The Story of Easter

As many of you know the Easter holiday is rapidly coming upon us. In fact this coming Sunday (March 16^th) is Palm Sunday, exactly seven days before the anniversary of our Lord rising from his tomb. We call this Sunday "Palm Sunday" to represent the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey as the people laid palms on his path, signifying his royalty.

Prophets many years before this event prophesized the coming of the Lord during Passover; a Jewish holiday celebrated in remembrance of when God took the first born of the Egyptians, but spared the first born of the Hebrews who spread the lamb's blood on their doors.

Passover was celebrated by the Jews for 8 days and started the day before Jesus entered Jerusalem. During Passover several sacred traditions were held; all of the yeast was removed from the Jewish homes and either eaten or sold to non-Jews before Passover, sacrificing and feasting of the lamb, and so on.

On the following Friday, known today as "Good Friday," Jesus and his disciples feasted. This night would later be remembered as the "Last Supper." When the disciples arrived Jesus washed their feet (a chore usually left for servants) and soon after the meal and festivities began. It was during this feast that Jesus broke the bread and said, "Take and eat, for this is my body." He then passed the wine (which would actually have been grape juice, because there was no yeast in the house) and said, "Take and drink, this is my blood." This ceremony later became called the "Lords Supper," not to be confused with the Last Supper, which consisted of the entire night's prayers and festivities.

During the course of the evening Jesus announced that one of His beloved disciples would in fact betray Him. All of His disciples, of course denied this and as the night went on Judas Iscariot excused himself. The other disciples thought nothing of this, for Judas was the treasurer and they believed he was leaving to do some charitable good. In fact, Judas had received 30 pieces of silver from priests and elders and was waiting for his chance to betray Jesus.

When the supper was over He and His disciples went into the garden of Gethsemane. It was there that Jesus asked three of His friends; John, Peter, and James, to watch over him as he prayed. Some time after Jesus began to pray His three followers fell asleep. Jesus had to stop several times to wake them up. While this was happening, Judas showed up with the guards and kissed Jesus on the cheek (this was his way of pointing out to the guards which of the men was Jesus). When two of the guards seized Jesus, Peter swiftly drew his sword and cut off the ear of one of the guards. Jesus scolded Peter for this and covered the man's ear, healing it instantly. Jesus went quietly with the guards, for He had known they would be coming for Him.

Jesus was brought before the Jewish council who could not find anything to convict Jesus of, for he had done nothing wrong. Jesus was horribly beaten until he was almost unrecognizable by even his closest friends. Finally, they asked Him if He was the Son of God. When He replied that He was, they told Him it was an insult to God for Him to say so and the council brought Jesus before Pontius Pilate (the Roman Governor).

Pilate did not feel right convicted a man who had apparently done nothing wrong so he gave the people an ultimatum. Either he could release a prisoner named Barabbas, a known rapist and murderer; or he could release Jesus. Pilate was shocked when the people ardently cried for Barabbas to go free. When the people shouted "Crucify him!" the Pilate asked them what Jesus had done to offend them so much. And yet, in the end, Pilate asked that a bowl of water be brought in front so all the people could see him washing his hands (this was his way of ordering Jesus be killed). He then released Barabbas.

When Pilate gave the order the soldiers took Jesus away and stripped Him of his clothes. The dressed Him in a purple robe and forced a crown of thorns onto His head. Beaten, bloody and worn, Jesus had to carry his cross out of the city to a hill where criminals were killed. All the while the people, Jew and non-Jew alike spat on him and mocked him, bowing and shouting, "Hail the King of the Jews!" At one point Jesus, so worn out from the lack of food and the torture He had endured, collapsed. A soldier told a father standing by to pick up the cross and help Him carry it the rest of the way.

When they reached the hill Jesus was laid out on the cross and nails were put through his feet and hands (scientists argue over whether or not the nails were in His wrists or hands. Some believe the hands aren't strong enough to hold that weight, others say they are.). The cross was then straightened vertically and dropped into a hole in the ground so it would not fall back down.

Jesus was not alone on the hill, however. Two robbers were also being crucified right at the side of Jesus. One of the robbers was very frightened and Jesus spoke to him so he would be comforted. That man later accepted Jesus right before he died.

For several hours Jesus lost His strength, while people below shouted and cursed at Him. His mother watched Him from the ground and Jesus asked one of His disciples to take care of her as though she were his own mother.

It is said that around noon the sky went black and stayed that way for several hours. In this blackness, a man noticed that Jesus was no longer breathing. Shortly after this the soldiers took a spear to the men to ensure they were dead. Normally in those days, the soldiers would break the legs of the man on the cross so they were unable to pick themselves up to breathe (in the position their arms were in it made breathing difficult) and would, therefore, slowly suffocate them (the process could take days). However, the priests did not want the three men up on the crosses for the Sabbath (Saturday), which was also the day of Passover and they ordered the soldiers to kill them with the spear.

When they took Jesus down from the cross, He was wrapped in traditional funeral robes and placed in a tomb. The tomb was them sealed with a large boulder to keep the smell of decay inside (if I'm not being too frank). For the next two days mourners came and paid their respects to Jesus by laying flowers and offerings at His tomb. On the following Sunday, now known as Easter Sunday, the stone was rolled away (I've heard two versions as to why it was rolled away. One being that Mary Magdalen was curious and the other being that some followers of his were arguing about whether or not he was dead). When the stone was rolled away all that was found were His funeral robes. Jesus' body was missing from the tomb.

Confused, scared and angry, several of Jesus' disciples gathered around the tomb to discuss what had happened. It was then they saw their Lord, Jesus had risen from His tomb and was whole. Jesus told them He would be their Father in Heaven and to spread the word that their Lord had risen to be at His Father's side.

Over the next several years Jesus' disciples scattered over the world spreading the word of God and saving sinners so they too could join their Lord in Heaven. Many of them were persecuted and/or tortured, but they never faltered in their faith.

Today the holiday of Easter isn't recognized by most as a religious holiday. It's seen as a fun chance to spoil their children with candy and stories about the Easter Bunny and don't take time to remember who died on this day so many years ago. It's okay to fill your Easter baskets and hide eggs, but at the same time, don't forget that Jesus died on the cross so our sins could be forgiven.

P.S. I have not told the entire story in this article. If you would like to know what you're missing you will find the story of the life and death of Jesus in the New Testament. Good luck, I hope you enjoy it!