What are we doing? A word about Easter.

This particular post is meant for those who consider themselves followers of Christ. You are welcome to read it if you don’t, but know that the intended audience is Christians, and that it just doesn’t apply unless you consider yourself one.

It’s springtime, and with it comes the obvious. You cannot walk into any retail establishment without noticing all the Easter decorations. Easter is touted as the most important holiday of the Christian calendar, signifying the ultimate work of Jesus on earth, the crucifixion and resurrection. The problem is? It isn’t. Jesus did not rise on Easter Sunday. I’m sorry. 

Wait. 

I know we have been told He did. But it isn’t really the truth. If it is, the bible becomes disconjointed and we miss out on what was intended. 

What in the world?

Stay with me. If you’ll remember (or you can read John 13) “It was just before the Passover…” Oh, yeah. The Jewish feast. 

Oftentimes, like this year, the Passover and Easter overlap each other, so this tiny detail matters little unless you really study it and think about it. But not last year. Last year, the two were a month apart. Passover began Friday, April 22 at sundown and ended April 30th at sundown. Easter fell on March 27.    A month, y’all. 

Why does this even matter? 

In Luke 22:15-16 Jesus says… “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." Some bibles call this the “Last Supper” because Jesus died shortly after and because Jesus also said, “I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”  I think the church has surmised that because Jesus won’t be eating the Passover until the Kingdom comes, then we should follow his example. 

But in 1 Corinthians 5, Paul has just addressed a terrible controversy in that church and parallels the acceptance of one man’s sin in that church to leaven at Passover. If you don’t know, during Passover the Hebrew people take all leavening out of their homes during the festival time, which is about a week long. No baking soda, yeast, vinegar, etc. If it could make the dough rise, it was out. Leaven is synonymous with sin here, and Paul says that just a tiny bit will fill the whole of the dough, or in the case of sin, the whole of the church. 1 Corinthians 5:8 is the famous line we hear at communion, “Therefore let us keep the feast…” Paul’s ministry came after Jesus. It is clear by this passage that the Hebrews were still celebrating the Passover after Jesus’ ascension. My point is that they were not waiting for the Kingdom to come to celebrate it.

The origins of the word Easter are up for debate. Some say it is named after the pagan equinox festival “Eostre,” meaning “East,” while others mention “Ishtar,” a pagan goddess of fertility. The word “Passover” is notated as “Pesach” in Hebrew or “Pascha” in Greek/Latin. “Easter” is often interchanged with “Pascha,” which makes it seem like the holidays are one in the same. Yet, given that these two holidays do not always line up on the calendar, I don’t see them as the same. One is true; one is false. Add to that the fact that the pagan aspects of Easter have survived so long and it becomes clear that things aren’t adding up. Anyone can look up the pagan origins of Easter. That’s a no-brainer. My question is, “What place does that have in a church that claims to follow Christ?”

This is a really deep subject. I don’t want to go that deep. I have only touched the surface of this here. It is simple to me, but maybe because I dug into it before. I encourage you to dig for yourself. I would never want anyone to take everything I say and apply it to themselves. The good Lord gave us a brain for a reason. Seeking out the truth is what he desires from us. Too often we sit and wait and absorb the knowledge fed to us. Read your bible. Do a google search. Pray about it. 

Because Easter is richly steeped in pagan practices, our family no longer observes that day and have opted to seek out and celebrate the Passover. We are not good at it. It hasn't been an easy or comfortable transition, but it gives us peace. The commerciality of every holiday is nauseating. I love pretty things, and am addicted to sugar like the next guy, but that is not the Father’s best. I will still be your friend if you want to celebrate Easter. (99% of my friends do, unless they are just afraid to mention the elephant in the room) But I would not be much of a friend if I didn’t tell you why I don’t. 

I don’t have all the answers. The main thing I keep remembering is that the Lord told his people NOT to worship him the way the pagans did. (Deut 12) I love Him. I want to honor Him. If I kept up a tradition my old boyfriend enjoyed in order to celebrate something for my husband, that would be absurd. And really mean. That isn't love. It is not harmless. It is not an oversight.

I'm curious if any of my friends have celebrated the Passover, and if so, how you do it. Our culture just doesn't talk about it, and I wasn't raised in a home that celebrates it, so I don't know a whole lot. It seems way simpler than other holidays, which is nice, as it isn't a prime target for commercialism. :) I would love to hear how your family observes this ancient feast. Please comment and tell me your experience!