Easter

Note: Underlined words have definitions at the end of this article provided by The Basic Newbury House Dictionary. Definitions with an asterisk (*) are supplied by the author, Bill Perry.

Easter is the common name for the Christian holiday that celebrates Jesus Christ coming back to life after he died. Like Christmas, Easter in America has both Christian and non-Christian customs. We will first look at the historical events before Jesus’ resurrection and then see how other customs were added.

Jesus of Nazareth lived about 33 years (4 BC - 30 AD) in Israel. The Bible says that he was called the Christ, meaning “the chosen one” in the Greek language. This name means the same thing as the Hebrew word, “Messiah.” The Old Testament, the first part of the Bible, made hundreds of predictions about this Messiah. He would be unlike anyone else ever born on earth. He would be the leader of all God’s people. And he would offer eternal life to people.

For a long time Jewish people knew they needed God to forgive them. According to the Bible, all people have disobeyed God. They do not do all the things he says they should do. God’s penalty for disobedience is death. The Bible says people cannot earn eternal life because they can never be good enough; they would need to be perfect. However, the death penalty still must be paid. If people pay the penalty themselves, the Bible says they will never be with God. However, God had his own plan – he sent Jesus. Since Jesus obeyed God’s Law perfectly, he did not have to die. He did not have to pay the death penalty for himself, so he chose to die for others. Because he was God in human form, unlike anyone else, he was the only one who could do this.

According to tradition, Jesus was crucified on a Friday. Soldiers nailed his hands and feet to a cross of wood. This was the common form of death for criminals in the Roman Empire. The pain was terrible, and death sometimes did not come for days. Yet Jesus died in only six hours, because soldiers had beaten him earlier. Christians call the day that Jesus died, “Good Friday.” This custom began in the fourth century when Christians understood Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection as two events, not one. It was “good” to Christians because God kept his promise when Jesus paid the penalty for others. Now it was possible for them to be with God after they died. He paid for their sins.

Friends of Jesus buried him in a small cave used as a grave. The Bible says that early Sunday morning Jesus came back to life. He showed himself to his friends. His body looked the same, and it still had the holes in his hands and feet. He also ate food in front of them (see Luke 24-41-42). But his body had changed – it was now a “spiritual” body – one that would never die again. By coming back alive, Jesus proved that God is stronger than death.

Jesus told his friends that God will forgive any person anywhere who believes or depends on him since he paid the death penalty for them. According to the Bible, faith in Jesus is the requirement for God’s forgiveness. Thus Jesus gives them eternal life because of their faith in him.

This message of forgiveness is good news. That is why Christians want to share the message of Easter with others and invite them to Easter church services. Many Christians called this holiday “Resurrection Day.” It is their most important holy day. Forty days after his resurrection, Jesus rose up above the earth and went to Heaven. Readers can find the story in the books of Matthew (chapters 2628), Mark (14-16), Luke (22-24) and John (18-21) in the Bible.

The date of Easter is different each year. Church leaders in 325 AD used a lunar calendar that is based on the moon’s orbit around the earth. It is the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 21^st. Thus Easter always occurs between March 22^nd and April 25^th.

As Christians told the Easter message to people from other cultures, different ideas were added to the resurrection celebration. The name “Easter” came from the old German goddess of spring, Eostre. Their spring festival was called Eostur. One can see how this name became Easter.

Celebrating with eggs has been a custom for centuries. In some parts of the world eggs represent the new life that returns during spring season. Ancient Persians and Egyptians colored their eggs in bright colors and gave them to friends as gifts. Christians in the Middle East first used this custom of coloring eggs as part of the Easter celebration. Easter eggs’ coloring and styles will be different from country to country. In the United States eggs are also made of chocolate and candy. Empty plastic eggs are filled with small candies and put in Easter baskets. Small children also enjoy looking for hidden Easter eggs. Adults or older children hide eggs in a yard or rooms in a house. Then children find as many eggs as possible and put them into their baskets. The one who finds the most eggs wins a prize.

The “Easter Bunny” also has a long tradition with the holiday. However, like the “Easter eggs,” the bunny is related more to the idea of new life from spring, not the resurrection. In ancient Egypt the rabbit represents new life from birth. According to the Egyptians, the rabbit is a symbol of the moon. Since the lunar calendar decides the date of Easter each year, the rabbit or bunny became an Easter symbol. A more modern story about a rabbit came from Germany. There a woman hid Easter eggs for her children during a famine. When the children found the eggs, a big rabbit hopped away. They thought the rabbit brought the eggs. Today many children in the US are told that the “Easter bunny” brings and hides their Easter eggs.

Churches have many special days that come before Easter. Lent is the 40-day time to get ready for Easter. During this time people pray, fast or do other religious activities. The first day of Lent is called “Ash Wednesday.” The day before that is called “Shrove Tuesday.” This day is marked by parties, since religious activities begin the next day. The Sunday before Easter is called “Palm Sunday.” On this day Jesus’ friends made a path of palm branches when he went to Jerusalem on the Sunday before he died. The Thursday before Easter is called “Maundy Thursday.” On that night Jesus ate his last and most famous meal. Many churches have special services on these days.

On Easter Sunday, many Christians attend a sunrise service, sometimes calling it a “Son-Rise” service. The Bible calls Jesus “the Son of God” (Luke 1:35) who would “rise from the dead” (Acts 17:3). Other celebrations include parades, plays, concerts and cantatas. During this time of year people can watch movies on television about the life of Jesus. Some well-known movie titles are Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, The Robe, Ben-Hur and The Greatest Story Ever Told. These films can be rented as videos in video stores.

The resurrection of Jesus is the center of the Christian message. If Jesus is still dead and buried, the Bible says that Christians have no hope and nothing to believe. Even today no one has discovered the body of Jesus. The Bible says and Christians believe that “He is risen!” Some people who do not believe the Easter message say Jesus did not rise from the dead. They try to explain what they think happened on Easter morning. Their ideas go against what the Bible says, and no one has ever found Christ’s body. Jesus’ resurrection is proof for Christians that the God of the Bible is true and real. Easter is the yearly celebration of all they hope for and believe.

Public schools, colleges and universities in America used to have an Easter vacation. That has been replaced by a time off from school that is now called “Spring Break.” Many students travel to southern parts of the country and enjoy recreation in warmer, sunny places like the beach.

Vocabulary

*cantata (noun) – a musical performance that includes singers with musicians playing piano, organ or other instruments.

criminal (noun) – a person who commits a serious crime.

*crucifixion (noun) – the event of dying on a cross when a person’s hands and feet are nailed to the wood of the cross.

famine (noun) – a serious lack of food.

fast (verb) – to eat and drink little or nothing.

forgive (verb) – to not feel angry towards someone who did something wrong.

goddess (noun) – a female god.

*God’s law (noun) – the ways of God as told in the Bible; the 10 Commandments.

*lunar (adjective) – relating to the moon.

Messiah (noun) – Hebrew word meaning “the expected king or deliverer of the Jews.”

orbit (noun) – the path in space of a planet, moon or spacecraft.

path (noun) – a narrow way for walking made by repeated use.

penalty (noun) – the punishment one receives for breaking a law or a rule, such as having to pay money (a fine) or going to prison.

prediction (noun) – a statement about what will happen in the future.

prize (noun) – an award presented for wining a competition.

recreation (noun) – fun things to do, such as sports, hobbies, and amusements.

requirement (noun) – a necessity; something needed.

*resurrection (noun) – the rising from the dead, or returning back to life from being dead.

*sins (noun) – behaviors and actions that are against God’s commands.

©Bill Perry. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author.