Jesus and Easter

Some may wonder what Easter is to the Christian: Easter is the holiday where Christians celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible tells us that for days Jesus was tortured, mocked and scorned by the very people who had watched His life as He taught on the streets of their cities, healed people they knew, worked miracles they had seen with their own eyes or was told of by others who had seen it.

Jealousy flourishes around good things. Someone creates doubts and another one stirs while words of mistruth are tossed this way and that way creating strife and tumult. The one's who had faith before began to question the deity of Christ. They allowed others or their own doubts to flourish until they were caught in something which was very wrong: the murder of an innocent man. Jesus was tortured and crucified on a cross before people who had known Him, had touched Him, had talked with Him had been helped by Him. Jesus died on that cross where He was crucified and later was taken off that cross with hands that were gentle and loving. Those hands were the hands of friends who wanted to see that He was given an honorable burial, one which He well deserved.

They lovingly wrapped what was left of His mutilated body and gently laid Him on a rock bed in a cave. They then rolled a huge stone over the mouth of the cave planning to come back after the Sabbath to anoint His body.

Once the Sabbath was passed women returned to the cave to anoint Him. As they traveled they wondered who they could get to roll away the huge stone. They were hoping that a garden keeper would be close by. When they arrived they found the stone moved and an angel setting on it. The angel informed the women that Jesus' body was not there, that He was gone. The women went into the cave and saw the cloth that Jesus had been wrapped in. He was gone just as the angel had said. They feared that someone had come and taken the body away, but the angel told them not to fear that Jesus had risen and He would return and they would see Him. He also told them to go and tell the disciples that Jesus had risen.

Jesus did return and spent some time with them and the disciples. When He left to ascend into heaven He told them He would send a comforter who would lead and guide them. He gave them other instructions which you can find in the Bible.

We celebrate Easter because of Jesus' death and resurrection. If He had not died a way would not have been made for us to go to heaven. We would have to continue on in giving animal sacrifices and living by the old laws of the Bible in order to make heaven. Because He was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins we don't need any other sacrifice. Our sins can be forgiven when we ask Him for forgiveness because He shed His blood for our sins.

Our celebration of Easter has nothing to do with a rabbit or eggs; it has to do with the significance of what He did for us when He gave all He had...His life. Easter also signifies new life which we can find when we come to Jesus and accept Him as our Lord and Savior.