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Festival

 
A Historical And Biblical Perspective of Easter
 
INTRODUCTION
 
1. "Easter Sunday" is an annual holiday celebrated by many...
 a. Millions of people commemorate the resurrection of Jesus on this
 day
 b. Many consider it as "the most holy" of religious holidays
 c. For some
it marks the only time they attend church services 
 (although Christmas runs a close second)
 
2. But were you aware...
 a. That the church in the NT did not observe a YEARLY observance of
 the Lord's resurrection?
 1) The word "Easter" is found only once in the KJV Bible - cf. Ac
 12:4
 2) The word in the Greek is actually "Passover"
and so 
 translated elsewhere in the KJV
 3) "It is reasonably certain that the NT contains no reference to
 a YEARLY celebration of the resurrection of Christ" (ISBE)
 b. That the word "Easter" actually comes from "EASTRE"
the 
 Anglo-Saxon name of a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility?
 1) To her was dedicated a month corresponding to our April
 2) Her festival was celebrated on the day of vernal equinox
 c. That many of the customs associated with Easter illustrate this 
 and other pagan connections?
 1) "The rabbit was sacred to the Germanic goddess 'Eastre'
the 
 goddess of fertility and springtime...And if you stop to think
 about it
rabbits are an extremely appropriate symbol for 
 springtime
because of what they are famous for--having more 
 rabbits." (William Heim
associate dean of the College of 
 Arts and Letters at USF
Orlando Sentinel
4/15/87)
 2) "It appears there was a custom among ancient Egyptians and 
 Romans to give eggs as presents at this time of year. That 
 was intended to insure that the recipient would have a very 
 fertile or productive year." (Helms
ibid.)
 3) Helms went on to say that hunting for Easter eggs may have 
 begun as the search for gifts from the sacred animal
the 
 rabbit
on the morning of the festival.
 
3. This ought to prompt some questions in the minds of Christians...
 a. How did the YEARLY observance of Jesus' resurrection get started?
 b. How did pagan names and traditions become associated with a 
 "Christian" holiday (esp. one considered "the most holy")?
 c. What bearing should all this have on Christians today?
 1) Should the Lord's church involve herself in such a holiday?
 2) How about observing certain elements of it as individuals?
 
[Here are the results of my own study on these things. Beginning 
with...]
 
I. LOOKING AT EASTER FROM A "HISTORICAL" PERSPECTIVE
 
 A. THE YEARLY OBSERVANCE OF CHRIST'S RESURRECTION...
 1. The practice began early
in the form of a "Christian" 
  Passover
 a. The Passover was already an important feast to the Jews
 1) Instituted by Moses
commemorating their deliverance 
 from Egypt
 2) It was during this feast that Jesus instituted the 
 "Lord's Supper"
 b. Many Jews continued to keep their Jewish customs and 
 religious festivals after their conversion to Christ
 1) Paul was not averse to observing such Jewish customs 
 - Ac 18:18-21; 21:17-26
  2) John and Philip were said to observe the Passover every
 year (cf. Eusebius)
 -- But the Passover (and other Jewish festivals) was never
 bound upon the Gentiles (more on this later)
 c. Shortly after the death of the apostles
some of the 
 "Jewish" festivals began to be observed as "Christian" 
 festivals
 1) I.e.
the Passover was now observed in memory of 
 Christ's death
 a) Who died during Passover week
 b) Who was offered as our Passover lamb for our sins 
 - cf. 1 Co 5:7-8
 2) Thus began a YEARLY observance...
 a) Even though Christ instituted the Lord's Supper as 
  the proper memorial to commemorate His death - cf. 
 Lk 22:14-20; 1 Co 11:23-26
 b) Both biblical and historical evidence indicate that 
 this was a WEEKLY observance - cf. Ac 20:7; 1 Co 11:
  20-22; 10:16-17
 2. The yearly "Christian Passover" soon included other 
 observances as well...
 a. Palm Sunday
the day Jesus made His triumphant entry into 
 Jerusalem prior to His death
 b. Good Friday
the day He was crucified
 c. Resurrection Sunday
the day He arose and which came to be
 known as "Easter"
 3. Celebrating these days was not without controversy...
 a. In the 2nd and 3rd century there was much dispute over the
 proper date
 1) The churches in Asia Minor followed Jewish chronology
 a) So they celebrated the Passover when the Jews did
on
 the 14th of Nisan
 b) The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar
which meant
 the day of the week would vary from year to year
 c) Thus the day of Passover would vary
and with it the
 day of celebrating Jesus' resurrection
 2) Others observed the events on the day of the week in 
 which they occurred
 a) So that the "Christian Passover" always fell on a 
 Thursday
 b) The commemoration of Jesus' death would be on a 
 Friday
  c) The celebration of the resurrection on a Sunday
 b. This created quite a stir...
 1) While some were sorrowfully commemorating the death of
 Jesus
others were joyously celebrating His resurrection
 2) Churches threatened to "excommunicate" one another
 c. Even after the Jewish calendar was dropped
and it was
 agreed to celebrate these holidays on the same days of the
 week
there was still a problem...
 1) There was no agreement on which calendar to use 
 (Gregorian or Julian)
 2) Which explains the difference between the observances by
 the Roman and Greek orthodox churches today
 -- So the YEARLY observance of the resurrection originated from
 human tradition
not the Bible itself
and proved to be a 
 source of turmoil among the churches
 
 B. THE INTRODUCTION OF PAGAN CUSTOMS...
 1. Assimilation of pagan ritual into "Christian" observances was
 a common practice
 a. When people took the gospel into a pagan area...
 1) Many would not discourage the local residents to discard
 their pagan rituals
 2) Instead
they would attempt to give such customs a 
 "Christian" flavor
 b. As Helms
quoted earlier
went on to say:
 1) "With the advent of Christianity
the egg
still taken
 as a symbol of life
was simply borrowed to be a symbol
 of the Christian holiday."
 2) "The earliest Easter eggs were dyed red to represent the
 blood shed by Christ."
 3) "Many cultures celebrated the advent of spring down 
 through history. When Christianity came along about 
 2
000 years ago
there was already a number of pagan
 celebrations in place."
 4) "People rarely discard a holiday. When a new system of
 beliefs comes along
you simply come up with a new 
 mythic structure to explain why you were celebrating 
 that holiday in the first place."
 2. The effect of such assimilation...
 a. It eventually "neutralized" the pagan rituals
 1) Who would have ever thought of "Easter" as the name of a
 goddess?
 2) Without the help of historical research
we would have
 forgotten the pagan origins
 b. But it also leaves many people with erroneous conceptions
 1) E.g.
having people believe that Christians have always
 observed a yearly regarding the death and resurrection 
 of Jesus
 2) E.g.
in the case of Christmas
leading people to 
 believe that Jesus was actually born on December 25th

 not knowing that it was originally a Roman feast day
 
[But this has been looking at Easter from a "historical" perspective. 
As disciples of Christ
our primary concern should be the "biblical" 
perspective...]
 
II. LOOKING AT EASTER FROM A "BIBLICAL" PERSPECTIVE
 
 A. PAUL GAVE WARNINGS REGARDING FEAST DAYS...
 1. Paul expressed his concern for the churches in Galatia - Ga 
 4:8-11
 a. He does not say that their practice was wrong per se
only
 that he is concerned
 b. From the context
his concern pertained to "why" they were
 doing these things
 1) If they believed it was necessary to be saved
then 
 Paul's labor among them was in danger of being in vain
 2) For seeking justification through the Law
religious
 feast days
etc.
causes one to fall from grace and 
 become estranged from Christ! - cf. Ga 5:4
 2. Paul admonished the Colossians not to let anyone "judge" them 
 - Co 2:16-17
 a. Some were seeking to bind the Law upon the Gentile 
 believers - e.g.
Ac 15:1
5
 b. Gentile Christians were told not to let any one judge 
 (condemn) them
for salvation is in Christ
not in the 
 keeping of the religious feast days of the Law
 3. But as we noted before
Paul was not averse to observing
 certain feast days himself
 a. He did not hesitate to keep Jewish customs when expedient
 - 1 Co 9:19-20
 1) He had Timothy circumcised - Ac 16:1-3
 2) He took a vow - Ac 18:18
 3) He sought to keep a Jewish feast in Jerusalem - Ac 18:
 19-21
 4) He participated in purification ceremonies
which 
 included animal sacrifices - Ac 21:17-26; Num 6:13-20
 b. However
in his teaching it was made clear:
 1) It should be kept on an individual basis - cf. Ro 14:5-6
 2) It should not be bound on others - cf. Ga 2:3-5
 3) It had nothing to do with our justification in Christ 
 - cf. Ga 5:4-6
 -- Where Paul drew the line was in making such matters church
 doctrine or practice
where people were compelled to do 
 them
 
 B. JESUS WARNED OF THE DANGER OF HUMAN TRADITIONS...
 1. He rebuked the scribes Pharisees for their use of traditions 
 - Mk 7:1-13
 a. They made their traditions necessary for all to observe 
 - Mk 7:7
 b. In keeping their traditions
they laid aside the commands 
 of God - Mk 7:8-9
 2. Traditions of men are wrong
then
when they:
 a. Become matters of doctrine or required practice
bound upon
  all
 b. Displace the commands of God by the very keeping of the 
 traditions
 -- Traditions are therefore like the feast days; in certain 
 situations they can be matters of expediency
but if we are 
 not careful they can become a stumbling block to us!
 
 C. MAKING APPLICATION IN REGARDS TO EASTER...
 1. The Bible is silent regarding any YEARLY observance of 
 Christ's resurrection
 a. God and Jesus evidently did not deem it necessary for the 
 church
 b. Any yearly observance is based upon human tradition
not 
 God's Word
 2. As a human tradition
we must be very careful - cf. Mk 7:7-9
 a. It cannot become a matter of doctrine
which is bound upon
 others
 b. It cannot displace the keeping of God's commandments (do 
 those who come only on Easter believe that it renders the 
 command in He 10:25 of no effect?)
 3. An annual observance by the church is unwise
if not wrong
 a. It intertwines human traditions with God's commands for His
 church
 b. It forces people to observe what is a human tradition
 4. On an individual basis
however
if one wishes to esteem one 
 day above another:
 a. It is between him and the Lord - Ro 14:5-6
 b. Be careful not to condemn those who differ - Ro 14:4
10-12
 c. Be sensitive to the convictions of others - Ro 14:13-19
 5. As for the pagan elements...
 a. Again
perhaps this is best left on an individual basis
 b. My own understanding is that we are free in Christ to 
 change what may have been a religious practice at one time
 for personal use as an expediency
 1) E.g.
using circumcision for personal hygiene
 2) E.g.
using colored eggs and hiding them for family 
 entertainment
 
CONCLUSION
 
1. My view of Easter is similar to how I view Thanksgiving...
 a. I know that the idea of an annual observance is foreign to the
 Scriptures
 b. As Christians we should give thanks and celebrate Christ's 
 resurrection year around
 c. But seeking to "continue steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine"
 (Ac 2:42)
the Lord's church should refrain from adding human 
 traditions to its work and worship
 d. Yet I am grateful that I live in a country where at least once a
 year people think about God's blessings
especially in the gift
 of His Dear Son
 
2. My prayer is that people will do more than think about God's Son 
 once a year...
 a. That we be thankful in every thing and on every day
 b. That we live in the power of the resurrected Life which is in 
 Christ Jesus our Lord
 1) Which comes by being in Christ
 2) Which comes by living daily in service to Him who died for us

 and rose again!
 
 "For though He was crucified in weakness
yet He lives by the
 power of God. For we also are weak in Him
but we shall live
 with Him by the power of God toward you." - 2 Cor 13:4
 
 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live

 but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the
 flesh I live by faith in the Son of God
who loved me and gave
 Himself for me." - Gal 2:20
 
 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." - Phil
 4:13
 
Are you living daily for Christ
serving Him by the power of His
resurrected life?

－－《Executable Outlines》