What’s the Big Deal with Easter?

Introduction

Pascha, Resurrection Day, Easter.

Derivatives of the Hebrew term “Pesach” (Passover) is used in most languages and cultures, except in the U.S.

originally referred to as Christian Passover!

Whatever you call it, it’s still the day we celebrate the empty tomb, the resurrection of Jesus.

People have many questions about Easter, what it means, and why it’s important. We are going to address these today.

I have researched dozens of pages across the web looking at the questions people ask about Easter. While we cannot address every question, the following will encapsulate most of them.

Isn’t Easter a pagan holiday?

Kinda. The term Easter comes from the Eustre, the name of an Anglo-Saxon goddess associated with spring and fertility

The Council of Nicea (@325 AD )decided that Easter would be on Sunday, after the 1st full moon, after the 1st day of Spring (you do the math!)

ends up somewhere March 22 — April 25

While this may horrify some, this is more common than we realize. Like Christmas, the idea is that Christians were trying to replace pagan worship times or reclaim the days. Did it work? Well, how many of you knew anything about Eustre worship?

So then, Resurrection Day, aka Easter is not pagan, but it did replace a pagan worship time, thus elevating Jesus.

Did Jesus really live, die, and rise from the grave?

Yes!

The Bible tells us of Jesus, the Son of God, who came in human form, lived, died, and rose from the grave. We do not have the time to give this what it deserves, but some available resources are:

The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ — Gary R. Habermas

Excavating the Evidence for Jesus: The Archaeology and History of Christ and the Gospels — Titus Kennedy

The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus — Gary R. Habernas

Cold-Case Christianity — J. Warner Wallace

The Cast for Christ — Lee Strobel

appeared in God’s Not Dead 2 as an expert witness. He says this:

We can reconstruct the basic facts about Jesus just from non-Christian sources outside the Bible...In other words, we can prove the existence of Jesus solely by using sources that have absolutely no sympathy toward Christianity. As the agnostic historian, Bart Ehrman, says, "Jesus did exist, whether we like it or not." I put it this way: denying the existence of Jesus doesn't make him go away. It merely proves that no amount of evidence will convince you. — Lee Strobel, God’s Not Dead 2

The bottom line is this: He came, He lived, He died, and He arose.

Why? Because God loves you and I

If God is so loving then why is evil in the world?

Complex question, but the answer is really about free will.

In the beginning, God created man and woman, and gave them free will. What an incredible gift! We can choose to do what we want.

Adam & Even chose to disobey God, so they faced judgment; God provided a covering for them, a temporary fix. When the first couple disobeyed, they opened the door of evil unto humanity.

Here’s the blessing and cursing of free will.

God did not make us robots or automatons, incapable of acting on our own

Free will means that anyone can choose to do as they please, good or bad

One could argue that without free will there would be no love.

I asked ChatGPT to answer the question in a few a words as possible. Here’s the result:

God allows evil to exist to uphold human free will and for His purposes to ultimately prevail, demonstrating His sovereignty, justice, and grace.

Romans 8:28 ESV

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Why did He have to die?

The free will problem brings another problem: sin.

Sin is anything that is contrary to God’s Laws, God’s will, and God’s design

Sin brings death

Romans 6:23 ESV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The only way to deal with sin is with the shedding of blood

Hebrews 9:22 ESV

22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

In the Old Testament, people brought bulls, goats, doves, and pigeons as a sacrifice for their sins, but this was only a temporary fix, a band-aid if you will. Jesus came and shed his own blood to address the sin problem.

Hebrews 9:12–14 ESV

12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

What did his death accomplish?

Provides freedom from sin

Romans 6:6 ESV

6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

Defeated death

1 Corinthians 15:55 ESV

55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Redeems (purchased)

1 Corinthians 6:20 ESV

20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Forgives

Colossians 2:14 ESV

14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

1 Peter 2:24 ESV

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Adopts

Romans 8:15–16 ESV

15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Jesus’ death made forgiveness available, and made justification possible

What did the resurrection accomplish?

Jesus’ resurrection makes it possible for us to be saved and receive the life of Jesus within us.

Proves his claims

Romans 1:4 ESV

4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

Pays for sin

1 Corinthians 15:17 ESV

17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

Offers life

2 Timothy 1:10 ESV

10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

Offers hope

1 Corinthians 15:20–23 ESV

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

What does Easter mean, then?

The Easter story ends not with a funeral but with a festival.

John Blanchard

Easter is the beginning of God’s new world.

N. T. Wright

Resurrection Day means that we have a new opportunity for life.

Resurrection Day is both a day of celebration and memorial for Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection.

Conclusion

1 Corinthians 6:11 ESV

11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Those who have accepted the testimony of Jesus and choose to follow him experience three wonderful benefits:

Washed Cleaned up

Sanctified Set apart

Justified Made right