The True Meaning of Easter; Jesus, the new Passover
1 Corinthians 15: Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
We gather today, and every Sunday, for the same reason; to celebrate the saving work of Christ for us. He died on the cross to pay the penalty price for our sins, He was buried, and the 3rd day He rose from the grave to pioneer the way for us through death to eternal life.
That’s what today is all about. That’s what Easter is all about. It’s not about chocolate bunnies and Easter egg hunts. It’s not about new outfits. It’s not about family gatherings. It’s about salvation through the work of Christ on the cross and in conquering the grave.
And really, the fact that you are here today in a church meeting, means you have some idea that this day is more than those things. And yet, just like at Christmas we have to wade through all the stuff about Santa Claus, decorations, trees and gifts, to get to the Christ Child, so to at this season, we have to wade through the sludge of the Christian cultural corruption to get to the simple message of Easter.
Easter. In recent years, I even cringe inside a little bit, just by saying the term Easter. Because even the word “Easter” is a corrupted title for this occasion.
Where does the word Easter come from?By: Steve Shirley
A: The word “Easter” is used only in the KJV Bible, and it is used just one time in (Acts 12:4). All other versions of the Bible use the word “Passover” instead of Easter in this verse. The Greek word used is “pascha,” which is derived from the Hebrew word “pecach.” These Hebrew and Greek words are both translated over and over in the Bible as “Passover,” and this is the proper translation.
The word “Easter” actually means “Spring” and that is not the word used in Acts 12:4.
Sooo, since Easter is not mentioned in the Bible, who came up with this word that we use to celebrate the day that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead? There are two different theories on this. A majority believe that the word “Easter” has pagan roots. These roots are traced back to a time period that would be near the beginning of the Bible (some say around Gen 11). Around this time, the Babylonians began to worship a goddess, who they named “Ishtar.” Other names used for this goddess are: Eastre, Ostara, Ostera, Eostre, Estara, and Astarte. As you can see, all bear a resemblance to our word “Easter.”
So, even the name we use for this celebration is questionable. That fact leads us to another question; how did we get from the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, to the Easter bunny?
Well, the truth is that there was a celebration in Springtime that predates Jesus’ death burial and resurrection. Many cultures had kinds of “spring festivals” in honor of their goddesses of life.
The Saxons celebrated, Eastra, the goddess of spring, in whose honour sacrifices were offered about Passover time each year. The goddess of Spring represented the spirit of renewal.
Celebrated at Spring Equinox on March 21, Ostara marks the day when light is equal to darkness, and will continue to grow. As the bringer of light after a long dark winter.
So where did the Easter bunny come from? The goddess was often depicted with the hare, an animal that represents the arrival of spring as well as the fertility of the season.
There is a legend about one of these goddesses of Spring. Ostara is the personification of the rising sun. In that capacity she is associated with the spring and is considered a fertility goddess. She is the friend of all children and to amuse them she changed her pet bird into a rabbit. In other stories she heals a wounded bird she found in the woods by changing it into a hare. And thus, being still partially a bird, the hare showed its gratitude to the goddess by laying eggs as gifts.
“This rabbit brought forth brightly coloured eggs, which the Greek goddess gave to children as gifts. So a legend became a festival of celebration calles Ostara, or Easter, from her name and coloring eggs was one of the rites of the festival.
So how did these two events, the Spring festival celebrating the goddess of light and new life, and the death burial and resurrection of Jesus, get intermixed?
In 325 AD, the emperor of Rome, after converting to Christianity, Emperor Constantine convened a meeting of Christian leaders to resolve important disputes at the Council of Nicaea. Since the church believed that the resurrection took place on a Sunday, the Council determined that the commemoration of Jesus death and resurrection should always fall on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox. Easter has since remained without a fixed date but proximate to the full moon, which coincided with the start of Passover.
And by his proclamation, he married a Christian event and a pagan festival. Many people doubt Constantine’s conversion. They view his conversion as a shrewd political move designed to bring together two strong and competing religions.
And from that time until now, Christian beliefs and celebrations have been watered down by their pagan counterparts.
In 1572, the first reference to the Easter bunny was found in a German text: “Do not worry if the Easter Bunny escapes you; should we miss his eggs, we will cook the nest,” the text reads.
And the tradition made its way to the United States via the arrival of German immigrants. By the end of the 19th century, shops were selling rabbit-shaped candies, which later became the chocolate bunnies we have today, and children were being told the story of a rabbit that delivers baskets of eggs, chocolate and other candy on Easter morning.
At this point, you may say, “So what?” I hid eggs as a child, and hid them for my children. It was all just fun. We weren’t worshipping a goddess. And that is true.
But as believers we have to be very diligent with our celebrations. We must ensure that we don’t let the light and fluffy things crowd out the season’s true meaning. What is Easter’s true meaning? Our “tellers of children’s stories” have worked very hard through the years, to give Christ-centered meanings to the eggs, bunnies, chicks, colors, and springtime.
And as adults we also have to work hard to have a deeper understanding, so we can give an answer for why we celebrate in this season.
Today, we ask, What is the true meaning of Easter? It is Jesus, the new Passover.
What do I mean that Jesus is the new Passover?
To find that out you need to return to that night that Jesus met with His disciples in the upper room, to celebrate the Jewish Passover.
Matthew 26:17-18 17 Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” 18 And He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.” ’ ”
Jesus’ death burial and resurrection came during the commemoration of the Jewish Passover. And that wasn’t just a coincidence. It was in the plan and purpose of God. Because it was in God’s Sovereign plan that the Jews, and eventually the world, see in Jesus the fulfillment of the Passover lamb. Remember what John the Baptist said about Jesus; “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
And so we find, on this particular 1st century celebration of the Passover, Jesus being offered as a sacrifice for sin. And the parallels between Himself, and the Passover Lamb are undeniable.
Jesus death on the cross came at the exact time that the Passover lambs were being sacrificed. Jesus took the Passover celebration with His disciples, and changed its meaning. The cup of blessing in the Passover meal, Jesus said, “This is my blood, shed for you, this do in remembrance of me.” The bread eaten in the Passover meal, Jesus took and broke and said; “Take eat. This is my body.”
By doing that He outlined for us exactly what this season is supposed to be about; Jesus is the New Passover Lamb. At Easter, we are celebrating Passover.
Before we look at the parallels between Jesus and the Passover Lamb, let me refresh your memories about the story of Passover. Remember that the nation of Israel was in slavery in Egypt. They had come to Egypt generations before to find food during a multiyear famine. And they stayed, for 400 years. During that time their population grew from 70 to millions.
But a new regime took over the rule of Egypt, and they were threatened by the massive population of Jews. So, they enslaved them. And, in an effort to reduce their population, one Pharaoh ordered that all male children born be drowned in the river.
But at least one male child was saved, his name was Moses, and God would raise him up to be the deliverer of the nation of Israel, and the leader of their Exodus out of that land, to return to their native land.
When Moses was 80 years old, God sent him to the Pharaoh to demand the release of the Israelite slaves. Pharaoh refused, and so God brought plague after plague on the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh. 9 plagues came and went, and Pharaoh still refused to release them. Then God told Moses that there would be one final plague. And after that Pharaoh would release them. And this plague, and the means of being protected from it, would become the basis for the Passover celebration, and ultimately our celebration of Christ’s death burial and resurrection.
The children of Israel were warned that the death of every first-born person and animal was coming on a certain night. And the only way they could protect themselves was with the blood of a certain kind of lamb, which they were to put on the sides and top of the doorway to their homes. If they would do so, all the individuals who stayed in that dwelling, on the night of the plague, would be saved from death.
The nation of Israel was saved because of the sacrifice of the Passover Lambs, and their response of faith. And the nation was not only saved from death, they were set free from slavery, and subsequently entered into the promised land.
So, what does this have to do with Jesus? Jesus is the New Passover Lamb. What the Jews did in slaying the Passover lamb, every year to remember being saved from physical death, Jesus did one time, to bring eternal salvation from Spiritual death and separation from God in Hell.
So, let’s look at the connection between Passover and Easter: Jesus is the new Passover Lamb
Passover began this year on Friday April 15th, at sundown. What many do not know is that Passover illustrates the sacrifice of The Passover Lamb–the crucifixion of Jesus. Here are twelve amazing comparisons below:
Qualifications for the Lamb
1. One year: The lamb had to be one year old, in the prime of his life. Jesus was in the prime of His life when He was sacrificed as a young man, 33 years old. (Exodus 12:5)
2. Man: The lamb had to be a male. Jesus came to earth as a man. (Exodus 12:5)
3. Without Blemish: The lamb had to be without blemish. Without cuts, bruises, or deformities. Jesus was without blemish. He was sinless. (Exodus 12:5, 1 Peter 1:18-19)
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with [a]corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
4. Four Days: A lamb had to be chosen and brought into the house four days before Passover. The lamb, in effect, became a member of the household. Four days before His death on the cross on the eve of Passover, Jesus came into Jerusalem on a donkey. He was hailed as the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Exodus 12:3-6, Matthew 12:1-11, Luke 19:29-38, John 12:9-16.)
5. The 14th day: The Passover Lamb was slain on the eve of Passover, on the afternoon of the 14th day of Nisan, which is the first month of the Jewish calendar. Jesus is the Lamb that was sacrificed at the same time the lambs were being killed on the 14th day of the first month. (Exodus 12:6, Mark 15:25, 31-38)
6. Broken Bones: The Israelites weren’t allowed to break the bones of the Lamb. Not during the cooking and not even during the eating. Jesus’ bones didn’t get broken during the torture and the mockery He endured or during the crucifixion. (John 19:31-36)
31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.
7. No leftovers: The lamb had to be consumed entirely on the eve of Passover. Nothing was to remain overnight. Jesus was taken off the cross on the same evening of his crucifixion, although this wasn’t customary. (Exodus 12:8-10, John 19:31)
8. Jesus was crucified and buried outside the city, just like the leftover pieces of the sacrifices were taken outside the city to be burned. (Hebrews 13:11-12)
11 For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might [a]sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.
9. First Born: The lamb died in place of the first-born of the Israelites. Jesus died in our place. He was the “firstborn of many brethren” – Romans 8:29. He died on the cross in order to reunite or reconcile us with God.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
10. Blood: The Israelites had to sprinkle the blood of the lamb on their doorposts as a sign to God. Whoever stayed in the house behind the blood of the lamb was safe from God’s judgment against the Egyptians. Whoever puts their faith in Jesus, the blood of Jesus will keep them safe from judgment. (Exodus 12:7, 12-13, Romans 5:8-10)
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11. The blood they put on the doorposts, top of the door frame and on the threshold formed a cross. (Exodus 12:21-23)
12. Everyone: Every house and each family had to have their own lamb. Everyone has to open their own heart for what Jesus has done for them and personally accept Him as their Lord and Savior. (Exodus 12:3-4)
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
13. Freedom: The lamb opened a way to freedom for the Jews from years of slavery in Egypt. Jesus’ sacrifice sets us free us from the bondage of sin. (Colossians 1:13-14, Romans 8:1-2)
13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and [c]conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption [d]through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
14. Remembrance: The lamb had to be consumed entirely on the eve of Passover. This was a yearly remembrance. We have to get Jesus in our lives and consume His word every day. We also drink wine or grape juice to symbolize His blood and eat unleavened bread – matzah, a symbol of His flesh during the Lord’s Supper.
How is Jesus, our Passover, different? A lamb can only be sacrificed once. And it was only a symbol of the salvation that would come later.
Hebrews 9:11-13
11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things [a]to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, [b]sanctifies for the [c]purifying of the flesh,
But the new Passover Lamb needed only to be sacrificed once.
25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
And His sacrifice wasn’t just to alleviate the temporary suffering of slavery, or even to just postpone all of our eventual deaths. He led the way through death, to resurrection from the dead, so that we to could be resurrected.
For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
So Jesus is the new Passover Lamb. And when we gather today, it isn’t to celebrate Spring, or the budding of plants and trees. We celebrate The New Passover, which is resurrection life offered in Jesus Christ.
If I could change anything about this time of year, it would be the name. I would have us call it “the New Passover. And, by the way, did you know that the Bible says that we will celebrate the New Passover during the millennial reign of Christ on earth? Ezekial 40-48 describes the millennial kingdom. And Ezekial 45:21-25 says that Christ Himself will oversee the celebration of the New Passover. But it won’t be the remembrance of deliverance from the slavery of Egypt, but rather the deliverance from slavery to sin, and eternal death. It will be the millennial worship of our Jesus Christ, our Passover lamb.
I cannot think of a more fitting conclusion this morning that to point out the eternal glorification that is happening in heaven now, and will happen into eternity future for our Lamb of God. The last book of the Bible has this to say;
And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain,
Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”