But
very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, where Jesus
was placed ^, taking the spices they had prepared. They found
that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in,
but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there
puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.
The
women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men
asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He
isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told
you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands
of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would
rise again on the third day.”
Then
they remembered that he had said this. So they rushed back from the tomb
to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. It was
Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who
told the apostles what had happened. But the story sounded like nonsense
to the men, so they didn’t believe it. However, Peter jumped up and ran to
the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings;
then he went home again, wondering what had happened.
Biblically speaking, there is
absolutely no connection between the `Resurrection of Jesus Christ' and the
common modern traditions related to `Easter Sunday'.
Essentially, what occurred is that in order to make Christianity
more attractive to non-Christians, the ancient Roman Catholic Church mixed the
celebration of Jesus' resurrection with celebrations that involved spring
fertility rituals. [These spring fertility rituals are the source of the egg
and bunny traditions. The name "Easter" did not become associated
with the resurrection of Christ until the second century.]
The Bible makes it clear that Jesus was resurrected on the first
day of the week, Sunday*. Jesus' resurrection is most worthy of being celebrated**.
While it is appropriate for Jesus' resurrection to be celebrated on a Sunday,
the day on which Jesus' resurrection is celebrated should not be referred to as Easter.
Easter has nothing to do with Jesus' resurrection on a Sunday.
`Easter Sunday' should actually be called as "Resurrection Sunday". Jesus, our sacrificial lamb, our
Savior, our God, our Redeemer - he laid down his life as our sacrificial lamb
to pay for our sins. When he
rose from the dead three days later, he gave victory over eternal separation
from God (death) to all who put their faith and trust in him. That is the new covenant - everlasting
life spent with God through faith in all that Jesus Christ has done and
continues to do.
The purest meaning of Easter is the celebration of the resurrection
or rising of Christ to heaven, which is the foundation of Christianity. Easter Sunday reminds all Christians of
their heavenly calling and of the open door for relationship with God through
Jesus, His Son.
^ Added for Clarity
* Matthew
28:1; Mark 16:2,9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1,19 ** 1 Corinthians
15th Chapter
~ Bible Text Reference: 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 ; Luke
24:1-12 [Holy Bible -NLT] taken from https://www.biblegateway.com
~ Web
Resource References:
1. http://www.sharefaith.com/guide/Christian-Holidays/what-is-easter-and-the-resurrection.html
2. http://www1.cbn.com/devotions/real-meaning-easter
3. https://www.gotquestions.org/Easter-Sunday.html
No comments:
Post a Comment