What is the real meaning of Easter? Today, I will be writing on What Easter truly means and WHY it’s celebrated around the world, mostly by Christians. This will be like a Question and Answer session where I’ll be answering popular questions posed by those who truly want to know the real meaning of Easter.
Contents
What is the Real Meaning of Easter?.
QUESTION: The meaning of Easter – What does it mean to you?
ANSWER:
I won’t be beating around the bush on this issue. The meaning of Easter is Jesus Christ’s victory over death, overcoming the power of Death and giving Christians the Hope of Salvation. Jesus Christ resurrection after being buried symbolizes the eternal life which is granted to all who believe in Him and His father who sent him.
Looking at this, you’ll know that the meaning of Easter also symbolizes the complete verification of all that Jesus preached and taught during His three-year ministry on Earth before his ascension to Heaven.
Easter is the celebration of Jesus Christ death and Resurrection. Christmas and Easter are the two most important festival in the Christian annual calendar.
Peradventure Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, if He had merely died and not been resurrected, He would have been considered just another teacher or Rabbi like other prophets. However, His resurrection after three days drastically changed all that and gave final, undeniable and unquestionable proof that Him, Jesus Christ of Nazareth is really the Son of God and that He had conquered death once and for all.
However, One thing which is certain and which I want to point out here today is that Easter did not always symbolize Christ’s resurrection from the dead. The meaning of Easter was quite different than what Christians are celebrating around the world today.
Real Meaning of Easter.
The only way which you can truly understand the real meaning of Easter would be from Jesus Christ and in His three words “the new covenant”.
What is Easter Really About?
Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death. If you have read the bible, you surely will have a deeper understanding of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If Christ has not risen from death, there surely won’t be any Easter celebration, rather, it would have been a mourning period for Christians and Christianity as a whole. But his resurrection from the death gave Christians hope.
What is the New Covenant?.
The New Covenant is explained in Luke 22, which give us a picture of the night before his death:
When the time came, Jesus and the apostles sat down together at the table. Jesus said, “I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.” Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.” He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.” After supper, he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.” Luke 22:14-20
The heart of Easter can best be understood in the words of Our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ: “the new covenant between God and his people.”
History of Easter.
The feast day of Easter was originally a pagan celebration of renewal and rebirth. This Feast day was celebrated in the early spring and was in honored the pagan Saxon goddess “Eastre”. Here is how it changed.
However, when the early missionaries converted the Saxons to Christianity, the Pagan Celebration of Eastre fell around the same time as the traditional memorial of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. This was merged with the pagan celebration and became know as Easter.
After converting the Saxons to Christians, the meaning of Easter was quickly changed by the Saxons to reflect its new Christian orientation and joyous celebration of Knowing Jesus Christ and the Power of his resurrection.
The meaning of Easter for Billion of Christians around the world today is that of honoring and recognizing Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead, and His glorious promises of eternal life for all who believe in Him.
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