The Easter Story

Easter is the oldest and most important Christian holiday. The celebration of Christ's resurrection began during the Apostolic Age; the time when many of Christ's first disciples were still living

The term "Easter" is the English name given for the Feast of the Resurrection. The "Resurrection" of course being that of Jesus Christ; rising from the grave after being crucified to death on the cross at Jerusalem.

Here are some Bible verses that tell the story of Easter...

Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor (Matthew 27:1-2)

[Pilate said] "I find no basis for a charge against this man." (John 18:38)

But they kept shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" (Luke 23:21)

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha).Here they crucified him, and with him two others-one on each side and Jesus in the middle (John 19: 16-17)

Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43)

Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit (John 19:30)

When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"(Matthew 27: 54)

Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid (Luke 23:52-53)

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance (John 20:1)

After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time (I Corinthians 15:16)

He showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive (Acts 1:3)

After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.(Mark 16:19-20)

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)

(Peter was writing to former Jews who knew that "tree" and "cross" meant the same thing- a shameful death)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3)

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 (John 3:16)

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers (I John 3:16)

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:20)

Happy Easter!