Easter – it’s not about the Easter Bunny and candy

 

By Greg Holt

I remember Easter when I was a kid, it was fun.  What is not fun about gobbling up jellybeans and chocolate?  Let us not forget the chocolate Easter Bunny!  Of course parents don’t have quite so much fun when the kids are high on sugar right?

What is Easter really about though?  It has nothing to with bunnies and chocolate – and everything to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ, sort of – I will explain.

When we delve into the road map of faith, the Bible, the Word says absolutely nothing about celebrating Easter, or Christmas for that matter.  Nowhere are we as believers instructed to celebrate these holidays.  Easter (and Christmas) originate in paganism.

Naturally the world (unbelievers) celebrates these holidays to the fullest, some more than others.  By that I mean parties and drinking, family meals, gift giving, and of course the extreme over-commercialization of these holidays, it’s all about the almighty dollar.

Here is the important question, what does Easter mean to you and your family?  If you are a believer in Jesus, Easter (and Christmas) should be centered on Jesus Christ – if not they should be.

While egg hunts and candy are all well and good, the focus of Easter needs to be on a rather spectacular and notable event – the empty tomb, the resurrection of Jesus Christ (John 20:1-18).  Without the resurrection, there would be no salvation, and our faith in Jesus would be wasted, a massive fraud (1 Corinthians 15:12-23).

^“3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; ⁴ and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

The actual time this event happened notwithstanding, the date Easter is celebrated varies.  I personally think this date changing is nonsense, but this is no surprise as Easter’s origins are based of course on a pagan goddess – Ishtar.

“In reading history, it is not hard to find information about the customs of Easter.  The word Easter is derived from the ancient name Ishtar, a pagan goddess, and an abomination.  It turns out the modern-day version of Easter is just a remake of some very ancient pagan traditions and practices.  If a faithful follower of Christ is told the truth regarding the source of “Easter,” he/she would most certainly detest the origins of pagan worship.” (Source)

The pagan celebration of Easter has a lot to do with the arrival of spring, which in turn has a lot to do with the changing dates of Easter.
To wit:

“First off, it’s important to know that though the exact date of Easter changes each year, there’s a definite period in which the day occurs, and that’s March 22 through April 25 (in the Gregorian calendar, not the Julian calendar). Easter always occurs on the first Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon (the first full moon that occurs after the vernal equinox, which signifies the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere), according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.” (Source)

There is also of course a pagan goddess of spring celebrated in Wicca, note the references to Easter and the date changes.

“The Goddess Ostara is the German maiden Goddess who is celebrated at the spring equinox and also the Anglo Saxon Goddess of the dawn named Eostra pronounced East-ra.  The word oestrus (referring to an animal in heat) is also derived from Eostra which can be defined as East and shining, related to the Greek Goddess Eos who is the Goddess of the dawn and love in their pantheon.

There is not much lore about Her.  We know that she was a fertility Goddess of the Northern European people whose springtime rites were taken and changed by the newly “Christianized” Roman invaders into Easter and the legend of [truth] of Christ’s resurrection.  The Moon still determines the timing of the Christian Easter.  Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon after the Vernal Equinox.” (Source)

All things considered however, Easter and Christmas as well are what we make of them, and what we as believers should make of them is a celebration of Jesus, and what He has done for us.

Because Jesus died on the cross, we can be forgiven of our sins, and everyone whether a believer in Jesus or not sins, or does wrong if you will (Romans 3:23).  If we come to Jesus in faith, asking for forgiveness of sins, believing that He died for our sins, and rose from the grave to live forever more – we are forgiven, and given new life (the salvation of our souls) as followers of Jesus.

“⁸ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹ not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

If not for the resurrection of Jesus, none of this would be possible.  We therefore celebrate as believers in Him, Easter, or perhaps more appropriately, Resurrection Day.

Because our Lord and Savior was resurrected from the grave, we too will be resurrected from the grave (1 Corinthians 15:51-53).  Upon death, for those who believe in Jesus, our spirit is immediately in the presence of Jesus, our body however remains behind on earth (2 Corinthians 5:1-8).  Upon the return of Christ, we will receive new bodies, and we will be just as Jesus is (Colossians 3:4; 1 John 3:2).  I would say that this is definitely something to celebrate!

There is a caveat to all of this; one needs to know Jesus in order for one to go to Heaven.  Jesus is the way, and there is none other (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

Physical death is not final, spiritual death however is final.  Those who die refusing Jesus; the death of their body will be the least of their worries, the death of these peoples’ spirit will be far more onerous.  Spiritual death means permanent separation from God – in Hell (John 3:36; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; Revelation 20:6-14).

This Easter, I like Resurrection Day better, celebrate the One who made the ultimate sacrifice so that I (we) can be forgiven of our sins, and spend eternity in Heaven with God.

Let us not forget the included fringe benefits of life with God as opposed to without God:

• No more sadness
• No more health problems of any kind
• No more sinning
• No more death
• No more worries about the future
• A perfectly healed and whole body – forever!
• We will see again all those who died before us, those who believed in Jesus
• All of our favorite people in the Bible will no longer be characters on a page; they will be living breathing people!

If you do not know Jesus, you have not accepted Him as Lord and Savior, I pray that today will be the day that you do so.  Don’t wait!  Tomorrow is not guaranteed, and not one of is “good enough.”  We come to Jesus as we are, and He accepts us, forgives us, and begins a work in us only He can do.

Hallelujah!!! He is risen and lives forever more!

Related: The Must Read Interview with Satan – How to be Saved