What is Easter?
Easter is a significant holiday, also known as a feast, in Christianity, marking the Resurrection of Jesus three days after his crucifixion. It is considered the joyous conclusion of the Lenten season of fasting and penitence for many Christian churches. Although the earliest recorded observance of Easter dates back to the 2nd century, it is believed that even the earliest Christians celebrated the Resurrection, which is a fundamental belief of the faith.
The Origin of Easter
The first recorded observance of Easter dates back to the 2nd century, although it is widely believed that the commemoration of Jesus’ Resurrection took place even earlier.
The etymology of the English word Easter, which bears resemblance to the German word Ostern, remains uncertain. One theory, put forth by the Venerable Bede in the 8th century, suggests that it may have originated from Eostre or Eostrae, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility. However, this theory has been contested as it implies that Christians adopted pagan customs and traditions despite their opposition to paganism. Today, experts widely accept that the word Easter comes from the Latin phrase in albis, the Christian term for Easter week, which means “dawn” in the plural form of alba. In Old High German, this term evolved into eostarum, which became the modern German and English term for Easter. Similarly, the French word for Easter, Pâques, derives from the Latin and Greek term Pascha, meaning “Passover.”
Why is Easter Important for Christians?
Christians view Easter as a festive occasion because it symbolises the realisation of the predictions in the Old Testament and the revelation of God’s redemptive strategy for humanity. In observing the Resurrection of Jesus, Easter also commemorates the triumph over death and the expectation of deliverance. The Christian doctrine stipulates that Jesus’ death atoned for the sins of mankind, and his Resurrection signifies the hope of rebirth for all believers.
Christian Beliefs About Easter
Easter holds great significance for Christians as it commemorates Jesus Christ’s victory over death and the promise of eternal life for those who believe in Him. Moreover, Easter confirms and validates all that Jesus taught and preached during His ministry. Without His resurrection, Jesus would have been merely another teacher or prophet, but His resurrection provided irrefutable evidence of His divine nature and His triumph over death.
How Do Christians Celebrate Easter?
Easter is an eagerly awaited event celebrated by Christians worldwide. It is a time when special church services, music, candlelight, flowers, and the ringing of church bells signify the occasion. Many Christians take up the tradition of eating just fish during the Easter weekend.
Jesus’ Resurrection in the New Testament
Matthew 28:1-10 (NIV)
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Mark 16:1-8 (NIV)
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”
Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
Luke 24:1-12 (NIV))
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” Then they remembered his words.
When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
John 20:1-10 (NIV)
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
Old Testament Prophecies of the Resurrection
The Messiah Will Overcome Death
Prophecy: “On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken”
(Isaiah 25:7–8).
Fulfilment: “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory’”
(1 Corinthians 15:54).
The Messiah Will Be Resurrected
Prophecy: “I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death”
(Psalm 118:17–18).
Fulfilment: “In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: “The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again”‘” (Luke 24:5–7).