Have you ever been approached by a judgmental Christian and chastised for celebrating a holiday?
If not, don’t worry; they will find there way to you somehow.
Non-believers publicly judge harshly too, but when other Christians judge and chastise such as this, it hits you differently.
They tend to use scripture or the lack there of, as a weapon to startle others and promote why their way is THE way.
They are so proud of themselves for sounding religious, that they miss how they themselves just acted against scripture!
““Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Matthew 7:1-2 NKJV
Hmm…
We ought to be more careful before we judge other people, because the judgement will come right back on us.
And it’s so true!
Those who judge, are the least free mentally, because they spend so much time seeking the wrong in others, they can’t help but notice the wrong in themselves.
So please!
Love even those who harshly judge you, because they are hurting inside, more than they could ever hurt you!
For all of those who are starting to think that I am speaking out of bias, towards my own traditions…
Allow me to bring in some clarity,
Please consider that I grew up celebrating every holiday!
Today, I don’t believe I should celebrate most of the holidays I used to celebrate.
I can’t give you a scripture on each holiday, and why I celebrate or don’t celebrate it.
I could tell you my reasoning, but it is my journey and it really isn’t the point of this blog post.
Nevertheless, I CAN say that whether you are at a place in your walk with God, where you believe in celebrating every occasion; or if you believe we should only celebrate the holidays that Jesus celebrated, one thing is most important to remember…
Both opinions DO NOT matter most to God!
What matters to God are two things…
Love Him.
Love every human being.
“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.””
Mark 12:30-31 NKJV
If you are compromising these two things for the sake of being “right” in regards to religious customs…
Let’s just leave that there.
Anyways, now that we have that established!
Let’s get back to,
EASTER!
Is Easter in the Bible?
The short answer is…
Yes.
If we search for the word “Easter” in the English Bible, we will find it appear once in the KJV of Acts 12:4.
However, the word “Easter” does not appear anywhere else in scripture.
That still doesn’t necessarily confirm that Easter wasn’t celebrated in the Bible!
Easter is deeper than what we think!
Easter is not about celebrating springtime or egg hunting.
Most everyone knows that Jesus Christ is why we celebrate Easter.
Though, could it still be deeper than that?
Why do we celebrate a holiday, if we never see that holiday celebrated in the Bible?
We were instructed to remember communion but never traditional Easter?
We never hear about the disciples having an “Easter service” at temple after the resurrection!
So why do we celebrate Easter?
Let’s dig a little deeper…
Let’s look at some of the original language!
“Easter” came from the Hebrew word “pesach” (חג פסח) and the Greek word “páscha” (paaskaa) which both also translate into the English word we know to be Passover.
Take a look in the Spanish translation of the Bible and you will find the word “Pascua” which derived from the same origin word “pesach” which translates as Passover or Easter.
It is really cool to see that the word Easter is derived from the same ancient languages that were used in the original scriptures which collectively became the Holy Bible.
Notice that Easter is derived from the same ancient words that also mean Passover.
So now we know that Easter IS mentioned in the Bible,
because Passover was mentioned in the Bible and both English words came from the same origin words.
So, where you see the word Passover in the English Bible, just know that another English word for that is Easter.
Wait…
This creates a new question!
Why is Passover translated as the same word as Easter when they are not the same holiday?
Passover is a holiday in Judaism.
Easter is a holiday in Christianity.
Two different holidays celebrated by two different religions.
Well let’s go back to when Easter was first mentioned in the Bible.
Let’s learn about Passover and how it correlates to the Christian Easter!
Go to,
Exodus 12 !
This is when God first gives instructions regarding Passover.
There needs to be a lamb.
Old Testament Easter:
“Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.”
Exodus 12:5 NKJV
A male lamb, who is spotless, needed to be sacrificed.
This is because a male, perfect lamb was of extremely high value and only something perfect and spotless can clean up the mess of sin!
For example:
If you have grease all over the place, you won’t use a cloth that is covered in grease, to clean up the grease around you. You would use something clean to remove the unclean.
This is what the perfect lamb did symbolically.
New Testament Easter:
“but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
I Peter 1:19 NKJV
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
John 1:29 NKJV
Jesus is the Passover lamb!
Passover is a celebration!
In verse 11 we learn that those participating in Passover, were to wear their good attire!
The clothes they used during special occasions!
This is a feast that was celebrated in community!
Verse 16, states that this will be a holy convocation, which means the gathering of a large assembly of people; who are all refraining from doing work. This was a time of eating and being together!
Sounds like a party to me!
God passes over.
Old Testament Easter:
In verse 13, God claims that when He sees the blood on the doorposts, He passes over those houses, instead of sending plague on everyone.
This is because we are God’s creation, made in His image, for the purpose that He created us for.
So, when we choose to create our own purpose for what we didn’t create, that is sin.
Sin is crime to God and crime needs payment.
Passover revealed who were on the journey to seek God and who were not.
God knows everyone’s heart, so He already knew who desired to know Him, but Passover was a ceremonial and public way of choosing to stand with God instead of cower to the culture.
Passover made the decision to turn from sin and turn to God, visual and public.
Sin is serious and though we don’t see it as a big deal, there is a huge price to sin.
It costs life.
Whether yours or the life of the sacrifice.
God never wanted us to take sin lightly but He did provide an atonement or a way to pay this debt, without it taking our life.
But either way,
the debt has to be paid.
New Testament Easter:
“And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.”
Hebrews 9:22 NKJV
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’”
Leviticus 17:11 NKJV
“You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin. Selah”
Psalms 85:2 NKJV
“Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.””
John 6:53-58 NKJV
Passover is to be remembered and celebrated throughout generations.
As stated in verses 14, 17 and 24, Passover is supposed to be continuously celebrated, throughout all generations.
Like a holiday!
Blood marked and signified those who were standing with God.
Old Testament Easter:
In verses 23, we see that applying the blood of the Passover lamb, the blood of the atonement, to the door posts, signified that those inside the home were those who have chosen to be God’s people.
Being Hebrew wasn’t enough.
They had to publicly commit to God, like in a marriage ceremony.
New Testament Easter:
“saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.””
Revelation 7:3 NKJV
“They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.”
Revelation 9:4 NKJV
“Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads.”
Revelation 14:1 NKJV
The forehead to our body is as the doorpost of a home.
This celebration is for those in the family of faith.
Old Testament Easter:
Those who are not looking to be a part of the family of faith, were not supposed to participate. Not to be exclusive, but because this was so meaningful!
Like marriage is supposed to be serious!
They don’t just take a man and grab a girl who is nearby and marry them.
No!
This is a covenant and it’s so sacred!
This holiday was supposed to be taken seriously, not passively!
New Testament Easter:
“Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
Galatians 4:7 NKJV
We are family!
No breaking of the bones of the Passover Lamb.
Old Testament Easter:
Go to Verse 46, where we learn that the Passover Lamb must not have even one of it’s bones broken.
New Testament Easter:
“Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.””
John 19:32-36 NKJV
Circumcision is a requirement.
Old Testament Easter:
Finally in verse 48, see that, to be sealed in the family of faith, it took circumcision!
The sign of the covenant, the ring of the marriage!
This was required before the atonement!
As, the ring was required before the two become one!
New Testament Easter:
“In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”
Colossians 2:11-15 NKJV
We just read a whole lot of scripture, only so we could see…
Easter has always been!
It was just called Passover.
The holiday is the same though!
Before the resurrection!
After the resurrection!
Forevermore!
This is the true meaning of Easter and the true meaning of Easter has always been about Jesus!
So, as we approach Easter, remember that we can truly celebrate it, because God gave us this gift to celebrate!
Have a wonderful and Happy Easter!
Never forget why we celebrate this holiday!
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8 NKJV
Photo by cottonbro
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
