Easter
It comes every Spring, usually sometime in March or April. You know it because in stores you see the baskets, candy, rabbits, eggs, and the annoying fake grass that goes in those baskets. You see the Cadbury cream egg commercials on television with the rabbits gobbling like chickens. Its name is Easter.
Most sincere Christians celebrate the season of Easter not as a time to fawn over rabbits or eat candy, but as a serious time to remember the resurrection of Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus). They commemorate His death on Good Friday and His resurrection on Easter Sunday. Certainly, of all the events in our faith, the resurrection of our Lord is the most important. The Apostle Paul validly writes, “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Messiah has been raised; and if Messiah has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain” (1 Corinthians 15:13-14). However, when we consider the pre-Messianic and pre-Christian origins of “Easter,” we do need to reevaluate it.
Mark and Margaret Huey, and John McKee discuss some of the distinct blessings of the Passover season, but also a number of challenges that arise for Messianic people during this season.
John & Judah discuss Passover as a defining moment in God’s redemptive story. The Passover event ripples throughout history: it changed Israel’s identity, it helped shaped the commandments in Torah, and its themes of deliverance are repeated throughout Scripture. We discuss how Passover contains additional meaning for Messianic believers, as Messiah himself imbued the feast with new meaning and symbolism. We also discuss how Messianics ought to handle the delicate subject of Easter and how it relates to Passover.
I have heard it said that you do not believe that Christmas and Easter are pagan holidays. Could you please explain?
How are we to balance how following the Torah includes outward practices, but also includes a greater manifestation of God’s love and goodness to all we encounter?
