Easter

Easter is a holiday that falls on a Sunday each spring. For Christians, it is an occasion to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the grave with their churches and families.

The promise of the resurrection was hinted at all the way back in Genesis when God promised that an offspring of the woman would one day bruise the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). When we celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are celebrating that God kept his promise—the serpent’s head has been bruised, and sin’s power has been defeated! Those who believe in Jesus can say with confident hope, “He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us . . . into his presence” (2 Corinthians 4:14).

However, many in our culture celebrate Easter with chocolate bunnies and colorful eggs, sometimes not giving Jesus a single thought. What is the real origin of Easter’s name and traditions? Should Christians recognize the holiday, and if so, how?

Understanding Easter

Many Christians commemorate Jesus’ resurrection on Easter, but why is his resurrection such a big deal if it happened thousands of years ago?

Adam’s sin separated humanity from God and brought death, pain, and sorrow into the once “very good” world. Because we all sin, this penalty of death—eternal conscious punishment in hell—applies to all of us (Romans 5:12). In love, God sent his Son, Jesus, into the world instead of leaving us in our hopelessness. Being fully God and fully man, he lived a life without sin and died a brutal death on a cross to bear the penalty of sin that we deserved. Then, on the third day, he rose from the grave, proving his victory and power over sin’s curse! Those who believe in Jesus are promised eternal life with their Savior in a place free from sin, death, pain, and sorrow. Because of Jesus’ resurrection, we have hope both in this life and the life to come (1 Peter 1:3–4).

While some argue that Jesus didn’t literally rise from the dead, their claims are false and can be refuted both logically and scripturally. We must take God at his word from the first verse in the Bible to the last. Just as we believe when Genesis says God created the universe in seven days, so we believe when the Gospels say Jesus rose from the grave on the third day.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Jesus’ resurrection is the most important event in history, and the Apostle Paul said, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). Ever since the resurrection, opponents have tried to deny the resurrection, meaning it’s important for Christians to know how to defend the historicity of the resurrection.

First, there is a lot of extrabiblical evidence for the resurrection, and the Bible itself is a very good historical source. It includes elements that aren’t overly flattering to the disciples, like Peter’s denials of Jesus, and inconvenient details such as women being the first witnesses of the resurrection in a culture that devalued women’s testimony.

Second, all attempts to explain away the resurrection fail. Within a couple decades of Jesus’ resurrection, we have well-established written testimony, and these eyewitnesses were willing to die rather than deny the resurrection.

Is the Date of Easter of Pagan Origin?

Christ’s death and resurrection are central to our hope as Christians and are certainly reasons to celebrate! But some say Christians shouldn’t observe Easter because they believe it has roots in Roman Catholicism co-opted pagan festivals.

But celebrating the resurrection is nothing new—it has been done since the early church, though the date wasn’t always agreed upon. Some celebrated on the day of the resurrection, and others celebrated on the date of the Jewish Passover, which God instituted in the Old Testament.

Is the Name “Easter” of Pagan Origin?

Some suggest that the word Easter was derived from the name of Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of the dawn. And author Alexander Hislop claimed that the name Eostre is derived from the name of Astarte, a Babylonian goddess. However, Hislop’s book The Two Babylons lacks convincing evidence for these claims.

Others suggest that the word Easter is rooted in the German word for resurrection: auferstehung. In the name of the holiday we call Easter, languages besides English and German either use resurrection or a transliterated form of the Greek word for Passover. The early Bible translations of Wycliffe and Luther also give clues about the real origin of Easter’s name.

Are the Symbols and Customs of Easter of Pagan Origin?

As Easter nears, many grocery stores will prominently display stuffed bunnies, plastic eggs, marshmallow chicks, and colorful baskets filled with plastic grass. The Savior’s death and resurrection has taken a back seat in American culture.

Some customs, such as Easter eggs, do have origins in pagan celebrations, but they are commonly used by Christians today for good purposes. Ultimately, we must each humbly consider for ourselves how we can honor Christ in our lives, including how we celebrate Easter.

Fossils, a Reminder of Easter

The resurrection isn’t an abstract idea disconnected from geology and biology. In fact, the history of both is found in the same place—God’s Word—and both should be taken literally. Instead of adapting evolutionary ideas, churches must teach that all of Scripture’s history is trustworthy.

Even fossilized dinosaur bones remind us of the gospel. Death (and therefore fossils) came because of sin. Sin separated us from God for eternity. However, Jesus’ death and resurrection mean that if you “confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

Up from the Grave He Arose . . .

If Jesus hadn’t risen from the dead, Christianity would be foolish (1 Corinthians 15:14–19). It makes sense, then, that people who hate Christianity have tried to disprove the resurrection. Here are a few of their claims:

• Jesus just fainted on the cross; he didn’t actually die.
• The disciples said Jesus rose, but they really just stole his body from the tomb.
• That story in the Bible is just a legend.

However, all these claims are easily refutable, and answers to them are summarized in this article. Historical events—including the earth’s creation and Jesus’ resurrection—can’t be proven by science: They require reliable eyewitness accounts. Thankfully, we have those eyewitness accounts for both recorded in Scripture. Of course, the Creator of the universe has the power to rise to life again!