The meaning of Easter is Jesus Christ’s victory over death. His resurrection symbolizes the eternal life that is granted to all who believe in Him. The meaning of Easter also symbolizes the complete verification of all that Jesus preached and taught during His three-year ministry. If He had not risen from the dead, if He had merely died and not been resurrected, He would have been considered just another teacher or Rabbi. However, His resurrection changed all that and gave final and irrefutable proof that He was really the Son of God and that He had conquered death once and for all.
However, Easter did not always symbolize Christ’s resurrection from the dead and the meaning of Easter was quite different from what Christians celebrate today. The feast day of Easter was originally a pagan celebration of renewal and rebirth. Celebrated in the early spring, it honored the pagan Saxon goddess Eastre. When the early missionaries converted the Saxons to Christianity, the holiday, since it fell around the same time as the traditional memorial of Christ’s resurrection from the dead, was merged with the pagan celebration, and became know as Easter. The meaning of Easter was also changed to reflect its new Christian orientation.
Easter is always held on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the spring equinox. This year, 2018, the first full moon after the equinox will be on March 31. The first Sunday after that? April 1. That’s why it’s on April Fools’ Day this year. and on April 21 in 2019. It has been 60 years since Easter was celebrated on what was to later be named April Fool’s Day and it will come around once again in 2029.
Easter is a religious holiday in which Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, whose death was commemorated on Good Friday. When Jesus rose from the dead, according to the Bible, he conquered death and thus paved the way to salvation for Christians everywhere. You can read the story for yourself in the Gospels (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20-21).
Easter marks the end of Lent.
If you’re Christian, Easter is what your faith is based on. The crux of Christianity is what Christians call “The Mystery of Faith” which is “Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.”
While spiritually speaking Easter certainly means that Christ died and arose, yet there is still a matter of the commercialization of a sacred Christian day. Sounds familiar doesn’t it? Christmas comes to mind. I will take a closer look at what eggs, candy, and a bunny symbolizes in celebrating such a glorious day.
Eggs are a symbol of fertility, renewal and new life, so it’s fitting that they are used to celebrate Jesus’s conquering of death and the subsequent new life Christians have through him. Since spring is right in front of us Easter brings us the renewal of life-plants, greenery starts taking shape.
There’s also some religious symbolism there. Some Christians view the egg as a Christian symbol, because just as a bird hatches from the egg leaving behind a shell so Jesus left the empty tomb.
According to the History Channel, decorating eggs for Easter has been going on since the 13th century, when early Christians stained eggs red in honor of Christ’s blood. It all really picked up steam in the 19th century when Czar Alexander III commissioned Peter Carl Faberge to make jewel encrusted eggs as a gift for his wife.
Like eggs, rabbits are an ancient symbol of fertility and new life. The association with rabbits and Easter happened in Protestant Europe. Many of the Germans who eventually settled in Pennsylvania had a tradition of the “Osterhase,” an egg-laying hare, Cadbury style.
Why candy? Why not? This abundance of sweets could be linked to the end of the fasting season of Lent. Seeing as many people give up desserts during this time, it only makes sense for them to geek out about chocolate and sugar when Easter hits. Jellybeans became popular in the 1930s, because merchants said they looked like eggs – which is what we call clever advertising.
Some find Easter and the arrival of spring as their time to showcase their fashion. Kids are dressed to the nines looking all damper. And, some adults find the same time to expose their spring clothes. A touch of the fashion sense.
I overheard one elderly church member once say that she is not giving up her “regular” seat to a “come to church during holidays” churchgoers. This may seem cold but in some respects it is true. Yet, who are we to judge when that individual chooses to come to a church to celebrate such a glorious observance? While there are those that do choose to attend a church only when festivities are taking place this might be the only time to win that soul over to the Lord.
Today, the meaning of Easter, for million of Christians, is that of honoring and recognizing Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead, and His glorious promises of eternal life for all who believe in Him.
We have all sinned and deserve God’s judgment. God, the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment for those who believe in Him. Jesus, the creator and eternal Son of God, who lived a sinless life, loves us so much that He died for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve, was buried, and rose from the dead according to the Bible. If you truly believe and trust this in your heart, receiving Jesus alone as your Savior, declaring, “Jesus is Lord,” you will be saved from judgment and spend eternity with God in heaven.
The tomb couldn’t hold him. He’s still around, he’s still loose in the world, he’s still recruiting for the Kingdom of God.
Easter also means that Jesus continues to be a figure of the present, who is known in the lives of many Christians.
Whether or not you partake in all the frivolities, Jesus should be first and foremost in your life and strive to glorify His name.
Is He in your life today? Let Him in and see if you don’t rejoice.