April 6, 2023
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As I look forward to the Easter Sunday, I have to wonder. Have we lost the true meaning of Easter? Why chocolate bunnies and eggs? The word ‘Easter’ is not found anywhere in the Bible. It came about long after the Passover week when Jesus was crucified, dead and buried, and, on the third day of Passover, rose again. That is what we should be celebrating. The word ‘Easter’ does not mean resurrection or anything concerning Jesus at all. So why do we call the first Sunday of Passover Easter? And why do we use bunnies and eggs to celebrate with? I remember, from my church history classes back in college, that many of the pagan holidays were incorporated into the Roman Catholic Church calendar and given Christian meanings. The rabbits and eggs originated as pagan symbols of spring and rebirth. They were adopted by the Church to draw pagans to the Church with symbols they were already familiar with. Commercialism has taken that quite a bit farther with chocolate bunnies and candy eggs.
The Christian celebration of the resurrection of Jesus is a holiday that was never a pagan holiday converted to a Christian one. It is the annual celebration of the resurrection of the Lamb of God. It occurs during the first weekend of Passover every year. Remember that God specified a specific month and day of the Jewish calendar for Passover. During the month of Nisan, the first month of the Jewish calendar, is when Passover has been celebrated every year since the Exodus. Leviticus 23:5 states, “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the Lord’s Passover.” The Jews were to begin celebrating Passover the evening of that day every year and Passover ends at twilight the evening of the seventh day.
The Hebrew calendar is kept in sync with the moon’s phases. Which means it is adjustable. The Hebrew calendar can have 353, 354, 355, 383, 384, or 385 days to a year, 12 or 13 months. The days of the month are adjusted to have certain Jewish festivals occur on specific days of the month when a day or two are added of subtracted. Since the sum of 12 lunar months is about 11 days shorter than a solar year, a leap month is added every 2 to 3 years, or 7 times in a 19-year cycle. The date of our Easter is always set using the Jewish calendar, which is why it is on a different Sunday each year but is always the first Sunday after the beginning of the Jewish Passover. So, there you have it. Easter – it’s a Biblical holiday twice over.
So, we celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. So, what is an equinox? There are four days in the year that farmers have used since farming began to mark the seasons. Spring Equinox, daylight and nighttime are the same length. Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, Vernal Equinox, daylight and nighttime are again the same. And Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. These are days that help us mark the seasons for planting and harvesting. Other than that, there really isn’t much special about them. However, these days have been used by pagans for eons for various rituals, days to worship various gods and goddesses, mystic events and so on. But that is a whole ‘nother story for another time.
Now, for the word ‘Easter’. One source says the word comes from the name of a goddess of spring and fertility, Eostre. Other sources say it came from an old High German word, eostarum, meaning ‘dawn.’ Regardless of the origin of the word, it has permanently become the name for the day that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. Jesus is the first fruits of the resurrection of the dead. In other words, His resurrection paved the way for the resurrection of all believers (those who followed God before Jesus came) and all Christians who have died between then and His coming again to take His children, living and dead, from this corrupt world.
Back to my original question, what is the true meaning of Easter? To begin with, Passover is the first Jewish festival of the Jewish year celebrated before the Lord. It celebrates when God led the Hebrew people out of Egypt. God instructed the Hebrews to keep this festival every year. Passover was the last night in Egypt for the Hebrews. All Hebrew families were to choose a perfect lamb and kill it. The lamb was to roasted and the people were to eat it fully dressed to travel and standing. They ate bread that had no yeast because there would be no time to let bread rise. The blood of the lamb was collected in a bowl and, using a brush of hyssop, they were to paint the blood on the doorposts and lintel of their homes. When the angel of death saw the blood, he would Passover the house. Look at the picture. Drawing a line from the blood over the door and then across from doorpost to doorpost, you have a cross. That Passover lamb and the blood is a reflection of Jesus, the Lamb of God, whose blood was shed for us, to cover our sins.
Easter is the most important day of Christianity. It is the cornerstone of our faith. Sure, Christmas is special as the birth of Jesus but Easter . . . Easter is the day that Jesus rose from the dead, having taken the keys of Death and Hell from Satan. He conquered Death and paved the way for those who had looked forward to the Messiah in the future and sacrificed lambs each year for the covering of their sin and those of us who look back on the death of Jesus as the eternal sacrifice for the covering of our sins. Death is the penalty for sin, eternal separation from God. Jesus paid that penalty for us on the cross. He didn’t have to but He chose to redeem us. He cried out, “It is finished.” He had accomplished what God had sent Him to do. Jesus suffered separation from God so we, as believers, wouldn’t have to. And now, by His blood, we can come before God, having been made righteous because of Jesus, the Lamb of God.
