my life to you afresh. Come into my heart, forgive my sins, and help me live the resurrected life, walking with you as a friend, just as Adam and Eve did in the garden. Thank you that because you are alive, I can be truly alive too. In Jesus' name, Amen
