I found it interesting in Acts 12:4 that Herod, who had already killed the apostle James, was going to deal with Peter “after Easter.” No doubt, Herod was making a favorable political move to not offend the Jewish leaders in violating Easter. Curious about the exact meaning of Easter, I went to the Greek language in the concordance and Mr. Wikipedia and other online information about the origin of the term Easter. “Easter,” in the Greek is “pascha” which means “Passover.” In all my years of walking with the Lord, I never stopped to look the word up. I was actually surprised at it’s meaning. I just associated Easter with Jesus’ resurrection, and bunnies, and getting the fresh grass mowed, and not planting certain things in the garden until after Easter (some of your older folks can identify with that last item). But I was glad to learn that, and in reading Wikipedia, I was impressed on how clearly the gospel and the facts about Easter were presented. So, I’ll just give you the quote to pass it along to you: “Easter celebrates Jesus’ supernatural resurrection from the dead, which is one of the chief tenets of the Christian faith. Paul writes that, for those who trust in Jesus’s death and resurrection, ‘death is swallowed up in victory.’ The First Epistle of Peter declares that God has given believers ‘a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.’ Christian theology holds that, through faith in the working of God, those who follow Jesus are spiritually resurrected with him so that they may walk in a new way of life and receive eternal salvation, and can hope to be physically resurrected to dwell with him in the Kingdom of Heaven. Easter is linked to Passover and the Exodus from Egypt recorded in the Old Testament through the Last Supper, sufferings, and crucifixion of Jesus that preceded the resurrection. According to the three Synoptic Gospels, Jesus gave the Passover meal a new meaning, as in the upper room during the Last Supper he prepared himself and his disciples for his death. He identified the bread and cup of wine as his body, soon to be sacrificed, and his blood, soon to be shed. The Apostle Paul states in his First Epistle to the Corinthians: ‘Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.’ This refers to the requirement in Jewish law that Jews eliminate all chametz, or leavening, from their homes in advance of Passover, and to the allegory of Jesus as the Passover lamb.” This quote ties it all together nicely. Our resurrected Lord Jesus Christ has impacted this whole world in a tremendous way, and the biggest one is yet to come. Take this Easter to give Jesus your whole life, be rid of sin (leavening), and be ready to meet Him in the air.
Easter: The Meaning
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