Easter is approaching a lot faster than most of us expected. For many of us, we can think of Easter bunnies and colored eggs lying around our gardens. But what is the meaning of Easter according to the Bible and why do Christians celebrate this holiday?
Over 2,000 years ago, on Easter Sunday, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ overcame the grave. He lived a perfect, blameless life and paid the price for our sins by dying for them on the cross.
But the story doesn't end there. Christ defeats death. Because of his victory over the grave, we have the opportunity to experience eternal life with him if we enter into a saving relationship with him.
get your FREEHoly Week Guide here. Get incentives straight to your inbox!
What is the meaning of Easter?
So what is Easter? And why do Christians attach so much importance to this holiday? Susan E. Richardson gives a great summary in her Crosswalk article.
“Easter is the celebration of Jesus' resurrection from the grave on the third day after his crucifixion. Passover is the fulfilled prophecy of the Messiah who would be persecuted, die for our sins and rise on the third day (Isaiah5). Remembering the resurrection of Jesus is a way of daily renewing hope that we have victory over sin. According to the New Testament, Easter is three days after Jesus' death on the cross. Easter follows a period offastcalled Lent, in which many churches set aside time for repentance and remembrance. lent starts inAsh Wednesdayand ends on Good Friday, the day of Jesus' crucifixion. The 40-day period was established by Pope Gregory 1 using the 40-day standard of the time of Israel, Moses, Elijah and Jesus in the wilderness.” —susan e richardson
Susan lays the important groundwork for the vacation. After Christians spend time in reflection during the 40 days of Lent, we remember the event that shook the whole world. That our Lord defeated death. The Old Testament prophesied of this event hundreds of times, hundreds or thousands of years before the Resurrection. It's not just a big problem. It's the biggest deal in all of Christianity.
What is Easter? Why do we celebrate it?
We celebrate Easter because not only did our Lord conquer death, but without the resurrection we have no foundation for ourfaith.
1 Corinthians 15:13-15data,“If there is no resurrection of the dead, then even Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching and your faith are in vain. Furthermore, we are found false witnesses concerning God, because we have borne witness to God, who raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him, if the dead do not rise.”
In other words, Christianity is meaningless if the resurrection did not happen. Christians would have been martyred for nothing and placed their faith in false hope.
Fortunately, the Resurrection took place, so we have immense hope and assurance.
The Story of Easter
Some people have suggested that Easter has some pagan origins. It gets confusing depending on which theologian you ask. Some have said that the holiday's pagan roots go back to Babylon:
"According to an ancient "Sumerian legend of Damuzi (Tammuz) and his wife Inanna (Ishtar), [...] Tammuz dies, Ishtar is heartbroken and follows him to the underworld." Here, "'naked and bent' is tried, killed and then hung on display. In their absence, the land loses its fertility, crops stop growing, and animals stop reproducing. Unless something is done, all life on Earth will end."candice lucy
Others said that the church, still wanting to gain the trust of its pagan neighbors, created a holiday that coincided with a similar pagan festival (one that perhaps involved areal rabbit).
Christians cannot deny that, at the very least, pagan practices have crept into the holiday, from dyeing eggs to tales of the Easter Bunny.
However, when we celebrate what some believers like to call Easter Sunday, we celebrate
Why is Easter called Easter?
What is the meaning of Easter and its name? "According tocrosswalk.com, the origin of the word Easter is unclear. The Venerable Bede, an eighth-century monk and scholar, proposed that the word may have come from the Anglo-Saxon Eostre or Eastre, a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility. Recent scholars have been unable to find any references to the aforementioned goddess Bede and consider the theory discredited. Another possibility is Nordic.they are, they are, O Ostara, which meant "the season of the rising sun" or "the season of new birth". The word east comes from the same roots. In that case, Easter would be linked to the change of season. A more recent and complex explanation comes from the Christian rather than the pagan context of Easter. The first Latin name for the week of Easter was hebdomada alba or "white week", while the Sunday following Easter was called Dominica in albis for the white robes of the newly baptized. The word alba is Latin for white and dawn. Old High German speakers made a mistake in their translation and used a plural word for dawn, ostarun, instead of a plural for white. From ostarun we get the German Ostern and the English Easter. —cristianismo.com
When is Easter celebrated?
Easter always falls on the Sunday of Passion Week, with Holy Saturday and Good Friday festivities preceding the holiday. For 2021, Easter takes place on Sunday, April 4th.
We also outline when Easter will fall in the coming years.
2022: Sunday, April 17
2023: Sunday, April 9
2024: Sunday, March 31
2025: Sunday, April 20
Prayer to Celebrate Easter
“Dear Lord, I want to let Your Truth sink deep into my heart and soul today. Help me to stay focused on you. And I pray for many who will understand for the first time this Easter Sunday that you are risen. It washes every soul with new hope and overwhelming joy. Bring new life as only you can. In Jesus name, amen.”—Lysa Terkeurst
“Dear Lord, help me to tell of your wonderful power and mighty acts to generations to come after me. May you not let the season pass without reflecting on the true meaning of Easter. In Jesus name, amen.”—karen eman
“Dear God, please let me find the overcoming power and redeeming love of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you for planning the ultimate plot twist that allows me to experience abundant life and eternal blessings through the work of Your Son. I'm very grateful! In Jesus name, amen.”—Kathy Crabtree
“Father, I thank you for the miracle of life: abundant life here and eternal life with you in heaven. Help me celebrate this life every day as I reach out to you and follow your plan for my life. Today I say with the Apostle Paul: “Where is your victory, O death? Where, O death, is your sting? Amen. —maria do sul
“Dear Lord, You are amazing! Thank you for offering forgiveness and mercy through the great exchange of Jesus. It's a miracle that I can come to You with a pure heart. Your love is extravagant and I cannot thank you enough. In the name of Jesus, amen." —Gwen Smith
another read
What is the true meaning of Easter? Why is it celebrated?
What is Easter: Understanding the Story and Symbols
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/ijeab