Ever wondered why there are bunnies & eggs everywhere at Easter?
A brief history:
Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus: rising to life again after being tortured and killed by crucifixion. He had been dead for 3 days with a multitude of eye witnesses and detractors.
Easter aligned with the Jewish Passover: a feast celebrated every year. It reminds us of when the blood of a perfect lamb (Paschal) was put on the doorposts of a slaves house. This blood protected those in the house from death.
God orchestrated that Jesus, the ‘Lamb of God’, was selected on the day the Jews selected their lambs and was killed at the same time of the evening sacrifice, when the passover lamb was killed. Jesus fulfilled hundreds of prophecies, proving beyond doubt that He was indeed the Son of God on a mission to save humanity.
Following the same symbolism from the original Passover sacrifice of the lamb, Jesus’ death atones for the sin of His people, His blood purifies / cleanses those in the house covered by His blood and His body sanctifies His people who eat the Lord’s Supper(!).
Obviously, Easter celebrations focused on the theme of new life and eventually started to incorporate some cultural traditions with new interpretations…
The Easter egg, (signifying the empty tomb and new life / rebirth), and the Easter Bunny (symbolising fertility) being the most common from ancient Germanic traditions.
Contemporary scholarship and historical analysis has thrown much doubt on the claim that the name ‘Easter’ came from the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre (whose festival occurred in Spring celebrating new life). Interestingly, most European languages derive their term for Easter from the Greek word “Pascha”, which itself is rooted in the Hebrew “Pesach,” meaning Passover.
Even more clear is that fact that Easter has nothing to do with the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar, though the myth lingers.
A clear distinction emerges when looking at the customs:
Beliefs behind the Rabbit & Eggs:
A Rabbit (Hare) ‘god’ (named Eastre) was responsible for new life & plants in spring.
Giving each other eggs would celebrate & make this ‘god’ happy so that you would get more new plants.
Modern Day Result: People buy over-priced chocolate, bad for bad for their health, to give to others. Many over-eat and feel sick afterwards.
History behind the Lamb & Passover:
Passover is a celebration remembering how God rescued the people of Israel from being slaves in Egypt. A lamb was killed and it’s blood wiped on the doorposts of the house of each Israelite. When the angel of the Lord came, He ‘passed over’ the house, keeping the occupants safe.
Modern Day Result: Jews worldwide buy special foods, feasting remembering, celebrating and hoping for ‘Elijah’ to come and deliver them from…?
The hope behind Jesus & Easter
An all-powerful, loving Creator came to His own Creation to rescue the people He loved from the consequences of the wrong (sinful) choices they made.
He healed the sick, lame and blind and rose people back to life from the dead. He gave everything – being tortured & killed, but rose again on the 3rd day. He went back to Heaven, promising to return for those waiting for Him.
Modern Day Result: Millions of believers worldwide report wanting to worship Jesus and have a new found love of others. Their lives are marked by sacrifice, humility and kindness: anyone is free to join their ranks with no payment what so ever.
I pray you would discover the power & freedom of the Lamb of God this Easter!
Lord, thankYou for giving us life, thankYou for protecting us and thankYou for providing for us. But more than that, thankYou for coming to rescue us from ourselves and our sin. Please open our eyes to Jesus this Easter.