Why do Christians Celebrate Easter?

Easter is a festival that is celebrated by most Christian sects and non-Christians all over the world. Many people attribute the celebration to the worship of pagan gods and idols. Is this really the case? if it is, why will Christians celebrate it? In this write-up, I explore the theme of Easter and the reason why Christians celebrate the festival.

Easter in Greek and Latin is called Pascal. It has its root in the Passover lamb which was sacrificed by the Jews during the celebration of their Passover festival (read more on the Passover Exodus 12:1-30). In the new testament verse quoted below, the Apostle Paul referred to Jesus Christ as our Passover lamb.

Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch–as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

1 Corinthians 5:7

The lamb brought protection to the Jews in Egypt: the children of the Israelites were protected on the night the first-born sons of the Egyptians were slaughtered because they used the blood of a lamb on their doors. The lamb was also used as a symbol of forgiveness. In the verse above, it didn’t just say Christ was killed but sacrificed, which means it was not an accident that he died but for a purpose. Also, the old yeast means old habits or sins which do not please God and the new unleavened is the habit that God expects.

Why do Christians celebrate it?

Christians celebrate the festival as a form of memorial to remember the trial, humiliation, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and what it means to the entire humanity. These are the very root that the Christian faith is laid upon. This is what the Apostle Paul says about it.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4

How does the celebration relate to the celebration of the Passover?

The relationship between Easter and the Old Testament celebration of the Passover is that: firstly the crucifixion of Christ occurred during the celebration of Passover; secondly, like the Pascal lamb, Christians see Christ as sacrificed (1 Corinthians 5:7) for the sins of the world as noted in the 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. This is the main reason why Christians do not offer any animal sacrifices; they see Christ as a perfect sacrifice.

“For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy… And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.”

Hebrew 10:14, 18

Why is Easter celebrated from Friday to Sunday and doesn’t have a fixed date?

When you read the Gospels of the Bible (Matthew 26, 27, 28, Mark 14, 15, 16, Luke 22,23, 24, and John 18, 19, 20), the crucifixion occurred on a Friday and Jesus resurrected on a Sunday; also supported by Apostle Paul when he says “that he was raised on the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:4). The crucifixion happened during the Passover, hence the celebration of it remembrance (Easter) occurs during the same period as the Passover. The Passover festival was celebrated in the month of Nisan on the Jewish calendar. This month falls between March and April in our current day calendar. It marks the beginning of the Hebrew year hence the first month.

From the above discussion, we understand that the celebration of Easter is not about paganism or idol worship. If there is a festival that even comes closer to it, this will be the Passover celebration in which Jesus himself took part several times. So as a Christian you should not be double-minded about celebrating Easter, the idea is about the love of Christ saving sinners from damnation. Take it as an opportunity to spread the love of God to others. This is perfectly captured in John 3:16-17 which says:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

Photo Credits:

1. https://wallpaperaccess.com/religious-easter
2. https://soundcloud.com/milad-edwar/the-passion-of-the-christ-soundtrack
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRWfTbdhdjs

Appreciation

I would like to express my profound gratitude to Onyina Andrews Frimpong for taking the time to help in the proofreading of the manuscript of this write-up and making important additions. I say God richly bless and increase him. I do however take responsibility for any typographical errors, omissions and grammatical mistakes in this document.