It is Eastertime. Easter is one of the main religious festivals of mainstream churches. But the word ‘Easter’ does not appear in the Bible.

The 1611 translation known as the Authorized Version (or King James version) mentions Easter in Acts 12:4, but most translations adhere to the original Greek word which is Passover (or Pesach). Passover was one of the main Jewish religious festivals which involved a lamb with no defect being killed. This was to remind the Jews about how God had delivered them from Egypt under Moses. But it was also to teach them of the need for a perfect sacrifice in the future. This future, most important, sacrifice was when Jesus Christ was crucified, and this was at the time of the Passover festival. Jesus was the ultimate Passover lamb:

For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed

1 Corinthians 5:7

Because of this there is no need for any more sacrifice, and Christians are asked not to sacrifice animals.

Jesus did, however, ask them to remember his death in bread and wine.

And he [Jesus] took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ”This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood”

Luke 22:19-20

The early church did this weekly, on the first day of the week. And the death and resurrection of Jesus form the cornerstone of Christian faith.

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised

1 Corinthians 15:14-15

So what of Easter itself? There is no record of the early Christian church celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, except in the bread and wine. The festival of Easter started well over 100 years later. Its origins are in spring festivals celebrated centuries before by Babylonians, Phoenicians and Chaldeans who worshipped Astarte, the supposed goddess of spring and rebirth. Sweet buns, eggs and rabbits all feature in these ancient pagan rituals at springtime. And the ideas were merged into church worship.

So Easter is not a biblical concept. But the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are absolutely key to true Christian belief. They are far, far too important to leave to once a year.

As we approach Easter we do well to ask ourselves how much the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus mean to each of us.

Image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay