Easter: Forget the Bunny, Remember the Snake.

It has been awhile since I've read through the Bible. I did it in college, but that was for homework and the only surefire way to secure an A in various Bible courses. With that in mind I've undertaken a new initiative - to read and blog my way through the Bible. I have no intention to get this done in a year and quite honestly I'll probably be more diligent in the summer and during school breaks. Most importantly I'm not doing this to get an A, to win heaven-points, or even to get internet followers. I just want to chronicle where God has led me, and if there are others in cyberspace who care to read about it, then I'm happy to share.
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My high school English teacher once said that the Christian God started out as a God of wrath, but His plans failed and He had to change his strategy. That has always stuck with me. I knew at the time that I was supposed to disagree, but a small part of me wondered if he was right. While the Old Testament justifies holy war and bloodshed, the God of the New Testament does seem like a much nicer deity.

I've since come a long way in reconciling this God of the Old Testament with the God of the New Testament, but I'll admit that I'm not wholly there. Thus, whenever I read the Old Testament literature I'm always looking for pictures of Christ and the message of the Cross. I have found that grace is on every page.

The good news is, you don't have to get in very far to find Jesus. The first direct reference to the Savior shows up in Genesis 3:15:
"And I will put enmity between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel."

I love good foreshadowing. (This too is probably thanks to my high school English teacher) I love that right after God issues the curse He delivers the Promise. We live under the curse every day, sometimes we do not even realize it is there. We get so caught up in the busyness of our lives that it takes a holiday like Easter to remind us that Christ came to Earth, that He suffered the "bruising" of the snake, and arose in triumph.

I'm not sure if the "head crushing" refers to Christ's resurrection or Christ's Second Coming. It could be both, since God's understanding of time is different from our own. Either way, here we have the God of Wrath, juxtaposed against the God of Grace. He condemns Satan, while paving the way for a new Eden, a new Heaven and Earth once the snake is completely destroyed.

Easter is not cute and fluffy - but I suppose having a vanquished "Easter Snake" rather than an Easter Bunny would make a rather disturbing holiday mascot.